Does this sound like a good idea?

R

Red96GT

New member
I'm just getting into the whole detailing thing and have read around quite a bit. The thing is that I really can't find where to start. I've seen some kits and tey seem like a good place to begin because I don't have to choose all the products I will buy and they seem to save some money as well. What do you guys think about starting out with a kit? So far I like:



The Souveran / Klasse Kit

The whole JW system

Menzerna - Souveran Kit



Has anyone heard anything about any of those? I there another kit that someone recommends? I want to get into detailing but not go "all out" like some the autopians do.



I have a laser red '96 Mustang GT in very good condition (no swirls/deep scratches/etc.)
 
when you say kit what are you wanting to do? do you have two buckets, do you have wash mitts, do you have decent car soap...these packages assume you have most of these things and all you need is just to lay down some wax and protection on the car. besides the essentials the first things that started my collection was klasse aio and klasse sg. Now I buy all kinds of things like I'm collecting stamps lol
 
The only things I buy as a kit would be a pad kit with backing plate. It would make it alittle easier if you stuck with one brand like Optimum. You can go from Optimum polish and wipe it off with the car wax and you are all set for a great looking finnish if the paint is in decient shape. For what it is worth i bought the Souveran/Klasse kit at Autgeek last year whe it was on sale. I was a great kit but I wanted the items in the kit, I did not buy it because it was a kit. Sorry if I am not making any sense, 3 small kids all day!
 
Red98Gt- Welcome to Autopia! I sympathize with how overwhelming this stuff can seem.



I can't really offer an opinion on the kits you mentioned as I'm just not familiar with *any* kits...it seems I always end up mixing and matching the products I want instead of going with what others try to combine. But that doesn't help *you* out any huh?! Let me try to offer something useful.



The problem with most kits is that the products and *the sizes* are often not what you really need in the real world. Small bottles of car wash that'll be gone in a few weeks combined with larger bottles of sealant that'll last for years, that sort of thing.



I'd start out this way:



First, get the stuff you need to wash properly (I'd include a foamgun setup in that myself ;) ) because washing is a) what you do most and b) where most marring comes from. Get a good, high-lubricity shampoo (at least Meguiar's Gold Class) and get a gallon of it.



Get a good wheel cleaner that won't damage your wheels.



Get a claybar kit. (heh heh, OK, there's a kit I go for)



I'm assuming you're working by hand for now- Get a polish that works OK by hand and a Last Step Product ("LSP") that'll last a good while. I'd recommend 1Z polishes and Collinite wax.



Get good MF cloths for drying (waffle weaves) and polishing/waxing (plush).



Then just try a basic wash, clay, polish, wax. Then maintain it for a while and see how things go. There's no need to make this a huge, complicated process, it can really be as simple (or not!) as you want it to be. Plenty of people do great with just washes and cleaner wax from the autoparts store, but I suspect you'd like to take it a bit farther than that.
 
Red, I was in your shoes not to long ago. My first step was to understand the process to detailing a car. Then read and see what products are offered for each process. Such as wash, clay, polish, sealant, etc.

After understanding the process and reading about all the products and equipment you can get an idea of just what you want to try and how much you want to invest. Do you want to polish by hand, or do you want to use a machine?

At first you will build up quite a cabinet of things until you narrow it down to the products of your liking. Some people on here are nice even to send you a sample to try. A guy on here sent me a whole big box of stuff he didn't use any more just for shipping costs!

So my suggestion is, read, learn, ask questions. All the people in at Autopia are great people more then willing to help in any way they can! Goodluck! I have a bunch of stuff I don't use that I would be willing to send you at shipping costs to help you get started.
 
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