New baby needs a good mommy

[AmySuzukiSX]

Hi everyone,


I'm new to this board but have been reading lots of random topics (for days) I just bought a new car, Black 06' Suzuki Aerio SX and I want to do things right this time! I was raised doing the wrong things thinking it was right.. like washing your car in the sun with dishwasher soap lol...What can I say? I'm asian and my parents are penny pinchers Anyways, I'm about to go buy a whole set of detailing products but want to make sure I'm not leaving anything out. But before I make any decisions, can someone give me a good regimen I should take... reading directions and different detailing sites really helped me but I'm still confused on a few things.

I want a good balance between gloss and durability but I would prefer durability. Since I just got this out of the lot, when should I starting waxing? And because it's brand new, should I skip any steps? How often should I wash and wax? Any tips for black cars?

I know I will be going with Meg's Gold for washing and prolly Klasse's AIO & SG or NXT (since it's at my local store). If you guys could recommend how many mitts, micro cloths, anything I must have, etc. I'll be doing 100% by hand since I don't have tons of money to dish out. Right now, I just want to go for the minimum and work my way up so that way I could test things out.

---------Please remember I'm completely new to this and I have never smelled, touch or even seen up close, detailing products!!! Thanks, I love you guys so much!

[mtsl500]

if you live near a Big Lots you can get a lot of accessories/tools (i.e. brushes, chenille sponges, applictors) for reasonable prices there. I bought a bunch of Meguiars stuff from there.

As for products, I'm learning that each product has its pros and cons ... just try them or check out others who use them and figure out what look you like best.

[AmySuzukiSX]

Actually I live in Southern California so I can go to Kragen's, Pep Boys, AutoZone, Wal-mart, Big Lots etc. but like I said, I wasn't as interested in detailing before so I don't know what each store carries. I think I will check out Kragen's later today

[FloridaNative]

Welcome Amy!! It's great to see another lady here! congratulations on the new car. Poorboy's a is a great line for high quality with out too much money. Their products can be used in the full sun and they don't stain your trim either. Natty's blue is an excellent carnauba and is cheaper than Meguiar's NXT. As far as process, we have had alot of good discussions on this recently, so I will give you the links for you to read at your leisure. Welcome to the addiction. I know you will love it.

Neothin is a college student with a wealth of detailing knowledge and experience. He wrote a paper about car care for school and it was very thorough here is the link....

Examplefication paper or process paper 3 pages.

You'll have to scroll down a bit but it's a really good read.

Here a good thread about black cars.

C5 Needs Help


I hope this helps you. Please feel free to ask any question you might have. This forum is full of great guys and gals who are eager to help out. Congrats again and welcome. Take care.

[supercharged]

I would go with a sealant from Wolfgang. It is very close to the best carnauba, with durability for 7-8 weeks(label says 6-7 months). I don't like Wolfgang's wash though(It's fishy-rusty smell)...
Poorboy's or DP Xtreme is the way to go for wash.
As for micros - Guzzler for drying, Indigo for wax removal, Super plush for quick detailing, grey waffle weave for glass.

I would strongly advice to get a foam gun, it will help reduce chances of swirls.

[Demonicus666]

HI Amy welcome to the board! Yes congrats on the new car. Id go iwth a sealant for durability wuch as poorboys EX and a carnuba wax such as P21S for a yellow carnuba for a good shine. Use a propter car wash tp clean your car first. I hope you have fun detaling your car it will be an addictoin. Dont forget you can wash your engine with an engine degreaser such as Meguaiir's Super Degreaser and top it off with Hyper Dressing which makes your engine super clean. You can also polish and clean your headlights and tailights and other plastic parts with Meguiars Plastic X polish. Dont forget to clean your tires with a proper tire cleaner such as Westley's Whitewall/Black wall cleaner and dress them up with a tire cleaner such as Armor All Tire Gel to make them look nice. Dont forget the interior also with a carpet/upholstery cleaner too and dont forget to clean and protect your vinly, plastic, and rubber with a good cleaner such as Armor All Protectant Gel. I hope you have fun dttailing your car and if you need help let me know ill be happy to help.

[killrwheels@autogeek]

sheepskin mitts, a guzzler, a 1/2 dozen ultra plushes, and a 1/2 dozen all purpose are bear minimums. Clearkote makes a very good hand kit, and its quite durable. The benefit is the hand polish has some fillers to hide swirls. I would also highly suggest clay.

Wash ---- Clay ---- Polish ---- Protect

[AmySuzukiSX]

Thanks everyone for the tips! It's great too see other girls into automotive stuff (I'm the only girl member in the car club at my college!) I just took a closer look at the car today and it came out of the lot in horrible shape! I guess because I took it at night which hid all the nasties :P I went to Kragen's today and found that they lacked most, if not all the products from this site.. total bummer cause I was kinda hoping to find maybe a nice wax, sealant or anything(well Meguiars and Mothers are good, right?)! I did, however, find lots of micro/washing accessories but I didn't dwell too long into them thinking they were sub-par to the Cobra line. Anywho, I met my friend who's into car detailing and has lots of success with Klasse so I will probably get that for sure. I'm still debating on waxes - Soveran, Natty's, P2S1S, and Wolfgang. But because I love killrwheels' black glossy vette so much, I might just go clearkote all the way!

Few questions.. I was reading the guide to Klasse's AIO/SG and it says to let it cure for 8-12 between coats. Does that mean I put on AIO and let it cure and do the same with SG or apply SG right after AIO, and allow the SG to cure? and how many coats of each should I apply? I read that if you apply Soveran over AIO & SG, you have to let that cure for 8-12 hours? And you can apply even more coats!!! I'm really confused on the timing and # of apps. When I do let it cure, does that mean I can't use my car at all? When I do reapply coats of whatever, do I have to clean it again or just reapply on the spot? I park my car outside so will the sun eat up everything if I don't give it enough time to set? Sorry for be such a ditz!! I just want to get it right the first time and it doesn't sound right if I let

Once again, Thank you so much, I won't let you guys down!

[3Dog]

In Tennessee "detailers" are few and far between. CA is a different story. I believe if you did a search here and other forums you would have no problem finding someone close to you that would love to share his/her experience.
Words are great...seeing is better...but nothing compares to hands on.

[killrwheels@autogeek]

Klasse AIO needs no appreciable curing time, the SG is best left for 4-8 hours and two coats are optimum. Its a bugger, so I suggest a small hairspray bottle for the SG and spray and immediately wipe off. Use Quikshine or Poorboys Spray and Gloss to add some addtl "pop" but otherwise its quite bulletproof.