Recommended order for use of detailing products?

I have the following products for detailing my truck:

Poorboys SS&S

Claymagic (blue) clay bar

Liquid Glass pre cleaner

Liquid Glass polish

Duragloss Aquawax



I`m going to wash it first and then use the clay bar. Here is where I`m not sure of the next step:



Is it best to dry after washing and then use the clay bar or leave it wet and use the clay bar (with the spray)?



After claying, I want to use the precleaner. Should I wash it again, just rinse it off, or just use the LG pre cleaner?



After the pre cleaner, then I`ll use the polish for a couple of coats, and then the aquawax. I`m just not sure about the first steps after washing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

jb10-Welcome to Autopia!



What you do will depend on what needs doing and how you want to go about it. That`s the general answer ;)



Claying while it`s still wet can work fine, *if* you work fast enough that the water doesn`t dry and spot the finish. You can keep rewetting the vehicle of course, but I dunno...for the first time I`d probably dry it off after the wash, clay each panel, and try to *not* leave a bunch of clay residue on the panels (use plenty of lube and wipe dry when you`re done).



However you do it, I`d use the clay lube. While others use shampoo mix (and even plain water), I usually do better with the lube.



Cut/tear the bar into pieces. Lots of reasons why, including that if you drop it you won`t have to throw away the whole thing ;) Knead it/get a new piece frequently, as it picks up contamination it sorta turns into sandpaper.



After you finish claying see what you`ve got- if the panels look like they might benefit from another (quick/easy/cursory) wash, then do it; if they look like "it`s almost perfectly clean, I bet the cleaner will take care of it" then try a panel and see how it goes. You can always stop and wash again if you decide that would be best.



I`d be a little careful with the pre-cleaner. I`m not familiar with that product but I somehow suspect that it might be a little aggressive. That`s just a caveat to pay attention, not a prediction of trouble (check a panel/limited area after you do it and make sure you want to use it on the whole vehicle before you really go to town with it).

Thanks for the advice, Accumulator. That`s pretty good tip about tearing the clay bar into pieces, never would have thought of that. The bar seems small already, but like you said, if I drop it, it`s done.



Thanks again for the help, I`ll be putting it to use in a couple of hours.

The Liquid Glass pre cleaner isnt too aggressive,and is primarily a chemical cleaner so dont be too concerned. I would wait and use the Aquawax until after the Liquid Glass has time to cure, at least 24 hours.

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Originally Posted by ShineMGood

The Liquid Glass pre cleaner isnt too aggressive,and is primarily a chemical cleaner so dont be too concerned. I would wait and use the Aquawax until after the Liquid Glass has time to cure, at least 24 hours.

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Thank you for the advice. That something I was wondering about since it says 4 hours between coats for curing, I wasn`t sure if that applies to any covering. I put one coat on yesterday and hope to get two more coats on today, one this morning and one later in the late afternoon/early evening.



Here`s my problem. According to the weather channel, it`s supposed to rain for the next three days (Tu-Th) and the high temperature on Friday is 42 (but supposed to feel like 31 with the wind). Should I attempt to wax it 4 hours after the third coat today or should I not do any waxing until the next warm day?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ShineMGood

The Liquid Glass pre cleaner isnt too aggressive,and is primarily a chemical cleaner so dont be too concerned..

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Ah, OK, that`s good to know.

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Originally Posted by JB10

According to the weather channel, it`s supposed to rain for the next three days (Tu-Th) and the high temperature on Friday is 42 (but supposed to feel like 31 with the wind). Should I attempt to wax it 4 hours after the third coat today or should I not do any waxing until the next warm day?

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I think I`d just wait and keep adding LG, you can always apply the AW topper later.

(Accumulator)I think I`d just wait and keep adding LG, you can always apply the AW topper later.[/QUOTE]



I agree to with this. 42 with a wind chill of 30-ish sounds too low for another coat of LG. Only they would know for sure. After the rain you could wash and add your Aquawax over the previously cured coats of LG. Let us know how it turns out.

Well, I didn`t get to check the replies before I finished. I ended up only putting on two coats of LG and then the Aquawax. Today was the first real rain and it beaded up nicely! My wife even made comments about how well she could see detail in her reflection.



While this all looks great, I think next year I will try the Collinite 476s wax over the LG for winter preparation to see how that will look. If I get 3 months out of the Aquawax, I`ll be in January when it`s time to reapply and I can`t fit my truck in my single car garage. :(



Nonetheless, lesson learned and I am pleased with how it turned out. Probably not as good as a lot of the members here could do, but for my first time doing something besides washing and putting one coat of wax on, I`m pleased.



Thanks again for all of the help!

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Originally Posted by jb10

Well, I didn`t get to check the replies before I finished...

Nonetheless, lesson learned and I am pleased with how it turned out. Probably not as good as a lot of the members here could do, but for my first time doing something besides washing and putting one coat of wax on, I`m pleased...

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I bet it looks great, and no biggie with the (only) two layers of LG, let`s see how it holds up.



Heh heh, pretty satisfying doing a "proper" detail, huh?



You could try adding another quick AW coat after the next few washes, that might help with the durability.