What more do I need to get started?

D

Dancing Peacock

New member
I've been reading for two weeks, and I've learned alot from it. As soon as I finalize my order to Autopia I'll have the rest of the e-book, which might have answered my questions. I really enjoy reading it, never knew how much there was to know about detailing.



I apologize in advance for the novel, but I wanted to make sure I made myself clear with plenty of background. :)





Car Info:

Silver 99 Honda Accord Coupe EX Cloth interior, leather on steering wheel and gear shift



I believe the rims are clear coat alloys. (came stock with the car)

car is parked outside at both work and home. I also live and work within ~ 2 miles from the beach, and in Los Angeles.





I haven't noticed swirl marks, but I haven't gone over every inch of it. I probably have some. I have a couple of scratches and small imperfections, definitely have some waterspots from the rains we got recently. The previous owner washed but I don't know how often she waxed it. I run my hand over the surface, and it is not smooth at all. So it needs help.



My goals:



Keeping the car clean and protected. I'm willing to sacrifice shine and reflection, especially being silver, in favor of protection. The fewer steps/coats the better, and ease of application/buffing is a big plus. I like being able to buy locally so Mother's or Meguiar's are the two that appear to be easily available at Pep Boys/Autozone, but I'm open to other suggestions. Money isn't a huge issue, but of course it plays a roll, right?





Here's what I've purchased so far:



- Mother's clay with showtime instant detailer for lubricant

also came with a cleaner wax (when does this get applied? should I put it on at all?)



- Meguiar's gold class car shampoo 64oz



- Eagle One A2Z Tire and Wheel cleaner



- scratchX



- Meguiar's Quik Detailer (bought it before I got the clay w/showtime)



- Meguiar's protectant wipes for the dash/vinyl (might take these back,haven't opened yet)



- Meguiar's #26 wax





Things I haven't bought, but are sitting in my shopping cart @ the autopia store, waiting for replies from this thread):



- 303 Aerospace protectant (I like the thought of matte finish on the dash,vinyl,plastic and tires)



- Klasse AIO



- Autopia Wash and Dry Trio - Drying Towel/Sheepskin mitt/autopia speed blade (only windows)





Other things I will purchase:



- MF's from Pakshak







From what I've gathered so far here is the game plan, please tell me if I'm wrong or completely off track:



- wash the car w/ meguiar's soap (davidb said dawn was too harsh?)

- clay and wash again

- (DO I need something else here??)

- AIO

- scratchx (where it's needed)

- #26



My notes & comments:

For windows, I'm going to give them a vinegar wash, because I have water spots. I'm going to try the water only and MF/speed blade combon and see how that works. There seems to be more

controversy/ways to clean glass than anything else here.



I decided not to order the Klasse SG, because I read that some people had some difficulties with it. I know people rave about it, but I'd like to keep things simple, especially at first.





cliffnotes on my questions:

1. Am I missing anything to buy, given my goals, should I use a swirl remover too?

2. If I need a swirl remover, Meguiars #9, the mother's version or 3m SMR?

3. Is the cleaner wax different from waxes that come later in the process, like #26?

4. Will the 303 be okay for my leather covered shifter, steering wheel?

5. Is my proposed method sufficient to keep the car protected?

6. Should I get a waffle weave towel from Pak Shak in addition to the Autopia drying towel?



Thanks for any and all input. I look forward to learning more and having a sexy car :D
 
Welcome to Autopia :wavey



Yeah, that is a big list but that's what ya need to get started. Do you need the Scratch X? I mean, OK if you have scratches otherwise its a bit of a waste.



If you want an easy but effective one step "cleaner wax" then AIO is the best choice. SG is nice if you want to add more protection but it sounds like you don't want to mess with multiple steps so sticking with the AIO is fine. You can top AIO with #26 if you like for better looks - get the paste version of #26 if you're doing all this work by hand.



Take back the wipes if you can. The 303 will do everything you need and more.



Try claying the windows to remove water spots. The problem you're having is classic So Cal hard water spotting. They can be really tough to remove. If you're still having probs after vinegar and clay, PM DavidB and ask for tips. He's in San Diego and has dealt with this problem too.



I would not use any protectant on the steering wheel or shifter. You don't want residue on your hands and any protectant will make them slippery. There's no real benefit in doing this.



If the Autopia towel is big enough then that'll be OK for drying. I'd say get another towel if you owned an SUV or minivan.



If you want to add a polish step before AIO then an SMR would be fine. Any of those you mentioned will work.



You're step should be:



*Wash

*Clay

*Polish with SMR

*AIO

*Top with #26 (optional)





Good luck. Post some before & after pics so we can all see your work.
 
Welcome Dancing Peacock. :welcome



I agree with what's been said already, so I'd just like to throw in these:



For swirl removers you might want to look into Meguiar's #9 because I've been told that it's easier to use by hand. Try a search for "meguiars smr" and see what comes up. I'm fairly certain Mothers does not make a swirl remover. What product were you referring to?



Use Scratch-X if you have any real individual light scratches after claying, so:



Wash

Clay

Scratch removal/reduction

Swirl removal

AIO

#26 (optional)



Hope this helps, and good luck.
 
thanks for all the replies guys, should be very helpful. I am doing this all by hand. I'm going to try this out before I get a PC.



I have a couple of follow up questions.



1. BlackRegal - which vinyl/tire dressing do you recommend? I'll also read up and see what else is around? I bought Eagle One tire cleaner, any rec. on their Tire dressing?



2. Re: the SMR, I haven't read any instructions, but is this something that you apply all over the car, or just on the affected areas?



3. If I get the Klasse SG, should I still use the #26 afterwards?



4. Re: the MF towels. How many should I buy? I saw someone recommend 10. I'm probably not one to wash right after use, but I only have 1 car to do. Is that enough? I was planning on getting the 16x16, not the 24x24?



I'll be putting my order into Autopia tonight. I still need to contact Renny? from PakShak and get some MF towels as well.
 
2) All polishes should be only used "as needed". However, this usually turns out to be the entire car. In your case since this is its first real detailing and you have imperfections anyway, do the whole car.



3) You can use #26 if you want. Klasse SG is all you need to finish with and is tougher than any wax, but some people like to fiddle with the way their car looks so they experiment with waxes on top of their sealants. Do a search in the archives for something like "topping klasse".



4) I would get something like 15 or more for your one car. Bigger MF supplies are better because then you're less likely to re-use a towel and make for more reasonably sized loads in the washer in my opinion. At the height of your detailing activities you'll be going through these things like water. Autopia is full of posts saying "You can't have too many MF towels!". :)
 
One last question -



How effective is a SMR on scratches? Say I return the ScratchX and pick up the 3m SMR or the Meguiar's one. Will it be sufficient?



I looked at the car, and there's not as many scratches as I may have thought. A few swirl marks and water spots in addition to dead bugs and some random stuff on the passenger door, can't really place what it is. It's not scratched paint, but its something sticking to the paint. Have to figure out how to get it off.



I decided not to try the KSG just yet. I put my order into Autopia and unlocked the ebook, so I'll have some reading to do before I get my package.



I'm going to do the AIO then the #26. As I want to start easy and then work up to the more complex, and more layers, etc.



I do have to try and return the liquid #26 and get the paste since bretfraz said it's easier to do by hand. And the wipes since I wont need them. And the lame CCD wannabe duster I got for the dash, it was 3 bucks and pretty worthless. Target is good about taking stuff back, so it shouldn't be too bad. Lots of stuff to do before I can get it looking nice.
 
So is polishing necessary after Clay Bar or is it necessary at all?

From my understanding these are the steps:



-Wash the car

-Tar Remover (any particular kind?)

-Clay (is second car wash necessary after this?)

-Klasse All In One (how many coats?)

-Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze (how many coats?)



My car is brand new black 350Z so there are no scratches yet but a lot of swirl marks (from the dealer I guess). How do I remove these; is there an additional step required to the ones I listed above and if yes after what does it take place?

Thank you for your help in advance.
 
krutoydude said:
So is polishing necessary after Clay Bar or is it necessary at all?

From my understanding these are the steps:



-Wash the car

-Tar Remover (any particular kind?)

-Clay (is second car wash necessary after this?)

-Klasse All In One (how many coats?)

-Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze (how many coats?)



My car is brand new black 350Z so there are no scratches yet but a lot of swirl marks (from the dealer I guess). How do I remove these; is there an additional step required to the ones I listed above and if yes after what does it take place?

Thank you for your help in advance.
Click to expand...



Hi, it was mentioned above the the polish is something that not all cars need. Your's being new may not. I'm not accomplished enough here to know. There have been some threads on what to do with a new car. The search function is helpful in this regard.



The wash after the clay is to get the residue from the lubricant off, if I understand it correctly.



AIO is one coat only, more are not going to do anything for you. The SG benefits from multiple coats, but I believe any more than 4 and you have a diminishing rate of returns. I think there are some people that like to put up to 6 coats on, opinions seem to differ. This too has been discussed many times.



As a tip to another new guy: I found out about this place 2 weeks ago, and have spent alot of time reading various threads and trying to get a gameplan together of what I want to buy for my car, I did this BEFORE I posted.



I recommend reading the first 8 chapters of the e-book and reading in the Forum titled Autopia Member Articles and the forum titled Autopia Articles, which contains stuff that DavidB, the owner of the site, has written about alot of the typical questions about every aspect of the detailing process, broken down very nicely.
 
i can honestly tell you anymore than 2 coats of sg is a waste of time. truthfully, thats too much buildup of the product on the car, and it ends up hazing like crazy. i honestly don't know what benefits layering has of polymers if they bond to the paint as it is unless you didn't wax certain spots on your finish.
 
btw, i would always polish after claying a vehicle(that includes a wash of the clay residue b4 polishing). You could go from a claying to waxing, but through expermentation, i have found that if you do that extra polishing step, it makes the car stand out more. even a nonabrasive paint cleaner/polish will work(aio is my favorite).
 
I also have a silver Accord Coupe! Pretty much all of your questions have been answered, but I'll just add in a few things.



On the leather steering wheel and shifter, I use either Meguiar's GC Leather Cleaner/Conditioner or Zaino Z10. After I let it sit for a while, I give it a REALLY good buffing, especially on the steering wheel. I usually buff it until the steering wheel doesn't feel slippery and just "natural" to me.



I've been using Zaino on my car and love it, but I'm sure Klasse will give you similar results. Also, if you do return the #26, you might want to try out S100 from a Harley dealer. It's gotten nothing but praise on the forums.



Good luck and have fun! :xyxthumbs. Oh yeah, don't forget the pictures.
 
tkr128 said:
I also have a silver Accord Coupe! Pretty much all of your questions have been answered, but I'll just add in a few things.



On the leather steering wheel and shifter, I use either Meguiar's GC Leather Cleaner/Conditioner or Zaino Z10. After I let it sit for a while, I give it a REALLY good buffing, especially on the steering wheel. I usually buff it until the steering wheel doesn't feel slippery and just "natural" to me.



I've been using Zaino on my car and love it, but I'm sure Klasse will give you similar results. Also, if you do return the #26, you might want to try out S100 from a Harley dealer. It's gotten nothing but praise on the forums.



Good luck and have fun! :xyxthumbs. Oh yeah, don't forget the pictures.
Click to expand...



cool thanks for the idea on the steering wheel and shifter. I didn't want them to look like they had been ignored, when the rest of the car looks great.



I read good things about the s100, but it's like $25 for the same amount of wax, right? I think I'm going to try the #26 paste
 
I wouldn't try substituting Scratch-X for SMR. SMR is pretty mild and won't do much for scratches. Even Scratch-X isn't overy powerful.



I would also return the #26 liquid and get S100 instead. I have both #26 paste and S100 and can really tell both application and buffing are far easier with S100. Remember, it's not all about the number of ounces you get per dollar. One jar of paste wax will last a very very long time if you have only 1 car to use it on, and in the long run you'll wish you bought the easier to use product instead. S100 should be only $15 US. I'm trying to figure out what the heck to do with my #26 now....
 
4DSC said:
I wouldn't try substituting Scratch-X for SMR. SMR is pretty mild and won't do much for scratches. Even Scratch-X isn't overy powerful.



I would also return the #26 liquid and get S100 instead. I have both #26 paste and S100 and can really tell both application and buffing are far easier with S100. Remember, it's not all about the number of ounces you get per dollar. One jar of paste wax will last a very very long time if you have only 1 car to use it on, and in the long run you'll wish you bought the easier to use product instead. S100 should be only $15 US. I'm trying to figure out what the heck to do with my #26 now....
Click to expand...



ok you convinced me. Now I gotta find a Harley dealer :)
 
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