MarkRx

I just picked up my new 08 white coupe. The dealer told me they used a cheap spray wax on it and that was it. I've been researching zaino, adms, and autogeek products but i don't want to go overboard. What i'm wanting is some god products and basically a guide as to what i MUST do now while the car is still clean and the paint is in good shape. I purchased some decent microfiber products and claybar but now what? I used distilled water and a microfiber towel to get some water spots off the car and i can already see light swirl marks in places that looks like a small spiderweb pattern. Should i strip the crappy wax, clay it and use a light swirl remover, then seal it with some meguiars #7 or NXT 2.0, or mothers or what? I'm lookig for something i can find locally so i can get a good coat of wax on it since any protection is better than no protection. and from there do a waterless wash, california dust it and use some good quick detail spray every day to keep it shining. I've looked at the adams kits for $159 but i think it's more than what i need right off the bat. what do i need to do to the car now to start protecting? thanks in advance.

msslp04

I think it is really good to get a good jump on the car. It is kind of up to you on how much you want to spend detailing gear. I have the G100 dual action polisher for removing swirls/scratches and really like it.

You may be able to just do clay and then wax like NXT 2.0 and be okay. #7 is just a polish and you could put it on before the wax. A good carnuba wax over the NXT 2.0 looks good too.

If you find the swirls/scratches but only in a few spots you could try Scratch-X by Meguiar's but if it is all over you may want to put some money out for a dual-action polisher, pads, and polishes. Quite a few people like Zaino products and I just tried them. Zaino is more expensive but does leave a nice shine. I did have to use Mezerna Intense Polish (MIP) and orange pads with the buffer to get rid of stubborn swirls and scratches. I do like Meg's products too.

Kevin

MarkRx

thanks for the reply! i have a 98 suv that's black and very abused. i washed it, dried it, used a clay bar but didn't have any swirl remover. the clay bar was meguiars and came with a bottle of quick detailer. when it came to wiping off the quik detailer it smeared all over the place. i used some cleaner wax and wiped it off, then got a cheap bottle of blue magic fire truck wax and it feels nice and smooth, but it's still very hazy nd there's tons of swirls. i'm assuming if i had a buffer and better microfiber towels and swirl remover then it wouldnt be as bad, but why all the smearing?! now theres smears under the wax. it looks like crap and will look worse when the sun hits it

FrankZ06

The only way to really get out swirls is with a porter cable.. I'm not talking about filling in, I'm talking removal, especially for black. Since your car is new, I would just clay bar for now and seal it with a good sealant. #7 is a polish and NXT is a combo but doesn't last very long. If you are looking for a really good sealant, a guy in Dallas has a great product line he's launching. He sells a product called Bullet Proof Sealant that is absolutely awesome. It's been on my wife's white tahoe for about 6 months and it is still there. I've used Meguiars synthetic sealant, zaino, tropicare, 3m, and this stuff is really good. PM if you're interested and I'll give you his contact info. If you want to work on the swirls, get a porter cable and some Menzerna intensive and final polish. Good Luck.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

I can offer you any of several kits to start/keep the Vette looking good. Our Pinnacle SSII if your a carnauba lover, our Wolfgang Kit for paint sealant requirements, and even some of our DP kits. All are easy to use and provide great results. What are you looking for, just ease of use or long term durability ?? How often will you detail ??

Just remember to properly keep the finish up we will need to wash, clay, polish, and protect. If polishing is not needed/wanted then a paint cleanser with some fillers is a good idea.

MarkRx

i watched all of the adams detailing videos... that nice, but i dont think i need to do that much prepping and work on a brand new car. i think claying it is overkill, but at least it's clean. i am having a tough time wiping off the clay bar lubricant or quik detailer is what meguiars uses. it just smears it all over the place. any suggestions ?

Dee Z06

Man one thing I can tell you is the adams products are the BOMB. I thought when I first got my car it didn't need to be clayed. Boy I was wrong. The Adams clay bar and detail spray works great together. I used the clay bar on one side of the car and it looked like a new car. The clay bar and detail spray really made the color of my car POP. I also notice that the half of the car I used the clay bar on was really smooth and the half I did not clay was ruff.

MarkRx

thanks for the bump! i've come a long way since i posted this thread. I own a PC7424, lots of pads and have been trying lots of products. www.thedetaildude.com has my vote!

Dalannex

I would skip the clay on a new car and go with Pinnacle XMT 360 on the white LC pad then hit it with some Pinnacle Sovereign paste on a gray pad then buffed out by hand with an edgeless microfiber.

Pro-Techt

Yup, just skip the clay step and go right to sealing all your contaminants in. On top of that, because it's new, don't waste any time washing it and go right to the wax step....

TOGWT

DO NOT use detailing clay, wax or a sealant on a dirty surface. The car must be thoroughly washed and rinsed.

MarkRx

he was being sarcastic

FrankZ06

I wouldn't waste my time doing any waxing at all before doing the clay bar first. A lot of times there is contaminants you can't even see. It doesn't take that long. I would recommend it, but to each his own..