New around, and need some guidance in detailing

[mikeadon]

I feel a bit confused, and dumb... so here it goes...

I recently realized that detailing my own car (and my girlfriend's) could turn out to be a lot of fun, and rewarding, as I love how they look after a good detailing work; plus, it costs a lot more to detail my car 5 times than it costs to get a year or two supply of the products and do the work myself.

I am a neophyte on detailing, but I am planning on taking it as a new hobby as I said earlier. So... what do you think should be my first step?

Also, what is the meaning of QD?, I see it everywhere but dont know the meaning :S

and of this list, I think the ones with the asterisk are redundant, so which is best for the work? or maybe redundant with even the other products... its all confusing...

Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze
Klasse All In One
* Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
* Turtle Wax Color Cure Car Polish with ChipStik (Black) (recommended by a friend that saw a very deep scratch on my car)

(sorry if mentioning non-site brands is a bad thing)

Now... the dumb question...

after washing, and claying, what would the process be? I know AIO goes before HGSG and that Souveran should follow... but is there any of the others in between or due to needs be replaced? (deep deep scratch, will post photos, but in the meantime... the car is black, and the scratch reached under the color coat of the paint, IE. looks white)

[makdaddy626]

Welcome to AG, I'm pretty new to this myself but am happy to offer what help I can (I know I've received lots from the great people here).

QD = Quick Detailer - there are tons of different brands of "QD"s out there, they are useful for prepping applicators to cleaning up overspray when working on trim etc., for between wash touch-ups, and for adding some just waxed shine back after a wash.

I haven't used most of the products you listed but have tried the Klasse AIO and was VERY happy with the results. My process if you're interested was...

Wash with Meq's Gold Class shampoo (chose this because it was mentioned on this site as being pretty good and was available OTC and I needed to wash before I could get an order in and receive it.
Clayed with Pinnacle poly clay kit - GOOD STUFF, it seemed very gentle and I was surprised at how much dirt it pulled off of my just washed new car.
Applied Klasse AIO
Topped with WG DGPS - I really liked the look this added, I though putting the Klasse on was a big improvement in shine, but after this stuff went on...

Also, I HIGHLY recommend grabbing one or two of the Guzzler drying towels, these things are AWESOME, I've used other drying towels in the past and they don't come close!

Hope this helps.

[mikeadon]

Thanks Makdaddy626, but... what would I do with swirls and scratches, is that the work of the AIO? and what about deeper scratches? I mean very deep ones, I know some will say repaint, but before repainting or alternate to it, is there anything else?

[makdaddy626]

AIO isn't going to do much to fix swirls and scratches. From what I've read (not personal experience) you can expect very limited success with removing swirls and scratches by hand with a fine polish but to really do it right you'll need a machine like the Porter Cable or UDM. There are LOTS of great articles on this site about how to use these as well as some advice on what products work. Major scratches are probably best left to a pro or just try to minimize them.

Read through the stickies and use the search feature of the forums. There's a lot of great information just waiting on you to read it.

[richy]

Welcome to AG Start off slowly and read, read,read. There's literally a ton of info on this site with every topic you could think of. To get out scratches, you will need a pc or a rotary..IF they are correctable. If it's down to the clear coat (cc), which you will knwo by if you can feel it with your fingernail. You can get a 2 step paint stick (colour/clear) and apply each in turn to the scratch but you will need to compound it flat or maybe even wetsand it smoothe...that's a bigger step. You can do anything you set your mind to, don't be afraid to try. There are some limited things that can be done by hand..most of the corrections need a pc or rotary..that will be your next step. Hope that helps

[mikeadon]

Thanks a lot for the replies, I guess reading and experimenting not-so-dangerous stuff will be my next steps :P