Beginner - Need Advice

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icepickjazz

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Feb 3, 2013
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I've been reading so much about wash, clay, polish, sealant, wax, my head is spinning. I just need reader's digest condensed version for getting started. I'm looking to maintain daily drivers and don't want to invest a fortune just looking for good value, good products. I have a 30' fiberglass travel trailer and I use Mequiars NXT a couple of times a year by hand. Thus far hat's my only experience.

1) 1998 Toyota Sienna -- White - some oxidation, light scratches here & there - figure I would clay bar it, then use Mequiar's UC. Then What? wax? Which brand? Just want it to look good better. Thought about doing it by hand, but thinking about DA. I usually wax my Travel trailer by hand and that is a chore.

2) 2013 Maxda CX-5 -- blue/gray color. Been garaged. Clay bar, then next steps. Goal is to preserver it, make it shine, but again it's a DD, not a show car.

Thinking about a DA and Lake Country Pads or Megiuar's pads. What size are best for a beginner?

Thanks for the advance.
 
Originally Posted By: icepickjazz
I've been reading so much about wash, clay, polish, sealant, wax, my head is spinning. I just need reader's digest condensed version for getting started. I'm looking to maintain daily drivers and don't want to invest a fortune just looking for good value, good products. I have a 30' fiberglass travel trailer and I use Mequiars NXT a couple of times a year by hand. Thus far hat's my only experience.

1) 1998 Toyota Sienna -- White - some oxidation, light scratches here & there - figure I would clay bar it, then use Mequiar's UC. Then What? wax? Which brand? Just want it to look good better. Thought about doing it by hand, but thinking about DA. I usually wax my Travel trailer by hand and that is a chore.

2) 2013 Maxda CX-5 -- blue/gray color. Been garaged. Clay bar, then next steps. Goal is to preserver it, make it shine, but again it's a DD, not a show car.

Thinking about a DA and Lake Country Pads or Megiuar's pads. What size are best for a beginner?

Thanks for the advance.


How much time can you put into this? Young kids?
 
I also have a fiberglass tt. I keep mine parked under a shed out of the sun. I use eagle 1 Wax As U Dry, each time i wash and before hitting the road. seems to work well keeps the bugs from sticking and its quick to spray and wipe. I just don't have time to hand wax and buff a tt as often as it would be needed so this works well. On my new elantra, I tried Klass sealant and i really like it.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: icepickjazz


How much time can you put into this? Young kids?
My wife isn't interested and my teenage boys aren't either. It's just me doing this work. I have time & patience. Might have to do a section at a time and hour or two here or there.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I also have a fiberglass tt. I keep mine parked under a shed out of the sun. I use eagle 1 Wax As U Dry, each time i wash and before hitting the road. seems to work well keeps the bugs from sticking and its quick to spray and wipe. I just don't have time to hand wax and buff a tt as often as it would be needed so this works well. On my new elantra, I tried Klass sealant and i really like it.
What do you use on the avalanche? I have 04 Ford Explorer Red that could also use some attention, but that's lower on my priority list.
 
Originally Posted By: icepickjazz
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I also have a fiberglass tt. I keep mine parked under a shed out of the sun. I use eagle 1 Wax As U Dry, each time i wash and before hitting the road. seems to work well keeps the bugs from sticking and its quick to spray and wipe. I just don't have time to hand wax and buff a tt as often as it would be needed so this works well. On my new elantra, I tried Klass sealant and i really like it.
What do you use on the avalanche? I have 04 Ford Explorer Red that could also use some attention, but that's lower on my priority list.


I had been using mequires gold class. It looks nice but does not last. I will hit it with Klass in a few weeks.
 
Well, I let my last car go and resolved not to do it again.

I mail ordered a good wash mitt--Citrus Wash car shampoo, and grit guard things for the bottom of the buckets. I also got a spray shampoo wand thing. not a pressure washer lance, something that runs off of water pressure, and a clay bar or two. I also got a bottle of detail spray which is usually sold with the clay bar. I could probably do without the hose end sprayer.

I got locally at the Pep Boys, a waffle weave towel, microfiber towels and plastic buckets --beware, get the Home Depot brand buckets. Pep Boys brand is too small for the grit guards.

I foamed up and rinsed off the car, and then washed with the Citrus wash shampoo using the other bucket for rinse water, of course. Might want to give it another go real quick just to make sure.

The waffle weave makes short work of the drying. My experience is you only need one of those waffle weave towels. Make sure you dry it quickly enough that you don't leave water spots.

The clay bar thing is surprisingly easy. Its really like a lint roller for your car. You mold the clay to a small handkerchief size square, spritz it with the detail spray and wipe the surface of the car right after you dry it. You kind of try and walk the fine line of having it drag just a little bit, but not stick. If it falls on the ground you have to throw it away.

I bought some Jetseal 109 with my mail order it worked great and was very durable for me (I had trouble getting it off the car after four months of winter). But its way too expensive, and I've decided that the better sealants are kind of a commodity anyway. If I were mail ordering, I would get some of that Collinite 853 product. If I were buying locally, I would consider that Zainos stuff which I've seen at Pep Boys.

Mail order isn't necessary of course, but I did think I got a little better product all around by doing that.

I went a little nuts and bought a Flex DA polisher. It saves about an hour per wax layer. For some reason it lays down a better shine than I can do manually, although I don't know why. I wouldn't suggest you buy that, but the Porter Cable brand DAs are very heavy duty too, and they start at about 150 bucks with a couple of pads thrown in. You would prbably run it about as many hours as any of your other power tools around the house.

My sad experience is that its more important to keep up the appearance of your car than to worry about OCI heresy, I know.
 
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I wouldn't suggest you buy that, but the Porter Cable brand DAs are very heavy duty too, and they start at about 150 bucks with a couple of pads thrown in. You would prbably run it about as many hours as any of your other power tools around the house.


Instead of the PC get the Griots Garage polisher for the same money and a lifetime warranty. Plus more power. Supposed to be the best deal going right now. Available on Amazon.
 
Fair enough. I noticed the Griot's has been on sale lately. It wasn't when I ordered mine. An advantage to the Porter-Cable is that if you use it and decide its an unnecessary extravagance, you can unload it tomorrow on Craiglist for maybe 50 bucks less than you paid. The Griots? well, probably, but not necessarily.....
 
Ordering from AAP using coupon codes (https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2901124#Post2901124) gives you the lowest prices a lot of times. They have griot's stuff including the latest version of the DA, collonite 845, meguiar's, turtle wax etc. and free shipping on orders over $75. Don't forget to get enough microfiber towels. For stuff not available at AAP, I usually goto autogeek, they run a lot of 15% or 20% off with free shipping promos.
 
With Autogeek don't forget to check the BOGO deals on the upper left side of the main screen. Hard to beat that deal.
 
Where had the Griots been on sale?

I did the first run on the new Subaru by hand. Wash, clay, Klasse AIO, and Collinite 845. It took a while but wasn't that bad to do. Turned out nice too and the 845 is still beading 5 months later.
 
Google for the Griots machine. It can be had for under $120 if you shop. That's the machine only, you will need pads. It is strong enough to turn 6" pads easily where the Porter Cable is better off with 5 1/4" pads which requires a different backing plate. I own both and the Griot's is the superior product.

Also Auto Geek price matches!
 
I bought a lot of stuff from Autopia over the years and they had good deals on the pads etc.

You can get obsessive (I did all the Zaino's and others). Best thing I learned through it is definitely clay bar, polish if needed (buffer helps a lot) then your wax. I like Klasse for a nice cleaning all in one that seems to clean well and last decent.

Once clean I bought the Ultima Paint Guard Plus and I have to say to maintain a nice shine coat for ease of use, this is the way to go. It's a wipe on and walk away sealer/coating. Sonata takes 5 minutes, Sequoia 10 minutes and you have fresh coat. Many coworkers are now hooked on it for same reason. A little prep work the first time as it does no cleaning but that goes for many products.

Once you start you'll add some other polishes and pads to your arsenal as well as spending time reading the detailing threads at all the sites (like oils here at BITOG).

Work, kids, scouts, sports, new house and I just don't have the time to go through the Zaino rituals (awesome when I did). Now I need the fast wash (grit guard in bucket), California water blade dry, Microfiber follow up, Ultima PGP and 301 on the tires (I like matte not glossy). Also Rain-X on side and back windows a couple times/ year and Aquapel on the front (last much longer then Rain-x when you do use wipers plus no Junk build up).
 
Originally Posted By: Sequoiasoon
Once clean I bought the Ultima Paint Guard Plus and I have to say to maintain a nice shine coat for ease of use, this is the way to go. It's a wipe on and walk away sealer/coating.


Some of the guys on an Accord forum I'm on like the Ultima wowa but like the Blackfire Crystal Seal a little bit more. It's a wowa also. This routine might save you more time and less energy:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=80945&highlight=blackfire
 
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