Getting a new car, any advice?

K

KSCobra46

New member
I'll be picking up the wifes new 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE on Thursday. It is sheer silver with charcoal interior. I have already told the dealer not to detail the car, no license plates on the front and no dealer stickers. Friday I intend to detail the car to my specs. I will clay, #9 any swirls, S100 GEC, and S100 Wax.



Now here are my questions:



Any advice on preparing the interior for daily use? Should I Scotch Guard or treat the carpets with something? How about the leather? I usually use #40 on my interior and Eagle One on the leather.



I just wanna make sure I'm prepping the interior to handle the day to day usage. Any other recommendations on a new car will be greatly appreciated.



Thanks!
 
"I have already told the dealer not to detail the car, no license plates on the front and no dealer stickers. "



Given the experiences of others here, I would be prepared for a

bunch of confused-puppy stares and insisting they get the car

all purty for ya. They'll act like you just asked your surgeon to

leave the wound open, I'll suture that myself whenI wake up, thanks.



They probably pretty much go into autopilot on doing their

pre-delivery prep when new cars roll in, so I'd call and remind them a few dozen times.

Let us know how it goes!

JonT
 
You can scotchgard the carpets if you like.



Also, apply a protectant to the dash and most interior trim pieces. As for leather, a good cleaning should be enough. Maybe some conditioner depending how dried out the leather is. Also, if you use 303, it can be used on leather as well.



:up
 
It was definitely fun for me when I prepped my new car a few months ago. A 100% swirl free black finish is breathtaking! No doubt the sheer silver will be as well.
 
Yeah a clean black would be cool, but there is no way I'm buying the wife a black car! Silver should look good and be easy to keep clean.
 
I took my 02 Supercrew to the Dealer for service, parked right in front as the customer spots were taken. Finished with service and came back out and a group of employees and customers were looking at the Truck. They asked if it was new and how I got it to shine like that- granted I just detailed it over the weekend so it was a nice compliment. I smiled and just went on my way.
 
Scotchgaurd!!!! That stuff has saved my life multiple times with the family car. Sounds like a beautiful car. Have fun and good luck!
 
I bought clear plastic rug runner stuff that you can get by the yard at Lowes etc and made plastic mats to go under my rubber mats so that the carpet was covered completely enough that feets would never touch it. I extended the plastic out under the door and used double sided tape to adhere it to the door jamb plastic. After a year of use my carpets are spotless...perfect. I remove the plastic when I show the truck. I wish I had put a seat cover on the drivers seat when I got the truck new a year ago this month. I developed a monthly check list of detailing chores that I wanted to make sure got done with regularity. That helped.
 
I'm in Wichita. I would be up for a KC/MO meet. It would be nice to meet some Autopians and maybe learn a thing or two. If others show interest let me know.:up
 
I heard not to wax until 30 days from roll-out has come and gone. Something about letting the paint cure and bond properly. You can see you car's date of birth inside the door (at least on GM cars). I waited, no biggie. Better to be safe then sorry.
 
C5Mike: Yeah, that's the big debate. You have a good point though, I may wait 30 days to be safe.



On a side note I went to another dealer I've been talking to and made a deal that allowed me to get into an 04 Maxima for only $2000 more than the 03 Altima. So needless to say I bought the Maxima Wednesday night. It's the same colors as the Altima. I'm really excited to have a clean canvas to work with!
 
You don't have to wait 30 days with a brand new vehicle. Factory finishes are baked, they cure in the oven within minutes. The paint is fully cured when you pick it up.



No need to wait, you can detail away!! Have fun!! :cool:
 
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