New Guy getting started and looking for guidance on products

[The Guz]

A couple more articles to read through.

How To Do a Test Spot

How many pads do I need to buff out my car?

It all comes down to how much time you want to invest.

[Paul A.]

I would not worry too much about what you are "supposed" to do right now. You can get into the multiple steps of machining later. You can certainly wash and iron x it (fully rinsing out any Iron x from the recesses), fully dry and then lay down whatever you are going to use for wax/sealant etc. I would want to get some protection on it asap. Plus the fact Iron X is sooooo easy to do you may's well take care of that now after the first wash.

You will want to clay or nanoskin at some time if the baggie test reveals the need. Most times I am planning to at least buff out some shine after I clay and need to many times because I've induced some very minor scratches esp if using clay. No biggie, they level right out...but you can wait to clay and then machine later. Heck, for that matter, wash, Iron X and clay/ nanoskin mitt then LSP. All three steps can easily be done in half a day or less and are easy to do. You can worry about cutting, buffing, polishing at a later time. It's a brand new vehicle and I'm sure the paint looks good, however...

I am an advocate of getting protection on the paint asap AND maintaining that protection.

[TShepp]

I would not worry too much about what you are "supposed" to do right now. You can get into the multiple steps of machining later. You can certainly wash and iron x it (fully rinsing out any Iron x from the recesses), fully dry and then lay down whatever you are going to use for wax/sealant etc. I would want to get some protection on it asap. Plus the fact Iron X is sooooo easy to do you may's well take care of that now after the first wash.

You will want to clay or nanoskin at some time if the baggie test reveals the need. Most times I am planning to at least buff out some shine after I clay and need to many times because I've induced some very minor scratches esp if using clay. No biggie, they level right out...but you can wait to clay and then machine later.

I like getting protection on the paint asap.

This is where my head is at now. I don't have a day to dedicate to detailing so I'm thinking of washing and Iron X then baggie test. Since I have the Nanoskin mitt I am thinking about doing that possibly because it should be easier and less time than using clay. Depending on using the Nanoskin mitt or not, I think I can use the white and red pads I have for a cleaner or straight wax.

[TShepp]

It all comes down to how much time you want to invest.

Unfortunately, The reality of my situation is that I don't have a ton of time to invest; with work and the family activities I'm lucky to get 3-4 hours for a project. I had even considered scrapping the idea of detailing my own vehicles because of this but hate to give someone else a couple hundred bucks every time I want both cars detailed.

[The Guz]

Unfortunately, The reality of my situation is that I don't have a ton of time to invest; with work and the family activities I'm lucky to get 3-4 hours for a project. I had even considered scrapping the idea of detailing my own vehicles because of this but hate to give someone else a couple hundred bucks every time I want both cars detailed.

The simplest thing to do is wash, clay, cleaner wax.

[TShepp]

Looking through my arsenal of Meguiar's products that was given to me I found out I have quite a few options:

AOI: Meg's Cleaner Wax, Deep Crystal Wet Look, or ColoRX

Finish Wax/Sealant: Ultimate Wax, Deep Crystal Carnuba, Gold Class Carnuba Plus, or NXT Tech Wax 2.0

Other polishes: Scratch X 2.0, Ultimate Polish

So now I think I'll just have to pick an AOI to try and maybe follow up with one of the Sealant or Waxes. Should I be using the red pads I got for sealants/wax and white or blue for the AOI?

[Route246]

On my new car I just got one month ago I washed and clay bar and then sealed with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant per recommendations here. The following weekend I washed and applied another layer of sealant in order to fill in any spots I may have missed.


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[The Guz]

Looking through my arsenal of Meguiar's products that was given to me I found out I have quite a few options:

AOI: Meg's Cleaner Wax, Deep Crystal Wet Look, or ColoRX

Finish Wax/Sealant: Ultimate Wax, Deep Crystal Carnuba, Gold Class Carnuba Plus, or NXT Tech Wax 2.0

Other polishes: Scratch X 2.0, Ultimate Polish

So now I think I'll just have to pick an AOI to try and maybe follow up with one of the Sealant or Waxes. Should I be using the red pads I got for sealants/wax and white or blue for the AOI?

You already have an AIO. I'm assuming you have #6 cleaner wax. Colorx is another cleaner wax. These will clean up the paint chemically. Meguiar's Mirror Bright Polishing Wax is a good cleaner wax. Supposed to last as long as ultimate wax.

You could also use ultimate Polish and follow up with ultimate wax or NXT for a sealant.

[TShepp]

You already have an AIO. I'm assuming you have #6 cleaner wax. Colorx is another cleaner wax. These will clean up the paint chemically. Meguiar's Mirror Bright Polishing Wax is a good cleaner wax. Supposed to last as long as ultimate wax.

You could also use ultimate Polish and follow up with ultimate wax or NXT for a sealant.

Yeah, I meant to say choose an AIO from what I have vs. spending more money. I'm going to tackle the project next weekend after I can Iron X and clay. Just gotta decide if I want to do ColorX or Ultimate Polish prior to applying Ultimate Wax.