Total newb. Don't know what to buy for my first detail

[Bud Dickman]

Hello Everyone. This is my first post and I have never detailed a car beyond the occasional hand wash and wax. I've read quite a bit on this site but there are so many choices for products, and what I may need, so I'm hoping you guys can help me get started.

First, my two vehicles are nothing special. Just daily drivers for the family. A 96 Camry and 99 Toyota Sienna. They get washed somewhat regularly, but neither has been waxed for a couple of years and they get stored outside..in Iowa so the sun gets pretty bad, and Winters can be pretty nasty with lots of road salt. The Camry was partially repainted before I got it and I can now see where some of the paint is darker in areas. The Sienna has some scratches and rock chips. There is one scratch that runs the length of the vehicle It looks like the wife scraped a hedge or something. The scratch is pretty noticeable, but It doesn't look too deep.

So I need to know what to buy to be able to make these cars look decent without spending a fortune on products. My budget is probably $350 including the PC 7424. I was thinking about buying the 7424 starter kit, but I don't know if it has all the pads I will need for light scratch removal. I also have no clue as to what I should buy for clay bar, swirl remover, wax, etc. This could turn into a hobby if I really like the results, but for now I just want decent results without having to experiment on a bunch of different products. I know everyone has their favorites, but I guess I'm looking for your recommendations on favorite bang for the buck products, and a list of what I will need to do these jobs.

Thanks a bunch everyone,

Bud

[Bill1234]

Wax-Meguiars number 26 or ultimate wax
wash-meguiars gold class
wheels -meguiars nxt tire shine and mother wheel and tire cleaner

[CWallace]

Bud, i recently joined the detailing ranks myself.. so i've already purchased my PC along w/ several pads and polishes, and started working on a couple cars.. If you are looking for an easy process for making your paint look good u may want to look at an all in one product (Cleans/Polishes/Protects). i've just recently purchase the XMT 360 AIO and i'm gonna start using it on customer details, it has good reviews. But it all depends on what level of paint correction u are looking for. As far as clay goes, i've heard the mothers clay kit and the megs kit are both fine. U can get those any where.

[Bill1234]

If you want swirl remover, use meguiars m105 and 205. Ultimate compound is also another option from meguiars.
For wash buckets. Buy the ones off of autogeek with the grit guard inserts , much easier to use than buying regular painters buckets
If the scratch is caught by your fingernail, You will need to wetsand, which I reccomend you dont do until you know how to.


for an apc I would get simple green. It makes somewhere between 10 and 37 gallons of cleaner if diluted properly.


Tips : do not drop the washmitt. If you do, rinse it out and then add more soap.

Do not use an acidic wheel cleaner. You will know if it is if it has a strong smell

Steps
Clean wheels
Wash
Dry
Clay
correct
Clean interior
interior protectant
Shine tires

[Bud Dickman]

If you are looking for an easy process for making your paint look good u may want to look at an all in one product (Cleans/Polishes/Protects).

I like the sound of this ..(cheaper route to go)...but will I be able to get more than light scratches out if I go this way?

Thanks for all the tips so far everyone..good info!

[Eandras]

Personally I would go with the Griots da polisher. Go with the 5.5" lake country CCS pads ranging from orange, white, and grey. You could also get a blue pad for waxing. If you want to use the polisher for wax removal pick up a couple of microfiber bonnets. For this you could go with Meguiars ultimate compound, ultimate polish, and ultimate wax for an over the counter option. You could also look at Mcguiars microfiber 2 step correction system which would leave you in way under the 350.00 price. Clay any mildly agreesive bar with a lube will also work well. Card wash is what ever you like or have been using.

Invest in some good microfiber towels. Get as many as you can and dedicate them for certain areas of your vehicles.

The PC is a good machine and well worth the money. Griots has a better warranty. I own both and I prefer the Griots.

Good luck.

Ed

[Bud Dickman]

Personally I would go with the Griots da polisher. Go with the 5.5" lake country CCS pads ranging from orange, white, and grey. You could also get a blue pad for waxing. If you want to use the polisher for wax removal pick up a couple of microfiber bonnets. For this you could go with Meguiars ultimate compound, ultimate polish, and ultimate wax for an over the counter option. You could also look at Mcguiars microfiber 2 step correction system which would leave you in way under the 350.00 price. Clay any mildly agreesive bar with a lube will also work well. Card wash is what ever you like or have been using.

Invest in some good microfiber towels. Get as many as you can and dedicate them for certain areas of your vehicles.

The PC is a good machine and well worth the money. Griots has a better warranty. I own both and I prefer the Griots.

Good luck.

Ed


What do you like better with the Griots besides the warranty? Would a newb appreciate the difference, or are the differences subtle and appreciated as one becomes a better detailer?

Also, one question about clay bars...I've read a few of the descriptions and most say they are good for lighter grime in the paint. Do I need a more agressive clay bar or is there such a thing? Or are clay bars pretty close in quality and I should just start with whatever is cheapest?

You guys are awesome. I love this forum!

Bud

[glen e]

Don't buy a damn thing until you read all the noobie stuff here, watch all of mikes videos and many of the reviews here. I read for about a month before I dived in. My first detail was flawless as everyone here helped me do it!

[rider9195]

Don't buy a damn thing until you read all the noobie stuff here, watch all of mikes videos and many of the reviews here. I read for about a month before I dived in. My first detail was flawless as everyone here helped me do it!

I agree! Being that I got my detailing supplies on Christmas Day a while ago, I had lots of time to read through this forum. Definitely read some of Mike's articles. They even help the most experienced detailers.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

[ziggo99]

Giving credit where credit is due. Bobby has an excellent starter guide for new detailers so they don't go overboard buying products they don't need.



A few nice products you might want to take a look at...

Wash - Duragloss #901 (http://www.autogeek.net/duragloss-car-wash-concentrate.html)
Clay - Meguiar’s Clay (http://www.autogeek.net/motcalgolcla.html)
Compound - PG 1000 – PowerGloss Compound (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-powergloss-compound.html) (POS34A)
Polish - PF 2500 – Power Finish Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-polish-po203.html) (PO203)
Finishing Polish - SF 4000 – Super Finish Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-nano-polish-po-106-fa-finishing-polish.html) (PO106FA)
Sealant - Ultima Paint Guard Plus (http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-paint-guard-plus.html)
Wax - Collinite 845 (http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-insulator-wax-845.html)
Spray Wax -Optimum Spray Car Wax (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-spray-wax.html)
Tire Cleaner - Meguiar's Super Degreaser (http://www.autogeek.net/mg10801.html)
Tire Treatment - CarPro PERL (http://www.autogeek.net/perl-coat-protectant.html)
Trim - Ultima Tire and Trim Guard (http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-tire-trim-guard.html)
Wheel Cleaner - Meguiar's Wheel Brightener (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiar-s-wheel-brightener.html)
Wheel Protectant -Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-coat.html)
Glass Cleaner - Meguiar's Glass Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/mg12001.html)
Glass Treatment - Aquapel (http://www.autogeek.net/rain-repellent.html)
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean (http://www.autogeek.net/128oz-optimum-power-clean-apc.html)
Interior Protectant - Meguiar’s M40 (http://www.autogeek.net/mg40128.html)
Chrome & Stainless Steel - BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Metal Acrylic Sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-all-metal-sealant.html)

[Bud Dickman]

I wanted to thank everyone for their input. I ended up buying a PC kit with some Meguiars products, and some Collinite wax. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[glen e]

Bud, i recently joined the detailing ranks myself.. so i've already purchased my PC along w/ several pads and polishes, and started working on a couple cars.. If you are looking for an easy process for making your paint look good u may want to look at an all in one product (Cleans/Polishes/Protects). i've just recently purchase the XMT 360 AIO and i'm gonna start using it on customer details, it has good reviews. But it all depends on what level of paint correction u are looking for. As far as clay goes, i've heard the mothers clay kit and the megs kit are both fine. U can get those any where.


THis is great advice....start with an AIO and get your skill using a orbital up. No need to buy anything else now. Easy does it....if you rush in, you end up spending much more than necessary with lousy results....Most of these guys using layering, multiple paint cleaners and special stuff are guys hat have honed their skill for yeas.

I was just like you 6 months go....READ,READ,READ....here

[Bud Dickman]

Everyone,
I just wanted to give an update as to what I ended up with, and how everything turned out.
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures but I did the following to both vehicles that hadn't had a real wash/wax in years:

1.Washed with Simple Green as a detergent.
2.Meguiars Clay bar kit
3. Meguiars 105
4. Meguiars 205
5. Collinite 845 wax

I was really impressed with the results, especially since this was my first time using a DA. On the Toyota Sienna, the hood was rock chipped badly, and there was a long scratch along the driver side of the car. The rock chips are probably MORE noticeable now (as white flecks) since they were deep cleaned, but at least the rest of the paint looks good on the hood. The 7 ft scratch on the drivers side was noticeable 30 ft away before. Now it's all gone except for some areas that were deep but you have to be about 1 ft away to see them. The wax is still beading strong after 1 month. I'll probably wait another month and then wax again for the winter.

A couple of observations that maybe you guys can add some insight to...I was surprised that the clay bar didn't pick up more considering the time it took to do each vehicle. The clay was clearly picking up some stuff, but I thought it would be worse considering these are 13-16 yr old vehicles that have never been clay'd, and sit outside year round. In the future, if you have a car thats going to need 105/205 anyway, should you skip the clay or do it anyway?

Even though the Meguiars 105 is supposed to be "aggressive", I was surprised that I had to go over each section at least twice with it before it started to look like it was doing much. I experimented with how much time I worked the 105, but it sill took some effort to remove with a cloth afterwards. Also i was only able to get 2 or 3 passes with it before it dried up and I needed to remove and reapply. This was done in an unairconditioned garage so the paint was cool even though it still was still 85-90 degrees. Maybe a cooler ambient temp will give me a little longer work time?

The 205 definitely shined it up a bit, but it was clear that the 105 did 95% of the work. I still did 2 passes with 205. The dried 205 came off with almost zero effort.

The Collinite was a real joy to use. It also came off with almost no effort.

I watched all the instructional videos, so I think I did everything right. Like I said I'm happy with the results and I'll do friends and family members cars next. If you notice anything I may have done wrong from what I said, just let me know.

Thanks everyone,
Bud

[CK_Autospa]

Great to hear Bud. When I do a cut n polish job on my customer cars I quite often use an very similar set of products:


1.Washed with Simple Green as a detergent. - >Meguiars Shampoo Plus
2.Meguiars Clay bar kit -> Meguiars aggressive clay kit
3. Meguiars 105 OR UC
4. Meguiars 205
5. Collinite 845 wax

I totally hear you on the 105 drying up. Its just how the product is.

Sometimes I opt for the Ultimate Compound over the 105 as dusts less and has a longer working time.

[Bud Dickman]

Thanks for the feedback CK. Sounds like my experiences were normal which is what I was looking to hear.