Critique my FIRST EVER detailing plan

[walletless]

So... Wifey is going to be out of town the weekend of April 20-22, and I decided its time to detail my daily driver (Black 2012 Nissan Altima). This will be my FIRST EVER detail, so I want to reduce how much I do before I get comfortable with detailing.

Here is my plan:

1) Wash: Pre-rinse at coin-op, then ONR v3 rinseless
2) Clay: None. I have read horror stories of claying causing marring with wrong technique. Being a n00b, I don't want to risk that right away without knowing how to properly correct that marring. I'll clay the vehicle the next time I detail - by then I should hopefully get comfortable with machine polishing
3) I have some chips and scratches on bumper that I need to remove. For scratches, I plan to use Megs Ultimate Compount with PC 7424XP at speed 5 and 7" megs yellow polishing pad. For chips, I bought OEM touch-up paint from Nissan and apply several thin coats using a toothpick. I'll do it this weekend, to give a couple weeks for the paint to dry.
4) Remove DISO: My Altima came with a bunch of Dealer Installed swirl options.. Plan to use Megs SwirlX on the entire car with 7424XP, Yellow polishing pad, speed 4-5.
5) Polish: Megs Ultimate Polish with 7424XP, Yellow Polishing Pad, Speed 4
6) Seal: Collonite 845 with PC 7424XP, Black Finishing Pad, Speed 3-4. I'll leave the touched-up areas since it is adviced to not use sealants on fresh paint for 90 days.. I'll follow-up that area with 845 after couple months to be safe.
7) Maintain: Every 2-3 weeks, I wash my car with ONR v3, and every other wash (~1.5 months), I spray Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax.
8) If everything goes well: beer. If something went wrong: beer.

Please critique my plan. Here are the stufff I already have in my arsenal. I live in an apartment, to pressure washing is not an option (besides visiting coin-op).

1) ONR v3, Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash, Megs Gold Class wash
2) Meguiars SwirlX, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, ColorX, Cleaner Wax, M105
3) Meguiars Quick Detailer, Ultimate Quick Wax, Liquid Gold Class Wax, Paste Gold Class Wax, Liquid Carnauba wax, Collonite 845
4) 7" Yellow Meguiars Polishing Pad, 7" Black Meguiars Finishing Pad, few hand applicators
5) Microfibers & few more things (pic below) :-)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sXc4Iy4fTFM/T200e85t7rI/AAAAAAAAAB8/WocXex6UUwU/s1600/WP_000383.jpg

[david11g35]

7" pads would be too large for the 7424XP you will have better results with 5.5" pads

[TimmyG]

Whoa, that's quite the Meguiars lineup there! Anyways, I would do a dawn wash instead of coin-op wash to ensure you strip the LSP. Dry the car and inspect the defects up close. I personally, would clay the car. You can grab the meguiars clay kit for like $20 at advance auto and it comes with two huge clay bars, a bottle of QD, and a MF towel. Once clayed, then you should be ready for defect removal. You can try the 7" pad but I think that's a little too big for your setup. Also, Ultimate Compound may only take you so far. If it doesn't remove the defects, you'll need to step up to a more aggressive combo like say the Megs DA Kit.

[MustangMikeFL]

Don't be worried about claying the paint. My first time went great and I didn't mar the finish at all. I used the Meg's clay kit and it worked fine for me. It really is important to get that embedded contamination off before you machine polish. The paint feels SO smooth afterwards too. It's great.

[walletless]

Thanks.. I will try claying just the hood first then (or half a hood).. if that goes well, I will do the entire car.

I have tons of 7" pads, and a few 4" pads.. no 5.5" pads.
If I go with 4" pads, I will have to buy a 3.5" backing plate.
If I go with 5.5" pads, I will have to buy backing plate and pads :-)

Great advice guys.. I will try the 7" pads, and if the swirls don't go away easily, I will switch to 4" pads. Might try to source the backing plate without paying high shipping (PM me if you have one.. preferably a flexible one).. Unfortunately, I don't have $95 worth stuff to order to avail the free shipping on AGO :-(

[TimmyG]

Thanks.. I will try claying just the hood first then (or half a hood).. if that goes well, I will do the entire car.

I have tons of 7" pads, and a few 4" pads.. no 5.5" pads.
If I go with 4" pads, I will have to buy a 3.5" backing plate.
If I go with 5.5" pads, I will have to buy backing plate and pads :-)

Great advice guys.. I will try the 7" pads, and if the swirls don't go away easily, I will switch to 4" pads. Might try to source the backing plate without paying high shipping (PM me if you have one.. preferably a flexible one).. Unfortunately, I don't have $95 worth stuff to order to avail the free shipping on AGO :-(
I hate to tell you to buy more stuff but.....


The Meguiars DA Correction kit is worth it's weight in gold for rookies like you and me. Might be worth a look imo.

[walletless]

... I would do a dawn wash instead of coin-op wash to ensure you strip the LSP.

You mean dish soap? If I clay the car, that would take out LSP, right? Also, UP would take out the old LSP right? Or am I missing something?


... Also, Ultimate Compound may only take you so far. If it doesn't remove the defects, you'll need to step up to a more aggressive combo like say the Megs DA Kit.
Thanks. I do have M105 in the arsenal to step up to, if needed. I don't have any cutting pads, wool pads, or DAMF... but I don't want to use them on a plastic bumper anyway.. I am not shooting for perfection, just to hide the scratches and chips.. Trying to be realistic as a n00b.. taking on baby step at a time :-)

[walletless]

I hate to tell you to buy more stuff but.....


The Meguiars DA Correction kit is worth it's weight in gold for rookies like you and me. Might be worth a look imo.
Ok.. I'll get that. Fortunately, my local walmart in Mountain View, CA is one of the "test" walmarts that carry several Megs pro-line products including DAMF (I believe).. will hit them this weekend and pickup a couple.

[07gtcs]

Yes Dawn: the Dish Soap. If that doesn't work, a good APC will also strip the LSP.

[Jaretr1]

I would also recommend claying the car. If not, you will not get the results you are looking for, in addition to potentially removing some of the surface contaminants and having them become abrasives when you polish (not good).

I would skip the 7" pads as they might be to big for the PC7424XP. You might look into some 5" CCS pads at Autogeek. I would skip the swirlX, it wont do much of anything. I would try either Ultimate Compound, or if that doesnt do the job, go to M105 (which more than likely will). Follow up with Ultimate Polish for sure.

However, here is some advice that might save you a lot of trouble, DO TEST SPOTS! If your plan to use SwirlX doesnt work, then you can try UC, and then M105 etc until you are getting the results you are looking for. Then, you can replicate your combination throughout the entire car.

[walletless]

Yes Dawn: the Dish Soap. If that doesn't work, a good APC will also strip the LSP.
Will do.. what concentration of dawn do you recommend?

[walletless]

...
However, here is some advice that might save you a lot of trouble, DO TEST SPOTS! If your plan to use SwirlX doesnt work, then you can try UC, and then M105 etc until you are getting the results you are looking for. Then, you can replicate your combination throughout the entire car.

Good advice. I definitely was planning a test spot with swirlX before doing the entire car. The step-up order I had planned was SwirlX -> UC -> M105 based on the test spot results.

[TimmyG]

You mean dish soap? If I clay the car, that would take out LSP, right? Also, UP would take out the old LSP right? Or am I missing something?


Thanks. I do have M105 in the arsenal to step up to, if needed. I don't have any cutting pads, wool pads, or DAMF... but I don't want to use them on a plastic bumper anyway.. I am not shooting for perfection, just to hide the scratches and chips.. Trying to be realistic as a n00b.. taking on baby step at a time :-)
Yep, the dish soap! I nomally use 2 OZ's of Dawn mixed with about 8 oz's of water in my foam gun. I rinse the car first, foam it and let dwell 5 minutes, hand wash with MF wash mitt, rinse, hand dry with waffle weave/guzzler.

Absolutely grab a $20 Meg's clay kit. You wont regret it.

Also, nothing wrong with trying the products you have. I'm just giving you my $.02 about the DA kit. It's seriously the best thing for beginner detailers since sliced bread.

[walletless]

... nothing wrong with trying the products you have. I'm just giving you my $.02 about the DA kit. It's seriously the best thing for beginner detailers since sliced bread.

I really appreciate the inputs. That was the entire point of this thread - the collective minds of autogeekers will definitely offer me better advice than my n00b mind. I got great ideas from this thread, and am already starting on a different path, including claying, using more aggressive soap (dawn), using smaller pads, and possibly trying the DAMF system.

[mwoolfso]

Good that you decided to try claying.

Half-serious.... if you are concerned about claying but comfortable with 7" pads you are in for a learning experience. :-)

In all seriousness do a test spot like the trunk lid (not the hood).... from clay to correction to polish. Get the full process down so you know what you will be up against in terms of product choice to pad to reaction from the paint... most of all time commitment. With that large a pad you are going to be there awhile.