Newbie Product Selections OK?

[FoundMyPath]

As suggested by Lynn (thanks for the no-rip! :o ), I`m reposting this as a new thread since I`m going to step out of my "lurk-mode" and be a little more involved. This is, by far, one of the best sites for any topic in general I have seen. I`m an audiophile and an avid golfer so I frequent a lot of fanatic community websites centered around those things too, as well as being a craigslister. But this community here at Autopia is one of the most informative, well-rounded and generally pleasing to be involved in. It`s great that there aren`t any of the typical "flame wars" going on around other community-based topic sites. [SOAPBOX OFF] Now, on to my general inquiries!



I`m kinda new to all this and have been lurking on the boards for about a week now, sucking as much info as I can get without actually rehashing questions here. (The search feature COULD be a little more polished tho.)



In any case, got myself a new 2003 Black Pathfinder SE. First black vehicle I`ve owned and have put the effort to keep it looking good.



I have the following products:

Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax & Polish

Black Magic Professional Protectant

Eagle One Wet Tire Spray

Meguiar`s Quick Detailer

Stoners Invisible Glass

S100 Detail & Wax (good thing my bro-in-law has a Harley!)

Cheapo Car Wash purchased from Target (hey! It was CHEAP!)

Microfiber Cloths

Terry Cloth applicator pad



Is this sufficient for the rookie detailer? Oh yeah, I`ve got a bottle of Klasse Sealant Glaze on the way.



Let er rip (or start ripping on me!) I appreciate any opinions, constructive, non constructive or neutral since it`s always great to see what other people use and why.



I`ll post pics of the ride when the sun shows up. It`s been raining quite a bit lately. :(

[JasonC8301]

FMP

Yes, I personally use Meguiar`s consumer QD as a lube for clay. I like the bubble gum type smell. The spray head also gets a larger surface area covered with lube.



Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax & Polish



- Been hearing good things about Mother`s but I seem to always go with Meguiar`s Pro-line (Mirror Glaze ansd Body Shop) products and 3M polishes. Unless Forrest (Mother`s Autopian member) can shed more light on Mother`s pro polishes.



Black Magic Professional Protectant



-Please put the product down and step away from it. There is only one BM product I would use. Its their interior semi-gloss protectant that smells like oranges. That clear stuff is not recommended due to the high gloss and DMS silicone, most forum members prefer PDMS dressings because they have a medium to low gloss. BM Interior Semi gloss protectant seems to leave no gloss what so ever. sort of like a like new appearance.



Eagle One Wet Tire Spray



-I have a bottle or two because it gives me a high shine on tires when I want it, and because its available locally for fairly cheap, got it for like $4.



Meguiar`s Quick Detailer



-I like it, good consumer QD. I use it primarily for lube for clay.



Stoners Invisible Glass



-I love this stuff, must keep. I ordered a case of 12 from Stoner`s for $32 and change



S100 Detail & Wax (good thing my bro-in-law has a Harley!)



-I recommend going to a harley dealer and getting some S100



Cheapo Car Wash purchased from Target (hey! It was CHEAP!)



-Hope it was Meguiar`s Gold Class, $10 a gallon.....



Microfiber Cloths



-Can never have enough, always keep 10-15 on hand



Terry Cloth applicator pad



-Can never have enough of these also, along with foam applicator pads. I keep around 10 terry and 10 foam



Also keep searching. I recommend reading everything or at least the important stuff........



Klasse SG, I find that AIO is a great companion product to the SG.



Happy Detailing,

Jason

[imported_ragman]

Welcome FMP!



I am somewhat new here too- for what it`s worth it looks to me that you have a great seleection to start off with.



Unless I missed it - you definately want to get some clay for eliminating the surface contamination on your paint.



When I first joined this forum I heard a good deal about the PC - (random orbital polisher from Porter Cable) - I picked one up from Coastal Tooll and can tell you that it has done wonders for the dark colored cars that I detail.



Good Luck - I`m sure many more people will be responding to help you out.

[Accumulator]

FoundMyPath - Welcome to Autopia! Black vehicles are a challenge, so you`ll want to be careful about making the job as easy as you can (as opposed to making it hard on yourself). As Ragman said, get some clay (maybe check out the Autopia store). Jason`s advice is ALWAYS on the money, so what he said :xyxthumbs . If the cheapie car wash you bought is (wild guess here) Westley`s, you might find you induce a bit of marring when you wash. Car wash is actually one area where I`ve found it pays to buy GOOD stuff. I like Griot`s, others (like Jason) like Gold Class. Another place to NOT economize too much is on the MF cloths and any other materials that touch your paint. If you see marring, get some better ones.

[FoundMyPath]

Accumulator, you are on the money with that wild guess of yours. I guess I`ll have to relegate the Westley`s to the minivan and my wife`s car. Since the Gold Class is pretty well recommended as a wash, I`ll probably pick up a bottle of that soon.



Jason, as far as the Black Magic goes, does it contain any harmful chemicals that would react badly with the vinyl interior? Otherwise, it`s not as glossy as I thought it would be (a GOOD thing) and if it protects, that`s pretty much all I expect it a good vinyl protectorant. Otherwise, I can always exchange it at the Pep Boys for something else.



ragman, I`m definitely looking at the Mother`s clay bar. I just hope I don`t ruin a new paint job (although it`s got some marring and swirls, no doubt from the dealership detailer).

[JasonC8301]

thanks Accumulator!



If you live near a Pep Boys i recommend exhanging the Black Magic Pro protectant for some Lexol vinylex. I like the Vinylex, it leaves a satin sheen if that. Makes the Vinyl appear a bit darker and well feed with a VERY small touch of gloss, hardly noticable, IMHO makes the vinyl in my godmother`s corolla like new.



Mother`s clay bar gets my thumbs up. I can probably clay like 3-4 cars with that small bar (think its 80 grams.)



Jason

[shaf]

Hi FoundMyPath, here`s what I think based on what you own: I`m not sure if I would use either the EO tire shine, or the dash protectant since I think both of them contain petroleum distillates (it`ll say on the back), which everyone says is bad for rubber and vinyl in the long run. I`m also not sure the S100 Detail & Wax has much use if you`re going with Klasse. Run a search on this product. As said, I`d also suggest getting the AIO along with the SG so you can prep it properly. I`d also recommend a California Car Duster and some Eagle One A2Z for wheel (and tire) cleaning. Get some cheap scrub brushes for the tires. Sheepskin washmitts work well and are gentle, but pick a good one. You might also want to think about getting some kind of polish in case you run into a situation where you need abrasives to fix it.



Like Jason I`ve got about 4 cars from 1 Mothers bar (it is 80g) and I cut it into 3rds.



Could you please elaborate on this Mothers product you have? Or are you referring to two separate products?

[FoundMyPath]

4DSC, the Mother`s product I`m using is pictured below:



http://www.mothers.com/products/productcatalog/productpix/05701-05500.jpg



It`s a single product that is basically a wax & polish in one. I`ve got the liquid format, not the paste.



Drove the Pathy today in the rain (til Sunday...bleechhhhh :( ) and the rain beaded nicely. Will probably be lazy to clean it tonight and probably clean it Friday to get ready for the long weekend driving trip.



I`ve heard about layering but it seems to me more an art form than a science, correct? How does one ascertain what layers with what? I know roughly what order to layer them in (sealant, glaze, then wax). Any thoughts?

[Accumulator]

FoundMyPath - Layering might not quite be an art form, but it IS a potentially contentious subject. Opinions and experiences seem to vary. GENERALLY, you CAN layer if the "top layer" product WON`T REMOVE the "lower layer" product. This removal could be by chemical (solvent, e.g., meg`s #7, 3M IHG) or mechanical (abrasive, e.g., meg`s #9. 3M SMR ) means or both (e.g., most cleaner waxes). Example: if you try to layer your Mother`s CLEANER Wax, each "layer" will "CLEAN off" the previous one. You won`t really end up with more layers of wax.



There are products that EVERYONE agrees can be layered (non-cleaning/non-abrasive synthetic sealants) and products that SOME of us believe can be (certain carnaubas, a few "all in one" products- this is where opinions vary), and products that NO ONE believes can be layered (cleaner waxes).

[shaf]

.....and that`s "layering" in a nutshell! Nice post Accumulator. :xyxthumbs



FoundMyPath, you could have just said Mothers Cleaner Wax.... everyone knows what that means. ;)

[FoundMyPath]

Er, my bad! Brand the newbie! Brand the newbie!

[wrpeterson]

Next stop, your local Harley-Davidson dealer for a can of S100 to layer over the Mothers...

[imported_Wes]

Foundmypath:



Jason nails it in the head with the clear bottle Black magic protectant => avoid it at all cost. DMS(Dimethal silicone) is BAD stuff and may even crack your dashboard.



Only get the Semi-Gloss Dash protectant from BlackMagic. But I think it only comes in wipes form now and not the old 10oz. spray bottle. They sure do know how to rip more money from us. Lucky me I grabbed the last 2 bottles last year from Pepboys.

Or get either Lexol Vinylex or 303 Aerospace protectant. All 3 above are PDMS(Poly-Dimethal silicone) product and safe for use.



Just like to add to 4DSC`s comments about Eagle one A2Z wheel cleaner => make sure you get the new formula ORANGE BOTTLE A2Z and not the black bottle. Old formula black bottle is acidic stuff.



I also recommened you get the Rain-X wheel protectent for treating the wheel after wash. This stuff disappeared for the last 10 months and now it comes back in a blue bottle and available in Autozone for $4.99. I am so happy to find it today as my one and only bottle is almost used up. Highly recommened.