Brand New Black Car

[nymickey]

I am sooooooooooooooooo glad I found this website ... but now I am more confused than I ever was !!!!

I am a complete newbie and must confess upfront that as a kid, I surprised my dad by washing his car with dish soap and brillo pads - true story !

I know not to use those two again, but I still need some quick advice.


I just bought my 1st ever brand new car ... a 2017 black Ford Escape !!!


Can you please tell me what are the first few things I should do? I'm thinking I first need to wash it - what brand of soap do you recommend?

What brand of towels should I use? What brand of cleaning mitt?


I did just buy a clay kit and so I will read up on when to use it and how to use it.


I just get confused between wax, polish and sealant and the order of it all.


Any advice/help would be GREATLY appreciated !!!

[goldendodo19]

Welcome, funny enough I got a brand new 2017 escape in shadow black in may 2017.

Really any of the tools sold on autogeek are good. I like the meguiars microfiber mitts, theyve always worked for me. I prefer to go elsewhere for towels, just preference.

Definitely clay the car. If you have the money and the want Id suggest a dual action polisher as well. It is worth the money in the long run. Even if you don't go crazy show car perfect on the paint the polisher makes basic polishing much easier and way more effective than by hand. Look at the griots garage 6in polisher for this.

Soaps really any are fine, depends if you want one with wax or gloss enhancers or just a pure shampoo.

Polish is an abrasive step that removes layers of paint to refine the surface. Wax is the protection step which would be applied after polishing. Sealant is a different form of paint protection which will outlast most pure waxes.

Any pics of the car and the paint condition?

[nymickey]

Thanks Goldendodo !

I was thinking of getting a polisher but everyone tells me if you don't know how to use it, you will make swirls. I'll take some pics tomorrow.

[Desertnate]

Thanks Goldendodo !

I was thinking of getting a polisher but everyone tells me if you don't know how to use it, you will make swirls. I'll take some pics tomorrow.

Even bad usage of a DA polisher won't cause swirls. Maybe a few holograms, but not the swirls you see from people who improperly wash/dry their vehicles or take them them through the traditional car wash. Honestly, if you watch some video's from reputable pro detailers like Mike Phillips and go GENTLE on your first couple attempts with a DA polisher, you should be fine. By gentle, I mean start with a mild polish and polishing pads. Don't go straight to an aggressive compound and a course correcting pad on your first attempt. It probably isn't necessary on a new car, but it also opens the door for more damage if you do something wrong.

Before you buy anything spend a lot of time reading. On this forum Mike Phillips has TONS of great materials in all of his "how-to" articles and videos. There are many discussions here which you'll find very helpful. If you search on things like "Favorite PRODUCT X" I think just about every type of product AG sells has been discussed.