I’d like to find a fairly high-end supplier of things like wash and wax products, cleaning tools, chamois cloths etc.
I’ve used Griot’s Garage before, but are there any others?
Locally a paper and chemical supplier is the best source.
http://catalog.montspaper.com/Items/JMTCTW/Chemicals/Car-Truck-Wash-and-Detailing/
Are internet sources usually superior to local walk in businesses?
Try these guys;
Mustangman, that’s great. Looks like a lot of useful instruction, too.
Don’t buy into the hype around some of those super expensive waxes, etc. Some of the best are on the shelf at Walmart, etc.
Anyone have an opinion of the Meguiar’s product line?
They’re good. You might check prices on amazon.com.
Agreed with @texases . Meguiars is very good, and plenty good enough for homeowners. I use them exclusively except for leather care - there I step up to the Leatherique system - it’s expensive, but fantastic. My 7 year old leather seats in my Acura look almost brand new just from treating them yearly with that stuff.
I’ve heard good things about these guys:
http://kalecoauto.com/
I really like Meguires products and they are available everywhere in both hand and machine grades. Machine grades are less aggressive so you don’t burn through the paint. I prefer Meguires polish to Griots best and we have 2 black cars… very demanding of swirl remover polishes.
I also like Meguires products, but as to ordering them via Amazon, you have to think about shipping fees. Unless you are ordering a lot of car wax (over $25, IIRC), the lower price on Amazon will be wiped out by shipping charges.