Newbie attempt at detailing...

N

NYCPathfinder

New member
Hi all,



I've been reading this board for the past few days and have gathered what I think is enough info to detail my 2002 Chrome Silver Clear Coat Pathfinder, she's only 2 weeks old but has been parked outside for the first week under some trees and rainy conditions (finally found an indoor parking spot as of this past friday), has gotten bird bombed twice (I cleaned with CM QD), and has been on the high way a couple of times.

Here's a list of what I'm planning on doing. If I've not understood the info I've read and any of you see anything wrong with this please let me know, I'm gonna try it this Saturday, barring any warning signs you may bring up:



1. Wash with Meguiars Gold Class car wash (clear coat friendly)

2. Clay with Clay Magic bar and lube combo.

3. Klasse 1xAIO.

4. Klasse 1xSG, and then another 4 times as soon as it is possible after cleaning the car with a QD or if really dirty after a full wash.

5. Optional Carnauba Wax once every 3 months.





That's my plan and I'm sticking to it unless somebody waves a red flag or has a better method for detailing my first born :D



Thanks in advance,



Diego
 
I may be wrong, so I follow someone who knows better to make sure, but I don't think Carnauba wax will last effectively for 90 days. About a month or so tops depending on driving conditions and it will be donw to 50% - if you QD, maybe longer.



Also, use Dawn to wash your car first. It helps to strip anything that the dealer may have put on. And you may want more then 1x AIO. I think mot guys use 2x.
 
Carnauba will last a variable amount of time depending on many factors. Could be as little as 1 month, although many around here get much more with a quality wax like Blitz.



Just a note about your plan - I would do a dawn wash first. Regarding AIO - because the car is new and you are going to clay first I would go with 1x AIO - if yor car is swirl-less you may even want to skip the AIO and go directly to SG. But I'd probably do 1x AIO myself...



Also, remember that once you apply Carnauba on top of the K you cant go back and start applying K again until you strip all of the Carnauba...



Oh, and if you've got a digital camera feel free to post some pics...:D
 
Thanks to both of you on the wax issue. I didn't realize it but now will skip that step (I knew there was a reason I listed it as optional, just needed confirmation) and just stick with SG, which I'll do about 5 times for the first shot then maintain every few months, say once every 4-6 months?



I'll try the dawn, is it safe for clear coat?



Any one else got tips, suggestions, etc, I've got till this Saturday to fine tune my steps.



Pics will be made available soon :)
 
Dawn is fine every once and a while specifically to strip wax, but do not use it on a regular basis!



I'd think that reapplying a coat of SG every 4 months or so should be fine, but other with more K experience may have better information. Do a search for Klasse and you'll find many detailed threads regarding Klasse application, durability, etc. There is an absolute ton of information available in the archives!
 
The only reason people don't use dawn to wash their cars regularly is because it'll take off any carnauba wax you have on it. If you don't feel safe washing with dawn, then don't. Since you are claying and then using Klasse AIO you will remove any wax you have on your car before you get to Klasse SG.
 
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