Where do i even begin?

[Krelkor]

Alright guys, whats up!
ok, im back from school with my very very very dirty black Subaru Impreza
and i need to get it shiny again ;)
however, ive never waxed a car, never done anything but wash it down with soap and water

sooo, time to learn
if you guys could point me in the direction of a very qualified FAQ.. maybe that would work... i tried searching but nothing real useful to me came up

basically this is what i planed on doing

Wash
shammy
clay bar
wash
shammy
carnuba wax
DONE

now i briefly browsed the board.... what is UPP? i read this is better than wax or something?
and i need product ideas... what to buy, where to get it... price ranges?
i was just goign to go down to walmart or somewhere and pick up a bunch of MOTHERS stuff.....i read over their entire website and i learned quite a bit

remember, im in school, so im cheap, ni dont want this one wash to cost me 150 bucks.....

and about drying... i have a shammy, but whenever i use one it doesnt seem to work, it always seems to get soap residue on it and it streaks...

sorry if you guys get this all the time, trust me i know how it feels to be bombarded with newbies in a forum, so let me know if you have any car audio questions ;)

thanks a million

[NattyBumppo]

Hi Krelkor and welcome to DC. Your process sounds fine for a regular wash and wax but I would make a minor change or two.

Instead of the chamois (sp?) use a waffle weave microfiber towel. I`ve never like chamois for the reasons you mentioned. THe waffle weave mf towels are lint free (important on black), nice and absorbant and very safe to use. You could also use 100% USA made cotton terry towels although they tend to leave a lot of lint behind and on black it`ll really show up.

Next, why not add a polish of some sort prior to your wax coat? If you are looking at Mother`s then check into their 3 step line. At the very minimum I would go with their Step 1 Pre-Wax Cleaner then their Carnauba Wax or the Reflections product.

Lastly, why not check this out http://www.premiumautocare.com/platinkit.html
Just add one of their Premium drying waffle weave towels and you are set! It`ll cost about the same as buying the equivelant Mother`s products and you get some awesome products.

UPP is Platinum Ultimate Paint Protection which is manufactured by 4-Star Products, the sponsors of this board. Instead of a wax it is a synthetic paint sealant which lasts longer than carnauba products. It is extremely reflective (especially on dark colors), very slick to the touch, simple to use and longer lasting than carnauba based products.

That`s it for now. Don`t want to make the same mistake I did the other day and inundate a newcomer to the board. :D

Once again, Welcome to DC!

Natty

[Krelkor]

hey!
thanks alot for the reply
i appreciate it quite a bit
so this UPP thatc omes in this kit is a wax replacement correct? not a suppliment

OK, that intro kit looks good, then i just need to add a clay bar and a drying towel
oh yea, is that kit does not include any kind of polish eh?
i do have some very minor scratches that only i would notice.... but ya know, they`re there so might as well try to cover em up somehow

how about this for the towel?
http://www.premiumautocare.com/platsupsofdr.html
or do the towels that come in the kit good enough?
also, i probably want to order everything rom the one place online, do i want to get the fine grade or the medium grade clay
that is not just for one wash right? i can use the clay multiple times?(remember.... im poor, heh)

anyone else have any suggestions, im open to anyto anything, gotta start learnin somewhere ;)

oh yea... heh, chamois, im stupid

thanks again!!

--Steve

[Thomasfl]

actually that kit has the UPC (platinum cleaner) it acts as a cleaner/polish/prep. It will add a gloss and smoothness to your paint, if you have serious swirls, scratches etc. that you want to remove you will also need a stronger polish but only necessary if you trying to absolutely make your car perfect.l Considering you haven`t waxed your car before I am sure that this kit alone will make a considerable difference. This kit will give you almost everything you need and should last you a few years. I agree with Natty on the waffle weave, the microfibers included are great, you should also consider the Platinum Gloss Enhancer (quick detailer) for after washing, it will bring back that same shine you have from the first wax you applied. For value you can`t beat this kit, if you go to walmart and pick up the mothers stuff (which is excellent also) the price difference will not be much different.

[02 LTZ]

Hey there,

If I am not mistaken, the clay bar & the gloss enhancer come with the Platinum Complete kit.
With this kit, you get:
- Platinum auto shampoo
- Platinum Paint Cleaner
- Platinum Ultimate Paint Protection (paint sealant)
- Platinum Gloss Enhancer
- Clay Magic clay bar (200 grams) Fine grade (Cut into 4 pieces)
- 2 Microfiber towels (for UPP removal)
- 2 terry cloth applicators

That is a pretty good lot of stuff for the price.

If you want to remove light swirls, use Megs #9 2.0 (Dwayne carries this at 4 Star)

I agree that you need a waffle weave towel for drying.
This is not the same towel that you remove the UPP with...use the MFs that come with the kit for that.

[John Sharp]

Hi, its good to help out a new guy! :)

I see you havent ever done this before so a few things you have to remember. Follow the directions carefully when you use the products. Since you have never done this before you should try to educate yourself on all the products and the best way to use them. If you have trouble figuring out how to properly do the clay or anything like that just post the question here and everybody will gladly help out.
Another thing I agree with is your choice to use the UPP. It will outlast a normal carnauba wax and the stuff is easy to work with. Since this isnt something you will probably be doing every other weekend a long lasting sealant is the way to go.


If you want to read a little concerning tips about detailing I could suggest several places to look but this link is decent.

http://www.web-cars.com/detail/

The guy who put the site together has tried to give the average car owner a basic overview if proper washing, polishing, waxing, claying, ect. Its a nice place to start if you never have done this before but beware, this can become addictive! lol We all started somewhere but now we all turned into clean freak perfectionist who cant get enough of it! lol

I hope you try the UPP and follow each step like it suggests and then get back with us with the results.! :)


Best regards,
John