New Detailer's plan for new car

[jem7sk]

You might have seen me post before that I recently got two new cars. I am wanting keep these cars in great condition so I've been here researching over the past week or so. My car was detailed at the dealership but I plan on stripping it off and starting fresh. My goal is to keep it fun and simple and as inexpensive (by inexpensive I don't mean cheap but these are not show cars so I don't want to spend an arm and a leg) as I can. I am hoping to not have to clay, polish and seal more than 2 to 4 times per year with this method. Here is what I plan to do after researching here and other forums and Youtube.

1. Wash car, clay car, polish car (my paint doesn't have scratches or swirl marks yet so I don't need anything aggressive here), seal car.

2. Use a waterless wash system once a week or as needed.

3. Detail spray mid-week or as needed.

4. Every couple of months give it a regular wash

5. Start this process over again at #1 every 3 to 6 months.

For the above steps I plan to use (please recommend different if you wish):

1. CG Citrus Wash and gloss, ??? for clay and polish, CG Extreme Top Coat for sealant.

2. CG ECO Smart RU waterless wash (please recommend some microfiber towels for this process)

3. CG Hybrid V7

4. CG Citrus Wash and gloss.

How does this process sound to you all?

I do have a PC 7424 but no polishes now. My backing plate has rotted so I need another. Most of my pads are still in the plastic and never been opened. I am open to any polishes as long as easy to use and long lasting. It would be a benefit if it didn't stain plastic too. Thanks!

 

[mnehls86]

If your cars do not have any scratches or swirls and had a dealership coating applied I would not want to do anything but maintain it as well as possible. Also I would not recommend CG Top Coat Sealant unless you are just topping a coating because durability on it kind of sucks IMO. If the dealership just did a wash and wax type detail then I would just recommend you finding some other coating or sealant than the CG Top Coat.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

You might have seen me post before that I recently got two new cars. I am wanting keep these cars in great condition so I've been here researching over the past week or so. My car was detailed at the dealership but I plan on stripping it off and starting fresh. My goal is to keep it fun and simple and as inexpensive (by inexpensive I don't mean cheap but these are not show cars so I don't want to spend an arm and a leg) as I can. I am hoping to not have to clay, polish and seal more than 2 to 4 times per year with this method. Here is what I plan to do after researching here and other forums and Youtube.

While a battle plan is nice, keep in mind that detailing is very dynamic. No rigid schedule will work because the conditions that our vehicles face changes day-to-day... If your washing technique is on point, you may need to only polish the paint once a year...

1. Wash car, clay car, polish car (my paint doesn't have scratches or swirl marks yet so I don't need anything aggressive here), seal car.

sounds good.

2. Use a waterless wash system once a week or as needed.

If a waterless wash is going to be the your paint mode of washing, you may need to do it more frequently. The more you let dirt build up, the greater the risk of scratches/swirls/surface dulling. Maybe use a rinseless wash every week?

3. Detail spray mid-week or as needed.

If you drive the car, use a waterless wash instead. It is safer, and some of the high-quality waterless washes (like BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Waterless Wash) are going to add a substantial amount of gloss and shine too.

4. Every couple of months give it a regular wash

If you are using a rinseless wash, maybe do a detailed rinseless wash once a month, taking your time to clean all of the jambs, etc... There would not really be a need to do a regular wash.

5. Start this process over again at #1 every 3 to 6 months.

No need to polish so often unless you are scratching the paint. The better bet would be to polish the car as needed, when you notice swirls and scratches.



For the above steps I plan to use (please recommend different if you wish):

1. CG Citrus Wash and gloss, ??? for clay and polish, CG Extreme Top Coat for sealant.

If you want to go with CG, go with JetSeal. It is longer lasted.

2. CG ECO Smart RU waterless wash (please recommend some microfiber towels for this process)

Would go with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Rinseless Wash, using Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels.

3. CG Hybrid V7

4. CG Citrus Wash and gloss.

Sure.

I do have a PC 7424 but no polishes now. My backing plate has rotted so I need another. Most of my pads are still in the plastic and never been opened. I am open to any polishes as long as easy to use and long lasting. It would be a benefit if it didn't stain plastic too. Thanks!

Go with Wolfgang Uber Compound for heavy/medium polishing and Wolfgang Finishing Glaze for final/light-duty polishing.

 

[bswombaugh]

Just a couple of suggestions; I would do the weekly maintenance washes with a rinseless wash instead of a waterless wash. It allows for more lubrication and there will be less chance of inducing swirls and scratches. I would only use a waterless wash if the vehicle was just very slightly dirty and then do that very sparingly.

As far as a light polish, I would use something like M205 on an orange or crimson hydrotech pad or if you want to use a consumer grade polish you could use the Ultimate Polish by Meguiars. The V7 detail spray is one of my favorite along with Duragloss Aquawax. You won't go wrong with either of those choices. There are a lot of good sealants on the market. My preference is Duragloss 105. Looks great, last a long time and won't break the bank.

 

[jem7sk]

If your cars do not have any scratches or swirls and had a dealership coating applied I would not want to do anything but maintain it as well as possible. Also I would not recommend CG Top Coat Sealant unless you are just topping a coating because durability on it kind of sucks IMO. If the dealership just did a wash and wax type detail then I would just recommend you finding some other coating or sealant than the CG Top Coat.

Thanks

If a waterless wash is going to be the your paint mode of washing, you may need to do it more frequently. The more you let dirt build up, the greater the risk of scratches/swirls/surface dulling. Maybe use a rinseless wash every week?

Thanks, I just learned something about rinseless and waterless washes. I think I will do the rinseless per your advice. I just got two CG detail bucket kits that will work perfect for this.

If you drive the car, use a waterless wash instead. It is safer, and some of the high-quality waterless washes (like BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Waterless Wash) are going to add a substantial amount of gloss and shine too.

How do I know when to do Detail Spray and Waterless wash?

If you are using a rinseless wash, maybe do a detailed rinseless wash once a month, taking your time to clean all of the jambs, etc... There would not really be a need to do a regular wash.

That is good to know.. will save me a lot of time and money!

No need to polish so often unless you are scratching the paint. The better bet would be to polish the car as needed, when you notice swirls and scratches.

How often should I reapply sealant/wax?

Would go with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Rinseless Wash, using Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels.

You like BLACKFIRE over Optimum No Rinse? Those Supreme 530 Towels are expensive. Do you know a good place to get them cheaper than what I was finding? How many should I get?

Just a couple of suggestions; I would do the weekly maintenance washes with a rinseless wash instead of a waterless wash. It allows for more lubrication and there will be less chance of inducing swirls and scratches. I would only use a waterless wash if the vehicle was just very slightly dirty and then do that very sparingly.

As far as a light polish, I would use something like M205 on an orange or crimson hydrotech pad or if you want to use a consumer grade polish you could use the Ultimate Polish by Meguiars. The V7 detail spray is one of my favorite along with Duragloss Aquawax. You won't go wrong with either of those choices. There are a lot of good sealants on the market. My preference is Duragloss 105. Looks great, last a long time and won't break the bank.

Thanks.. more stuff for me to research

 

[jem7sk]

I ended up getting the Optimum no rinse for the wash and Pinnacle Waterless Wash BOGO at Autogeek to clean up messes between rinse less washes. I also got a couple dozen 16x16 microfiber towels. I should be set for now.