New Car First Detail Process - Fill in the blanks

[hooked]

As I mentioned in other threads, I just got a 2018 Kia Niro in “Metal Stream” aka metallic dark grey. The hack at the dealership did the bare minimum to “prep” the car. I think he just hosed it off and dried it and sprayed tire shine. He left the protectant strip on the chrome window trim and there was still white plastic stuck to the hood.

But I digress. This is going to be a daily driver and I’ll probably end up washing it once a month. I want to give it a good detailing to send it on it’s way. Here’s my intended process so far and I haven’t made up my mind on certain steps. Hopefully you guys can help me out.


Wash with ONR and dry.
Apply IronX to remove metallic contaminants.
Clay to get the rest of embedded particles. I was thinking of using a Nanoskin Clay Towel. Should I use the Fine or Medium?
Apply a Paint Prep or similar product to remove any wax that might actually be on the paint by accident from the dealer. What should I use?
Polish with DA and a not too aggressive pad. I am not looking to remove every single swirl mark. Should I use a dedicated polish or an AIO. I plan the use Meguiars Ultimate Fast Finish as the sealant so it might not stick if I already have a sealant on the paint.
Apply Meguiars Ultimate Fast Finish as sealant (I already bought it LOL). See step above. Is this step necessary if I use an AIO?
Wash wheels and tires. I’m going to use IronX on the wheels. What soap should I use after that?
Apply PERL 1:1 on tires and plastic cladding.
I’d like to apply some sort of sealant on the windows. I can’t use UFF on the windshield. What do you recommend?
Do interior. I am not too worried about this so I’ll use whatever I have now.


Am I missing a step?

[Vanquish Auto]

Do number “7” as a first step. IronX should be good on its own.

Fine clay will be good if it’s a new car. Do a bag test to make sure. If it feels rough use a more aggressive clay.

Use Gyeon or GTechniq panel wipe. I personally don’t use a IPA. But many do on here.

Number 5 is up to you. If you do use a AIO you don’t have to apply a LSP since the AIO will have one in it. But you can and it never hurts to add more protection to your vehicle.
If you do use AIO skip the IPA wipe.

For windows any kind of glass coating or aquapel will work.

[Mantilgh]

I’ll add to skip step 4.

Your polish or AIO should remove most any protection if there was something applied.

I guess be glad they did the minimum, the more they touch it the worse it will be.

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[WristyManchego]

Replace step 8 with CarPro DLUX and do your wheels as well.

[Breese147]

I would also suggest Coating the wheels while they are new and fresh. This will make cleaning them in the future easier time/money wise. You can also coat the windshield.


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[Setec Astronomy]

That's an interesting vehicle, let us know how you like it.

I'll second or 3rd or whatever that now is the time to coat the wheels before they get too contaminated. If Hyundai/Kia still paints the wheel barrels that gives you a plus but a good coating will make your life easier over time.

[JustJesus]

This is going to be a daily driver and I’ll probably end up washing it once a month.

I'll check in with you later to see how you're liking this car. But question for you: why will you wash it *only* once a month?



That's an interesting vehicle, let us know how you like it.


I was looking into these myself. I like the smallish size and the pretty good MPGs. I would definitely like to know how he likes it!

[hooked]

LOL. When I first bought my 2006 Black Accord, I really got bit by the detailing bug. Bought all the products and a DA and I would wash it every 2 weeks and polish it every few months. Gradually, kids grew up and weekends were busier and life got in the way. After a while the washes got less and less frequent. So now I’m being realistic as to how often that I’ll be giving TLC to the Kia.

I am liking the Niro so far. The size works for my family of 4. My other vehicle is a Mazda CX-5 so if we need more room we can use that. This is the gas/electric hybrid version so I’m getting 50 mpg. That’s double what the Accord was getting, so no complaints there, but the acceleration is nothing to write home about. It is adequate. All the new tech is great too. Android Auto is awesome.

[DasTurboWagen]

The process sounds good and the Meguiar’s UFF is a good choice, you really can’t beat it for the price. I’ve only had it on for a month so I can’t comment on longevity but it does bead extremely well and rain flies off once I start driving. Makes my waterless washes pretty easy.

Just don’t go too aggressive with the pad when polishing since more than likely that Kia paint is pretty soft. I’m just assuming since my 2015 Sonata was that way.

Good luck with the car, the new Hyundai/Kia cars are really solid.


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