Maryland Newbie - Help with materials?

[Kyle_Elantra]

Hello!
I live in Frederick, MD, and I'm here for a couple of reasons.

The first is to introduce myself - my name is Kyle and I am an analyst/programmer for a bank here in Frederick. I got really into detailing when I had my first "nice looking" car, a 1995 Eclipse GST. I hit a deer in that car in 2009 and haven't done any detailing work since.

I always told myself that if I had a brand new car I could keep it looking great.

Well, I bought my first brand new car earlier this year only for an old lady pulling out of church to hit me and mess up nearly the entire driver's side. I had 300 miles on it! It's since been repaired, but it'll never be "new" again. I was discouraged from maintaining the car but I have since calmed down with that attitude and am starting to get excited about this car again.

I bought a 2013 Hyundai Elantra Limited - it isn't the nicest car but for me it's the most car I could afford. It's got leather and the tech package and alloy wheels...fun things to keep clean.

I signed up today mainly to ask for advice on what to purchase. I have learned more in the past couple of months by reading and watching videos on here than I could have anywhere else. I believe I have a general idea of what I'd like to do, and I don't have the tightest budget, but I tried to put together a list that balanced cleaning power and money.

This is what I have so far. I feel that I've spent way more than I should, but I also don't want to skimp and forget something:

I already have Meguiar's Gold Class car wash from when I had the Eclipse.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/AG_Cart_1.png


Thoughts? Recommendations? What am I missing? I will be picking up some Lowe's buckets for the Grit Guards.


Also, if anybody in Frederick has a hose lol... My wife and I live in an apartment in a really old house that has no outside water hookup.
I think I'm going to end up having to bring my two buckets to a car wash in the middle of the night!
Either that or spray it off there and use ONR - I see a lot of good reviews of it but I'm scared to try it.

Thanks for all the help you have already given me!

[sproketser]

Welcome aboard . Seems complete for a 1rst order . Some will be able to help as well .

[Gunslinger]

Welcome from another Fredneck! Depending on availability you can do your car washing at my place...I'm a few miles outside of town and have the room and hose.

[Kyle_Elantra]

Thanks Gunslinger, I may take you up on that!

I'm actually in Walkersville, where are you located?

[Gunslinger]

Braddock Heights on the other side of Frederick.

[Kyle_Elantra]

You're not far from here at all.

I love this community even my old car club wasn't this generous.

So, any advice for the products I've chosen? Anything I should add, or avoid?

[Gunslinger]

I think you'll find out what items you need by doing. What you're buying is all good stuff...you'll find out what you like and maybe not like with experience.

We all have our favorites...it comes with using each. The technology and quality of car care products is always changing. What's your favorite today may well change in a year. I know products I used to use are no longer in my garage...or even on the market.

[Kyle_Elantra]

Thanks. I had the lexol value pack in there but then I read the "product regrets" topic lol. I hope the megs leather and the dp interior stuff works well.

I think I will really like the WG polish and sealant, is the megs 26 a good pairing for those? The rest is mostly just tools and towels.

I know it's just an elantra but this is a hobby I truly love.

I can give you a couple bucks for water, or if you need anything computer or home entertainment related I'm your man. :-)

[inDetail]

Welcome to the Geeks. I was looking at your order. I see your missing an AIO. If your going to be polishing by hand I would stick with a quality AIO. Blackfire makes one that requires no buffing off. Just polish until it disappears. Polishing by hand takes a long time. I want to do it in one step. I'm personally too old for hand work.
My advice - I'm just trying to give you alternatives
Take your time and do more research. The trick is to have as the least amount of products that can do the job.
This would be my live in an apartment want my ride to rock w/o water

Garry Dean's Infinite Use Detail Juice or Ultima waterless +
1 dozen plush MF towels for waterless wash
4 MF towels for the interior
2 MF towels to remove wax
2 waffle weave towels for drying only.
2 Fast Glass Towels from Car Pro
1 Wash Mitt.
BlackFire AIO
Pixel clean for LCD's. (grab a bottle from their website. It's the best stuff for LCD's. Not cheap but it does not streak or attract dust and lasts a long time)
Wax - Great wax at a good price: CG Pete's 53, 50/50, Butter Wet Wax BlackFire Midnight Sun, Collinite Marque, P21s 100%, Poorboy's Natty's World (Poor boys can be applied in direct sun)
CG Medium duty clay bar gray (your car is new so you might be able to use the blue wish is a fine clay.)
Chemical Guys VRP for vinyl and tires also on leather.
Wheel cleaner- P21s gel, Chemical guys sticky gel.
APC- Optimum power clean.
2 Gallons of distilled water.
2 or 3 empty spray bottles for cutting chemicals with distilled water.
You can use either Detail Juice or the Ultima as an interior and exterior detailer for all surfaces.
Keep all the brushes, grit guards, polishing pads, applicators.
It's a Hyundai so the leather is probably laminated and Chrome treated.(If it has a shine to it and a texture it's chromed leather and laminated.) Leather will have no shine an no texture.) You won't need leather treatment. I'm not knocking your car it's on my list for when I look at new rides. It's just leather cleaner and treatment will not be effective on laminated Chromed Leather. They make it for endurance and ease of care. If your rims are nice and new. Take them off the car scrub them down with APC or wheel cleaner, clay them put a coat of AIO inside and out. Coat of wax inside and out. Do that twice a year and you will only need ONR to clean them.
Places to google:
Car Pro
Chemical Guys
American Buffer
Good luck with your research keep products to a minimum and happy saving money.

[Kyle_Elantra]

Thanks for the reply!

You suggest that I skip the polish and sealant and just use the all in one? Will the protection be comparable to a sealant?

I will research the leather information as well. The leather appears to be matte but I will find out. It has jean transfer already, that's why I wanted to protect it. You don't think I need a cleaner just for leather? Thanks for the tip on the lcd .

I do want to take my time and research but I also want to use the coupon I got for signing up. I don't know when it will expire, I even called AG and the guy I spoke with couldn't say for sure.

[Kyle_Elantra]

I forgot to mention I have the invisible glass reach and clean tool with stoner spray.

Best investment I may have ever made lol. I don't think I've ever cleaned the inside of my windshield so effectively.

[Kyle_Elantra]

Ok so I have decided to get megs APC for the interior leather and vinyl, and maybe for the tires too. I read a topic on here about cleaning leather and there were pictures showing leather seats 50/50 using the apc. The difference was amazing. I still want to condition them as they do not appear to be chromed. Will the APC work for wheels this well?

Also I have been looking into using an AIO instead of the polish then the sealant, but I might still use a wax.

[Kyle_Elantra]

I went back and found the topic I referenced above:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/66239-working-leather.html

I seem to have confused conditioner with sealant. I just want to protect the leather moving forward. I've had old worn leather in a car before and I don't want that to happen.

That thread talks about collinite sealant.