Nihl

For the record I have no affiliation with this brand nor am I recommending it personally... BUT... I asked this guy what kind of steps to take with a brand new black car, and he gave me this lengthy response. So, for those of you not in the know, this is a beginners/idiot's guide for those too embarrassed to ask the easy questions. (Like me!)

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Meguiar's.

Here are the 5 steps to car care. Since your car is brand new you can probably skip step 2 and possibly 3 but I figured I would list them all for future reference.

The first step is to wash your car. This is actually the step where most scratches occur. To reduce the chance of swirls happening we have a few tips; use the two bucket method, use a separate wash mitt/brush for your wheels, and make sure you keep the mitt, brushes, drying towels all clean. The two bucket method is basically just having one bucket full of water and another one filled with the car wash. After using the mitt on the car rinse it out in the water bucket first; this keeps the dirty and grime separate from the car wash. I personally like our new Ultimate Wash and Wax as it has a lot of suds and it gives a nice, slick finish

The second step is cleaning. This is actually two separate steps. After you wash your car and dry it run your hand across the surface; if it feels rough then you should clay bar your paint’s surface. Our Smooth Surface Clay Kit gentle removes any bonded contaminants that washing cannot. After claying the car you need to use a paint cleaner to remove any below surface defects such as scratches, swirls, oxidation, etc. SwirlX is a great hand applied paint cleaner.

The next step is polishing. This step is what gives your car that deep, wet look. Our Deep Crystal Polish is a great pure polish. This step is completely optional though as it doesn’t remove defects or provide protection but one black cars it will definitely give an added pop to the paint.

The fourth step is protection. This is where you apply the wax that seals all of the work that you just put into your paint. A great wax to use would be our NXT Tech Wax 2.0. It is fully synthetic so it last longer and protects better than traditional carnauba based waxes. Make sure that you apply a thin and even coat to the whole car and let it dry before removing to get the best results.

The final step is to maintain your finish. Basically you just want to wash your car frequently and apply a coat of wax at least 3 to 4 times a year. Also, the use of our Ultimate Quik Wax after every wash will keep your car looking just waxed and will boost the protection from the wax.

I hope that helps you with your goal of a great finish and if you have anymore questions feel free to contact me again.

Have a great day!

Blake Beamish
Senior Surface Care Specialist
Meguiar's, Inc.
800.347.5700 *126

Genot

As a follow up. I'm getting the 401A spec which doesn't offer stripes from the factor. I'm having the dealer install some white stripes to break up the sea of grabber. Should I clay prior to having them installed or not?

laserred38

Just wanted to say thanks to Overboost for his advice in this thread (thanks to you too Nihl, although I didn't see that Meguiars post until now).

I couldn't think of anything to get my mom, so I decided to detail her car for Mother's Day. She works on a college campus with lots of trees, so the paint on her 2003 Focus was pretty trashed. I've waxed the car before, but it was just covered in tree sap and road grime, so I decided to start the 5 step process of a full exterior detail (the interior is pretty clean, only 63k miles).

I didn't use all the exact models OB suggested, as the local Pep Boys didn't carry some of those things, so I decided to go with all Mothers products (although I've used Meguiars too, but the Mothers stuff is less expensive).

I didn't get to start until about 5pm though, so I only got through the wash and clay-bar. As I said, the car was covered in years of tree sap and road grime, so I spent probably 2 hours just clay barring the **** thing!

I'm kinda disapponted though, as it's supposed to rain here tomorrow. I was going to get up early and finish the polish, sealant, and wax. We'll see how the weather is, but even right now the paint is looking really nice. There are still a bunch of nicks on the front end from all the freeway driving she does, but the roof and rockers are completely clear, and they haven't been that way since the car was new. She is already pretty happy, but I know I can get it better with the polishing and sealant. Btw, the car is CD Silver, so it's pretty hard to get that deep shine on Silver cars, but like I said, it's looking pretty nice as is. I used the Mothers quick detailer after clay-barring just in case it rains, at least it will have a decent coat of protectant for a couple days. Then I'll rinse the car off and go back to the polishing, sealant and final wax.

I will say though, I am BEAT and could use a massage haha. Fortunately now that all the grime is off the car, the rest of the products should go on easy and wipe off clean.

This doesn't really pertain to 2010 Mustangs, but I got the idea from this thread and my mom is pretty happy with her "gift" so I had to give credit where credit was due. First time I've used the 2 bucket method too, and it's such a "duh" procedure, I don't know why I never did it before!

Overboost

I'm very picky about the products that I use because the stuff that most chain auto parts sell is loaded with fillers and hides the problems, not removing/preventing it.

wannabe

That car is absolutely beautiful! The red on the tire looks just incredible with the red stripe and those wheels. Jeezus.

BTW... where's your front plate?

Source

This thread made me spend $300 on detailing products lol

Overboost

What did you get?

Adam

Sounds about right. I think I spent a little over $200 when I started out.

Overboost

My big purchase with the DA polisher, assortment of pads, polishes, brushes,wax, and cleaner ran me about $450. That has paid for itself in detailing work though. Other stuff typically costs me $80-100 per season, but it's not a huge purchase at once. I may eventually pick up a foam gun, but it's not real high on my list.

Source

Wolfgang 3 step kit, porter cable polisher, sonax wheel cleaner, mothers clay bar kit, some cobra MF towels, cobra wash mit, wheel brushes, 3M tape, pair of grit guards, 303 aerospace, pinnacle leather cleaner

basically i wen't all out for this car, I dislike the spider web look, i cringe every time the sun shines on my 08 GT and the swirls are staring you in the face

UnrealFord

Whatever you do, Rinse the car off as much as possible and use the 2 step bucket method, Then use air to dry it off, I use a flared tube to disperse the air more of an area. These methods I descibed will stop any spiral or what they call spider lines..I am a detailer nut, I also store my car in a bubble, and use a soft leather bra on the front of my car any time I believe I will be on thruway, Thats where you get rock chips..

Adam

I'm REALLY digging Plexus plastic cleaner. It cleans and protects clear plastics like the headlights, tail lights, side markers, etc. After applying it to the tail lights they shine like crazy and feel super smooth.

This is serious stuff and it's so easy to use. Just spray Plexus on any clear or colored plastic surface and wipe with a clean cloth. Plexus Plastic Cleaner penetrates and lifts even the most difficult stain without damaging the fragile surface of the plastic.

Plexus is anti-static. It repels the dust and dirt normally attracted to plastic. Plexus also leaves an invisible, micro-thin layer of protectant, sealing the porus surface, making it more resistant to dirt, dust and other contaminants.

Regular use will help prevent hazing, yellowing and oxidation which diminishes the plastic's luster, strength and appearance. You'll also love how water beads and slides right off your vehicle when it rains!

Overboost

The best wheel brush I've used yet is the Swissvax wheel brush. That thing cleans any crevice on any wheel, and makes it much easier to use.

Source, you got some good stuff there, but the clay kit and others you might have been able to find locally for less. Which pads did you get for the PC?

Source

http://www.detailersdomain.com/theub...erbasekit.aspx

The wolfgang kit came with a set of pads, but I thought i'd want a second pair so I got the porter kit which included four pads. I actually ordered the swissvax brush as well.

Sorry for the delay, mothers day.

Steven

I'm thinking of picking up the "Forum Favorite Kit" from autogeek.com to get started. http://www.autogeek.net/forfavkit.html

It says that the all in one polish will remove minor swirl marks. What's a minor swirl mark? A mark caused from a dirty wash mitt as opposed to say a buffer?

I figure I'll follow their instructions for the first detail, and then wax every six weeks or so, using a clay bar as necessary. It sounds like the polish might remove sealant as well, so I'd expect that it's supposed to be a used on full details only.

I don't want to go super crazy on this stuff, so this seems like a good way to get started and keep the car looking great. I'll also be getting a new wash mitt. Mine is cheap and the wrist band has started to rip off after only 6 washes or so.

eci

lol @ "Senior Surface Care Specialist"

m4reapr

so are these MF towels decent or crap

http://www.autoanything.com/car-care/69A5004A0A0.aspx
Simioniz MF towels

WaltM

...

A) Both. Think of it as a really light compound.

B) If you wax every 6 weeks, you shouldn't need to clay more than 2x a year.

C) It's a pretty good choice, but you could get away w/Mothers or Megs at 1/3 the cost.

todd03blown

buy them from www.pakshak.com

RedWings

I have used the Klasse AIO in the past. I think it has no abrasive qualities so it won't get rid of swirl marks but will actually just fill them temporarily. I really liked how easy it was to use and it did a good job protecting the paint.

If you have a carquest in your area, go check out the duragloss products. I would recommend them for over-the-counter type products.