Confused as to what order to detail...

P

Phantasm

New member
I have just bought a 1992 dodge dakota extended cab. It's black with chrome bumpers & has some small scratches, swirls, & chips in the paint. The previous owner was a smoker, but I got most of the odor out by using a fogger & I already detailed the engine, so thats not too much of a problem.I would like to detail the entire truck this weekend, but I have no Idea what order to do things in. Heres what I have to work with:



MR. Clean Auto Dry system

Dawn dish soap

Black Magic wheel cleaner

Meguiars NXT Generation Tire Cleaner

Clay Magic Clay bar kit

Pinnacle Leather/ Vinyl Cleaner

Lexol Vinylex protectant

Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish, Step 2

Meguiars Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax, Step 3

Meguiars M2616 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax-Liquid

Meguiar's G-13224 NXT Speed Detailer

Meguiar's M-0516 New Car Glaze

Eagle One Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish

Black Touch up paint pen/brush

Costco Microfiber Towels

California Water Blade

California duster

Turtle Wax 6" Random Orbit Waxer-Polisher (No bonnets yet! Dont know what I need)

Glass Cleaner (Forgot the brand, bought at bed, bath, & beyond)

Various scrub brushes

Polish applicator pad



What are the products I should use & what order do I go in? Should I remove the soft toneue cover when I do all of this? (I will be driving with it on all the time...)



1-wash

2-clay

3-wash

4-polish

5-wax

6-dust interior

7-vacume interior

8-clean interior trim

9-clean glass & mirrors

10-clean wheels & tires
 
Just a couple disclaimers..



-Nix the California Water Blade, and either get some high quality cotton towels (you can find them at Bed, Bath & Beyond), or a waffle weave microfiber towel. I had a bad experience with the water blade marring my paint.



-Costco microfibers, while some people have said that they have had no marring from using them, I have on a couple of occasions. The first time was using one to get some bird poop off that my wash mitt couldn't remove, which left some pretty noticable scrathes, and the second time I was removing some mild abrasive compound residue in which I applied a tad bit too much pressure. The result were a few fine streaks. Just be carful with those.



It seems like you have the squence down right, though the glaze is optional, you would use that right after your polish and before you wax.



I used to have a coleman orbital polisher that's similar to what you have. Since you don't have a velcro backing plate, you will have to stick using foam bonnets to apply your polishes and the terry one for final buffing. I finally stepped up to buying a porter cable and bought some high quality foam pads from autogeek.
 
Alot of people will tell you to do the interior first. They do this because your hands will inevitably get dirty on the exterior. I'd swing by your local auto parts store and pick up a Megs Water magnet. Less than $10 and it works well. Seems to me that you have the order nailed.



Personally, when I am washing the car...I always start with the wheels and I ALWAYS USE SEPERATE BUCKETS/brushes etc. for them.



Be ready for an arm workout if you plan to polish by hand. Can you change the pads on your buffer, or is it the type that has the one foam "pad" on it and you just change out the terry bonnets? If it's the latter, I would suggest picking up a Porter Cable Polisher.



HTH,
 
MR. Clean Auto Dry system - dont use. not a very quality product. Use a hand wash



Dawn dish soap - leave it in the kitchen. Pick up some hand wash soap



Black Magic wheel cleaner

Meguiars NXT Generation Tire Cleaner

Clay Magic Clay bar kit

Pinnacle Leather/ Vinyl Cleaner

Lexol Vinylex protectant

Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish, Step 2



Meguiars Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax, Step 3 - not needed if your getting #26



Meguiars M2616 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax-Liquid - paste will go further but liquid will work.



Meguiar's G-13224 NXT Speed Detailer

Meguiar's M-0516 New Car Glaze

Eagle One Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish



Black Touch up paint pen/brush - by some touchup from the dodge dealer. Pens dont match up and look very cheap. By some touchup and a langka kit to remove excess blobs.



Costco Microfiber Towels - there ok but you might want higher quality eventually



California Water Blade - another no-no. It just takes 1 peice of crud in between the paint and the blade to make a large scratch



California duster - another no no. Same danger as the water blade



Turtle Wax 6" Random Orbit Waxer-Polisher (No bonnets yet! Dont know what I need) - doesnt benefit alot for swirl removal. The only beneficial use is for waxing.



Glass Cleaner (Forgot the brand, bought at bed, bath, & beyond) - avoid amonia based windwo cleaners. Invisble glass is good. no windex.



Various scrub brushes

Polish applicator pad



It may seem like im shooting you down. Its not the case I just dont want you to use something that isnt the best for your car.



1-wash /clay while washing

2-polish

3-wax

4-dust interior

5-vacume interior

6-clean & dress interior trim

9-clean glass & mirrors

10-clean wheels & dress wheels and wheel wells.

11- clean and seal wheels



I added a coupel items/refined yoru process



GOod luck. Make sure to take some pics!!



Greg
 
GregCavi said:
MR. Clean Auto Dry system - dont use. not a very quality product. Use a hand wash



Dawn dish soap - leave it in the kitchen. Pick up some hand wash soap



Black Magic wheel cleaner

Meguiars NXT Generation Tire Cleaner

Clay Magic Clay bar kit

Pinnacle Leather/ Vinyl Cleaner

Lexol Vinylex protectant

Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish, Step 2



Meguiars Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax, Step 3 - not needed if your getting #26



Meguiars M2616 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax-Liquid - paste will go further but liquid will work.



Meguiar's G-13224 NXT Speed Detailer

Meguiar's M-0516 New Car Glaze

Eagle One Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish



Black Touch up paint pen/brush - by some touchup from the dodge dealer. Pens dont match up and look very cheap. By some touchup and a langka kit to remove excess blobs.



Costco Microfiber Towels - there ok but you might want higher quality eventually



California Water Blade - another no-no. It just takes 1 peice of crud in between the paint and the blade to make a large scratch



California duster - another no no. Same danger as the water blade



Turtle Wax 6" Random Orbit Waxer-Polisher (No bonnets yet! Dont know what I need) - doesnt benefit alot for swirl removal. The only beneficial use is for waxing.



Glass Cleaner (Forgot the brand, bought at bed, bath, & beyond) - avoid amonia based windwo cleaners. Invisble glass is good. no windex.



Various scrub brushes

Polish applicator pad



It may seem like im shooting you down. Its not the case I just dont want you to use something that isnt the best for your car.



1-wash /clay while washing

2-polish

3-wax

4-dust interior

5-vacume interior

6-clean & dress interior trim

9-clean glass & mirrors

10-clean wheels & dress wheels and wheel wells.

11- clean and seal wheels



I added a coupel items/refined yoru process



GOod luck. Make sure to take some pics!!



Greg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help guys...I looked over my products & I have to change a few things...Instead of the Meguiar's system, I have the Mothers California Gold system (PRE-WAX CLEANER – PHASE 1 , SEALER AND GLAZE – PHASE 2 , PURE CARNAUBA WAX – PHASE 3) and instead of the Meguiars NXT Generation Tire Cleaner, I have F21 Tire Foam & Shine. The glass cleaner I have is called Perfect Glass.



I washed & waxed it yesterday, & it looks better, but I believe I need the truck rubbed out for it to really shine. I do have some questions though...



-How can the water blade be bad for your paint? I mean, with that thinking just washing the car by hand with a microfiber towel would be bad also, because there is a chance that the towel might pick up a speck & scratch your paint...You can take it as far as saying that washing your car is not safe, unless it is in a vacme sealed, zero-g, temperature controlled white room where all particals are extracted one by one at 90 degrees to the surface that they sit on. My point is that you can only go so far until it becomes impractical.



-I honestly dont see how the Auto Dry system could be a bad thing...I mean all it is, is a sprayer & a filter. Sure, refills are not cheap, but it does save time in drying. If you don't like the soap, you can just as easily use any soap you want with it.



-I hope I'm not out of line by saying this, but it almost seems like things are being taken way too far as far as detailing. It's almost like the home audio speaker wire contriversy...just because something costs more, dosent mean it makes a differance from cheaper models (horsehair detail brushes?).



Thanks for your help though guys...I am learning alot from you!
 
Hi Phantasm,



Some points to clarify:



- CWB is bad. While your mitt has long fibers/nap, where the dust particles can hide, the blade will pull & drag them along the surface - causing scratches. No mercy! The rubber can not pick up grit, dirt, whatever.



- The Auto Dry system uses special, water sheeting polymers, which are good for people who just spritz their cars with it and they are done. These polymers won't work after prep, and they may compromise the wax/sealant.



- Use a quality wash which keeps the wax/sealant protection healthy. Dawn will strip everything as it is supposed to break up oils, grease, etc.



The Mothers 3-step is a very good old system, and the Mothers Pure Carnauba liquid topped with #26 is a killer looking combo. But before - based on your paint's condition - you must use good polishes, because without prep your car will never look really good.



My process would be:

1. Dust & vacuum interior

2. Clean carpets/upholstery

3. Clay while you wash

4. Clean wheels/wheelwells

5. Dress tires/wheelwells

6. Polish

7. Wax

8. Dress interior

9. Clean glass
 
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