New to detailing

[webhound]

New 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with wheelchair lift accessed from the tailgate. Detailed it last week by hand and still recovering from the shoulder abuse. Planning to purchase a Porter Cable D/A polisher before it's due for a re-wax. I used Meguiars since that was what I always used. This time it was Meguiars NXT Next gen II. I do plan to upgrade to a better product, but haven't decided between Pinnacle or BlackFire. Anyone have comments? This can get expensive when you consider the clay, Cobra microfiber cloths, Lake Country CCS pads, Cobra Drying towels, wheel & tire kits etc.
Does anyone have comments on what to use for a daily driver? I need to be able to get the most for my $, yet I still want a premium appearance. BTW the car is "Light Sandstone metallic Clear Coat" which equates to a light gold metallic clear coat. Thanks

[bryansbestwax]

What;s your budget? Waht are you detailing, anything besides the van? How often are you going to detail it?

[101impala]

Hey Webhound,

Hope the shoulder is feeling better. The main thing you need to ask yourself is what kind of result are you looking for. Did you clay before you waxed? Did you polish? I use NXT 2.0 on both of my daily drivers and I think it performs very well as far as protection and longevity goes. It gives a great wet look shine also.

Just my .02 though.

Andy
101impala

[makdaddy626]

Bang for the buck goes to Duragloss in my opinion!

Yes, those mini-vans can be tough, they don't feel very "mini" when you're detailing them, there's a lot of paint there.

If you're just looking to apply a wax/sealant (like NXT) and not looking to polish, I don't think the PC will help a lot... it might speed things up, but I don't know that it will save your shoulders any. The machine isn't to heavy but you'll know you've been holding after you finish a van. Just get a good wax/sealant that goes on and off easy. WG is one of the easiest I've ever used but doesn't last as long as some other choices (it does look good though). Get DG 105 and some AW and you can go along time between...

[karburn]

Welcome to the forum, where opinions are legion and advice is plentiful. You don't need to spend a fortune to detail cars, but it seems to happen, anyway. Just read as much information (from a variety of sources) as you can get, then develop your own style.

[101impala]

Originally Posted by karburn

Welcome to the forum, where opinions are legion and advice is plentiful. You don't need to spend a fortune to detail cars, but it seems to happen, anyway. Just read as much information (from a variety of sources) as you can get, then develop your own style.

[Jimmie]

[AL417]

Welcome to AG!