One month old Black Detailing?

J

josephku09

New member
Hi, I have a 1 month old solid black Xtrail. Initially I would always have it washed by my local detailer, and been waxed a couple of times and the result wasn't too good after a month of washes every couple of days. There are some light swirls, some deep hairline scratches, and bad water spots on the hood.



So I decided to wash it on my own from now on :) and do a full detail before that. Went to a local auto shop to get the supplies and would like to ask autopian here on the process I am gonna go about:



1. Dawn Wash

2. Clay (mothers clay)

3. Dawn Wash

4. Pre Wax Cleaner Polish (Mothers Step 1)

5. Glaze and Seal (Mothers Step 2)

6. Wax (Mothers Reflection Car Wax)

7. Glaze and Seal (Mothers Step 2)

8. Top Coat (Mothers Reflection Top Coat)

9. QD (Meg Ultimate Quick Detailer)



I want to remove the light swirls, hairline scratches and water spots b4 putting on protection. Would really appreciate it if you can comment on this and feel free to tell me if I am missing something or doing things that are not needed.



I am questioning on step 5 and step 7...the reason I thought of doing that is because I read that Reflection advance car wax has some cleaners and assume that step 6 will strip the glaze.



Ok thats all...just throw it at me since I am new to detailing...FYI I will be doing all this by hand :)
 
anyway since it is a new car...would it be neccessary to use machine buffing? I am kinda intimidated that it will take off the clear coat.
 
You are correct in your desire to get rid of the swirls and water spots before putting on a layer of protection. And great job for not wanting to let anybody else touch your car anymore. haha



Would it be necessary to machine polish? No. You can do it by hand - just be prepared to spend a lot of time on it and likely not get it all out. Don't worry, you aren't going to take off the clear-coat by machine polishing it to get out some simple swirls. Well, i guess that depends on what machine you are going to use. Sounds like you want to pick up a PC and jump in! Good luck!
 
How abrasive/aggressive is that Mother's Step One Cleaner?



If it's similar to the Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step One Cleaner I wouldn't expect it to do much for the marring :think:



josephku09- If you want to correct the marring you need to abrade away some clearcoat, it's pretty much as simple as that (unfortunately). New, old, whatever the car's story, if you want to get those scratches/etc. out you need to take off some paint. I'd just do enough to remove the light swirls and make the deeper scratches better.



FWIW, I favor a simple approach, simpler than what you're proposing...I wouldn't do multiple Glaze and Seal/Reflections steps. Doing what's required *once* will be enough of a chore ;)



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia! Hope the above doesn't sound like some voice-of-doom pessimism, you can make a huge improvement working by hand without it being a horrible PIA. But using the right stuff helps and I'm not sure those Mother's products are the best choice.
 
Thanks for all the reply guys...



@ Buffme & Saintlysins:



So it is safe to say that doing the glaze and sealant process twice is a waste of time rite :) hehe guess i will just do it once then and safe me some time...thought of doing that twice because I thought the Reflection Car Wax has some cleaner that will take off the glaze.



@ Gravedigaditch & Accumulator:



Yup!!! been reading threads here this couple of days and I can't believe how addictive it can be to get into detailing...and the thing is that I am getting started only hahaha, for sure not gonna let anyone touch it other than me...can't imagine how much of my time it is gonna take in a couple of months from now, reading threads here, finding out bout the products mentioned, getting the machine, learning how to do it properly etc :)...

the thing is that I realized from reading all these new info on detailing, what you said is true...gotta to sacrifice some clear coat in order to rid the marring...but from the product selection i am using...can you tell me how much is it gonna remove the clearcoat and how many times can I do it? Btw I am thinking of getting a PC hehe :)...guess gotta get it from reading all the threads here...anyway you mention that mothers product might not be the best selection i can get, can you recommend what product that will be good to use on a black car?
 
lets face it - if you are washing the car every week yourself and minimizing the creation of new marring you aren't going to need to polish the car very often - unless you are truly an addictive personality and perfectionist. Once you get through this first touch-up to remove the marring that you are talking about, you should be fine for a few months and likely only need to do it every 6 months to a year. Your clearcoat has no problem with a super fine polish being used even slightly more than that.



Check out the Menzerna line of polishes - always a safe bet!

For wax - i've got a black car - I just picked up the new Liquid Sovereign w/Polymer - just bought it 2 weeks ago. Its super easy to apply and use. Want something easier than that -- go for some Aqua Wax.
 
josephku09 said:
...gotta to sacrifice some clear coat in order to rid the marring...but from the product selection i am using...can you tell me how much is it gonna remove the clearcoat and how many times can I do it?
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The stuff you've already mentioned won't take off a measurable amount of clear. The stuff I recommend below won't take off much and you shouldn't have to worry about it unless you find yourself polishing all the time (in which case you need to work on your wash technique).



The truth is that nobody can really say how much you'll be taking off or how many times you can do it. Just too many variables.



..anyway you mention that mothers product might not be the best selection i can get, can you recommend what product that will be good to use on a black car?
Click to expand...





I dunno from OTC stuff, but I always recommend 1Z Paint Polish for people just starting to get serious about this stuff. Sources: Home or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing, Auto Detailing Supplies, Auto Detailing Equipment, Auto Detailing Products, & Auto Detailing Accessories for all your Automobile Detailing
 
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