New to Detailing!!! From Northern NJ

[slonison]

Hey guys, just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Steve. I`m from Northern NJ (about 15 minutes from NYC). I`ve always had a passion for cars. Specifically muscle/pony cars.


My parents owned a mustang and Camaro throughout the years. and now I`m on my third mustang and my wife owns a Camaro.


I recently became interested in detailing because I was living in an apartment with no access to a garage or hose and literally would go to the car wash (with the things that touch and rub the car) every 2 weeks for about 2 years.


Having moved into a house recently with a garage driveway and hose, I now have a chance to enjoy my passion which is making my cars look good and maybe even growing it into something more.


Below is a list of what I currently own. Let me know if what additions you guys think I need.


List:
Washing:
3x 5 Gallon Buckets (one for Soap, one for Rinse, one for wheel brushes which I don`t yet)
1x One wool Wash Mitt
2x Grit Guards
30x 8"x8" microfiber towels
1x 1.58 gpm 1,500psi pressure washer
1x MTM Foam Cannon for low Pressure
1x Chemical Guys Citrus Daily Car Wash with Extreme Suds
1x Gallon Meguiar Wheel Brightener




Detailing:
1x Porter Cable 7424xp with 3" backing plate
No Pads
1x M105
1x M205
1x Sonax Polymer Netshield




Clearly I need more in the detailing section but it`s all I have so far. I am absolutely open to suggestions.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2epx_VYth1g/UlB4O1tn86I/AAAAAAAAPwE/jSq6vtc2jkU/s0/IMG_20131005_143355_058.jpg


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kA1ci3icxis/UY-lKAkIC7I/AAAAAAAAOZc/nOglbfU0JVY/s0/IMG_20130422_082038_089.jpg


Attached are pictures of my car as it stands right now (hold your breath guys).

[House of Wax]

Welcome! Looks like you can put those supplies to good use. Can`t wait to see the results.

First thoughts on supplies to get would be a 5" plate with some 5.5" pads, a prep towel/sponge/pad or clay, a rinseless wash (like uww+ or ONR), a quality APC (opti-clean, HD Total, etc....), and some spray bottles

[slonison]

Welcome! Looks like you can put those supplies to good use. Can`t wait to see the results.

First thoughts on supplies to get would be a 5" plate with some 5.5" pads, a prep towel/sponge/pad or clay, a rinseless wash (like uww+ or ONR), a quality APC (opti-clean, HD Total, etc....), and some spray bottles

Thanks for the advice!

i really get confused with getting pads and stuff. Like, I am under the impression that I can use 1 pad for compounding the whole car and then another pad for the polishing step.

Could you possibly hook me up with links and such?

[Pats300zx]

Welcome to Autopia Steve !!

[House of Wax]

Thanks for the advice!

i really get confused with getting pads and stuff. Like, I am under the impression that I can use 1 pad for compounding the whole car and then another pad for the polishing step.

Could you possibly hook me up with links and such?

I would probably get 3 or 4 pads for each step. There`s a lot of personal preference when it comes to pads. For compounding, I really like microfiber cutting pads. The ones I have are Optimum, but a lot of people like the ones made by Meguiars as well. For foam pads I`ve had good luck with Lake Country and Buff & Shine.

Optimum Microfiber Compounding 5.25 inch Pad (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/microfiber-compounding-pad.html#.VSQLmfnF98E)

Lake Country Buffing Pads (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/lake-country-pads.html)

I have the regular flat pads and the hydrotechs. The hydrotechs aren`t the most durable pad, but I really like how they perform

Buff and Shine 5.5 Inch Flat Foam Pads (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/buff-and-shine-5-inch-flat-pads.html)

These work well too


I typically buy my pads here, on autogeek, or autoality. Just kinda depends on who has sales/bundles. Each site has packs of pads you can buy choosing which colors you want, and each site should have despcriptions for each color of pad so you can get an idea of its intended purpose