Brand new car; what would you do?

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Romans5.8

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Hey all,

I know a lot of you are pro detailers, or people who are really into this with a lot invested in equipment. I'm just a guy who loves his cars and wants to take the best care of them he can!

In another thread I talked a bit about how to best clean and maintain my car. But, I just bought a new car. Special ordered, will be here in a few weeks.

It's a brand new 2014 Ford Focus SE Sport. What would you guys recommend I do with it 'out of the box'? Any recommendations for the best protection, inside and out? Keep in mind I'll take delivery of the car as winter here in Central MO goes into full swing. We don't get a LOT of snow, and luckily, we DO get a lot of rain in the winter (which cuts down on salt accumulation). But, snow, salt, and general winter road grime ARE realities for this car shortly after it's 'birth'. So any suggestions?

Thanks!

Keep in mind I have very little. So I am kind of a 'clean slate' here. Just a few microfiber towels, a couple tubs of McGuires Gold Class Carnuba, and various detail sprays and armor-all products. That's about all I've ever used before. But with a black car (did I mention it's black?) I figure I'd better go ahead and get a little more serious on keeping it clean and detailed. Black can either look really good, or really really bad.
 
Either hire a pro (or a serious hobbyist) to assist you or get ready to give your Visa card a full-fledged workout

:)


I would make sure the paint is at least 90% defect free then install a permanent (2 year) coating
 
Flash Gordon said:
Either hire a pro (or a serious hobbyist) to assist you or get ready to give your Visa card a full-fledged workout

:)


I would make sure the paint is at least 90% defect free then install a permanent (2 year) coating
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Got any suggestions for what that coating would be?

I was thinking a good plastic protectant for the plastics under the hood and such. Not sure what waxes or sealants (if any) the dealer will use when they detail. I've never bought from this dealer before so I'm also not sure if it will come with any pre-installed swirls or not.

Living in a rural area, not a lot of pro's I can seem to find! Was planning on picking up a machine polisher and getting into that aspect a bit. My bike has some swirls on it, and could probably use a good machine polishing. A while back I took it in for a recall and they washed it for me afterwards, and used an old rag to dry it. Ever since it's had those spiderweb swirls on it. Plus, again, with a black car I think machine polishing is just going to become routine maintenance!!
 
Romans5.8 said:
Got any suggestions for what that coating would be?

I was thinking a good plastic protectant for the plastics under the hood and such. Not sure what waxes or sealants (if any) the dealer will use when they detail. I've never bought from this dealer before so I'm also not sure if it will come with any pre-installed swirls or not.
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I would choose CQuartz by Car Pro. It comes in both pro and non-pro formulas. The non-pro formula promises 2 years of protection

No matter which manufactures coating you decide on the most important thing to remember is that the surface is prepped properly

If this is a "brand new" car I would instruct your salesperson not to touch the car after it rolls off the truck. Tell them you want to do the "new car get ready" yourself

Explain to them how terribly picky you are up front
 
Flash Gordon said:
I would choose CQuartz by Car Pro. It comes in both pro and non-pro formulas. The non-pro formula promises 2 years of protection

No matter which manufactures coating you decide on the most important thing to remember is that the surface is prepped properly

If this is a "brand new" car I would instruct your salesperson not to touch the car after it rolls off the truck. Tell them you want to do the "new car get ready" yourself

Explain to them how terribly picky you are up front
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I've considered that. Plus, since it's a special order; I'd like for them not to put their stinkin' sticker on it! Is that not the tackiest thing ever?

It may get driven about 40 miles before I take delivery. It'll arrive from the factory by rail car and it's either wait another week for a truck, or let them drive it to the dealer. I'll probably choose the latter.

So, I'll take it to a garage I have access to, give it a good, thorough two bucket wash, let it dry, bring it into the garage and let the paint cool, and maybe use a really mild polish and a really mild cutting pad? Would clay barring be necessary on a new car? (Keep in mind it's painted BEFORE assembly at the Ford plant, so essentially the paint has spent 18 hours traveling through an assembly line, then is parked outside awaiting a train, traveled by rail, and then driven home). Then follow that up with this paint protector you talked about? Can that product have wax and such applied over the top of it? Furthermore, will car wash detergents (even harsh ones the coin-op car wash might use) harm it or wear it off?

Thanks!



John
 
I would recommend clay barring your new car. If you want, take a look at the article on my website about buying a new car.
 
Romans5.8 said:
I've considered that. Plus, since it's a special order; I'd like for them not to put their stinkin' sticker on it! Is that not the tackiest thing ever?

It may get driven about 40 miles before I take delivery. It'll arrive from the factory by rail car and it's either wait another week for a truck, or let them drive it to the dealer. I'll probably choose the latter.

So, I'll take it to a garage I have access to, give it a good, thorough two bucket wash, let it dry, bring it into the garage and let the paint cool, and maybe use a really mild polish and a really mild cutting pad? Would clay barring be necessary on a new car? (Keep in mind it's painted BEFORE assembly at the Ford plant, so essentially the paint has spent 18 hours traveling through an assembly line, then is parked outside awaiting a train, traveled by rail, and then driven home). Then follow that up with this paint protector you talked about? Can that product have wax and such applied over the top of it? Furthermore, will car wash detergents (even harsh ones the coin-op car wash might use) harm it or wear it off?

Thanks!



John
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You ask a lot of questions. I will try to answer them all

:)


Can you take delivery from the rail yard? I would rather do that then have some hotfoot abuse my car on it's first 40 miles

:(


If you plan on applying a Permanent Coating, I would clay bar it regardless.

You probably will be able to get away doing a one-step polish before applying the coating. A product like Meguiar's 205 Ultra Finishing Polish and a medium grade foam pad should do the trick

While not necessary, yes you can apply traditional waxes to permanent coatings

Using harsh chemicals to clean your paint is never the best option. I understand sometimes this may be the only option we have. Regardless, Permanent Coatings will without doubt withstand more abuse then traditional car waxes/sealants

Did I answer everything?
 
Flash Gordon said:
You ask a lot of questions. I will try to answer them all .... :)


Can you take delivery from the rail yard? I would rather do that then have some hotfoot abuse my car on it's first 40 miles

:(


If you plan on applying a Permanent Coating, I would clay bar it regardless.

You probably will be able to get away doing a one-step polish before applying the coating. A product like Meguiar's 205 Ultra Finishing Polish and a medium grade foam pad should do the trick

While not necessary, yes you can apply traditional waxes to permanent coatings

Using harsh chemicals to clean your paint is never the best option. I understand sometimes this may be the only option we have. Regardless, Permanent Coatings will without doubt withstand more abuse then traditional car waxes/sealants

Did I answer everything?
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Sorry! Don't mean to ask too much. Just have a lot to learn!

I'm concerned about having someone drive it back. I could just wait for the truck. Essentially it'll sit on a lot until it's 'turn' to be trucked to the dealer. You know how it is these days, everyone, especially the corporations, are pinching pennies. If they can't fill a truck, then they won't bring a truck. So it may sit at the 'transit location' for days or weeks until there are enough cars going to that 'region' to fill a truck. Might not be an issue, but being late November/Early December delivery, there's a chance that we could have bouts of bad weather slowing down car sales! I doubt they will let me drive it back, purely for liability reasons. Essentially, they haven't done their inspection they are supposed to do until it arrives at the dealer. I'm considering letting them truck it anyway, just because droning at one speed on the highway is not the ideal way for a brand new engine to start out. But I digress.

Okay, so harsh chemicals out; meaning no to automatic or coin op car washes? Gotcha.

I'm learning alot! I appreciate the answers.
 
Romans5.8 said:
Sorry! Don't mean to ask too much. Just have a lot to learn!

I'm concerned about having someone drive it back. I could just wait for the truck. Essentially it'll sit on a lot until it's 'turn' to be trucked to the dealer. You know how it is these days, everyone, especially the corporations, are pinching pennies. If they can't fill a truck, then they won't bring a truck. So it may sit at the 'transit location' for days or weeks until there are enough cars going to that 'region' to fill a truck. Might not be an issue, but being late November/Early December delivery, there's a chance that we could have bouts of bad weather slowing down car sales! I doubt they will let me drive it back, purely for liability reasons. Essentially, they haven't done their inspection they are supposed to do until it arrives at the dealer. I'm considering letting them truck it anyway, just because droning at one speed on the highway is not the ideal way for a brand new engine to start out. But I digress.

Okay, so harsh chemicals out; meaning no to automatic or coin op car washes? Gotcha.

I'm learning alot! I appreciate the answers.
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Coin-Op car washes are good idea to use before doing a traditional (or waterless wash) if you have a lot of road grime/winter funk on your paint. This will help decrease the chance of marring/swirling your paint during the wash process

The biggest mistake you will make is getting in a hurry



You are welcome!
 
Flash Gordon said:
Can you take delivery from the rail yard? I would rather do that then have some hotfoot abuse my car on it's first 40 miles

:(
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We're not all hotfoots, but I agree, don't take the chance. Also, you risk rock chips not getting it transported by truck, but then again you will eventually get them yourself, but you'd prefer your new car not to have any.



OP: Personally I would ask the dealer not to prep the car and then I would wash, clay, and then just seal for the winter. Then when weather gets nice and you have more supplies, then polish and go with a permanent coating.
 
Definitely clay. Sometimes they have rail dust in the paint. My Sorento did. My Mustang's paint was close to perfect, but I picked it up the day after it arrived from Ford.
 
Okay guys; little update. Been asking a lot of questions, and doing a lot of reading. Since I had a lot of stuff to pickup, I was a little 'cost concious', but here's what I have so far;

Griot's Garage DA Polisher
Chemical Guys pad 'set' (one of each of their hexlogic, got it on sale)
Chemical Guys Clay Lube
Clay
'Polishin Pal' to make hand applications of sealant and/or wax easier
DP Sealant
Meguiars Ultimate Compound
Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Grit Guards (Got 5 gal buckets from a hardware store for $4.99 each. About died when I saw what autogeek charged for buckets, everything else has been great price wise though!)

I also picked up a few more microfibers while I was at it but I already have several.

So here is the 'process' I'm planning to do, in order, when I take delivery of my car (whenever it comes in from the factory!);

1) Thorough 2 bucket wash
2) IPA wipedown
3) Clay
4) IPA wipedown
5) Meguiars Ultimate Polish, applied with CG Hexlogic Blue (light polishing)pad
6) DP Sealant, applied with CG black pad, buffed with MF towel.

What do you guys think? Sound like a good plan? The idea is it'll have a nice, clean, blemish free coat of paint underneath a good sealant. Anything I should change/add/remove/do differently?

Finally, I searched on the forum and came to the conclusion that it was OK, but, just to throw it out there; can I get this done (keep in mind it's a Focus, not a semi-truck) with one of each pad? Or do I need to pick up more pads? Remember I just BOUGHT A CAR and live in an uber high, rural sales tax region. Gonna be throwing the DMV a couple grand here whenever the car comes in. So if I can save a little money this time around that'd be great! lol.
 
What size pads did you get? If I remember correctly CG only has bigger pads. 5.5 inch is optimal for the GG polisher. I did not have a pleasent experience with ultimate compound/polish. It did little work when compared to other products I have in the xmt line. IPA wipe right after wash isn't needed, rather do it after your polishing. I personally would only do it after that step and skip it after clay. The less you are rubbing on the paint the better.

I like to have a second cutting pad available, but I've managed with one just keeping it clean. As a new detailer you'll probably use too much product and gum it up quickly. Just a learning experience and not a huge deal so long as you clean the excess off often.

Semi-side note, as you get into this hobby you quickly learn you never have enough mf towels. Also, keep them seperate. Gunky ones (door jams for filty cars, exhaust, ect), paint for your newest and softest ones.
 
davidg said:
What size pads did you get? If I remember correctly CG only has bigger pads. 5.5 inch is optimal for the GG polisher. I did not have a pleasent experience with ultimate compound/polish. It did little work when compared to other products I have in the xmt line. IPA wipe right after wash isn't needed, rather do it after your polishing. I personally would only do it after that step and skip it after clay. The less you are rubbing on the paint the better.

I like to have a second cutting pad available, but I've managed with one just keeping it clean. As a new detailer you'll probably use too much product and gum it up quickly. Just a learning experience and not a huge deal so long as you clean the excess off often.

Semi-side note, as you get into this hobby you quickly learn you never have enough mf towels. Also, keep them seperate. Gunky ones (door jams for filty cars, exhaust, ect), paint for your newest and softest ones.
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I bought the 6.5" pads based on what I had read previously; though they do have 5.5" pads as well. The polisher itself comes with a 6" backing plate, would I need a different backing plate to run 5.5" pads? I had read in several threads that the GG was a chunk stronger than some of the other DA's (namely, the PC) and was okay with the 6.5 pads. Is that not true?

As far as the meguiars, well, it was inexpensive. The car is brand spanking new fresh off the factory (or will be, as of this writing it doesn't even exist yet!) My thinking is, it really shouldn't need that much. Just to get it clean, glossy, and sealed. Will the meguiars stuff accomplish this?

Finally, on to that original question; assuming the 6.5 pads are okay (are they?) will one pad (of each color I'd be using) work to do the entire car?
 
5.5 would require a different backing plate. With the level of cut you should need it'll be fine. Lots of factors go into pad size, if the machine (which appears to be designed around the 6") will move it smoothly you are good. On a PC a 6.5 inch pad gets a little squirly.


One pad: depends on how often you clean it out (tooth brush works well here on the cheap) but if you drop it you'll need a second. I have done several cars with one pad and it was fine. Just have to pay a little more attention to what you're doing. Air compressor will also save your butt if you drop it or gum it up. It cleans so much from foam.
 
Okay so, getting antsy as I await delivery! Learning more and more as I read the forums.

So then, my process will be;

2 bucket wash
clay
Hex-Logic Blue Pad with Ultimate Polish (unless someone else has a specific recommendation? One person said they didn't like UP but does someone have an actual recommendation?)
IPA wipe
DP sealant applied with Hex-Logic Black
Carnauba on top of that

Finish Kare 303 is on Buy One, Get One Free right now. Would that be a better choice? Any other suggestions?

Again, this is gonna be fresh off the truck. I can't imagine there will be a lot of defects or swirls. In theory that would just be to get the paint 'perfect' before sealing.

Gonna use DP headlight sealant for the headlights, and Griots glass sealant for the glass; any suggestions for the plastics?
 
I had issues getting UC to finish for me. Never used UP, but this and a few other threads have got me wanting to give UC a second chance. It was about 45 degrees and I'm not sure it ever flashed. Bumped up to XMT intermediate swirl remover for my negleted paint. Feels like gojo.

XMT is a pretty simple line. I started on it, it's all numbered and labeled with what it does. Purple stuff I didn't use since I went straight to sealant and it's a caranuba glaze. With proper technique there probably isn't a product that won't make an improvement. (You know, just in case you wanted 1 recommendation) So many products are popular on here it's hard to pick anything that doesn't work)

Finish Kare is a glaze. It will fill any imperfections you missed. This would be an optional step in between your DP sealant and choice of wax.

I'm not firmiliar with the Hex logic color system much, but IIRC the blue is pretty mild(like the LC white). Do you have a more firm cutting pad just in case your blue and UP don't work as expected? Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.


I highly doubt they get washed at the factory after the initial paint finishing process. Any swirls will come from the lot crew or stuff flying onto or off of the truck.
 
Finish Kare 303 is like a combination of a finishing polish and a glaze in one. It will polish out light swirls or compounding haze. In this case I think you should save your money, you would never use those two big bottles for the bogo.
Just to simplify things a little bit maybe you should try and use a AIO type product, for instance: XMT360, Griot's one step sealant, Blackfire total polish and seal.
 
davidg said:
I'm not firmiliar with the Hex logic color system much, but IIRC the blue is pretty mild(like the LC white). Do you have a more firm cutting pad just in case your blue and UP don't work as expected? Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
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Yes, it is pretty mild. My thinking is, mild is what I'd need; right? I can't imagine much correction is needed. However, I do have the entire 'set' of CG pads. So yes, I can go to a stronger pad.

I highly doubt they get washed at the factory after the initial paint finishing process. Any swirls will come from the lot crew or stuff flying onto or off of the truck.
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Nope, at least from what I've seen! It will sit outside in who knows what kind of weather with no protection on it (they sit in a lot at the factory waiting for the train), then from the train, be on a truck to my dealer. Then they'll unload it, I'll sign some papers, and I'll be on my way. Dunno about a 'lot crew', it really shouldn't get touched.
 
Wanted to touch on the "1 of each pad" question. IMHO you'll likely not need UC on the new car. That doesn't mean that you don't need a pad with decent cut though. Still possible to do a 1.5 step process where you hit it the first time with UP and more of a cutting pad, followed by a polishing pad and UP.

Bottom line is I'd not even ATTEMPT to do a vehicle with less than 3~4 of a single pad. It can be done with 2, say the polishing stage, but you'll be stopping and cleaning quite a bit. Using a dirty, product full, paint spreading pad will literally grind away everything you are trying to do.

Typically the more you cut, the more often you'll want to clean and change out your pad(s). They don't just need changing from getting dirty, but also to pull them off the buffer before the middle of the pad overheats. Work with cleaning on the fly can only go so far.

Cleaning in the sink of course works, but you can NEVER use a wet pad. Sitting one on a fan to dry speeds up the time spent off the buffer and if you can wait long enough you *may* be able to do a vehicle with only a couple of pads, (but that takes a couple of days to do). ;)

I'd say 4 minimum cutting pads, 4~6 middle of the road pads and 2~3 finishing pads. The reason I say more in the middle (like say the LC white) is you can use that pad for more different products. You can compound with it and polish with it. But you don't want to mix compound and polish in the SAME pad. :)

Now if you've got an air compressor, and you want to try something like the Megs MF pads. Then 2 cutting and 2 finishing will be fine. PROVIDING you keep up with the heat in the pad. Pull it after working a panel and put the back of it against your cheek. If it's more than slightly (barely) warm, pull it off and let it cool. Keep rotating them that way and you can do an entire vehicle. (They cool MUCH faster than the thicker flat and especially the CCS pads.)
 
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