Very New to Detalining: Questions

S

scanlessfool

New member
Hello everyone. Been a member for sometime now and for the most part have just lurked and read on the site. I will soon and gradually be working my way up to detailing my car for the first time and have some questions.



For starters since I am not really that familiar with some of the products most of the things I will be using will be over the counter that can be purchased at Autozone, Kragen, Target, etc.



Car Condition: Clear Coat failure on hood. Swirls. Dull. Original 14 year old paint (Car is a 94)



1. My first step of course would be to buy the right car soap and so far I have concluded that I will probably buy either Meguiar's deep crystal car wash or Meguiar's gold class shampoo & conditioner unless there is something better which if there is feel free to recommend it. A problem though that I have come across is if I do intend to go with the Meguiar's soap which one will be best?



2. Next would be a clay bar. Which would you recommend? I am the second owner of the vehicle and I am pretty sure it has NEVER been clayed so I will need something that will last, get the job done, and make a difference to the condition of the paint. Also for the claying of the car, would this be done before the car gets washed or after? I have seen on the site that some members have washed the car, clayed it, washed again, and clay again as their process. Would this process work for me?



3. Since I am pretty sure the car has never been clayed it wouldn't be a suprise if it has never been waxed either which would explain why it is so dull. To top it off the car is black so I am sure many of you can imagine what I am talking about when the paint is dull. Originally what I was planning on using was Mother's carnuba wax but to be quite honest I wasn't even sure if this specific product is what I should be using. Another concern of mine and question was if it was best to stick with the same brand all around in terms of soap, clay bar, etc. or would I get best results if I mixed them up and the best job for me?



4. Last questions. What model rotary would you recommend for a beginner that is easy and expensive to use. Also what wax would be best to finish the job?





Thank you all for reading this long post and if it will help, here is a picture of the car I will be working on.



BlackHonda39.jpg




BlackHonda42.jpg
 
I actually have read what is provided in the Autopia Learning Library but I would prefer for individuals to give me their first hand accounts on what works best and what not.
 
1. wash with gold class (target, walmart, pepboys, kragen)

2. clay with clay magic (autozone)

3. megs deep crystal paint cleaner, scratchx (autozone, kragen, pepboys) or colorx (aggressive cleaner wax)

4. top with your choice of LSP

5. look into getting a PC, UDM or Flex (do a search on flex and you'll find LOTS of info)



here's a good example of what colorx can do on dull/oxidized paint... 1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online
 
Hi and welcome!



Take BigAl3's advice.



The only thing I can add is to make sure you have the proper washing tools (besides just the soap) in order to maintain your finish after your detail.

If you're not already familiar with it, do a quick search about 2 bucket method, get yourself a quality sheepskin mitt, microfiber mitt, or sponge, and invest in some good microfiber towels.

Your detailing job will do you no good if your maintenance afterwards is poor.

Another very popular item you might consider for washing if you decide to try something new besides your current OTC goods is ONR (optimum no-rinse) wash. I'm just bringing this up now because I'll guarantee that if you spend some time on the forums people don't have enough good things to say about it!!



And just to get you started on the right track...

PC is Porter cable, UDM is ultimate detailing machine, and LSP stands for last step product.

PC and UDM are both random orbital buffers, which are much better for beginners than a rotary since you risk burning your paint.

LSP is pretty self-explanatory, and check the stickies on the forums for the acronym decoder. Being quite new myself I find myself checking back often to figure out what this and that means =)



Cheers and good luck
 
scanlessfool said:
.. I will soon and gradually be working my way up to detailing my car for the first time and have some questions.



For starters since I am not really that familiar with some of the products most of the things I will be using will be over the counter that can be purchased at Autozone, Kragen, Target, etc.



Car Condition: Clear Coat failure on hood. Swirls. Dull. Original 14 year old paint (Car is a 94)



1. My first step of course would be to buy the right car soap and so far I have concluded that I will probably buy either Meguiar's deep crystal car wash or Meguiar's gold class shampoo & conditioner unless there is something better which if there is feel free to recommend it. A problem though that I have come across is if I do intend to go with the Meguiar's soap which one will be best?
Click to expand...



Don't skimp on shampoo. Get something at least as good as Gold Class. It's money well-spent.



I only use Griot's, but if I had to go OTC I'd get either DuraGloss or Meguiar's #62.



2. Next would be a clay bar. Which would you recommend? I am the second owner of the vehicle and I am pretty sure it has NEVER been clayed so I will need something that will last, get the job done, and make a difference to the condition of the paint. Also for the claying of the car, would this be done before the car gets washed or after? I have seen on the site that some members have washed the car, clayed it, washed again, and clay again as their process. Would this process work for me?
Click to expand...



OTC, I'd go with either the ClayMagic Blue or, distant second choice, the Mother's or Meguiar's.



Gotta wash first to get the "big stuff" off the paint, othewise you'll scratch it up something awful.



See if wash/dry/clay works. You can rewash if necessary at that point. Wash/dry before the clay gives you all the time in the world to do the claying, rather than having to rush as you might if you try to clay while washing.





3. Since I am pretty sure the car has never been clayed it wouldn't be a suprise if it has never been waxed either which would explain why it is so dull. To top it off the car is black so I am sure many of you can imagine what I am talking about when the paint is dull. Originally what I was planning on using was Mother's carnuba wax but to be quite honest I wasn't even sure if this specific product is what I should be using. Another concern of mine and question was if it was best to stick with the same brand all around in terms of soap, clay bar, etc. or would I get best results if I mixed them up and the best job for me?



...Also what wax would be best to finish the job?
Click to expand...



What it'll *REALLY* need is a good abrasive polishing, not just a cleaner-wax. It'll really need several polishing steps but to keep it simple you can make a big improvement with just one.



*BUT* you gotta get a good polish and that's not always easy OTC. So check the yellow pages for an autobody/paint supply store and go there to buy something like Meguiar's #80 or some Mother's Power Polish.



*DO NOT* try to do this with some Turtle Wax polish/compound or Meguiar's #7 or #9 or Deep Crystal polish. Seriously, it'd be a complete waste of time/effort/money.



Doing the whole car with Meguiar's Scratch-X would probably be too huge a job to ever come close to working out OK.



I myself would order some 1Z Paint Polish over the internet, hands-down the best idea IMO. If I had to do that car by hand (or even by machine), I'd use 1Z stuff even though I have a scad of different product lines on the shelf.



Finish it off with some Meguiar's NXT or #26 *if* you can't find anything from Collinite.





4. Last questions. What model rotary would you recommend for a beginner that is easy and expensive to use.
Click to expand...



Don't consider a rotary at this point. Get a PC/UDM/Flex as you'll almost certainly need it even *after* you graduate to a rotary (if you ever feel the need to do that). With the new LC PFW 3.5" pads, a random orbital can do anything your Honda will need IMO.



IMO the *BIGGEST* thing is to learn how to wash it without causing new marring. That's possibly the greatest single challenge with a black car and it's a *LOT* harder than most people would ever imagine.
 
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