Newbie With White Car Help.

[MC82]

I need advise on a white car. I just bought a brand new TL and it has the yellow/brown spots all over it. I know I will have to clay the car, but since this will be my first detailing, I need some help.



I have been reading many posts over the last two days, and I find that most posts are for dark colored cars. I am very confused as the best route to go.



I do not have a garage to work in and I will be using my cousins driveway to wash and detail my car. I am trying to get the best look possible with my car. I had Zaino purchase list setup but then I realized that 1. it was way to expensive for a first time 2. It will be a long process with so many products.



I don`t think I will be able to detail my car more then 1-2 times a month, so what products should I use to detail my car?



I have read a lot of posts about Meguire having great products so if you need a preference then I would choose them (but i am unsure if they are just as good for white cars)



Here is what I have so far on my new purchase list:



Exterior

Dawn Dish Washing Soap

Meguires Gold Class Shampoo

Clay Magic - The Perfect Finish Kit



Equipment

Genuine Wool Wash Mitt

2 Buckets

Porter Cable

Microfiber towels (costco)

Sonus Ultimate Drying Towel

Blue Perl Microfiber Applicators

Concours Buffing Towel

Grit Guard



Interior

Zaino Z-10 Leather in A Bottle

Zaino Z-9



Windows

Sprayway Glass Cleaner



I know i still need some sort of polish, wax and sealant. Any help and advise would be great. Thanks.

[tom p.]

MC, welcome aboard. Just for the record, there are 1000 posts already covering this topic.



What country are you in? Are you looking to purchase locally or mail order?

[MC82]

Thanks Tom.



I am in the US (Seattle) to be exact and I don`t mind doing either type of purchases.



I found out about this site yesterday and I am taking delivery of my car today. I have read many posts (and articles) and i did build a list of Zaino products, but after calculating everything and looking at the products in my list, I realized that with my current schedule, I do not have that much time.



Now that my time is running close to Saturday, I would like to get my orders in ASAP so that I can get the products in time for the big day and thus my rush.



I am also doing more searches on white cars and Meguires specifically, but I thought I would post just to get some answers at the same time.

[tom p.]

I would be extremely conservative with your early purchases. I see so many here going hog-wild on Day 1 and turning around and selling everything a few weeks later `cause it`s not what they really wanted. So, WTS, do some more reading before buying. Some of the on-line guys get product to you within 1 - 2 days. The good stuff is never far away!



Zaino is likely a safe choice if you won`t have the time to be re-applying every 4 - 8 weeks.

[imported_Lightman]

MC, a few comments:



Don`t bother with the Dawn it`s overrated in its ability to strip wax. IMO there are better wash soaps out there, do a search. I like griot`s. To save a few bucks and because they are relatively similar, you can get mother`s clay at any auto parts store and use generic QD for lube. You will need pads for the PC, do a search there are as many opinions as there are pads, but to start get a couple polishing and finishing pads. I wouldn`t get too hung up on brands of towels..get 2 or 3 big waffle weave drying towels (I have some from pakshak and griots that are very similar), and a couple soft mf`s for buffing off polishes and lsp`s. Any glass cleaner will work, many like stoner`s as it doesn`t have a harsh smell and is available locally. You shouldn`t need to detail your car twice a month, or really even once a month if you don`t want to. Almost any sealant will last longer than that. If it were me in my garage on that new tl, what I`d do is clay it, polish with a finishing polish and polish pad, something like OP or menzerna FP2...then finish with your sealant of choice.. Shouldn`t be too many steps or kill your wallet. Good luck and congrats on the new ride!

[61iwon]

Autopia has a great towel combo on sale right now.



Has drying towels, polishing towels for wax removal & buffing towels.



Good luck

[MC82]

I am not planning on getting a PC just yet. Maybe in the future. (or do I really need to get it now?)



Is there a difference between car wash and car shampoo?



What polish and sealant would you guys recommend? As I am reading more posts, It seems people are recommending Klasse



Lightman, would you not wax the car?

[tom p.]

MC, Lightman is suggesting a true sealant as opposed to a wax.

[MC82]

I just realized why lightman mentioned the PC, it was in the price list I was putting together to see what my total will be with it. Apologize for any confusion.



Ok, after going back and forth between Zaino, Klasse and Meguairs, I think I am going to go with these products, please let me know what you think if I am missing anything else.



Wash: Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Clay: Clay Magic

Polish: Klasse AIO

Sealant: Klasse SG

Leather Cleaner: Zaino Z-9

Leather Protectant: Zaino - Z-10

Wheels: Eagle One



Also going to purchase the following accessories:

Genuine Wool Wash Mitt - From Autopia

Der Wunder Towel Trio - From Autopia

2 Buckets

Microfiber towels (costco)

Blue Perl Microfiber Applicators - From Autopia



I am just worried that I got through the process and realize I am missing something.



Process I will follow for the exterior:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Polish

Seal

Windows, wheels etc.



Any comments appreciated

[tom p.]

I feel the fine tuning is helping. I`d recommend Griot`s Leather Conditioner over the two Zaino products, it`s superior.



I don`t know enough about the Eagle One wheel cleaners. I might suggest trying the Griot`s product as it is very gentle while effective. I hope you don`t need big wheel cleaning power on a brandy-new ride.



I think your process looks very reasonable. As your skills and comprehension evolve, you can always find new products and techniques by visiting the forum!



Take care.

[93AccordLXwhite]

I have a white car and have trouble getting it to `pop.` Yes, I have searched and read many, many, many posts about white cars but they don`t really give me a direction as to where to go product-wise. tom p. if it`s not too much trouble, you said you`ve seen many posts on this topic, do you mind posting links to a few of the better ones you`ve come across please? It would be a great help, I`m anxious to really use my new pc to make my car shine(: Also your recommendation for a LSP?

[MC82]

Thank you very much Tom. I will go ahead and switch the leather conditioner and make the purchase. Appreciate the help.

[tom p.]

tom p. if it`s not too much trouble, you said you`ve seen many posts on this topic, do you mind posting links to a few of the better ones you`ve come across please? It would be a great help, I`m anxious to really use my new pc to make my car shine(: Also your recommendation for a LSP?





Just search on white cars. I`ll try to look tomorrow. ( http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/88474-how-do-you-make-white-pearl-look-amazing.html#post903396 )



Quick thoughts: Getting the surface polished to perfection seems to be a critical step in getting white to show its best...I am just learning this on my own white car.



I have been very pleased with Werkstatt on white and silver - - it`s kind of a crowd-pleaser solution that will satisfy 99% of the population.



I used some new wool polishing tools a couple of weekends ago. Best results I`ve seen on this pariticular car...I used Presta wool + Presta polishes. I used FK1 Pink Wax buffed out with AquaWax. While it looked good, I don`t think it`s quite the "perfect" solution...so its back to the drawing board. The surface looked exceptional without any waxes or sealants...I`m not convinced the LSPs did anything to enhance the gloss.



I`ve got more work to do on adjoining panels on this car. I think I am going to Presta polish and finish up with CG 5050.

[imported_The Uncle]

I just realized why lightman mentioned the PC, it was in the price list I was putting together to see what my total will be with it. Apologize for any confusion.



Ok, after going back and forth between Zaino, Klasse and Meguairs, I think I am going to go with these products, please let me know what you think if I am missing anything else.



Wash: Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Clay: Clay Magic

Polish: Klasse AIO

Sealant: Klasse SG

Leather Cleaner: Zaino Z-9

Leather Protectant: Zaino - Z-10

Wheels: Eagle One



Also going to purchase the following accessories:

Genuine Wool Wash Mitt - From Autopia

Der Wunder Towel Trio - From Autopia

2 Buckets

Microfiber towels (costco)

Blue Perl Microfiber Applicators - From Autopia



I am just worried that I got through the process and realize I am missing something.



Process I will follow for the exterior:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Polish

Seal

Windows, wheels etc.



Any comments appreciated



SG is nice for its durability, but I think there are other products that look nicer on light colored cars. I usually use AIO to clean, but then for for Four Star UPP as the LSP. 4* UPP gives a much warmer look than SG, IMO. And, it is a lot easier to use as well.



One product missing there is a tire dressing. My personal favorite is Wolfgang, because it has a very durable matte look. On the interior plastics, I like 303 a lot, although others here seem to like 1Z.

[cusepack]

I own a `91 white Honda Accord and one of the best recommendations I received was to use Duragloss #105. I tried it, and WOW, amazing results. I applied it by hand, waited 24 hours for it to cure, then applied a second coat. I then topped with Liquid Souveran and was very pleased with the reflection, depth and wet look.