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Farmingdales Finest

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I have always used the local car wash for the most part and put on old school turtle wax or the paste Nu-Finish which is a PITA.

With my new truck I want to take better care then I have in the past when the kids were smaller. Just didn't have the time until recently.

So I learned about this forum from Ramforumz.com I have never used a clay bar in my life and have picked up some tips and wanted to run what i thought I would pick up by those more experienced than me.

So I would start with Meguiar's wash, then the Mother's Gold Clay bar kit, Meguiar's Ultimate Compund Liquid, Griot's Garage One-Step Sealant then followed by the Meguiar's Ultimate Past wax and for follow up wash's between major waxing the Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer Spray.

Not sure if I would get a DA Polisher but came across some people are saying the Harbor Freight 69924 for $70 is pretty good. Is it or would I be better of still doing it by hand and how much of a step up is the Porter Cable unit?

Thanks in advance! :xyxthumbs:
 
Welcome Farmingdale's Finest.

A machine...ANY MACHINE...will give you 10x better results and reduces the time and fatigue levels immensely. There are many here who use the Harbor Freight buffer/polishers and most, if not all, say it is adequate. The difference in a Porter Cable or similar DA unit to the Harbor Freight is, for me, a quality decision. I have a Porter Cable that is now about 12-14 years old and is still rockin' and rollin' after being dropped several times and generally worked hard. I doubt i would still have a working HF unit this long.

If you're only looking to work on your personal vehicle the HF machine is probably fine, especially if cost is an issue. It is certainly MUCH better than toiling away by hand.
 
Puckman said:
Welcome Farmingdale's Finest.

A machine...ANY MACHINE...will give you 10x better results and reduces the time and fatigue levels immensely. There are many here who use the Harbor Freight buffer/polishers and most, if not all, say it is adequate. The difference in a Porter Cable or similar DA unit to the Harbor Freight is, for me, a quality decision. I have a Porter Cable that is now about 12-14 years old and is still rockin' and rollin' after being dropped several times and generally worked hard. I doubt i would still have a working HF unit this long.

If you're only looking to work on your personal vehicle the HF machine is probably fine, especially if cost is an issue. It is certainly MUCH better than toiling away by hand.
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:iagree:
A dual action polisher makes the process much easier and faster, while being fairly safe on the paint.
Welcome to Autogeek. Here are some articles to get you started.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...722-car-detailing-articles-mike-phillips.html
 
If time is an issue then you absolutely must invest in some sort of da polisher.

Machines in every industry were invented and perfected in the pursuit of doing things more efficiently.

Personally I'm not a fan of your choices, but that's just me.

I like the 3d HD line of products. They are user friendly, economical and the results whether you're a novice, part timer or pro are outstanding.

Grab this kit and ask them to sub HD Speed for the HD Cut.


Porter Cable 7424XP & 3D HD Flawless Finish Kit
 
Since everyone seems to have jumped on the hand vs. machine aspect of your questions, I thought I would address this:

Farmingdales Finest said:
So I would start with Meguiar's wash, then the Mother's Gold Clay bar kit, Meguiar's Ultimate Compund Liquid, Griot's Garage One-Step Sealant then followed by the Meguiar's Ultimate Past wax and for follow up wash's between major waxing the Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer Spray.
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Typically one would follow up that Meg's Ultimate Compound (UC) with Meguiar's Ultimate Polish (UP). If I was doing this by hand, and I was simply trying to improve on the minimal detailing I had done before, I would just use the UP, as it will shine things up for you without trying to remove deeper defects which will take a ton of work by hand, anyway.

Also, the idea of topping a sealant with a wax is kind of an advanced technique, and at this point in time if I were you I would just use one or the other.

Lastly, are you actually saying you would "wash" the vehicle with the Quick Detailer Spray? That is a definite no-no; that product would only be used for very, repeat very light dust, and fingerprints, or a bird bomb. Improper washing is where 98% of your swirls are likely to come from, so this is a very important step.

EDIT: Shoot, I was like 10-15 minutes away from Farmingdale today, drove right past the Freehold Raceway.
 
Welcome! Yup, you might be a little overboard with your number of products to be applied. Working by hand, I wouldn't get into the ultimate compound just yet. To be honest, you might even be happy with simply following up the clay job with the Griots One-step and calling it a day. Refresh it with the Meguires Ultimate Quick Wax after washes.

Or simply go with the Ultimate Polish followed by Ultimate Liquid (or Paste) Wax after your clay job. And again, refresh with the spray wax after washes.

If you get a DA, then maybe jump in a little deeper with the Megs UC/UP/ULW. Alternately, you might be surprised what a single application of the Griots One-Step will do with a DA all by itself.

So, your process might be, for example:
Wash
Clay
Ultimate Polish
Ultimate Liquid (or paste) Wax
Done (refresh with spray wax after washes)

OR....

Wash
Clay
Griots One-Step
Done (refresh with spray wax after washes)
 
Let me share with you how important the clay bar is.

This truck is my 2015 Dodge ram. Has 6,000 miles on it.

Shouldn't be to bad right ?

Check out the pic of the clay bar, I know what your thinking that's pretty bad and probably got that from the whole truck.

WRONG

that was one section of the hood. I couldn't believe how bad this truck really was lol.

I then applied menzerna power lock on a buff and shine wax pad. With the Porter cable and got that dripping wet look.
 
And keep in mind-- the Meguiars Ultimate Liquid/Paste waxes are actually paint sealants (they aren't really "waxes"- I know, confusing to a new guy).

The Griots is basically an AIO (all in one). It cleans, polishes, and protects in one step. It's not gonna hurt anything to apply a Megs synthetic wax over the top of it, but that's not how the product is intended to be used. If you really want to do multiple coats of something, I'd stick to the same product (not because it "layers", but rather to ensure even application).
 
Wow! So much to learn. I started reading about detailing a few weeks ago and based upon what I saw repetitively I chose the products I showed above.

Maybe it would be better to describe my conditions. I live a block to the bay and less than a mile to the ocean. I get regular saltwater tidal flooding into my yard. I also live at the bottom of a hill that gets after heavy rain regularly flooding from it too which brings mud and when it dries large amounts of dust as well as essentially being sand blasted by the sand from the beach.

These factors are why I thought it would be a good idea about using a sealer and then wax. If you guys would suggest how you would protect the paint on vehicles with these conditions I would appreciate it.
 
Farmingdales Finest said:
Wow! So much to learn. I started reading about detailing a few weeks ago and based upon what I saw repetitively I chose the products I showed above.

Maybe it would be better to describe my conditions. I live a block to the bay and less than a mile to the ocean. I get regular saltwater tidal flooding into my yard. I also live at the bottom of a hill that gets after heavy rain regularly flooding from it too which brings mud and when it dries large amounts of dust as well as essentially being sand blasted by the sand from the beach.

These factors are why I thought it would be a good idea about using a sealer and then wax. If you guys would suggest how you would protect the paint on vehicles with these conditions I would appreciate it.
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The reason people put a topcoat of wax over a sealer is primarily for appearance- they like the protective/durability characteristics of a paint sealer but like the appearance of a wax. Sealers typically are longer lasting, while waxes have a nicer appearance (this is subjective). Sealers are bright, mirror like, plastic/shiny in appearance, while waxes are more deep, warm, and wet looking.

To be honest, anything AG sells is going to work. Choose your price point and pick a product. It will work.

That said, for most daily drivers I think two coats of the same product (to ensure even application) is better than one coat each of two different products. You'll get different opinions on this aspect.

For your enviro conditions, take a look at the Collinite waxes, particularly Collinite 845 (476 is really nice too but slightly harder to remove). Another good choice would be the Menzerna Power-lock paint sealer. A good AIO or stand-alone paint cleaner would be good to keep in the rotation, as well.

Happy to provide opinion if you have more questions.
 
BTW OP and NextLevel have you done the AC cabin filter mod yet. I just did my 2016.
 
Joshwaa said:
BTW OP and NextLevel have you done the AC cabin filter mod yet. I just did my 2016.
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The only mod I did to my truck so far is add the Westin Protraxx Stainless nerf bars so my wife could climb in and out due to the fact the truck came with a level kit that they didn't even tell me about.

My next mod will be a tonneau cover but not sure what I want to get.

I am guessing by the question the cabin filter makes a big difference.

Here's a picture of my truck.

 
Keeps the dust down in the cab. I think for under 25.00 it is quite worth it. I also did the DeeZee tailgate assist. I was lucky enough to get an airride Ram so I did not need the nerf bars for the kids and my better half to get in.
 
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