Catch me up to speed please

[Mikebsu]

Hi all,

I've been "out of the scene" for a few years. I think somewhere around 2008 I hung up my Porter cable, had a kid, and worked way too much. My wife is taking deliver of a new X1 (Sapphire Black) M-Sport as soon as they get done unloading it from the ship and driving it across country. She's always wanted a black car, so I guess this is the "one". I've glanced at the Autogeek page from time to time, but it seems things have changed quite a bit. I used to have some skill when it came to making the cars look good, but tell me if my "stock" is out of date and what direction I should go to make this X1 look sharp as often as possible with as little effort as possible.

Porter Cable
XMT 1,2,3,4 and the Carnauba glaze
Souveran carnauba wax
lots of clay and detail spray
Some tire shine and wheel cleaner (nothing fancy)
3 orange pads
1 white
1 black
1 blue
2 grey
Some Turtle soap of costco size portion

Catch me up....what do I need to add to this mix? I've heard that the nanocoatings are cool, but I'm just not super sold on the idea of them. Am I better off with a sealant? Should I just burn through my Souveran and then sort this out? Should I seal the wheels right away to make it easier to clean them?

There was a time I'd wax the cars every 3 weeks. Amazing how work and child can eat all that time up! Now that I have a minion, maybe he can help me some. (wishful thinking, I know).

Thanks in advance!

[dlc95]

I think you're good, bro! Maybe a dedicated sealant like dg111 or something.

[Riff]

Maybe more white pads for polishing and 1 or 2 more black pads for something like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. Sometimes I wax, sometimes I seal and sometimes I'll seal first and top with a carnauba a month or so later. Whatever mood hits me. You'll get a lot longer shine with the WGDGPS than a carnauba by itself.

Also, I would switch out the tire shine for Tuf Shine Tire Coating. No sling, lasts a good while and has a decent shine. The tire has to be perfectly clean first for it to work, though.

[AZpolisher15]

For a daily driver (and a lack of time), you'd probably really appreciate a paint sealer like Menzerna Power Lock, Duragloss 111/601, or Sonax Polymer NetShield. Those are all moderately priced and just plain work.

As far as pads go, and a new vehicle, some more white ones (if we're talking LC flat)? Perhaps.

[goldenlight]

I love "Menzerna Power LOck" a little pricey unless you get it on sale, but its worth it ...

[chops1sc]

I would add IronX to the process before claying.

[PhxDarius]

With it being a brand new car, and you not having a lot of time for upkeep, I would suggest coating it with Gtechniq CSL and EXO.
Then most of your time would be just washing it to keep it clean.
I owned a black vehicle once, and will never do that again. It seemed like I was always cleaning it.

GTechniq EXO and CSL Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-exo-csl-kit.html)

[craigdt]

You really have it all covered. I don't see any need to add another product unless you just want to try something new.

The fundamentals haven't changed from when you were last involved. Lots of trendy new products have come and gone.

[gregpack]

Maybe a good spray wax?

[Mikebsu]

Super thanks for all the helpful replies! This is a great forum, much more interactive than it was "back in the day".

I think I'll go out today and shine up the hood on my car and make sure it's still a skill I remember. Some of the sealant products have me intrigued, so I may even pick up one to try on my car first. I'm even thinking I might try products side by side just to see how they work out.

BMW brake dust is epic and the design of the wheels not exactly easy to clean. Not to get too far off topic, but we were on the fence about the M Sport package until I noticed the car had black plastic trim all the way around the bottom of the car. You know, the kind that wax products would leave marks on if you aren't careful. Heck, half the cars on the lot had wax marks on them already! The M Sport had paint all the way around the car and "sealed" the deal for me. Funny how detailing a car can make you aware of design features.

[gregpack]

Cool car!

One other thing about spray wax- it allows you to give that car that little bit of "extra love" extra time you wash it. I use Meguiars Synthetic X-press Wax and like it. I have read some even use that product on interiors.

[Mikebsu]

With it being a brand new car, and you not having a lot of time for upkeep, I would suggest coating it with Gtechniq CSL and EXO.
Then most of your time would be just washing it to keep it clean.
I owned a black vehicle once, and will never do that again. It seemed like I was always cleaning it.

GTechniq EXO and CSL Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-exo-csl-kit.html)


Ok, this product is interesting. 5+ years?!? Have you used it on black? Does it actually work? I mean resist swirls. I'd had to have a few swirls and have to polish them out and strip the coating off at the same time.

I pi was thinking these multi year sealants just weren't worth the risk of having swirls. The 6month ones seemed better because it would give you the chance each spring to correct and then reseal. Is this a correct thought?

Also, when applying theses sealants, how exact do you have to be. Can you get it on things like roof racks, window trim, plastic trims, and other non bodywork items? Should you tape things off like fog lights, headlights, trim?

Thanks in advance.

Oh, I buffed half my hood. Wow. It's a new car again...but it took an hour to get half the hood back in order. More incentive to get a new car protected I guess.