What am I missing?!

[JamMaster Jay]

Gonna make my first purchase soon and looking for anything I'm missing. I'm brand new and won't offer buffing yet. I have no experience and will have to educate myself more before I can offer this. Just looking to wash, wax and interior detail for my first few months to gain some experience. Let me know whatcha think!

Exterior
2 buckets w/ grit guard
Fireman spray nozzle OTW
Blackfire wet conditioning shampoo
Supreme guzzler waffle weave
Collinite 476 wax
Microfiber wax applicators

Interior
Have a shop vac
Mothers detail brush kit
PERL 3:1 for dressing
MF towels for application
Glass cleaner
Meg's D101 for carpet
Mothers carpet brush and elbow grease

Wheels
Meg's D101 APC w/ foaming spray bottle (haven't located)
Wheel woolies 3 set brushes
Daytona speed master detailing kit
PERL tire dressing

[Derekb]

Good list so far, that covers most of the basics. I'd add 2 wash mitts of some sort.

If your budget allows check out some decently priced steam cleaners. It might seem a bit scary using it the first go but it's a quick learning curve and you'll get hang of it.

You might think just starting out you won't need something like it but honestly, it saves so much time and effort. They are very versatile and you can use it in so many situations in a vehicle. When I first started I got a McCulloch from Amazon. It was around $100 but the less strain on the body (especially the back after a long day of scrubbing carpets) it's worth it 1,000 times over.

Best of luck!


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[RFrommann]

Clay mitt
Clay lube

[kevvyj]

i would get a Nanoskin or something like it.Easy to use.No need to get special lubricant suds work .Is a great investment and really gets a smooth finish for an extra special wash n wax. Charge accordingly

[Mike Phillips]

Gonna make my first purchase soon and looking for anything I'm missing. I'm brand new and won't offer buffing yet. I have no experience and will have to educate myself more before I can offer this. Just looking to wash, wax and interior detail for my first few months to gain some experience. Let me know whatcha think!

Exterior

Collinite 476 wax
Microfiber wax applicators

I believe the Collinte 476 is a non-cleaning wax.

From the product page

Collinite Super DoubleCoat Auto Wax #476

You can enhance the shine of Super DoubleCoat Auto Wax #476 by adding multiple thin layers. This is a true wax with no cleaning properties.

For the best results, use Collinite Sapphire PreWax Cleaner before applying #476.

My guess is that if you're just starting out you'll be working on daily drivers and as such the paint will have a build up of road film, light oxidation, contamination etc.

Washing and claying will remove most topical contamination but you might want to consider getting a one-step cleaner/wax instead of a finishing wax, which is what the 476 wax is.

A cleaner/wax will,

1. Clean
2. Polish
3. Protect

And do it in one step. When doing production detailing you want to reduce your steps to reduce your time to make the most profit while still doing exceptional work.

Here's a real good and safe one-step cleaner/wax

Pinnacle XMT 360 Corrects, Cleans, Seals

[4u2nvinmtl]

Your list looks really good and I've owned everything on your list at one time or another.

With that said, I'd recommend the following:

Exterior

• 4x 5gal buckets (2 will do but 4 is better)
• 2x grit guards (a must)
• A hose with any regular spray nozzle will do
• Ultima Waterless Wash plus aka UWW+ (works great as a waterless wash, wireless wash, clay lube, quick detailer, etc...)
• Meg's Hyper Wash (cheap and my current fav)
• 2-3x waffle weave towels (any brand will do)
• Collinite 845 - hard to reach area's (easier to apply that 476)
• Finish Kare 1000-P Sealant/Wax (use on the paint looks great lasts as long as Collinite)
• Foam applicators (better than MF IMHO because foam never lints)
• 2x Chinchilla Wash mitt (one for wheels and one for paint)
• Never Dull Metal Polish (it saves MF's as its a wad polish)
• Clay bar or clay alternative mitt (really should clay at least once)

Note: use soapy water as clay lube to save money

Interior

• Vacuum (make sure the exhaust doesn't face the car/paint)
• round detail brush (I like boar hair ones)
• carpet brush (any will do)
• Meg's QID (a must and my fav)
• Cheap bulk MF towels (always need some of these)
• Stoners Invisible Glass cleaner (great glass cleaner sold OTC)
• Meg's D101 APC (really good APC that foams with agitation)

Wheels/undercarriage/engine bay:

• Foam tire/trim applicator (I like the foam art store paint brushes)
• Meg's D108 Super Degreaser
• 1 Wheel woolies of the size you need (you'll mainly use one)
• 1 inch round boars hair lug nut brush
• Daytona speed brush (rocks for the engine bay IMHO)
• Chemical Guys Extreme Shine dressing (dries clear looks good)

Microfiber wash:

• 3D Towel Kleen (this stuff works sooo well)

Why 4 bucks??? Well, sometimes you want to sit and other times you want to wash the wheels first but not contaminate your buckets, other times you might want two buckets on each side because it's hot and sunny. If all else fails I use the two extra buckets to carry my stuff outside...

Why 2 sealant/wax's? Well, I find while the 845 lasts and is easy to apply in hard to reach places, it doesn't have as much gloss or any self-cleaning ability compared to the FK1000-P. As there both affordable it only makes sense to get both and cover all your needs in one order.

Why Chemical Guys dressing? I know a lot of people don't like this brand, but the stuff works and its a bargain. It's also not water based like most other dressings. Being oil based allows it to seep in quickly and repel water just like oil does best. People always assume it sings, and it can, but if you use it moderately and wipe off excess it won't sling at all.

What's with the microfiber soap? At first I thought it was silly but after trying one and seeing the results first hand I was sold. It's also very cheap per wash (comparable to regular detergent).

Notes: A waterless wash product is a must as you can use it at different dilutions for different things and it will last a long time. The 3 pack wash mitts from Autogeek are great and affordable.

Most importantly have fun detailing and enjoy the car. I learned to appreciate the engineering, design, and paint so much more detailing weekly.

Good luck!

[JamMaster Jay]

Great responses and many mahalos! I didn't think about the wax being a cleaner as well, great tip there. I was also thinking about a steamer so I'll order one as well. Seems to have multiple uses! Great breakdown on the items 4u2, it explains a lot for this newbie.
I'm not too worried about the budget right now I just want to start with the basics, master those and then improve my arsenal slowly. I've a long way to go but this forum answers everything in great detail. Daily drivers will be my main focus for now and once I get a website, Facebook, etc up I'll be ready to tackle some more inticate details with buffing and correction down the road.
Please feel free to add to this thread because I value everyone experienced opinion! Have a great weekend!

[JamMaster Jay]

One more question. Do the nano skin mitts replace clay bars? It seems they are a replacement since they get the same result.

[JamMaster Jay]

And which grade for DD?

[Mantilgh]

One more question. Do the nano skin mitts replace clay bars? It seems they are a replacement since they get the same result.

Yes, a better replacement.

A regular or fine grade should be good. Anything more is for paint over spray or extreme situations.

Just use plenty of lube and little pressure. I can get just about anywhere with my clay mitt. The hard part is not pressing to hard to make it get there and getting transfer in the process. These would also be tight areas for clay.



And, missing a tar remover.

I don't like claying over large chunks of tar. I would rather disovle it.