The newbiest of newbs - for real.

[LCHill]

Hello all! As the title implies, I'm new here. My name is Liza and I have a new addiction. You can see her in my Avatar. Her name is Lola and she was my congratulations gift to myself when my youngest child finally grew up and moved away. I bought her on May 8th, 2014 and that's also the day I washed a car for the first time in my life. For real. ... I used dish soap and a handy rag then let her air dry. Yes, I cringe every time I remember it. Long story made short - she wasn't new and had been somewhat neglected, although still beautiful to me. I've since become obsessed with things like water spots and minor swirl marks and (ugh) imperfect windows make me crazy. It's time to do some hard work and get her back to looking new. Unfortunately, I've read so many horror stories that I'm about half afraid to start so I'll start slow with more lurking and reading. My first project will be water spots (mostly on glass) and fresh new buckets, towels, etc.

I appreciate all the great posts on here. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to share information. I certainly have a lot to learn.

Take care and have an awesome day!

[DaveT435]

Welcome to AG! Nice car!!

[LCHill]

Thanks! Yours too!!

Welcome to AG! Nice car!!

[Moldavite]

Welcome
I believe you will have more detailing stuff later down the road 😁

[brondondolon]

You certainly can get dragged pretty deep into the detailing world from this site. It just depends on how far you want to take it. Dont let the horror stories scare you. Just ask plenty of questions before you tackle anything. You are going to get 100 different answers to this one. So Ill try to sum it up to the best of my abilities. Youre a beginner so lets start with the basics that are pretty user friendly.

Glass: (Stoners Glass cleaner & Spottless) You mentioned water spots. Now with further reading you will find that there are many different types of water spots. If they are water spots that are new and fresh and can be wiped off a good reasonably priced glass cleaner is Stoners glass cleaner. If they are hard water spots then none other then Spotless by CarPro will work.

Exterior Paint: (Collinite & Megs D151) For a wax by hand or machine I think Collinite 845 is not only very forgiving and user friendly but it renders incredible results. And for the price it cant be beat. Just remember that it needs to go on thin. Now if you wanna jump a step further and want to get into the polishing world then I strongly recomend Meguiars D151 Paint reconditioning cream. I think D151 has good correction ability, its cheap, and is an all in one so there is some wax in it basically. If jumping into the buffing and polishing world is what youre looking into then a Porter cable Dual Action polisher 5" backing plate and about 4 Lake Country 5.5 flat pads in white is where id suggest you start as this combo is very forgiving and will give you great results for a beginner without the chance of destroying your car.

Washing & Drying: (Any car soap/ waffle weave drying towel/ microfiber wash mit) Here is where its most common to put micro scratches into the paint of a car. DO NOT WASH OR DRY WITH BATHROOM TOWELS ANY MORE!!!! Lol. This is where as a beginner i think your biggest investment should be in because it is what you will use most often. Id say for starters 2 med-large waffle weave micro fiber towels should suffice to dry the vehicle. Then a micro fiber wash mitt to wash and any soap that is dedicated to washing cars is fine. Chemical guys makes some decent auto wash that smell amazing and wont do you wrong.

Interior: (303 aerospace/ Meguiars APC/ Bissle spot clean pro) Again get some decent microfiber towels to clean and apply dressings. 303 aerospace is a pretty good protectant. Meguiars APC is a great cleaner. One perk about Megs APC is how it can be diluted in a spray bottle to be safe enough to clean leather and concentrated enough to clean tar off a wheel well. For carpet cleaning I think an amazing entry level carpet cleaner is the Bissle Spot Clean Pro.

Trim Tires and Rims: (CarPro PERL or 303/ Megs APC ) CarPro PERL is a great product for trim and tires. So is 303 aerospace though. So its entirely up to you if you want a dedicated trim and tire dressing or not. Use the Megs APC in a spray bottle and spray the trim and tires down scrub with a soft brush rinse with water wait till it drys and then apply the dressing.

So there you have it. This little shopping list and brief description will get you in the right direction. Meguiars NXT products are probably the most user friendly products you can buy IMO but im not a fan. As far as claying goes though which is a step i intentionally left out dont worry about that until you get the basics down then come back and ask "how do i clay". If you have any further questions dont hesitate to ask.

[Tato]

Welcome!,

Being afraid / aware of something is a good sign, don't worry. Now, you must read about the subjects of your concern and define what exactly are your fears, and how to overcome them.

Don't be shy on placing questions. However, I do recommend you to try some forum search before asking - because our friends already answered many of the initial questions more than once, there's already plenty of food for your initial thought!

Doing this, you'll be able to educate yourself, get some knowledge, and even place your question in a better shape, raising the chance of getting the best answers.

Nowadays, I'm dealing with waterspots on glass using a product from CarPro called Spotless. It's also 'Costless!', and works. It's also intended for paint, working much better for maintenance of coated cars - because 'old waterspot etching' on paint will likely need some polishing to come out (if they come out!). - (I show this on my Mercedes C180 thread).

That said, I'd recommend you to search Spotless and how to use it, but not only, since Detailing offers a lot of processes that when right joined together will give you differential results compared to normal procedures.

It just takes a little time, patience, and knowledge!

In advance, and using as an example to what I've just said above, go after Clay Bar / Nanoskin that may (and SHOULD!) be used on glass for decontamination, and why not(?!) a cleanser or dedicated glass cleaner (generally in form of polish).

Glass cleaners (the one you spray on a towel and wipe on glass) are not potent enough to remove contaminants and waterspot staining on exterior glass. Reserve them for interior glass, being sure they do not contain ammonia which may damage 'insulfim' - You'll learn it fast - AutoGeek Staff already made the hard work and the products they offer are generally 101% safe* for what they are intended (used as intended, sure!).

After cleaning and decontaminating your glass, you'll want to add protection to it, which will make further cleansing easier, and also repel rain when driving ~faster than 30mph.

I'd recommend you to take a look at CarPro Flyby30, not exactly in a kit, but here it is for you to take a first look:

CarPro FlyBy30 Windshield & Glass Coating Kit

There's also a lot of other glass coatings, like the Pinnacle Black Label line (which is the one I use, but it's 'expensive for the one time user', I use it on customer's cars).

You are also invited to take a look on my threads where I'm showing the glass detailing (included in every detail I do), and ask whatever needed.


Resuming, after spotless, clay, light cleansing polish with dedicated glass polish (even by hand) and protecting, you'll have your windows looking much improved.

Hope that helps you get started,

and looking forward to see you around.

Kind Regards from Brazil.

[BobbyG]

To Autogeek Online Lisa!

The new Camaro's are gorgeous aren't they! This latest generation was an attempt to recapture the 1969 and blend it with today's technology...which I feel GM has done a splendid job!

I've copied and pasted some information I've put together and find it especially valuable for folks just starting out or for enthusiasts that have been caring for the pride & joy for years.

Autogeek is the 1-stop shop for all your detailing needs. Autogeek's customer service is 2nd to none and their goal is to assist you in achieving your detailing goals.

Realistic:

Setting your goals too high is very common, we all do it, it's in our genes. Having a perfect defect free finish is something we all strive for but in reality "show car" perfection is well, for show cars only.

Our daily drivers are subjected to a very harsh environment. Each day the paint on our cars must endure wind, rain, sand, road grime, salt, water, sun, and much more. Although today's finishes are pretty durable they also begin to break down and do so over time.

Maintaining a finish not only keeps our cars looking their finest, it also slows down its natural degradation due to the environment.

Basic steps in order are:

• Wash
• Clay
• Paint Correction & Polish
• Seal
• Wax

Mike Phillips is the director of education at Autogeek. Mike has written some of the finest articles on detailing and their free for all of us to educate ourselves and enjoy..

Car detailing articles by Mike Phillips

Mike has also written a book which is available in both paperback and electronic form..

Paperback

Electronic


If there's one tool that should be required it's a dual action polisher. Man vs machine in this case, man loses every time. Compounding and polishing using a dual action polisher, foam pad. and product does a more thorough, more consistent, and better job....period.


Car Buffers & Polishers


Dual Action Polishers

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide

How to prime a foam pad when using a DA Polisher

How much product do I use with my DA Polisher?

Wet Buffing Technique

DA Polisher Articles - Help for Newbies to Machine Polishing


A little on choosing the right foam pad.

Personally, I prefer using 5 1/2" foam pads on all my machines. In my opinion, the smaller pad is a perfect balance between size and efficiency. Smaller pads make controlling the polisher easier putting less stress on the machine and the user

Foam Pads

Yellow Cutting Foam - Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange or white pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.

Orange Light Cutting Foam - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all-around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.

White Polishing Foam - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so it’s perfect for pre-wax cleaners.

Gray Finishing Foam Pad - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.

Blue Finessing Foam – Pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.


Product links put the finest product selection at your finger tips.

Exterior Car Care

Interior Car Care

To simplify the compounding and polishing, two over the counter products by Meguiar's do a great job at removing minor scratches, swirls, and like defects leaving the finish looking like glass.

Two over the counter products that are available just about everywhere from a company that wrote another book on detailing is Meguiar's...

Meguiar's Ultimate Compound

Meguiar's Ultimate Polish

If you'd like some product suggestions that perform, take a look at these. I will guarantee they will not disappoint...

Wash - Duragloss #901
Clay - Meguiar's
Compound - Menzerna FG-400
Finishing Polish - Menzerna SF-4000
Sealant - CarPro Reload
Wax - Collinite 845
Spray Wax - Optimum Car Wax
Tire Cleaner - Meguiar's Super Degreaser
Wheel Cleaner - Sonax Full Effect
Tire Treatment - CarPro PERL
Wheel Protectant - Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0
Trim Protectant - CarPro DLux
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean
Glass Cleaner - Meguiar's Glass Cleaner
Glass Treatment - Aquapel
Interior Protectant - Meguiar's M40

Detailing isn't complicated and you'd be surprised how few products you need to correctly care for your car.

An awesome day right back at ya!!

[LCHill]

Welcome
I believe you will have more detailing stuff later down the road 😁

I certainly hope so!

[jamesboyy]

Welcome to autogeek....enjoy your stay

[LCHill]

You certainly can get dragged pretty deep into the detailing world from this site. It just depends on how far you want to take it. Dont let the horror stories scare you. Just ask plenty of questions before you tackle anything. You are going to get 100 different answers to this one. So Ill try to sum it up to the best of my abilities. Youre a beginner so lets start with the basics that are pretty user friendly.

Glass: (Stoners Glass cleaner & Spottless) You mentioned water spots. Now with further reading you will find that there are many different types of water spots. If they are water spots that are new and fresh and can be wiped off a good reasonably priced glass cleaner is Stoners glass cleaner. If they are hard water spots then none other then Spotless by CarPro will work.

Exterior Paint: (Collinite & Megs D151) For a wax by hand or machine I think Collinite 845 is not only very forgiving and user friendly but it renders incredible results. And for the price it cant be beat. Just remember that it needs to go on thin. Now if you wanna jump a step further and want to get into the polishing world then I strongly recomend Meguiars D151 Paint reconditioning cream. I think D151 has good correction ability, its cheap, and is an all in one so there is some wax in it basically. If jumping into the buffing and polishing world is what youre looking into then a Porter cable Dual Action polisher 5" backing plate and about 4 Lake Country 5.5 flat pads in white is where id suggest you start as this combo is very forgiving and will give you great results for a beginner without the chance of destroying your car.

Washing & Drying: (Any car soap/ waffle weave drying towel/ microfiber wash mit) Here is where its most common to put micro scratches into the paint of a car. DO NOT WASH OR DRY WITH BATHROOM TOWELS ANY MORE!!!! Lol. This is where as a beginner i think your biggest investment should be in because it is what you will use most often. Id say for starters 2 med-large waffle weave micro fiber towels should suffice to dry the vehicle. Then a micro fiber wash mitt to wash and any soap that is dedicated to washing cars is fine. Chemical guys makes some decent auto wash that smell amazing and wont do you wrong.

Interior: (303 aerospace/ Meguiars APC/ Bissle spot clean pro) Again get some decent microfiber towels to clean and apply dressings. 303 aerospace is a pretty good protectant. Meguiars APC is a great cleaner. One perk about Megs APC is how it can be diluted in a spray bottle to be safe enough to clean leather and concentrated enough to clean tar off a wheel well. For carpet cleaning I think an amazing entry level carpet cleaner is the Bissle Spot Clean Pro.

Trim Tires and Rims: (CarPro PERL or 303/ Megs APC ) CarPro PERL is a great product for trim and tires. So is 303 aerospace though. So its entirely up to you if you want a dedicated trim and tire dressing or not. Use the Megs APC in a spray bottle and spray the trim and tires down scrub with a soft brush rinse with water wait till it drys and then apply the dressing.

So there you have it. This little shopping list and brief description will get you in the right direction. Meguiars NXT products are probably the most user friendly products you can buy IMO but im not a fan. As far as claying goes though which is a step i intentionally left out dont worry about that until you get the basics down then come back and ask "how do i clay". If you have any further questions dont hesitate to ask.

Wow! Thanks for all that. I'm happy to see that your suggested shopping list includes some things I had already tentatively decided on. I'll definitely check into all this.