some help and advice for beginner

[LAKings22]

My plan is to do my first full detail this weekend on a White 09 Toyota Camry. It has never been detailed and seen anything more then a regular car wash. I have my mind set to order the Flex 3401 intro kit offered in the "special values" category on AG. GG6 polisher is a strong 2nd assuming my shopping cart is more then expected.

I'm trying to order everything I need to get me started.

What brand of pads? whats colors? and how many of each?

What brand/type of compound?

Which polish is known for the best results?

Which wax and sealant?

The microfiber towels i currently use is the Kirkland brand, for someone with no experience I always thought they work well. Which microfiber towels do you recommend and who has the best deals online?

Few years ago when I used to wash my own car, I used a leather Chamois. After getting back into it, I decided to buy the absorber synthetic Chamois and I don't like using it. Before going back to a Leather Chamois, is there any better alternatives?

The Camry has grey leather interior seats (good condition)a. Doors and dash I think is vinyl (good condition). What products do you recommend to clean and condition?

I want to apologize for my post being all over the place and I'm sure I forgot some stuff that I might need. I'm trying to make 1 order to avoid running around or setting back plans to detail this car because I forgot something. Any help or advice is appreciated. Thank you

[HateSwirls]

My plan is to do my first full detail this weekend on a White 09 Toyota Camry. It has never been detailed and seen anything more then a regular car wash. I have my mind set to order the Flex 3401 intro kit offered in the "special values" category on AG. GG6 polisher is a strong 2nd assuming my shopping cart is more then expected.



I'm trying to order everything I need to get me started.



What brand of pads? whats colors? and how many of each?



What brand/type of compound?



Which polish is known for the best results?



Which wax and sealant?



The microfiber towels i currently use is the Kirkland brand, for someone with no experience I always thought they work well. Which microfiber towels do you recommend and who has the best deals online?



Few years ago when I used to wash my own car, I used a leather Chamois. After getting back into it, I decided to buy the absorber synthetic Chamois and I don't like using it. Before going back to a Leather Chamois, is there any better alternatives?



The Camry has grey leather interior seats (good condition)a. Doors and dash I think is vinyl (good condition). What products do you recommend to clean and condition?



I want to apologize for my post being all over the place and I'm sure I forgot some stuff that I might need. I'm trying to make 1 order to avoid running around or setting back plans to detail this car because I forgot something. Any help or advice is appreciated. Thank you




The Flex is of the best machine for severe paint corrections.
Since the release of the Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting pads one can correct even the worst finishes.

Owning both DA's and the Flex 3401 I still reach for my GG6 since I bought the MF pads.

As for foam pads I love the Lake Country Flat pads, really hold up.
Get four of each color below.

LC Blue Cyan
LC orange
And LC white.

Getting a few of the black finishing pads and the red wax pads would help you all the way though a job.

If you do decide to use the MF pads get the Meguiar's Correction Compound and Meguiar's 205 Ultra a Fine Polish.
As for which sealant I'd recommend two of them.
Both the Wolfgang Glossy Paint Sealant and DP Poly-Coat Paint Sealant are both great sealants.

IMHO this would give you a great starting point.

Good Luck,
Kevin

Btw..... If you want to save some money on buying a sealant I'd recommend Griots Paint Sealant.
Long lasting shine for half the price of some.

[LavJordan]

EDIT:
Ignore my post. I misread the op.

[Kamakaz1961]

The Flex 3401 IMO is the best DA PERIOD. I know there will be others disagreeing, however, it is the ONLY forced rotational DA on the market. There may be knock offs but that's it knock offs.

If you do venture into the Flex get the Lake Country Hybrid Pads and their Backing Plate kit. This will give you quite a bit of versatility.

The 6.5" Hybrid pads are good but if you are starting go with the 5" Pads with the 4" Backing Plate. Orange, White, Black, Red and Gold. If you can get the 6.5" that would b good too.

I like Menzerna FG400 for Compound Menzerna SF4500 for polish. Many will say SF4000 and that is ok too. I know Wolfgang Products are good too. I use a couple of their products.

As for sealant you can't go wrong with Menzerna, Wolfgang, Blackfire, Pinnacle...etc.

For waxes....there are so many to choose from. Many will say Collinite (I have 845 and 476) and they are great. I like Pinnacle Souveran paste and liquid wax. There are many others to choose to.

But all that being said and you will get several other opinions from other people there is one thing that WE ALL can agree on and so far not one AGO member disagrees with me on this one. It is: HAVE FUN doing the detailing!!

There is a great sense of accomplishment when you take beat up paint on a car/suv or truck and make it shine again!!

Whatever you decide to choose (Flex, GG6, PC, Menzerna, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, Collinite...etc)

As for Microfiber towels....many to choose but I like Microfiber Madness towels

JUST HAVE FUN!!

[The Guz]

I would recommend you head over to one of the Meguiar's Thursday Night Garage and give their MT300 DA a trial run. It's a very good machine along with their new thin foam discs.

[LAKings22]

I would recommend you head over to one of the Meguiar's Thursday Night Garage and give their MT300 DA a trial run. It's a very good machine along with their new thin foam discs.

Thanks for letting me know about this. I checked out the dates and the soonest I can make it out will be next month and even then I can not commit 100% with work in woodland hills and Meguairs open garage in Irvine starting at 5:15pm.

[LAKings22]

The Flex 3401 IMO is the best DA PERIOD. I know there will be others disagreeing, however, it is the ONLY forced rotational DA on the market. There may be knock offs but that's it knock offs.

If you do venture into the Flex get the Lake Country Hybrid Pads and their Backing Plate kit. This will give you quite a bit of versatility.

The 6.5" Hybrid pads are good but if you are starting go with the 5" Pads with the 4" Backing Plate. Orange, White, Black, Red and Gold. If you can get the 6.5" that would b good too.

I like Menzerna FG400 for Compound Menzerna SF4500 for polish. Many will say SF4000 and that is ok too. I know Wolfgang Products are good too. I use a couple of their products.

As for sealant you can't go wrong with Menzerna, Wolfgang, Blackfire, Pinnacle...etc.

For waxes....there are so many to choose from. Many will say Collinite (I have 845 and 476) and they are great. I like Pinnacle Souveran paste and liquid wax. There are many others to choose to.

But all that being said and you will get several other opinions from other people there is one thing that WE ALL can agree on and so far not one AGO member disagrees with me on this one. It is: HAVE FUN doing the detailing!!

There is a great sense of accomplishment when you take beat up paint on a car/suv or truck and make it shine again!!

Whatever you decide to choose (Flex, GG6, PC, Menzerna, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, Collinite...etc)

As for Microfiber towels....many to choose but I like Microfiber Madness towels

JUST HAVE FUN!!


Thank you. Hopefully by the end of the year when my Cadillac ATS lease is over, I will be the owner of a 2015 Mustang GT w/ Performance pack. My wife thinks that is the reason i'm getting back into washing the cars myself and she's probably right. I'm going to give Menzerna and wolfgang stuff a try.

[LavJordan]

Microfibers are a whole science to some, I've read countless hours of articles on those furry little square things. In all honesty, for just getting started heres what I bought:
Zwipes 48 3 color microfiber cloths.
These are for interior, wheels, anything but paint.
6 Pack of Red fluffers from Chemical guys.
These are for paint/buffing only
1 Meguiars Waffle Weave
For drying, waffle weaves are the most superior I think personally. And they are machine washer friendly.
1 Meguiars Wash Mit
This is for, you guessed it, washing!
and then one 60 pack of Homedepot cloth rags
For general cleaning and any special occasions a microfiber isn't necessary.

For interior my 3 tools of choice are my dual action bristle brush attachment from chemical guys. Great for agitation, saves arms! A steamer is a all round time saver and delivers best results on nearly any surface. And water extractor for cloth and carpet. If you dont want to invest or dont have the capital a brush and spray bottle is fine but wont deliver similar results nor will it be time efficient. Just keep that in mind if this is a business.

But by hand, I suggest folex stain remover for carpets and cloth. For leather, I dont buy leather specific products (ive heard all the arguments and am aware of the PH balance discussions) I use megs APC. I have it diluted 10:1 and agitate it with a brush by hand if no tools available. Works fine. For tougher stains, with extreme caution, a scotch brite pad can be used on leather or even a magic eraser. I carry both since they are cheap.

The machines I use (I just started business wise recently myself and am very small)
Steamer- Mucculloch MC1275
Extractor- Bissell Little Green Machine Proheat
Chemical Guys- ACC201BRUSHC Carpet Brush w/Hook and Loop

Good luck! and autogeek members are your best friend when it comes to detailing questions!

EDIT: Also, food for thought: I hate the CG carpet brush to be honest. The glue between the hook and loop and plastic backing fails really quickly. If used with a 5in backing plate, its near damn impossible to remove (Now I have to use the flat wrench for changing backing plates like a saw to basically cut the hook and loop away from the backing plate) and it left black spots on my cloth seats in my personal explorer. If you are thinking about one of these, get one similar to cyclo where they replace the entire backing plate and dont just attach like a buffing pad. Just a thought though.

[LAKings22]

Microfibers are a whole science to some, I've read countless hours of articles on those furry little square things. In all honesty, for just getting started heres what I bought:
Zwipes 48 3 color microfiber cloths.
These are for interior, wheels, anything but paint.
6 Pack of Red fluffers from Chemical guys.
These are for paint/buffing only
1 Meguiars Waffle Weave
For drying, waffle weaves are the most superior I think personally. And they are machine washer friendly.
1 Meguiars Wash Mit
This is for, you guessed it, washing!
and then one 60 pack of Homedepot cloth rags
For general cleaning and any special occasions a microfiber isn't necessary.

For interior my 3 tools of choice are my dual action bristle brush attachment from chemical guys. Great for agitation, saves arms! A steamer is a all round time saver and delivers best results on nearly any surface. And water extractor for cloth and carpet. If you dont want to invest or dont have the capital a brush and spray bottle is fine but wont deliver similar results nor will it be time efficient. Just keep that in mind if this is a business.

But by hand, I suggest folex stain remover for carpets and cloth. For leather, I dont buy leather specific products (ive heard all the arguments and am aware of the PH balance discussions) I use megs APC. I have it diluted 10:1 and agitate it with a brush by hand if no tools available. Works fine. For tougher stains, with extreme caution, a scotch brite pad can be used on leather or even a magic eraser. I carry both since they are cheap.

The machines I use (I just started business wise recently myself and am very small)
Steamer- Mucculloch MC1275
Extractor- Bissell Little Green Machine Proheat
Chemical Guys- ACC201BRUSHC Carpet Brush w/Hook and Loop

Good luck! and autogeek members are your best friend when it comes to detailing questions!

EDIT: Also, food for thought: I hate the CG carpet brush to be honest. The glue between the hook and loop and plastic backing fails really quickly. If used with a 5in backing plate, its near damn impossible to remove (Now I have to use the flat wrench for changing backing plates like a saw to basically cut the hook and loop away from the backing plate) and it left black spots on my cloth seats in my personal explorer. If you are thinking about one of these, get one similar to cyclo where they replace the entire backing plate and dont just attach like a buffing pad. Just a thought though.

At the moment my intention is to work on my car and family cars. When I start to get more experience and feel comfortable, I might start detailing on the weekends for extra cash. Thank you for the advice on MF towels and interior cleaners. I might need to wait a few more weeks to order the interior stuff. I'm already heading more then $1k between pressure washer, polisher, polish, pads, wax, sealants, soaps, wheel cleaners etc. seems never ending.

[The Guz]

Thanks for letting me know about this. I checked out the dates and the soonest I can make it out will be next month and even then I can not commit 100% with work in woodland hills and Meguairs open garage in Irvine starting at 5:15pm.

You can show up anytime. You don't have to necessarily be there at 5:15. IT would give you an opportunity ti give the MT300 a trial run. I would recommend this DA. It will meet your needs and can accomplish a lot.

[LavJordan]

At the moment my intention is to work on my car and family cars. When I start to get more experience and feel comfortable, I might start detailing on the weekends for extra cash. Thank you for the advice on MF towels and interior cleaners. I might need to wait a few more weeks to order the interior stuff. I'm already heading more then $1k between pressure washer, polisher, polish, pads, wax, sealants, soaps, wheel cleaners etc. seems never ending.

Well all my machines are more the DIY directed and it reflects in the price. But they do help us "Pros" on a budget :xyxthumbs:
Also the steamer and extractor have really given me a lot more confidence in my interior detailing aswell.

At the very least I would suggest go get the steamer from harbor freight with the 20% off coupon. You have 30 days to return it open boxed according to my location (check with yours) Should come to just above $110. Or hunt down one for just under $100 somewhere else and give it a try. I have found so many uses for it beyond interior, I dont know how I lived without it.
Door Jambs, engine bay, cupholders, any crevices, seat rails, the dash, windows & windshield (comes with a squeegee attachment) Upholstery and carpet, really tough dirt on exterior, getting between letters on exterior badges, grill. The list is endless. And you use way less water! I get around 30 minutes from 5ml of water! which is awesome since the interior doesent need drying time! makes customers that much happier! I dont think my brush or extractor are necessary but oh my a steamer is like gold to a detailer. Just my .02