How to for Beginners with under $100?

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

I know I am not the only one who loves to clean their car. I love making it shine but I have not been able to really get any depth out of my car nor get all of the swirls out. I really hate leaving my car with other people to have it cleaned/washed because I would rather do it myself but I don't know what to do really... I have washed it, clay barred, and then Waxed I used some Palmolive when I washed to rip all the old wax and junk off. Then I clay barred with the Turtle Wax Ice Kit and Waxed with the Ice but I think I am missing a few steps after reading around. I dont have an orbital buffer so all I have are microfibers and my hand what should I try next time around to really get it gleaming?

 

[Bingo]

What color?

 

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

Black

 

[LuckyH]

Black

Here's exactly what i would do

Wash using two bucket method (if your not already doing so)

Supplies:New Foam applicators (four)
step 1)Meguiars swirlx
step 2)Klasse AIO
step 3)Nattys Blue
step 4)Klasse SG


The swirlx works pretty well even when only applying by hand. It should remove all the major swirling without too much difficulty. The klasse AIO is a cleaner/protectant. It gets rid of oxidation and water spots extremly well and will get rid of any swirlx you have left on the surface. This will leave a nice surface to apply some paint enhancers. This is where the natty's blue comes in. This stuff will add lots of depth to your paint, use the blue as it's specifically made for darker color cars. Finally you want a good protectant. The klasse SG is a great acrylic glaze, not only does it protect for six months but it also helps hide slight swirl marks. SG can be layered but only after a curing time of 10 hours or so between coats. Use the AIO and SG very sparingly, there's no reason to use a lot. A a little less than a dime sized dot for a panel.

View my pictures in the other thread to see the results.

http://s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14850&page=2

 

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

Alright... so what is the two bucket method >.< I am an extreme noob when it comes to this. The way I see it now....

1. Using some somewhat strong cleaner seems like Dish Soap like Palmolive is good if you want a clean slate to work on (You wash the car and dry).
2. Then once dry using only foam applicators start with Meguiars swirlx.
3. Then use Klasse AIO
4. Then use Nattys Blue
5. Then use Klasse SG
6. Grab some sody pop and look at the car for a few hours? =)

Where could I pick this stuff up? Do they carry the Nattys and Klasse products at Pep-Boys? or would I have to order online? Just wondering.

 

[Croft]

Step 6 should be beer not sody pop

You can get most of those products at any automotive store such as Advanced Autoparts or Auto Zone. Good luck!!

 

[Bingo]

Alright... so what is the two bucket method >.< I am an extreme noob when it comes to this. The way I see it now....

1. Using some somewhat strong cleaner seems like Dish Soap like Palmolive is good if you want a clean slate to work on (You wash the car and dry).
2. Then once dry using only foam applicators start with Meguiars swirlx.
3. Then use Klasse AIO
4. Then use Nattys Blue
5. Then use Klasse SG
6. Grab some sody pop and look at the car for a few hours? =)

Where could I pick this stuff up? Do they carry the Nattys and Klasse products at Pep-Boys? or would I have to order online? Just wondering.

Just make sure you clay a few times a year...all the little particles will prevent you from doing a good finish job. If you don't have time to clay the whole car, usually just doing the flats (bumper tops, hood, roof, trunk) is enough. The sides don't usually get too much crap on 'em.

 

[LuckyH]

Alright... so what is the two bucket method >.< I am an extreme noob when it comes to this. The way I see it now....

1. Using some somewhat strong cleaner seems like Dish Soap like Palmolive is good if you want a clean slate to work on (You wash the car and dry).
2. Then once dry using only foam applicators start with Meguiars swirlx.
3. Then use Klasse AIO
4. Then use Nattys Blue
5. Then use Klasse SG
6. Grab some sody pop and look at the car for a few hours? =)

Where could I pick this stuff up? Do they carry the Nattys and Klasse products at Pep-Boys? or would I have to order online? Just wondering.

Two bucket is basically using one bucket for soap and another rinse your wash rag with. Before putting the rag back into the soap bucket, dip it in your rinse bucket and agitate the cloth with your hand to remove the dirt particles. Then take the rag out of the rinse bucket and wring it out. Now it's ready for the clean soap bucket and then back to your car.

Don't use any harsh detergents such as dish soap, this will not only strip wax but is hard on rubber/pastic and will remove oils (that's what it's meant to do with when used on your pots and pans). The swirlx alone will take any wax you already had on there off, so no need to.

Another thing. Make sure you use one specific foam applicator for each product. You can use these applicators again later, to do this i usually just put each individually in a ziploc sandwich bag and label each bag.

I have not seen natty's or klasse at pep boys. They will have the meguiars swirlx and some foam applicators though. Another thing to get that is good and cheap at pep boys is eagle one nano protectant for vinyl and leather. It's cheap (about 5$) and can be used on any surface on the interior of our cars (it's fine for plastic as well). The great thing about it is that it has a UV protectant in it. I even use it on my vinyl decals and after 2.5 years they look like new and bead water.

If there's not a local detail store that carries natties or klasse you'll need to get it online.

http://classic-motoring.stores.yahoo.net/klasse.html

 

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

Sounds good I will give it a shot. Thanks!

 

[thecarter13]

+1 to everyone above,

I was however wondering how bad the swirls or defects are? If you happened to have a set of halogen lights or a heavy duty led shine it on the paint and see how bad they are. You can also do this out in the sun. The reason I ask is that Megs Swirl X is pretty decent stuff but sometimes it wont remove the heavy stuff.

Secondly I did not see a good auto shampoo mentioned. When doing paint correction it is good to go with a detergent because it will strip all the old wax off but when rewashing you want to keep the old wax still on until you want to do a correction again. I believe you can sometimes find Megs Gold Class Car Shampoo and Conditioner at local places. For the price its one of the best bang for your bucks you can buy. This is the one area I think you should not skip on. Actually if your car never gets super dirty go with Optimum No Rinse. Its awesome, cheap and you can make a good clay lube and quick detailer from it.

Thirdly use the 2 bucket system like everyone said above and get yourself a mitt and some sponges too. I tend to use 2 - 3 sponges and 2 different mitts for every true wash I do. I will use the sponges on the lower half of the car where it is dirty and maybe use them for a good 2 - 3 washes before tossing them. Use the mitts for anything above the wheels (top half) and cycle through them making sure they are completely clean every time you pop them on the car.

Lastly how often do you plan on washing, waxing and correcting? I.E. wash weekly, re-wax every month, and correct every six months. The reason I ask is because if your looking for a longer lasting more durable type of wax go with the Klasse SG, but if your going to be waxing monthly or every other month I would recommend going another route, that maximizes shine. I however would like to generate a pricing sheet for you before hand, granted these will be general prices but a mid level carnuaba might cost roughly 20-35 bucks, so I want to make sure you get all of the other neccessities first, before I throw some other waxes into the mix.

Really quick, do you have anything else besides just micros? This will help me draft up a basic setup for you. I plan on including brushes and some other small things that will help you keep that car always looking good.

 

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

Alright well I went to Pep Boys eqipped with the knowledge gained from this section of the forum the best stuff I found was Meguiars ScratchX, Meguiars Gold Class Paste Wax, Meguiars Clay Bar Kit and I saw a Black and Decker 6" Random Orbital polisher for $29.99 which seemed like a good price and bought it as well. The plan:

Wash with Palmolive Dish Soap and Dry,
Clay Bar,
Using the Polisher Apply ScratchX and then the Wax.


I am hoping it will really help with all my swirl marks and really make it look better.

 

[mikeysgt]

how'd you get swirl marks on the car already? didn't you just get it a couple months ago?

 

[Branomano08BlackBullitt]

Actually less than a Month ago but its a new 08 it sat on a dealer lot for more then 1 year.... it came with some really bad swirls.

 

[BlackOut]

Good post, black is really tuff to keep clean, gotta keep on top of it
IMO this is the best stuff http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2...de=ZKIT-2&Category_Code=Zaino&Product_Count=2

 

[thecarter13]

Dealership prep work. If you can avoid getting it do so. Throwing a rotary at a kid and paying them 8 dollars an hour does not make them a detailer. Most have no knowledge and the limited knowledge they have is based on shortcuts. I.E fillers and what not. Now this is not every dealership but I receive lots of calls for people buying a brand new car and seeing burn marks, swirls that keep appearing, and wax all over crevices and what not. All you can do is hope for the best, and hope they made sure to upkeep it somewhat.

 

[US-1]

Alright well I went to Pep Boys eqipped with the knowledge gained from this section of the forum the best stuff I found was Meguiars ScratchX, Meguiars Gold Class Paste Wax, Meguiars Clay Bar Kit and I saw a Black and Decker 6" Random Orbital polisher for $29.99 which seemed like a good price and bought it as well. The plan:

Wash with Palmolive Dish Soap and Dry,
Clay Bar,
Using the Polisher Apply ScratchX and then the Wax.


I am hoping it will really help with all my swirl marks and really make it look better.

Dude....did you not read the above information???? DO NOT USE DISHWASHING SOAP ON YOUR AUTOMOTIVE PAINT FINISH!!!!!!

 

[thecarter13]

Well, your right but if you plan on trying to do correction, using dish soap i.e. dawn or another detergent is actually okay although I prefer to only use it when a car has a heavy amount of wax on it. It will remove wax, and fillers and provide a cleaned surface to work on. This will also reveal any imperfections that have been hidden by waxes and fillers. Regular washing should not be done via dish soap and what not. Clay barring will also remove some of the wax and fillers also, just another note. Most of the auto shampoos contain some sort of wax, thus making it harder to see defects, and then correct them since there is now something else to go through first.

just food for thought

 

[Chronos]

I saw a Black and Decker 6" Random Orbital polisher for $29.99 which seemed like a good price and bought it as well.

Dude, you could have gotten an orbital at Wal-Mart for $15. They carry the same stuff as everybody else, but cheaper. What they don't carry, then you gotta go to Pep Boys or where ever you like.

 

[Halston.SC]

what are swirl marks?

 

[Halston.SC]

and + 1 to beer