Newbie's plan for semi-serious detail before big date

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I've been seeing a girl for a few weeks now and have invited her to see a play and go 'Christmas light looking' on Sunday. How does all this fit into detailing???? Well, I drove my car back from Ohio from Thanksgiving and it is an absolute mess. So I went to the local AutoZone for some supplies (didn't have time to order off the internet). Here is a regiment I'm going to use. Keep in mind that it is going to rain all day tomorrow (Saturday) so the only time I will have to do it is from Sunday monring until approx 4pm at the latest. So I need something that can be done somewhat quickly (but not without an eye to detail) and by hand (dont have a PC...yet). The car is a red '04 Accord coupe that is about four months old. The main problem is minor swirling as I confess to have the dealership wash it with apparent brillo pads twice (first at delivery and second at first service). Here is what I'm thinking.



1. Dawn wash with 'lambs wool' type mitt.

2. Dry using leaf blower and 'Absorber' for touch up

3. Claying car using Clay Magic clay system

4. Wax with Meguiars NXT liquid wax using MF towels I just bought.

5. Vaccuum inside (not that bad at all)

6. Use Stoners glass cleaner with MF towel inside and out.



I may have left some things out, but thats what I'm thinking so far. My big question is....would it make more sense/be more time efficient to clay the car while washing it? Second, once clayed and prepped....will Meguiars NXT by hand do a 'decent' job hiding swirls (I realize it wont remove them per se)?



I full well realize that this will not be the best detail in recorded history since for one I'm fairly new at it, second have a very limited time frame to do it in, and third dont have all the necessary supplies for a multi phase detail. That being said, can I get some tips guidance on how to maximize my time and effort here. The girl is kinda picky.....lol.
 
Wash then clay unless you don't want to use that bar again. You might want to use a true polish like menzerna fpII or sonus sfx 2 before you use the NXT, if you cant wait to get these online meguirs has some polishes like this that will help get rid of those swirls. This will even the swirls unless they are deep. My experience is that you have to polish to get rid of swirls like that, masking them doesn't ever seam to work and is temporary. It's not that much work and many of those polishes like fpII you can use by hand. Those absorbers work good all on their own, I don't know why you need the blower, wont this stir up any dust around? But seriously dude, just wash and wax the thing, if thats not enough and the girl is that picky RUN!
 
Thanks. She's not 'that' picky, I just want the ride to look nice for a nice time out. Maybe its me...lol. If def needs an entire claying since I can run my hand over it and feel the roughness. Its kinda sad that its only a few months old and already feels that way. I guess I'll clay after the dawn wash. Dont really have the time to order new polishes and what not since it will be technically tomorrow that it has to be done. From what I've read, NXT seems to be a great general purpose wax used by hand and available locally.



How long would you say it would take to clay the entire car? My typical wash (aside from wheels and bug duty on the bumper) takes roughly 30-40 minutes (including drying). I'm trying to make sure I have enough time for all this as I dont want to be in the middle of a wax and realize that I have 13 minutes to get ready. Any other tips to maximize my time?
 
Clay a car 15 minutes, just make sure you use a lot of lube. Wipe good with damn micro and you wont have to rewash it.

Good luck with the lady.
 
Wow, fifteen minutes. I was thinking more along the lines of an hour. Obviously fifteen minutes is alot better. How many times do you need to go over a certain spot?



Thanks for the vote of confidence with the girl. Things are going well, well enough to where I dot fret, 'how are things' in my own mind...lol
 
Clay will remove stuff very quickly, two passes and all the contaminants (roughness) will be gone! Clay magic is awesome and is the only clay I use. They have an unbelievable sale on the clay lube at autopia car care, I use this stuff for a detailer spray to inbetween washes. Check the forum, some other guy had a great link to get the CM clay bars cheap too. However, clay will not take the place of a polish, paint imperfections really need polishing. If this is your first time claying, just make sure you use a lot of lube. Somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 the bottle. If you use the bar on a dry surface it will smear and might even mar your paint. Don't worry though I've never done that.
 
I go over one spot about 4-6 times then move on. Just like the others said make sure that it is clean, and that you use plenty of lube. My car stays in such good shape now I can clay using just water.
 
On a new car, claying should go pretty fast. As you do the first panel, you will feel the paint get smooth and slick and know when to move on. The NXT should do a fine job of "hiding" until you have more time. Don't forget to add a nice mellow fragrance to the interior.
 
Dont forget to be well groomed and detail yourself! Present her with a single rose and compliment her on how she looks. Make sure that you always open the door for her. If you go eat, stand up when she leaves the table, pull her chair out for her, and always let her order first whether it be drinks or food. Make good eye contact without being a stalker and wear the good side of your undies on the outside.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'm really looking forward to the clay routine. I had 'tired' to wax once previously and it smeared and was too difficult. I'm sure that had alot to do with the surface not being prepped properly.



Thanks for the personal advice detailgirl. I am quite the gentleman, but will heed some of your advice. Who would have known that autopiaians are so knowledgeable on so many things.
 
ZoominLude said:
Who would have known that autopiaians are so knowledgeable on so many things.
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You would be surprised. I used to own a smoothie bar/sports nutrition store/tanning salon and am a certified sports nutritionist and also have multiple certifications for indoor tanning. This, plus my father's a plumber who I try to learn as much as I can from, I own real estate (Section 8 rentals) and I have just applied to be a fireman! And you know what? Compared to some of the people on the board, I'm an ingnorant couch potato. This little community houses some unbelievably intelligent people, that's for sure! :xyxthumbs
 
DetailGirl said:
Dont forget to be well groomed and detail yourself! Present her with a single rose and compliment her on how she looks. Make sure that you always open the door for her. If you go eat, stand up when she leaves the table, pull her chair out for her, and always let her order first whether it be drinks or food. Make good eye contact without being a stalker and wear the good side of your undies on the outside.
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Detailgirl, all that should really wow her but might take longer than the detail lol, but it is all probably be more important than the car detail.



Vacuum car, add some nice scent and follow detailgirl's advice
 
ZoominLude said:


Plan:

1. Dawn wash with 'lambs wool' type mitt.

2. Dry using leaf blower and 'Absorber' for touch up

3. Claying car using Clay Magic clay system

4. Wax with Meguiars NXT liquid wax using MF towels I just bought.

5. Vaccuum inside (not that bad at all)

6. Use Stoners glass cleaner with MF towel inside and out.



Questions:

1. would it make more sense/be more time efficient to clay the car while washing it?

2. Will Meguiars NXT by hand do a 'decent' job hiding swirls (I realize it wont remove them per se)?

3. can I get some tips guidance on how to maximize my time and effort here.
Click to expand...



I'm not sure if it's been made clear enough in previous answers, but switch your steps 2 and 3. Clay while the car is still wet, before drying. In fact, the typically suggested beginning is wash/clay/wash. Do a full, good wash job, then clay while wet (adds extra lube), and follow with a quick re-wash to remove clay residue. Also, be sure to go easy with the pressure on the clay and to re-knead it often, so you don't wind up dragging debris across the paint and marring things worse.



If you have time, and a correct product, a quick paint cleaning would probably be prudent, and not too time consuming. Something like Meguiars ColorX or the Meguiars Maroon Bottle Step 2 would give you a better paint cleaning than the mild cleaners in NXT alone. Then use the NXT as your final step. I think you'd see an appreciable difference. The NXT does do a decent job of hiding swirls, but avoid parking directly under the parking lot lights!
 
JDookie said:
You would be surprised. I used to own a smoothie bar/sports nutrition store/tanning salon and am a certified sports nutritionist and also have multiple certifications for indoor tanning. This, plus my father's a plumber who I try to learn as much as I can from, I own real estate (Section 8 rentals) and I have just applied to be a fireman! And you know what? Compared to some of the people on the board, I'm an ingnorant couch potato. This little community houses some unbelievably intelligent people, that's for sure! :xyxthumbs
Click to expand...
How did you get into the section 8 property? Are you making good money on it? Real estate is where it is at. Quote from the Sopranos, "Invest in land, its the only thing God isnt making more of."
 
Claying the car will probably take you longer than 15 minutes since it's your first time. You have to be done by a certain time, so you're better off allowing more time for each step than too little.



I'd just clay the car and throw some NXT on it. You can always do a full detail another time. Your car will be very smooth after these two steps. Don't be late for the date just so you can have a completed detail.



Make sure to clean the wheels, tires, and door jambs too. Cleaning those areas can make a big difference in the appearance of a vehicle. There's nothing like seeing a clean car, opening the door, and seeing a bunch of crap all over the doorjambs.
 
DetailGirl said:
Dont forget to be well groomed and detail yourself! Present her with a single rose and compliment her on how she looks. Make sure that you always open the door for her. If you go eat, stand up when she leaves the table, pull her chair out for her, and always let her order first whether it be drinks or food. Make good eye contact without being a stalker and wear the good side of your undies on the outside.
Click to expand...



:) That's some good advice! Girls love it when you open doors for them- just make sure you always do it ;). I always do it for my g/f and we've been going out for almost a year and a half now. When we go on 'double dates' with friends, the other girl is always saying how nice it would be if somebody opens a door for her.
 
The date went very well. Thanks! Actually I had errands to do all that day so I only had time to do a wash and int vaccuum. So I'll have to make sure my timetable is better prepared next time. I may have a chance to detail today since its supposed to be near 60 and sunny.
 
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