New Guy getting started and looking for guidance on products

There are several variables when it comes to claying. On some paints, you can get away with claying and not having to polish after(harder paints which are less haze/scratch sensitive). On other paints(softer finishes), clay will marr the finish which requires polishing after, unless you don't mind the swirl/hologram look.


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Brand new cars.... best time to add coating. I wish I did. Iron X is nasty - stink! Spray the entire car and wheels.
 
I agree with folks on the GG6 with the 25ft cord. I have the Rigid shop vac with detachable blower. Powerful vac and the blower is good as well.
 
I went ahead and got the PC 7424XP bundle with book. I think it should work for my application and budget. Since I will not be doing any severe correction work and just some maintenance polishing and waxing a few times a year I didn't feel the GG unit was necessary for me. A few more questions I had:

Nanoskin Mitt - I know I must break it in on gas very well to avoid marring on my first use. Once broken in, do I use QD for the mitt or just soapy water? I took at look at the paint yesterday and I already have some rail dust/iron spots and the paint isn't the smoothest so I think I will start with a wash, X Iron, Nanoskin Mitt, and then decide if I need to polish or go right to wax. To be honest, I hope I am not going to have to polish since the car is so new and I am lazy :)
 
After washing my car for the first time yesterday (by hand) I discovered TONS of little orange iron spots all over the body so definitely glad I bought Iron X. Now I just have to wait for all the goodies to arrive and make sure I know what I am doing! I also seem to have some pretty hard water here as I ended up with a fair amount of water spots so I am looking to get some ONR to add to the bucket and foam gun while I search for a whole house water softener.
 
There ya go TShepp! You're off and running. Once you start doing some of the AG tips and products you see firsthand how you can up the game of new car care. I agree with keeping it simple for now and you'll have time to refine some of the finer things. You'll see a huge difference in how you used to do it.

Oh, and no more tunnel washes!
 
With the right pads/compound the PC will do a lot more than you think. I've used mine about a dozen times applying AIO, sealant and doing a couple full corrections. You'll be very happy with it!

One thing to make mention of, is buy as many pads as your budget will allow. Clean pads work much better.

You'll be blown away the first time you use Iron-X. You'd think it's a new car, it should be clean, but the amount of rail dust and fallout it got from the factory, shipping, and sitting in various lots over its first few months is pretty staggering.

On the plus side, most of the goods you're buying will last a very long time. It's the initial purchase that stings.
 
pilotpip said:
With the right pads/compound the PC will do a lot more than you think. I've used mine about a dozen times applying AIO, sealant and doing a couple full corrections. You'll be very happy with it!

One thing to make mention of, is buy as many pads as your budget will allow. Clean pads work much better.

You'll be blown away the first time you use Iron-X. You'd think it's a new car, it should be clean, but the amount of rail dust and fallout it got from the factory, shipping, and sitting in various lots over its first few months is pretty staggering.

On the plus side, most of the goods you're buying will last a very long time. It's the initial purchase that stings.
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The value kit I bought comes with 1 each orange, white, blue pad plus 2 red soft wax pads. For polishing and waxing my Charger should I get another white polishing pad? I've got more Meg's products than I know what to do with (in pics) and wanna make sure I get the right equipment for my first stab at this.

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Does anyone have advice/info on using the Nanoskin mitt? Not sure if I need to use QD as a lubricant or soapy water.
 
TShepp said:
Does anyone have advice/info on using the Nanoskin mitt? Not sure if I need to use QD as a lubricant or soapy water.
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Anyone help? I am thinking about tackling the project this weekend if I have half a day to set aside with wash, nanoskin, polish, wax....I really want to get the imperfections and iron spots out of the paint ASAP.
 
A little surprised you haven't gotten any responses on this. I have the Nanoskin mitt and haven't used clay since starting. Yes, you will want to "break in" the mitt on the glass (I use the rear window) - it will only take a minute. If you're not sure - just do it one more time.

I use it at the end of the wash process for each panel (rinse, wash with soapy mitt, rinse, soap up panel again and go over it with the Nanoskin, final rinse). I keep the NS mitt in my "clean" bucket, and make sure it is sopping with soap. I have the NS Bubble Bath that seems to work fine, but any quality auto soap will work. I would have no problem using Meguiars or Duragloss - I just use a little extra soap in the bucket to really bring up the lubricity.

You do not need or want to bear down on the Nanoskin. Just wipe it back and forth several times with your hand in it or on top of it. If the panel is badly contaminated, you will be able to hear and feel the grit being picked up. When you can't hear it or feel it any more, you are done with the panel.

I find that once or twice a year on the horizontal surfaces of a well maintained car is good enough, and every other year on the vertical surfaces.

Good luck and have fun!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7n0SDeJJ1A
 
TShepp said:
Well I went ahead and ordered a Fine Nanoskin Mitt tonight because I think it will save me quite a bit of time and work. Should I use QD with the mitt or just normal shampoo and water from a bucket like a wash mitt?

Also, While reading Mike's "How Getting Started with Your New Car" tutorial he highly recommends Iron X. Is this really needed or do most use this on newer personal vehicles? I know it's a "good to do insurance measure" but damn I'm already spending over $200 with new equipment and products today and don't want to build a detailers stock of stuff when it's just for routine cleaning and maintenance...
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i used iron x for the first time and highly recommend..just wear a dust mask and protective clothing..
also used nanoskin for the first time and it is much faster than clay and a lot less work.
after using iron x and nanoskin.. the car itself looked much cleaner/ shinier.. gal thought i had already polished it with the flex..

good luck and have fun with the new toys
 
TShepp said:
Does anyone have advice/info on using the Nanoskin mitt? Not sure if I need to use QD as a lubricant or soapy water.
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you can use a rinseless car wash and dilute it.. much much cheaper.. (better than soapy water, as you wont have to wash your car after using the nanoskin..

quick detailer is like 7-8 bucks a bottle and i find myself using a 2nd bottle... (8 x 2 bottles..gets expensive for claying/ skinning the car)

try buying the rinseless car wash and follows instructions for diluting it for claying..
 
gizzsdad said:
A little surprised you haven't gotten any responses on this. I have the Nanoskin mitt and haven't used clay since starting. Yes, you will want to "break in" the mitt on the glass (I use the rear window) - it will only take a minute. If you're not sure - just do it one more time.

I use it at the end of the wash process for each panel (rinse, wash with soapy mitt, rinse, soap up panel again and go over it with the Nanoskin, final rinse). I keep the NS mitt in my "clean" bucket, and make sure it is sopping with soap. I have the NS Bubble Bath that seems to work fine, but any quality auto soap will work. I would have no problem using Meguiars or Duragloss - I just use a little extra soap in the bucket to really bring up the lubricity.

You do not need or want to bear down on the Nanoskin. Just wipe it back and forth several times with your hand in it or on top of it. If the panel is badly contaminated, you will be able to hear and feel the grit being picked up. When you can't hear it or feel it any more, you are done with the panel.

I find that once or twice a year on the horizontal surfaces of a well maintained car is good enough, and every other year on the vertical surfaces.

Good luck and have fun!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7n0SDeJJ1A
Click to expand...


Thank you for the info! I figured I would just act like I was washing the car a second time with the NS mitt. I am really interested in getting the paint nice and smooth! I am almost out of Meg's Gold Class wash so I am looking for something new with a bit more suds.
 
I use soapy water with my NS mitt and basically do a second wash with it. As previously mentioned, it's quick for me. Also, I had a metro vac n blow that i loved for blowing off during the dry process but when that died i got an el cheapo Sears Craftsmen blower. The trick is to dedicate your blower to ONLY automotive detail. If you use it for blowing around crap out of the garage or around the yard it'll pick up all kinds of nastiness that then could get blown on your paint.
 
TShepp said:
I already had the Meguiar's Ultimate liquids for free so the purchases I made yesterday were for the PC polisher kit, Mother's wheel brush, Nanoskin Mitt, and X Iron. Outside of the wheel wooliees and a bottle of wheel cleaning spray I think I am set up well, for now...I just really want to get a nice polish and coat of wax on my brand new cars ASAP.
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Good collection, you're off to a great start.



TShepp said:
I went ahead and got the PC 7424XP bundle with book. I think it should work for my application and budget. Since I will not be doing any severe correction work and just some maintenance polishing and waxing a few times a year I didn't feel the GG unit was necessary for me.
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The book is good, I'm not being biased I just stating that it's jam-packed with a ton of info. I'd recommend reading it from front to back before even walking out to the garage or driveway.

Also, read this thread, good tips all the way down the page,

Mark Your Backing Plate - Makes it easy to see Pad Rotation


Read this too...

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide



TShepp said:
A few more questions I had:

Nanoskin Mitt - I know I must break it in on gas very well to avoid marring on my first use. Once broken in, do I use QD for the mitt or just soapy water? I took at look at the paint yesterday and I already have some rail dust/iron spots and the paint isn't the smoothest so I think I will start with a wash, X Iron, Nanoskin Mitt, and then decide if I need to polish or go right to wax. To be honest, I hope I am not going to have to polish since the car is so new and I am lazy
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Use it with your soapy water. In a perfect world, mix up a FRESH BATCH of soapy water as you don't want any dirt in the first bucket of soapy water to get trapped between the Nanoskin wash mitt and the paint.

This can even be a small bucket of soapy water, like a gallon.

Wash --> Iron X --> RINSE THOROUGHLY then --> Nanoskin Wash Mitt and then rinse again.



TShepp said:
After washing my car for the first time yesterday (by hand) I discovered TONS of little orange iron spots all over the body so definitely glad I bought Iron X.

You will have peace of mind like I explain in this article,

The Car Insurance Analogy for using an Iron Remover by Mike Phillips




TShepp said:
The value kit I bought comes with 1 each orange, white, blue pad plus 2 red soft wax pads. For polishing and waxing my Charger should I get another white polishing pad?
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The kits come with a few "starter" pads.

In a perfect world, when doing any compounding work you want one pad per panel. IF doing polishing work you can get away with one pad for two panels.

A panel is a hood or a door or a fender.

Clean dry pads work better than set soggy pads and it's the nature of foam to saturate with liquids.

When you order extra pads, get either the

Lake Country Flat Pads
Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Foam Pads, buffing pads, Lake Country curved edge pads, polishing pads


or the

Lake Country ThinPro pads
Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 5.5 Inch



Thin, smaller diameter pads rotate better on the Porter Cable than large thick pads. (see the tip about marking your backing plate.



TShepp said:
Does anyone have advice/info on using the Nanoskin mitt? Not sure if I need to use QD as a lubricant or soapy water.
Click to expand...

TShepp said:
Anyone help? I am thinking about tackling the project this weekend if I have half a day to set aside with wash, nanoskin, polish, wax....I really want to get the imperfections and iron spots out of the paint ASAP.
Click to expand...


See what I wrote above about a fresh batch of car wash solution.


:)
Click to expand...
 
Wow thanks for reading and giving some tips Mike! I'm really eager to get my paint corrected but need to make sure I know what I'm doing first so I'll definitely read the book. I guess I'll need to get quite a few additional pads before tackling the polish and wax job.
 
Now I am questioning if I have enough supplies to polish and wax my car - assuming I need to do both after I use Nanoskin mitt.

Should I then have 3 polishing pads and 3 wax/finish pads for 1 car? Or will a pair of each do it as long as I clean really well on the fly?

I was going to buy the Cobra Gold Jr towels but ended up getting a dozen Meg's Supreme MF towels for almost half the price of Cobras. I'm curious if I should get more Megs MF towels before I can work on the car for full polishing and waxing and if so should I get more Supreme from Meg's or do I need something else
 
So I'm still reading and researching a bit this AM. My cars are fairly new so I am not sure I will need to use cutting pads and compound unless I am wrong. I planned to just clay mitt, fine polish, wax. From what I read, I think 2-3 white/polish pads and 1-2 red/finish waxing pads should be sufficient for one car?
 
Reading Mike's book and some forum posts this morning has me really confused on what I should be doing with my new car. At minimum the car needs a good wash and Iron X because of the little deposits I can see, but then I am not sure how to plan my next step. The car does have some deposits and likely a few imperfections from delivery and now that I've driven a few hundred miles but I am wondering if I really need to go through the process of clay/Nanoskin mitt, polish whole car, and then apply wax. Is it more beneficial for a brand new car to be clean/clayed then use a cleaner wax and maybe a final sealant/wax? Or even skip polish and tonight to wax? Since is my daily driver I want it to have a nice glossy and smooth white finish but don't want to perform a bunch of extra steps or product that might not be needed.

Theres just too much information for me to digest and a bit overwhelming for someone never doing this work before.
 
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