Newbie question...

[seadog_99]

Hello all!

I found your site a couple of weeks ago while looking for a polisher and quickly found it to be a huge wealth of knowledge. I ordered the PC 7424 Perfect Starter Kit and am ready to get to work... Now the questions...

I just purchased a brand new 2008 Nissan Altima in white and also own a 2002 Jeep Wrangler in Dark Blue. I hand waxed both vehicles in May with Meguires Gold Class Liquid Wax.

My question for each is what products do I really need to use to protect the finish first and look good second. I assume the Altima will need fewer steps than the Jeep since it is brand new. I live in Iowa so the vehicles see all types of weather and bad things (birds, bugs, salt, etc...) so durability is important. The Altima is garaged most of the time and the jeep about half of the time.

I don't have time to polish my cars every weekend but I do like to keep them quite clean. Again, I am mostly interested in protecting them and making them look great with as little time invested as possible.

Thanks in advance for your reply and thanks for the great site!

[Rsurfer]

What products come with the perfect starter kit?

[pricha00]

I would venture that a sealant would be your best protection and if you want some more shine top it with a good nuba wax.

Pat.

[sal329]

You do not need to polish every weekend.
Wash the cars, run your hand over the paint to see if the paint feels rough, if so then clay bar.
Use the PC and polish the best you can to get rid of the swirls, just because the car is brand new does not mean it will not need to be clayed or polished. It depends on how good the detailers are where you got the car.
After you polish use a sealant, Duragloss is a good choice, 105 and 111are great, I prefer the look of 111, but there are so many products out there.
With the proper washing technique you will not need to polish the car again for a while.
You can use a quick detailer inbetween washes to help keep the cars clean and when you wash use Duragloss Aqua Wax to help add more protection.

[supercharged]

I have not found ANYTHING special about Gold Class wax. It's a pain in the butt to apply and remove. For the money, you will be better off with Duragloss #105. Much easier application, better look, and superior durability.

[seadog_99]

Perfect Starter Kit includes:
Porter Cable 7424
5 Inch Backing Plate
2-CCS White 6.5 Inch Polishing Foam Pads
2-CCS Gray 6.5 Inch Finishing Foam Pads
1-CCS Blue 6.5 Inch Finessing Foam Pad
2 Cobra Indigo Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloths
12 oz. Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Cleaner
12 oz. Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Conditioner
1 Flat Wrench & 1 Counterweight

I'm looking at the Wolfgang Deep Gloss Total Concours Kit

Kit includes:
16 oz. Wolfgang Auto Bathe
16 oz. Wolfgang Clay Lubricant
100 grams Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay Bar
16 oz. Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0
16 oz. Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer
16 oz. Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz
2 Cobra Microfiber Detailing Cloths
2 Cobra Microfiber Applicator Pads
2 Foam Applicators
Wolfgang Instructional DVD
Wolfgang Handbook

Thinking that this should cover all the bases and seems to be good product.

[sal329]

The 6.5" pads do not offer much correction with a PC. I personally use the 5.5" and will be ordering the 4" very shortly.