Help???What new products and process for a newb

[touringsedan]

What “ 3 step process” to use
So I usually just do a weekly wash, wax monthly and clay quarterly. ANything i should be doing more often or less frequently?

I'm new to this machine application thing and have always done everything by hand. To be honest it is getting real old and it also gets time consuming when you do more than wash and wax, even that is time consuming some times. So I went out and bought a Porter Cable 7424. I will be taking care of three used vehicles and one new vehicle. Now I have some questions. I have never sealed the paint so I don’t know when in the order of things to apply it and what brand to use, I would think after claying and applying a paint cleaner and paint polisher but before any waxing, correct? Is cleaning and polishing really necessary for a new car, can I just clay the vehicle then apply sealent and wax or should I at least clean the paint?

On the used vehicles I would think it would be necessary to clean and polish before applying sealent, correct? Also does cleaning and polishing the paint cut into the clear coat (from what I read it seems like it would ) and if so how often should it be done? Also would it be necessary to wash the vehicle again after claying to ensure removal of all of the claying spray/lubricant used before applying other products?

What kind of cure time does the sealent need or does it usually vary from product to product?

What kind of cure time do waxes need?

What kind/color of pads should I use for all of this? The colors and different types and brands all get confusing quickly. Lake Country seems to be a good brand? As far as pads go I would think to only use pads with any kind of cutting power for correction only?


I have only done this 3 step process before using mequiars products and it was very time consuming by hand but the car looked awesome when done. Here is what is usually do when I do the three step process.

Wash car
Clay car
Wash again
Step 1 Clean Paint
Step 2 Polish Paint
Step 3 Wax Paint

On the meguiars bottles it says to wash vehicle before each step. That seems a bit extreme to me, is it really necessary to wash the car that much.

There are so many different products here are there any recommendations for a new auto geek newb.

Any help is always greatly appreciated

[Ol' Red]

What “ 3 step process” to use
So I usually just do a weekly wash, wax monthly and clay quarterly. ANything i should be doing more often or less frequently? Sounds fine.

I'm new to this machine application thing and have always done everything by hand. To be honest it is getting real old and it also gets time consuming when you do more than wash and wax, even that is time consuming some times. So I went out and bought a Porter Cable 7424. I will be taking care of three used vehicles and one new vehicle. Now I have some questions. I have never sealed the paint so I don’t know when in the order of things to apply it and what brand to use, I would think after claying and applying a paint cleaner and paint polisher but before any waxing, correct? Correct. Is cleaning and polishing really necessary for a new car, can I just clay the vehicle then apply sealent and wax or should I at least clean the paint? If it is swirled or has paint defects, then cleaning/polishing is necessary.

On the used vehicles I would think it would be necessary to clean and polish before applying sealent, correct? Yes, probably. Also does cleaning and polishing the paint cut into the clear coat (from what I read it seems like it would ) and if so how often should it be done? Yes, it cuts into the paint, and I would say only do it if it definitely needs it. Don't just polish because you feel like it. Also would it be necessary to wash the vehicle again after claying to ensure removal of all of the claying spray/lubricant used before applying other products? I never have, it depends on the clay and lube.

What kind of cure time does the sealent need or does it usually vary from product to product? I usually hear around 12 hours.

What kind of cure time do waxes need? 30-45 minutes, because waxes do not form a molecular (polymer) bond with the paint. This is after letting it haze for 15 minutes or whatever the brand recommends, do not spray anything onto the wax or apply anything else over it for optimum results.

What kind/color of pads should I use for all of this? The colors and different types and brands all get confusing quickly. Lake Country seems to be a good brand? As far as pads go I would think to only use pads with any kind of cutting power for correction only? Just getting into this myself, so I'm not sure.


I have only done this 3 step process before using mequiars products and it was very time consuming by hand but the car looked awesome when done. Here is what is usually do when I do the three step process.

Wash car
Clay car
Wash again
Step 1 Clean Paint
Step 2 Polish Paint
Step 3 Wax Paint

On the meguiars bottles it says to wash vehicle before each step. That seems a bit extreme to me, is it really necessary to wash the car that much. A quick detail should be fine inbetween if there is a little residue I would think. Obviously if there is a lot of stuff on the car, which I doubt will happen, just wash it.

There are so many different products here are there any recommendations for a new auto geek newb.

Any help is always greatly appreciated

Hope that helps.

[ScottB]

wash --- clay --- polish ---protect

this will likely be done twice a year with proper washing and drying techniques to help avoid swirls and scratches.

In between you will wash weekly as possible, use a detail spray or spray wax, and likely at 3 month intervals use a paint cleanser lotion (Pinnacle or P21S) then readding a coat of sealant or wax or both as wanted.

In general a sealant needs about 12 hours for proper curing. Most of the Pinnacle, Dodo, Poorboys, Wolfgang and DP waxes are WOWO and you basically wipe off while still damp.

Just remember in general adding more or heavier coat of wax or sealant does not equal more protection just harder to remove and likely wasted product. Light uniform coverage is best ...

[ryandamartini]

wash --- clay --- polish ---protect

this will likely be done twice a year with proper washing and drying techniques to help avoid swirls and scratches.

In between you will wash weekly as possible, use a detail spray or spray wax, and likely at 3 month intervals use a paint cleanser lotion (Pinnacle or P21S) then readding a coat of sealant or wax or both as wanted.

In general a sealant needs about 12 hours for proper curing. Most of the Pinnacle, Dodo, Poorboys, Wolfgang and DP waxes are WOWO and you basically wipe off while still damp.

Just remember in general adding more or heavier coat of wax or sealant does not equal more protection just harder to remove and likely wasted product. Light uniform coverage is best ...

I cant polish just a few times a year, I have to throw on some xmt 1 or ssr 1 every now and then I just love the fresh glow ^.^

But he is correct!

[touringsedan]

Thanks for bearing with me. I am not new to car detailling but am taking it to a new level. And as such, more questions come with different products and techniques. Once again thanks and I am sure I will be posting back for more help/clarification on something soon. My car, A 99 STS in a beautiful bronze color ( official color name is : firemist bronze) is in the shop from hail damage. Once the clearcoat has had time to harden I will post pics up of it freshly detailed.

Thanks,

Touring Sedan

[ScottB]

I cant polish just a few times a year, I have to throw on some xmt 1 or ssr 1 every now and then I just love the fresh glow ^.^

But he is correct!

Polishing more often with a finishing polish is certainly ok, but the original post seems to suggest a detailing regimine he can follow. Didnt want to scare him immediately ....

[ryandamartini]

Polishing more often with a finishing polish is certainly ok, but the original post seems to suggest a detailing regimine he can follow. Didnt want to scare him immediately ....

hehe, I did say you were correct! I just have a problem