What should I do?! Need new car advice!

[The Guz]

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

I would agree and pass on the dealer prepped service. Save that money and either do it yourself or see if you can find a forum member near you that can do the work for you.

Would you be willing to do this on your own?

[Eldorado2k]

Pass on the dealer hype $$$
Save yourself over $200 and do what the local detailer is offering to do yourself. The process he's talking about it soo easy!


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[DetailKitty]

Wow, thanks everyone! I think someone mentioned the detailer not polishing before putting on the meguiars mirror glaze, but he was going to polish before putting that on.

I'm leaning toward using the local detailer and having him wash, clay bar, polish, meguiars mg for the $275. And then getting the cleaning products for free from him. He said he'd gladly show me how to use the different products.

I'm thinking of just paying the $275 to get it done right so I don't screw it up, then having him teach me how to do it so I can do it myself in a year or so.

Is that stupid or a good idea?

I have never been good at washing vehicles in the past. Always have swirl marks etc, just never have used the right stuff or used proper technique I guess. I'm a little afraid to go on my own with my new baby!

Don't be afraid... we all started somewhere. Just do your homework, ask questions here, etc and you will be fine

[lane5515]

Wow, thanks everyone! I think someone mentioned the detailer not polishing before putting on the meguiars mirror glaze, but he was going to polish before putting that on.

I'm leaning toward using the local detailer and having him wash, clay bar, polish, meguiars mg for the $275. And then getting the cleaning products for free from him. He said he'd gladly show me how to use the different products.

I'm thinking of just paying the $275 to get it done right so I don't screw it up, then having him teach me how to do it so I can do it myself in a year or so.

Is that stupid or a good idea?

I have never been good at washing vehicles in the past. Always have swirl marks etc, just never have used the right stuff or used proper technique I guess. I'm a little afraid to go on my own with my new baby!

If you don't mind sharing where you are located, I'm sure a member on this forum that is close to you would do a much better job. I'd stay away from any dealer services for detailing.

[newcar17]

Thanks again everyone, you all are giving me confidence! I would enjoy doing this myself and learning. If I can save the $275 to the detailer I would rather do that. I'm in Kentucky, pretty close to Lagrange.

[custmsprty]

Congratulations on the new car.

No such product exists.

I look at it this way, what wipe on product can possibly be harder or tougher than the clearcoat of the original paint.

Proper maintenance over time is what will protect your paint for the long term. You don't have to be obsessive about it, a good sealant every 6 months with regular washing will provide longevity to your finish.

An excellent easy to use product is Sonax Polymer Net Shield:

Sonax Polymer Net Shield, sonax polymer netshield, sonax profiline polymer netshield

[PaulMys]

Wow, thanks everyone! I think someone mentioned the detailer not polishing before putting on the meguiars mirror glaze, but he was going to polish before putting that on.

I'm leaning toward using the local detailer and having him wash, clay bar, polish, meguiars mg for the $275. And then getting the cleaning products for free from him. He said he'd gladly show me how to use the different products.

I'm thinking of just paying the $275 to get it done right so I don't screw it up, then having him teach me how to do it so I can do it myself in a year or so.

Is that stupid or a good idea?

I have never been good at washing vehicles in the past. Always have swirl marks etc, just never have used the right stuff or used proper technique I guess. I'm a little afraid to go on my own with my new baby!

Welcome to AGO, newcar!!

If you don't mind spending the $275, then going with the detail guy doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. You'll get a decent protection until spring, free products, and he will teach you to use them.

In the meantime, I would come here to AGO and read, read, read. The process of proper detailing might seem overwhelming at first, but it's really a simple (and fun) process.

And.......... Never, ever feel like you cannot ask even the simplest of questions on here if you have a problem. All of us on here love our rides, and we will gladly help you out.

[Cabrio]

Welcome to AGO, newcar!!

If you don't mind spending the $275, then going with the detail guy doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. You'll get a decent protection until spring, free products, and he will teach you to use them.

In the meantime, I would come here to AGO and read, read, read. The process of proper detailing might seem overwhelming at first, but it's really a simple (and fun) process.

And.......... Never, ever feel like you cannot ask even the simplest of questions on here if you have a problem. All of us on here love our rides, and we will gladly help you out.

I agree! There are a lot of great suggestions here, any of which you cannot necessarily go wrong....with the unanimous suggestion being...drop nine and punt the dealer.

Learning and exploring is half the fun. If you use the detailer and spend time chatting on AGO, you will start to develop what may work for you and then you can pull the trigger on a machine and the myriad of different products offered by AG.


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[VISITOR]

where do you live? if you don't feel confident in buying the supplies and doing it yourself, someone on here can help you out...

[RippyD]

Nothing wrong with going to a local detailer, assuming they're good. Reading here and learning is a great idea, but time consuming. I get why you would want some professional help.

One more idea: get an easy-to-use sealant (like Polymer Net Shield recommend above) and put that on your car (after cleaning it, of course). Then it will have some protection and look even better. Over time you can learn about correcting your paint and work on one panel at a time. The reapply the Net Shield. That would allow you to slowly learn and not be overwhelmed with trying to do the whole car at once. So you'd always have a sealant on the whole car, and you could correct the paint a little at a time.

If you go this route, read up on washing your car first. I know this may sound crazy - it's just washing a car, right? Yeah... no. That's where a lot of swirls and scratches come from. Many techniques and some real expertise here. I'm a newb so I'll just say this: the towel or sponge you use to wash your car is sandpaper as soon as it gets dirt on it. Don't rub all that dirt all over your car.

You're going to do great. You will find the help here fantastic and overwhelming. Congrats on the new car.