New Car Advice

What should I do for my new car?

This question comes up again and again. It is not always a clear answer since there are many variables that affect the answer. Congratulations on your new vehicle. This thread should provide a good jumping off point. This information has been compiled and summarized from the many posts asking this same question.

First we must debunk the myth that a new car comes perfect from the factory. Achieving perfection is very time consuming and costly. Since only one tenth of 1% of car buyers even know the difference it would be wasted time and energy for auto makers to make cars perfect when 99.9% will be marred and scratched upon the first wash. You are most likely reading this because you are the 0.1%. Even high end vehicles are not immune. It is very possible for a $20k car to have better paint than a $200k car.


“The paint on most high end vehicles is as bad, if not worse, than most standard cars, IME. Out of the 100 or so new-car preps I have done on exotics and higher end cars (more than 80 grand) I have only seen two new cars come out perfect from the factory. 1 was a new Porsche Turbo (in black no less) and the other was a BMW M5, the rest have all been varying degrees of disasters.” -Todd Helme


I suppose taking delivery of a brand new car is about as close as any guy will get to the feeling a woman gets when she first tries on THE wedding dress. But as much pride as you take in your new vehicle, the dealership views it as just one more item sold. There is nothing special in their minds about YOUR new car. Thus it gets the same quick prep that every car gets, likely by the underpaid lot attendants who are rushed to get to the next car. So the first bit of advice is:

When possible instruct the dealership to do only the absolute minimum prep to make the car drivable.

Hand in hand with that bit of advice would be:

Decline any optional paint sealants or protection plans until you do your homework.

They are almost always over priced and often over sold to the point of bordering false advertising. In most cases there are better products available, often at a much lower price.

Once you have taken delivery of the vehicle, what does it need? Essentially: clean and protect. Exactly what steps to take is heavily dependent on the car, the owner’s desire and the driving, storage, and maintenance habits the car will endure.

If you are not already familiar with proper (safe) washing and drying habits you would be best to do so before continuing.


Two Bucket Wash Method

Rinseless Wash Method



After the wash, it may need to be clayed. Even a new vehicle straight from the factory could have contaminants that have bonded to the paint. Some say to always clay just to be safe. Others say do the sandwich baggie test; put your hand in a sandwich baggie and gently glide your fingers over the paint. If you feel anything other than a silky smooth surface there are tiny contaminants that are bonded to the paint that were not removed by washing. Notice: claying a car can, and often will, cause micro-marring. On light colored vehicles it will likely never be noticed. On darker vehicles however, it can be visible in direct sunlight. A light polish should remove them easily.

No matter what the intended use of the car is, now is a perfect time to take measurements of the paint. This will give you an idea how much paint you are starting with so that after a few corrections you know how much paint has been removed and when it is no longer safe to continue correcting.

The next step is going to be polishing. If the car needs significant correction and you are reading this for advice you should probably contact a professional before attempting this alone. It is tempting to make a new car look “perfect”, but there are a couple things to first consider:

1. Automotive paint is very thin. Correction removes tiny amounts of paint. The thinner the paint gets the more likely problems are to occur down the road. Here is a great thread on the topic: Over-polishing Paint

2. A perfect finish takes a significant time commitment to maintain.

3. Short of putting the car in a bubble, it will pick up scratches and swirls, no matter how careful you are.


If your car is intended as a daily driver and you are happy with the way it looks you can skip the polishing and continue to protecting with a wax, sealant or coating. Which to choose is a personal decision and depends on how much time you are willing to commit to maintenance.

Before asking broad questions such as “What wax should I use?” or “How should I clean/protect __________?” you should do a little research. The numerous answers to these questions essentially equate to: “Pick a product and give it a shot.” In general a pure carnauba wax will give the best look, while sealants tend to have better durability. Here is a great break down of the technology: Polymers and Carnauba Wax Differences. A permanent coating, such as Opti-Coat is ideal for vehicles that will see a lot of miles and receive minimal maintenance.

Specific product choices are often a matter of personal choice depending on paint color, ease of use, durability, etc. Should you still be looking for specific recommendations, please provide as many details as possible so that we can help provide advice that meets your specific needs.

And now the most important bit of advice: Post pics of your new car here!

Again, congratulations on your new vehicle and happy detailing.:rockon

Great article and thanks for posting this. I can appreciate the effort you went through to put it together!!! :rockon

Thanks, Todd. Posted it in the other thread, looking for feedback, but I think the thread fizzled out. I hope others will add their advice and we can make this a sticky, or at least link it in any future threads asking the question.