Detailing Newb

[JMV]

Hello, i just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. My name is Jason, i own a 2003 Spicy Orange Mazdaspeed Protege. I first heard about this place from a fellow protege owner, named Paul (i dunno what his tag on these forums is though).



I just got the basic Zaino kit for my birthday, which includes their 2 different polishes (show car and swirl/scratch), the polish accelerator stuff, the detail spray, clay bars, and car wash formula, and i also picked up some of their tire gloss. I was just curious if anyone on here had any specific tips for my first real detailing job, or any suggestions to add or modify for the directions included with the Zaino products.



Also, the instructions seem to highly stress getting 100% cotton, made in the USA, name-brand bath-size towels... i was wondering if anyone had specific reccomendations for this (keep in mind spending this much on car care was already a big leap for me).







Although i know i could go further by getting a buffer and using SSR polish stuff (i just can`t afford it right now), i`m very excited to make my car look excellent, and i hope to learn alot here.



Thanks,

Jason





EDIT: how many layers of polish would you reccomend i use? (again keeping in mind i`m a college student without a regular job, lol). I was thinking maybe 1 or 2 of the swirl stuff (since i do have some swirlage), and then 1 or 2 of the show car stuff on top for the super shine.

[imported_cj99si]

How bad is your paint? lots of swirls rough to the touch? No need to layer polish, you want to layer your wax.

[JMV]

I don`t think the swirling is very bad.



And while Zaino calls their product a polish, its not abrasive, i think its more like a wax/sealer kind of thing, offering paint protection and UV blockage (i`m not sure of all the correct terms, so maybe i`m calling it the wrong thing), and they reccomend layering it.

[White95Max]

I first heard about this place from a fellow protege owner, named Paul (i dunno what his tag on these forums is though).



Here I am. :wavey




the instructions seem to highly stress getting 100% cotton, made in the USA, name-brand bath-size towels... i was wondering if anyone had specific reccomendations for this (keep in mind spending this much on car care was already a big leap for me).



Some people like using cotton towels, but I much prefer microfiber (MF) towels instead. I get mine from Exceldetail.com, specifically these ones:

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29279&pd=95481&recview=11








Although i know i could go further by getting a buffer and using SSR polish stuff (i just can`t afford it right now), i`m very excited to make my car look excellent, and i hope to learn alot here.



To truly make the car look excellent, you`ll need to polish the swirls out. The SSRs are my preferred polishes, though there are many other lines out there as well, like Meguiars, Optimum, Menzerna...



Oh you`ll learn a lot here, don`t worry. :)








EDIT: how many layers of polish would you reccomend i use? (again keeping in mind i`m a college student without a regular job, lol). I was thinking maybe 1 or 2 of the swirl stuff (since i do have some swirlage), and then 1 or 2 of the show car stuff on top for the super shine.



IMO, keep applying additional layers until you can`t tell a benefit from the last layer. Since you don`t have a job, you`ll have plenty of time to do this right? :D



:welcome to Autopia! :wavey

[JMV]

IMO, keep applying additional layers until you can`t tell a benefit from the last layer. Since you don`t have a job, you`ll have plenty of time to do this right? :D









haha, i like your take on that. Any other tips/suggestions??

[White95Max]

...about anything specifically?

[JMV]

oh, well i kinda was asking other people... no offense to you though!!! Ive gotten tons of info from you, you`ve been a big help. I was just curious if anyone else had any tidbits of advice before i go to town on it.











And one thing.... i feel like this is probably a stupid question, but something else i read here made me not quite sure.... am i supposed to put a `regular` wax on top of the zaino??? :/

[White95Max]

You can if you want, but you`re not necessarily "supposed to". If you want to add a coat of wax on top, go for it.

[Pennypacker]

Also, the instructions seem to highly stress getting 100% cotton, made in the USA, name-brand bath-size towels... i was wondering if anyone had specific reccomendations for this (keep in mind spending this much on car care was already a big leap for me).



When I was using Zaino, I went and bought a bunch of Fieldcrest Royal Velvet towels. They`re 100% cotton. My local Macy`s doesn`t carry them anymore, but you could probably find an online supplier.



I`d consider microfiber though. MF towels are not that expensive. You can get a 12-pack from Excel Detail for a good price (plus autopia discount). The problem with bath towels is that they`re rather unweildy for car detailing. They`re heavy and big and you constantly have to make sure you don`t accidentally drag part of it on the ground while you`re working. Even the largest MF towel I have is easy to work with and much smaller than a bath towel. Just my thoughts..



Edit: I did find these Royal Velvet towels that are smaller, if you definitely want to go the cotton route...



http://www.sportscarcare.com/scc/product.asp?ItemID=fie-rs3&size=-1