Adam’s

The dream for any car owner drying a car is to not scratch the paint. Don’t. Scratch. The. Paint. Sometimes, careful isn’t enough with a towel, squeegee or other tool, so in comes the Adam’s Air Cannon Car Dryer. This blower shoots 58,000 feet per minute to to provide oodles of power to shoot water off the exterior of a car. Seriously, it rocks.

If the standard unit is too expensive, there’s a junior model that may fit the bill.

Dewalt

There are many polishers out there, but Dewalt’s cordless version is wonderful. Did we mention it’s cordless? That’s good stuff. It comes with a 20-volt battery to power it that you plop on a charger when it’s not in use, and it’ll spin from 800-2,200 rpm. And the rpm is clearly labeled on the knob to know exactly what you’re getting into. Another nice trick? There’s a dedicated slow start to keep products from slinging around at the start of application. It’s the Cadillac of buffers, people. Keep in mind this is the seven-inch version; a smaller five-inch unit is also available.

ERAY

This one is for the real detailing car owner nerd, but it’s a nifty tool nonetheless. A paint thickness gauge can tell you a lot about your car’s paintwork and perhaps help identify problem areas where rust may start to form. Even better: It’s a great tool to bring when you’re looking for a new project car to see how well it was taken care of prior to you possibly owning it.

ERAY’s model comes with a two-year replacement guarantee and an easy-to-read LCD screen to display results as you prod paintwork. Plus, you can set an alert to spot if a car’s painted surface area might run low, enabling you to perhaps find an issue early on.

Bissell

Spot cleaners are definitely not just for little messes inside the house. They are wonderful machines when it comes to detailing a car, too. Take Bissell’s Portable Carpet Cleaner. It’s nice and compact, features two brush tools and comes with a long hose for maneuverability. You’ll have to pay more for a unit that heats the water, but just use water you’ve already warmed for great cleaning action. Car carpets and upholstery will thank you.

Tornador

For car detailing gurus with an air compressor, the Tornador cleaning gun is a slick thing. Pop it into an air hose and you suddenly have the ability to scrub plastics, floor mats and so much more with this powerful tool. Plus, it can reach places that are typically a pain. Make sure your air compressor produces at least 85 psi to get the best benefits from it.

Fahrenheat

Alright, so it’s not a detailing tool, but for a car enthusiast who wants to work on cars in the cold weather months, a garage heater is a must. We picked this product as our favorite garage heater in a separate roundup, but it deserves space here, too. It’s a handy thing to have the temperatures start falling, but you still want to buff the car.