detailing for dummies?

[neurotoxin]

hi. completely new to this forum. just got myself a very slightly used 2003 black sport edition v8 t4r for graduation and am LOVING LOVING it. (also, am a girl. are there other girls on this forum? i feel like there aren't.)

i lived out in colorado for the first few months i had it and it was way too dark and cold to even THINK about taking care of it properly. i have since moved to pennsylvania, back to the parental units' house, and now i'm going to really buckle down with my car. THEREFORE. i have a few questions regarding how i should attack what i feel is going to become a day-long process of detailing my extraordinarily dirty car.

here's what i'm thinking so far, as recommended to me by a few of my car-nut friends and what i've figured out through my own searches:

mr clean autodry car wash system
meguiar's deep crystal paint cleaner
meguiar's deep crystal polish
NXT wax (...or the deep crystal wax? aggggh)
eagle one wheel/tire cleaner

i have some pretty serious swirling going on in the paint, but nothing ridiculously embedded so i'm going to skip the claybar...also i feel like i'd screw it up because i don't know the technique. my questions are:

1. does the aforementioned sound like a good lineup of products?

2. synthetic vs. caranuba wax? i want an awesome shine that stands up to some serious heat because i have a black car that i drive a lot.

3. does ANYONE ANYWHERE make something to really clean up the gray plastic cladding on the '03 sports? all plastic cleaners i can find are for black trim.

4. liquid vs. paste wax? does it matter?

5. what are these p21s products and why are they so bloody expensive?


...i think that's it. will probably remember some other inane question i have at a later time. in the meantime, any help vastly appreciated. sorry for the verbose post! let's get this help-a-chick-out discussion rolling.

 

[iFORCE]

welcome to the forum!

1. does the aforementioned sound like a good lineup of products?
Personally.. I don't like autodry.. especially on a black vehicle. I find that it doesn't clean your care properly. What most of us recommend is to hand-wash it with a GOOD wash mitt and two buckets. Dry it with a microfibre towel. This will help keep that black vehicle looking great in between waxes.

2. synthetic vs. caranuba wax? i want an awesome shine that stands up to some serious heat because i have a black car that i drive a lot.
BOTH! two layers of synthetic + one layer of caranuba wax on top. Gives in one [sexy] shiny look.

3. does ANYONE ANYWHERE make something to really clean up the gray plastic cladding on the '03 sports? all plastic cleaners i can find are for black trim.
Try using Meguiars trim protector stuff. I don't remember what I have but its along those lines. I use it to wipe the painted plastic claddings and it gave it a nice shine.

4. liquid vs. paste wax? does it matter?
Liquid is easier to work with. I've used paste once and didn't like it. Liquid = easy to put on.

Best of luck, black vehicles are so hard to care for especially preventing scratches. Its impossible to prevent scratching.. but it is possible to minimize it. Do the proper wash techniques and wax it twice a year. You might want a professional polish job before you wax it.

 

[toybox]

Yes there are other girls on this forum (unless we chased them all away)

Before polishing I would use Dawn dish soap to 'strip' it. when just washing I would just go with a quality auto wash (Meguire's makes one)

I polish with Griots Garage stuff and a porter cable power polisher.

I personally like synthetic for "wax". I use Zaino's and it is very highly acclaimed. Lasts a very long time.

The brands (for what I use them for) are both liquids.

I only use microfiber towels (especially important with black) to clean, polish and wax.

 

[neurotoxin]

wow. thanks for all that. hee.

i've been hearing about a zillion conflicting things about washing with dawn, namely that it should be saved for the dishes because you can simply wash and then use a good paint cleaner and it'll do the same thing as far as stripping the old wax is concerned. yes? no?

also, i'll probably go with nxt wash or something at least for this initial wash - my friend who has a black audi that he loves more than his mother swears by autodry, but he keeps his car meticulous and mine is sort of a dump (waaaaah).

also - suggestions for removing major swirl/halo scratches? the more i look at my hood, the more i want to die. gotta get those out of there. thanks so much!

 

[iFORCE]

Cut and polish. Lots of labor involved. I paid a professional to cut and polish my black truck even though I have a buffer at home. So much better and so worth it.

 

[toybox]

I agree that polishing is a good amount of work.(and the only way you will get the scratches out) But with the Porter Cable buffer and Griot's Garage polish you can definitly get them out and get a really deep shine on black.

If you are interested in doing it yourself with the buffer search orter Cable: in the detailing section. If you plan on doing it by hand I would think again and send it to be professionally done. You will kill yourself doing it by hand and won't get the results you get by doing it with a buffer/polisher

Also wash and paint cleaner ....two steps
wash with Dawn.....one step

It takes long enough to fully detail the outside of my truck. The LAST thing I want to do is add another step to the already long process.

And, I have never heard anything bad about Dawn as long as you are going to wax after cleaning with it.

 

[Bluto]

wow. thanks for all that. hee.

i've been hearing about a zillion conflicting things about washing with dawn, namely that it should be saved for the dishes because you can simply wash and then use a good paint cleaner and it'll do the same thing as far as stripping the old wax is concerned. yes? no?

also, i'll probably go with nxt wash or something at least for this initial wash - my friend who has a black audi that he loves more than his mother swears by autodry, but he keeps his car meticulous and mine is sort of a dump (waaaaah).

also - suggestions for removing major swirl/halo scratches? the more i look at my hood, the more i want to die. gotta get those out of there. thanks so much!

Dawn a few times is not a problem. Every wash could be bad. I've never used dawn on my 4Runner. But I have used it on other vehicles.

A clay bar will remove almost everything on or in the paint, including old wax, and is 100% safe. You will be suprised how smooth and clean the paint will be after clay. There are probably some high end synthetic paint sealants clay won't remove. A compound would take care of those.

Major swirls will require a rotary or orbital buffer. But a good hand compound and polish may help out a lot. I use a cheap 'Turtle Wax' polisher. Can't beat it for $20. I will step up to a Porter Cable one day (and better results).

Sounds like you'll do best with normal car wash, clay bar, a compound/polish, then wax or sealant.

 

[AH1380]

**(also, am a girl. are there other girls on this forum? i feel like there aren't.)**

Never fear!! There are girls on the forum...at least a few. Well anyway, I'm one...I do know that!

 

[neurotoxin]

might as well go to a pro, then

me plus a buffer would probably equal disaster. i guess i'll take it to a pro to get it detailed and then maintain it by hand. any idea how much this sort of thing costs? do i take it to them washed?

*sighhhh*....i'm so oblivious.

 

[toybox]

Re: might as well go to a pro, then

me plus a buffer would probably equal disaster. i guess i'll take it to a pro to get it detailed and then maintain it by hand. any idea how much this sort of thing costs? do i take it to them washed?

*sighhhh*....i'm so oblivious.

I don't think that is a bad idea. After you get it polished up you should be able to maintain the shine provided you keep up on the maintenance and ONLY use microfiber towels and mitts when you wash and wax yourself.

I would say it would cost anywhere from $100 to $150 for just the exterior. They will wash it as part of this service.

 

[General Lee]

If you get it detailed by a professional don't settle for cheap prices. You will get what you pay for, and you don't want someone detailing your car with a high speed rotary who doesn't know what they are doing. It will end up worse with buffer burns and holograms. Price is going to depend on the condition of the paint. To give you a ball park figure the *average* cost is around 150-200+

I would do it for you but I'm kinda far away. You will not remove much with the Meguiars deep crystal system. It basically is a pure polish not an abrasive polish which is what you will need to remove swirls and cob-webbing scratches. Meguiars over the counter products are decent products for the average consumer, but they have what Meguiars calls *trade secret oils* which is basically code for Fillers which hide more defects than remove them. A good way to test for fillers is to polish a section remove the residue and then wipe with a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water. If the defects reveal themselves you only filled them. Enough rambling, any questions just ask.

 

[neurotoxin]

d00d.

general lee, i seeeeee that you are from maryland. you don't happen to live anywhere near the baltimore/dc area, do you? because i went to school there and know about a zillion people in the area and it would give me a good excuse to come down that way. o'course you would be generously compensated. if not, thas okay. i know that i'm going to probably be spending close to $200 on just the exterior, so i'm completely prepared for that. i'm good at choosing quality shops, it's the whole doing-it-myself thing that i'm a bit foggy on. after further examination of my car, i've given up on trying to do the initial detail myself. toooooo many scratches and nicks and swirls. *sigh* i just want my car to be BLACK again....

anyhoo, lemme know whereabouts you are hiding, and perhaps we can work something out. thanks a ton!

~kim

 

[General Lee]

neurotoxin - PM sent

 

[kdii02]

Dawn is ok if you want to strip the wax and are planning on polishing and sealing the same day. It will remove most if not all of the wax that is on the truck. Some polishes and waxes do stand up to Dawn however and thats where the clay bar is cool.

The clay bar is a great way to clean things up and definetly takes things a step further to perfection. It's easier then you think to use it. Your car needs to be clean and cool to the touch, and the Clay needs to stay well lubricated with a spray detailer or soap and water solution. My truck is a month old and the clay really helped remove transit contaminants in the paint.

I agree with some of the other posts it may be a good idea to have a pro take a look the first time, or at least do the cutting and polishing for you and then you can maintain it after that. I enjoy spending the time doing it myself but I'm insane about my vehicles and other people working on them.
Whatever you choose, remember that prepping the paint (Wash, clay, polish) prior to the final coat of whatever is probably the most important factor in the ultimate shine puzzle especially on a black car.