New to detailing... What should I get?

[z4ck]

Hey guys, I've never detailed a car before and now that I own a 1991 Supra I really want to make it look as nice as possible. The car has some paint chipping and the paint doesn't shine much, but I'm hoping I can make it look nice. Basically I'm wondering what I should buy to start off with... I am thinking about getting this kit: Amazon.com: Meguiar's Complete Car Care Kit: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Complete-Car-Care-Kit/dp/B0012ZEZ8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335820252&sr=8-1) and this polish Amazon.com: 16oz. Poorboys World Polish with Sealant: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N3WDEA/ref=s9_simh_gw_p263_d0_g263_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0D ER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0N9B1CTK83Z3THSJ0PGV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846) I will be waxing and polishing by hand because I don't own a buffer. I was wondering if this is the correct setup for a newbie like me? I would prefer to stay under $80 if possible. Also is there anything that will stop rust from spreading? There is some in the engine bay as well, that I will probably just sand and paint over.

Here is some pictures of the car:

http://i.imgur.com/MSXaZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9dyWr.jpg

Paint chipping off
http://i.imgur.com/n3ljd.jpg

Rust at top of the windshield
http://i.imgur.com/a2ddi.jpg

Rust in engine bay
http://i.imgur.com/LkujI.jpg


Thanks!

[TimmyG]

Not to be rude or anything, but $80 isn't going to get you very far especially on a 20+ year old car. Paint chip repair kits range anywhere from $50+. If you really want to make your paint shine you need to start doing some research and save up a little more money for a porter cable, polishing pads, and compound/polish/wax/sealant. I can pretty much assure you that your car would need a full wash, decontamination treatment, clay bar, then likely paint correction. If you really want to make the most out of your paint, that's more than likely what it's going to take.

For now, invest in a quality car wash like duragloss which happens to be fairly cheap. Get a couple nice microfiber wash mitts as well as two grit guards and two five gallon home depot wash/rinse buckets to use them with.Grab a meguiars clay bar kit and see how many bonded contaminents it removes from the clear coat. Then you could grab some collinite 845 and apply a couple of coats which will seal her up while you save up and research. Thats my $.02

[AutowerxDetailing]

My advice: make autogeek.net a favorite in your browser and check the BoGo offers daily.

P.S. Nice ride. I love Supras.

[Vegas Transplant]

Not to be rude or anything, but $80 isn't going to get you very far especially on a 20+ year old car. Paint chip repair kits range anywhere from $50+. If you really want to make your paint shine you need to start doing some research and save up a little more money for a porter cable, polishing pads, and compound/polish/wax/sealant. I can pretty much assure you that your car would need a full wash, decontamination treatment, clay bar, then likely paint correction. If you really want to make the most out of your paint, that's more than likely what it's going to take.

For now, invest in a quality car wash like duragloss which happens to be fairly cheap. Get a couple nice microfiber wash mitts as well as two grit guards and two five gallon home depot wash/rinse buckets to use them with.Grab a meguiars clay bar kit and see how many bonded contaminents it removes from the clear coat. Then you could grab some collinite 845 and apply a couple of coats which will seal her up while you save up and research. Thats my $.02

Darn good advice hand.

[z4ck]

Thanks guys, I am willing to spend more than $80, that is just me being cheap... I would prefer not to buy a buffer thought unless you guys think its necessary. What compound/polish would you recommend? I will do what you said for now though!

[Tundra_10]

You can go to your local parts store and get a rust inhibiting paint. If I were you I would try to scuff the paint with some sand paper to get most it off and paint with this stuff. It dries black so you will want to paint over it, but it will neutralize the rust and stop it from spreading. it looks like its just surface now so with a clean surface, the stuff I told you about and a quality touch-up kit those rust areas should be fine in no time.

One other thing I would be concerned about if you are going to be using a compound. That car looks like its been repainted. I think I see overspray over the rear badging. If the paint is chipping off, chances are it might have been poor prep work and compounding the car could be an ugly situation.

If all this sounds like too much trouble, you can just give me your car since that is probably one of my most favorite mainstream cars ever made.

[z4ck]

You can go to your local parts store and get a rust inhibiting paint. If I were you I would try to scuff the paint with some sand paper to get most it off and paint with this stuff. It dries black so you will want to paint over it, but it will neutralize the rust and stop it from spreading. it looks like its just surface now so with a clean surface, the stuff I told you about and a quality touch-up kit those rust areas should be fine in no time.

One other thing I would be concerned about if you are going to be using a compound. That car looks like its been repainted. I think I see overspray over the rear badging. If the paint is chipping off, chances are it might have been poor prep work and compounding the car could be an ugly situation.

If all this sounds like too much trouble, you can just give me your car since that is probably one of my most favorite mainstream cars ever made.

Haha, the car has a 1JZGTE engine with a blitz nur spec exhaust and a whole bunch of other goodies, I don't think I'll be getting rid of her anytime soon :p Thanks for the advice! I'm probably going to get some paint made to match the super white that's on there right now and apply that over it. I think the rear bumper and front bumper were painted by the previous owner... The car itself is actually still original factory paint though.

[walletless]

I agree, $80 is not a lot.. the orbital machines itself will cost well over that. With the condition of the paint like it looks... you will have a workout of your life trying to correct it by hand.

Here is what I would get:
1) PC 7424XP or any RO Polisher (7424xp, Megs G110v2, or GG6): ~$110
2) 3 cutting pads, 3 polishing pads, 3 finishing pads (all 5.5"): ~$30 - they were BOGO this week
3) 5" Backing Plate for RO: ~$12
4) Cutting Compound: ~$10-15
5) Polishing Compound: ~$10-15
6) Sealant: ~$15 (Colli 845 on ebay)
7) Decent Car wash chemical (ONR v3 ~$20)
8) 2 Buckets & Grit Guard (~$15)
9) Tons of good microfiber towels (~$50)

I am still missing clay bars and stuff, but this is still well over your budget.. I would treat this as a minimum requirement.. and you can look at my signature line.. I try to save as much $$ as I can.. but car detailing is an expensive hobby.

[JonFD]

I agree, $80 is not a lot.. the orbital machines itself will cost well over that. With the condition of the paint like it looks... you will have a workout of your life trying to correct it by hand.

Here is what I would get:
1) PC 7424XP or any RO Polisher (7424xp, Megs G110v2, or GG6): ~$110
2) 3 cutting pads, 3 polishing pads, 3 finishing pads (all 5.5"): ~$30 - they were BOGO this week
3) 5" Backing Plate for RO: ~$12
4) Cutting Compound: ~$10-15
5) Polishing Compound: ~$10-15
6) Sealant: ~$15 (Colli 845 on ebay)
7) Decent Car wash chemical (ONR v3 ~$20)
8) 2 Buckets & Grit Guard (~$15)
9) Tons of good microfiber towels (~$50)

I am still missing clay bars and stuff, but this is still well over your budget.. I would treat this as a minimum requirement.. and you can look at my signature line.. I try to save as much $$ as I can.. but car detailing is an expensive hobby.

Great list for the price and user friendly stuff for a n00b to learn on. Also, nice blog, I was stuck readin it for 5 minutes, nice job!

[walletless]

Great list for the price and user friendly stuff for a n00b to learn on. Also, nice blog, I was stuck readin it for 5 minutes, nice job!
Thanks. Looking at the condition of the cars in the pic above, I would be hard pressed if he can achieve any correction without sanding some areas (especially the rusted ones).. The list above is absolutely minimum required.. I am sure he will discover more things along the way.
Given the cars value & age.. unless there is an emotional reason, it does not make much sense to drop $300-400 trying to correct this.. that's my opinion.

[z4ck]

Thanks. Looking at the condition of the cars in the pic above, I would be hard pressed if he can achieve any correction without sanding some areas (especially the rusted ones).. The list above is absolutely minimum required.. I am sure he will discover more things along the way.
Given the cars value & age.. unless there is an emotional reason, it does not make much sense to drop $300-400 trying to correct this.. that's my opinion.

The car is going to have 400+ whp soon so I would like to get it presentable atleast :xyxthumbs:

[JorgeSFL]

Wash, claybar, Meguiar's paint correction kit worked well for me. Also sandpaper a can of white paint and clear would help. Meguiar's kit was very easy to apply, even by hand I was happy with the rsults.

I had a white P10, and it worked out fairly well, was not noticable unless you got pretty close.

[walletless]

Worst case, if you just want to get it to a "good enough" state, you can do:

(int addition to machine, pads, microfiber towels):
wash (ONR v3) ~$20
Clay: skip
Compound: Any SMAT product, like Megs Ultimate Compound ~$10 (You need this just based on the condition of your car.. otherwise you could have skipped this too)
Polish: Skip
Wax: Megs Cleaner WAX or any AIO ~$15

[Kinalyx]

the first thing to get is lots of disposable income. As others have already stated, detailing is a very expensive hobby. I started detailing my car in september, and i have spent over $1500 since then. I am on the other hand, a spend-aholic, and this is in no way the norm.

However, getting started is by far the most expensive, you're basically starting from nothing, needing pretty much any and everything you would use for even a simple detail.

My suggestion is to get the best products that have the best prices(lists have been made above, no need to add another), and add to your products/tools as money allows.

After a bit, you should have enough to get your car looking really nice.

shawn

[Mike Phillips]

Worst case, if you just want to get it to a "good enough" state, you can do:

Compound: Any SMAT product, like Megs Ultimate Compound ~$10 (You need this

Wax: Megs Cleaner WAX or any AIO ~$15



The above would be a minimum and you could do it all by hand...

Wash - by hand
Clay - by hand
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound - by hand
Wax - Any cleaner/wax or even a finishing wax


The above will be a very good work out for your arms and hands. I would recommend only tackling specific panels at a time because as you get tired you won't be able to work the compound as well as when you were fresh. Been there done that for years... years ago...

Check this article, it shows a basic 3-step approach where I removed the majority of all swirls out of black paint by hand.

Man versus Machine (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/faq/20257-man-versus-machine.html)

For the hand portion of this comparison we'll be using, Smooth Surface Clay Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-plastic-headlight-kit.html), Ultimate Compound (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-ultimate-compound.html), SwirlX (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-swirl-remover.html), NXT Tech Wax (http://www.autogeek.net/mg12718.html) and Supreme Shine Microfiber Polishing Cloths (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-microfiber-towel.html) .
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/728/Lincoln002.jpg



I have a few articles on polishing paint by hand in my article list, just about every topic you can think of I have an article on. If you haven't read through the list take a read-through... something for everyone.

For example, above a cleaner/wax or AIO is recommended and then I suggest also a finishing wax... have an article on that...


The Difference Between a Cleaner/Wax and a Finishing Wax (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/23263-difference-between-cleaner-wax-finishing-wax.html)
Subtitle: How To Choose The Right Wax or Paint Sealant for your Detailing Project



:D