View Full Version : First Time Detailing
watsony250
06-07-2007, 12:04 PM
Since its summer and nice out im going to detail the car. I have kept my paint in good condition just that there are some swirls and what not on the car. The car is a bright red and the paint is about 7 years old. Im picking up the porter cable 7424 here soon with some lake country pads. Now here is where you guys come in. I need some suggestions on products that i should use because i have no idea which ones to pick and i didnt know since the car was bright red if some products were better than the other. Thanks for your help!
bjackson8
06-07-2007, 12:37 PM
You are probably going to get as many different product recommendations as you are responses. There are so many great products to choose from.
My recommendations would be as follows:
Wash
Clay the car (very important step)
Polish the paint (I prefer Optimum polishes, but there are several great lines)
Wax/Sealant
Depending on what you are looking for, there are many great waxes and sealants available. The following is a list of my favorites
Collinite 845 - Great look and great durability. Very easy to use
Colliinite 476S - Very durable product, looks good, hard to use if applied too thick
Duragloss #105 - The most durable product I have ever used, looks good and easy to use
Meguiars #26 - Great wax for non-metalics. Average durability
Poorboys EX-P - Very good look for a sealant, average durability
Duragloss AquaWax - spray wax that is very easy to use (10 min for whole car) looks great and has decent durability
Really there are so many to choose from, you should try several and see what YOU like best.
watsony250
06-07-2007, 05:28 PM
thanks man i appreciate the response
watsony250
06-08-2007, 12:04 AM
anyone else want to throw their 2 cents in or share their process?
kleraudio
06-08-2007, 12:19 AM
Definitely the process should be
Wash
Clay
Polish
Wax/Seal
Now as for products, man you are getting into sticky territory. Everyone has their own opinions on everything. You will eventually have to decide for yourself what you like/dont like. No one can do that for you.
The product area you should spend the most time researching is polish. Without good prep, the best wax/sealant money can buy will do you no good. Your car has to be prepped as perfect as *you* like. It doesnt have to be perfect (especially if its a daily driver) but it should be well prepped and free of most defects for you to truly appreciate your hard work.
To save you some time here, get Menzerna polishes. They are hands down the best polishes for your money. Sure they are a little pricey, but man do they work well. I could also recommend the Optimum line, they make some very nice polishes as well. The OP is a little too mild for me, I would rather finish with 106ff (menzerna), but their OC has a decent cut.
Wax/Sealant: heres a little list to get you started
Acrylic Jett Trigger
Chemical Guys waxes
Zaino sealants
Duragloss sealant
Natty`s Blue
26
Souveran
P21S
NXT
and the list goes on. You get my point, all these are top notch high quality LSP`s. Just try out what interests you and see if you like it.
Man I am rambling, its late. I hope this post made sense cuz Im not going to proofread it right now!
Jim
watsony250
06-08-2007, 01:50 AM
yea it made sense..thanks man
BigAl3
06-08-2007, 01:52 AM
Polish the paint (I prefer Optimum polishes, but there are several great lines)
agreed, OP & OC are user friendly products... :up