Went Shopping. Need Suggestions.

crimson

crimson

New member
Since the weather around here isn't good at all, I decided to completely detail my Camaro during Spring Break, yes my car is more important than a trip to the beach :D . Anyway I'm buying my stuff weekly starting today, so I went to the store and bought a sheepskin mit, Mother's clay kit, and the Meg's 3-step detailing bottles. I still have to buy some WW Grey and Blue cloths, Invisible Glass, and wheel cleaner. What else do I need, I was thinking about buying the Meg's NXT wax and applying over the wax in the 3-step kit. Also is the 3-step kit any good? Also what's good for the engine and interior, I have cloth interior. I want to do a full detail and I don't car how long it takes.



Here's a pic of what I bought:

376123_35_full.jpg




Thanks in advance for all the replies. :xyxthumbs
 
You're off to a good start there.



Yes, the Deep Crystal 3-step is good. In fact, its just fine. But there are better products out there, even within Meguiar's line up.



I last used the DC 3-step on my black 300ZXTT back in September. I just hadn't gotten around to posting any pictures (but I plan to soon). It turned out pretty good.



However, after I started using some of Meg's Mirror Glaze pro line, like #7 Show Car Glaze instead of the Step 2, and #26 Hi-Tech Wax instead of the Step 3, its going to be hard to go back to using the Maroon bottles. There was a noticeable improvement.



NXT over Step-3? Umm... I'd be willing to bet that one you try the NXT, you're not going to want to use the Step-3 wax any more. ;) For myself for waxes & seallants I have Meguiar's DC step 3, Gold Class, #26, #20 and NXT. I also have P21S paste wax. I somehow don't think I'll using the Step 3 or the Gold Class very much anymore.
 
welcome to autopia, i can personally guarantee you will learn alot during your stay.



other items to consider buying are:



Waffle Weave, or The Absorber for drying the car off.

A couple Foam applicators for applying your 3 step

A couple plush microfiber cloths to buff off the car.

A Quick Detailer to maintain the shine.

A couple brushes and tire detailers would be good for a full detail

Some interior cleaning products and odour neutralisers will help..



dunno wot else to suggest for now



ENJOY THE PROCESS! AND TAKE YO TIME,
 
So I should keep step-1, get the Meg's #7 glaze, and top it off with NXT? I was actually thinking about doing hat while at the store, but I didn't know if the 3-step was meant to be used to gether or if your could mix-and-match. I also have some Tutle Wax car wash, is that good or should I find some QEW?
 
You can mix and match.



The tradeoff between Step 2 and #7 is that Step 2 is a lot easier to use. #7 takes some getting used to. If you are going to finish off with NXT, I'd stay with Step 2, and return the Step 3 wax for the NXT; the NXT will make the difference between Step 2 and #7 moot.



QEW is a hoseless wash. If you are using a hose, TW wash will work fine.



For your interior, there are lots of decent dash cleaner/protectants. Some of the favorites here are 303, Vinylex, Stoner's Trim Shine, Meguiar's #40... but those aren't the last word, either. I like the Black Magic trim protectant, and Eagle One makes a decent product, too.



For the carpets, I use a Little Green Machine and carpet cleaner. The most important thing for carpets, to me, is working the cleaner deep into the nap with a stiff brush. You can use the foamiing stuff with a Shop Vac, I guess, but I'm not a fan of the foaming aerosol stuff.



For cloth seats, I defer to the pros. I've had leather seats for the last 5 years, and I'm not up on the latest.





Tom
 
You can definately mix and match. No worries about that, particularly if you're staying within the Meguiar's line, but even if you don't.



I found the Step 1 paint cleaner to be a nice product. It gave me amazing results, really cleaned up the paint. But it left a bit of pinkish powdery residue in cracks & seams (I'll be more careful next time).



Weather you should ditch the step 2 polish for #7, that depends. Do you have a basecoat/clearcoat or single-stage paint on your car? The #7 is supposed to work better on single-stage but I found the #7 still adds a little more oomph over the step 2 (all my cars are clearcoated). But it is a bit tougher to remove. I'm going to try #81 Hand Polish this spring which is supposed to be better than both of those (for clearcoats).



I've used Turtle Wax Zipwax car wash in the past... it was ok. Then I switched to Mother's California Gold. It was better, but didn't sud well. I'm looking for something even better now (maybe Meg's Gold Class or NXT wash).
 
Okay, I've decided that I'm going to return Step-3 and exchange it for NXT. I guess for the wheel I can use just about anything, or is there a best off-shelf product, and for tires also.



I just can't wait to have everything purchased, Spring-Break is right around the Corner!:D
 
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