Howdy Ya'll!

[AndrewW]

Just kiddin' !

Hello everyone, GA reisdent here (ya go dawgs!)

Well, just a little about myself... (time for some run-ons)

My name is Andrew, recently married 2 years almost, having a baby boy soon, 6 more months to go (Jackson Kain) I can't wait! I'm extremely excited, it's our first child. The other good thing is the wife isn't pushing me to sell my fun cars! I have 2 highly modified Mustangs, 2000 and 2004 models. I love to drive fast, and as my Paw always says, "A clean car is always a faster car", so I keep 'em clean.

I only know of one person on the forums, Mike aka Sweating the Details. He's da man! But I'm sure you all know that

Well, one question for you all;

I have so much cleaning/detail supplies mostly OTC Autozone stuff... and I want to limit everything down...

The only stuff that interest me so far is the Adam's detail stuff...

yey? neh? I like easy to use items...

So far I've learned just from reading is buy an PC... so I will be looking for one shortly

feel free to point me in the direction you feel would be best. My cars are black, and one is 2-tone dark shadow greay metalic and black on top.

I'll post more pictures when I clean the cars up this weekend to see what you guys think. Here's some old pictures:

[Sludge]

Welcome to the forum AndrewW.

[Danase]

Welcome Andrew....nice rides!

[AndrewW]

Thanks, no recomendations?

[Pro-Glow]

Hey, Buddy. I'm also new here. You ask for suggestions. I used to have tons of product but when I decided to go mobile I thought I should simplify. Someone on here recommended using Optimum stuff. I got the compound, polish, wax, and ONR. Wow. I did a black Pontiac last weekend. This stuff is too easy to use. I don't have long term results for you but it seems pretty popular in the forums. Hope this help reduce your clutter. Good Luck.

[AndrewW]

Is there any places online that sell small quantities, maybe just enough to do 1 or 2 details with. I just don't want to spend money that I don't have to.

Which is the correct way for exterior?

1. Wash
2. Dry
3. Clay Bar/detail spray
4. Paint Cleaner
5. Paint sealant
6. Polish
7. Glaze
8. Wax
9. More wax
10. Even more wax?

am I forgeting anything? if the finish need rubbing compound... where sould this fall into place?

[Pro-Glow]

Check out the sponser forums at the bottom of the main page. Smaller bottles are available. Compound comes in between 4 and 5. Best of luck.

[BigAl3]

check out the "click & brag" section, and you'll find many different pad/product combos that have worked for many on here...

[MorBid]

Originally Posted by AndrewW

Is there any places online that sell small quantities, maybe just enough to do 1 or 2 details with. I just don't want to spend money that I don't have to.

Which is the correct way for exterior?

1. Wash
2. Dry
3. Clay Bar/detail spray
4. Paint Cleaner
5. Paint sealant
6. Polish
7. Glaze
8. Wax
9. More wax
10. Even more wax?

am I forgeting anything? if the finish need rubbing compound... where sould this fall into place?

Welcome Drew and congrats on starting a family. You should've gotten a link or something via email for the Autopia Guide to Detailing when you signed up. I would give that a read if your starting out.

16 oz is the smallest size of any product you can buy from what I've seen. If you want to step up from the OTC line without breaking the bank and accumulating more stuff I would start with Optimum Polish.

I say this cause it's both a medium and light cut product depending on the pad choice so you won't need two separate polishes. If your cars are fairly new and the paint has been looked after then you shouldn't need to go to a Heavy Cut Polish or use a Compound.

Regarding your questions:


1. Wash - Pick a good shampoo and develop a real good technique. This is the most important step in exterior car care cause it's done frequently and almost aways will cause swirls and scratches if not done properly.

2. Dry - Use the right towels and again you'll need to develop the right technique.

3. Clay Bar/detail spray - Really only needs to be done at least once but maybe twice a year. I don't see the need for doing it every single time you wash or polish the car.

4. Paint Cleaner - Used to remove wax buildup prior to applying fresh wax. Doesn't need to be done each time you wax the car but at least twice a year. Point in fact if you clay it will remove wax as will polishing. So you would use the paint cleaner if you wanted to remove the wax build-up but weren't doing any claying or polishing.

5. Paint sealant - Paint Sealant's are great and can be used either alone or in combination with waxes.

6. Polish - Always as needed and at least twice a year. Never do more polishing than you need to.

7. Glaze - Glazes got their origin in autobody work since most waxes contain silicone which you cannot apply to fresh uncured paint. Glazes allow protection of the paint surface in addition to hiding swirls. Problem is they don't last too long on the surface. You don't need to use them if you don't want.

8. Wax - After polishing you need to re-apply protection to the paint surface. The durability of the product you use will determine how often it needs to be re-applied outside of when you polished or otherwise removed it.

9. More wax
10. Even more wax?


MorBiD