Help n00b with 1st order and process!

J

Jamieson22

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First post and new to detailing other than slapping wax on by hand.

Purchased 2013 Subaru Outback (black) 2 months back, and am weary to use the hand carwashes we normally use in Chicago as they tend to leave a lot of swirls. So I figured I'd give a go of it myself.

I also have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee (black) that has seen better days. Roof is loaded with rust spots, keyed down side with lots of little bumps/nicks/scratches. Outside of that, it can still shine up and look pretty good all considered, so I want to do what I can to clean it up a bit.

I had already ordered a PC 7424XP before finding this site. Now I want to put in my first order to cover a nice detail on both cars. Trying to find reasonably priced and effective products as I think my technique is more important than anything at this point. Not looking to get in over my head on the first round, so simplicity is preferred over perfection.

How does this look for product/process?

For the PC:
LC 5.5" Flat Pad 6 Pack (2 of Orange/White/Blue) (Could use some help here)
LC 5 Backing Plate

Wash:
Meguiar's Microfiber Wash Mitt
Duragloss 901
Iron-X (Jeep + Subaru)
Mother's Clay Kit (Jeep + Subaru)
2 Grit Guards for use in existing 5 gallon buckets
I have an "Absorber" for drying and tons of Costco MF yellow towels

Paint Products:
Duragloss 501 (Jeep)
Duragloss 601 (Jeep + Subaru)
Duragloss 105 (Jeep + Subaru)
Duragloss 951 (Jeep + Subaru)

Glass:
Meguiar's Glass
Aquapel Glass Treatment

Interior:
303 Aerospace
Lexol Premium 3-in-1 Leather Spray

Exterior:
Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel
Detailer's Wheel Cleaner (B1G1)
Detailer's Gloss Tire Gel (B1G1)
303 Aerospace (Subaru has lots of plastic body cladding trim)
Tire Dressing Pad

Does this look like a good starting kit?

Any products I should add/remove/replace to help keep things simple for a first timer? Forget anything?

Thanks for all the help, have already learned so much from lurking!
Jamie
 
The one thing I would purchase is quality microfibers...removing polish, wax, etc. I am addicted to microfibers, I have bins set up and labeled for what each does. Anything that touches my paint, I have high quality. I use the cosco, autozone ones for all-purpose (engine, etc.)

The only product in the duragloss line I own is 901...so I cannot comment on those...

303 is a great product, but a product many use is UTTG Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus, tire & trim protectant, tire dressing, rubber protectant
This is a great product - the price is steep, but only need a little to go a long way.

Also, love this product - as I believe this is the best out there for tires
Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel, Tire gel protectant, OPT Tire Dressing Gel, protect tires, optibond tire gel

But like anything else, many of us get many different products and try them out. Nothing wrong with your list, everyone has their favs!

You will get many answers - have fun and enjoy!

WELCOME TO THE FORUM....AND THE ADDICTION!
 
jeep paints are hard and subaru paint is soft, so you will need a bit of variety when it comes to your compounds and polishes, i used optimum compound 2 and polish 2 on my jeep, great results. farecla fast track universal compound and g10 swirl remover (its a fine polish) also worked very well, you can get farecla rebranded as barrett-jackson products at pepboys. i use klasse sealant glaze on my jeep and it is awesome. you will want microfibers as well, (save the one that comes with the clay kit, it is very nice). i would add tarminator to your list as well, it will be of great help below the belt line on the subaru. i have never used any duragloss products but i've heard good things so hopefully another jeep owner who does use than will offer some insight. in the meantime i would go on youtube and watch all of junkmans videos, then all of mike phillips' videos, that will answer most of your questions and then the how to section here is loaded with good info.
 
Hello and Welcome, also from Chicago here.. if you need any help, feel free to message me!

To your washing procedure, i'd cut out the drying towels and replace it with a leaf blower (such as the one found in Menards, Home Depot,etc)

As for your PC, the stuff you got looks good, but I'd add a Red Ultrasoft Pad for applying final coats of a sealant/wax. I love using the red.

Lastly, Black Fire Wet Diamond (sealant) looks great on black cars and can be applied by the red pad.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. After browsing through the forums I kept making mental lists of products to try, and eventually my head started spinning.

Granted "the best" products will come with lots of opinions, so is there anything that is on my list that won't make a n00b happy? At some point I need to jump in and just try some stuff so don't expect to be perfect off the bat as I have a lot of learning to do.

My main concern (and probably worrying too much) is the selection of pads. Are 2x Orange, 2x White and 2x Blue of the LC 5.5" Flats going to be good for me? GenesisCoupe, is the red pad you mention a particular brand or just any red pad? Is it that different than the blue flat?

Thanks for everything!
Jamie
 
If you clean your pads on the fly real well... i guess you can do with 2 orange pads.

Any pads you will be using for paint correction, personally I would be more comfortable with 3 of each. For finishing and LSP, 1 of each would suffice in my opinion. Of course if you are going to be layering waxes with 2 different products, you would need 2 pads; 1 for each product. If I was ordering a pack of 6, this is what I would do

3 Orange
1 Grey or Black
2 Red

What I think one should have?
3 Orange
3 White
2 or 3 Grey or Black
2 Red

Also wouldn't hurt to have 3" BP with 1 or 2 4" orange pads for the small areas.
 
If I am getting the LC Flat Pads, does Blue = Red? There doesn't seem to be a red pad.
 
I guess they don't have the red ones on the flats.
Red and Blue are both used for LSP so yeah... Blue would work.
 
get a foam cannon and some dp foam shampoo. this will help for routine washes. I to have a subaru and they scratch really easy so removing the contaminants with foam prior to putting a mitt down will prolong having to polish again anytime soon.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. Made a nice large order last night with some slight modifications based on the advice above!
 
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