Just starting out and would like some guidance

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armyguy

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Ok guys..so I am a complete newbie in the detailing world. I have always kept all of my vehicles clean inside and out, but never polished any of them. The main reason is because I had no clue what to do and didn't want to mess up my paint.

Now I just bought a 2015 Ford F350 crew cab. This is my very first brand spankin new vehicle. I would like to keep it that way which brings me to this forum. It is time for me to learn how to professionally detail a vehicle. I also have a nice boat that needs a detail but I know that will need a bunch more work vs the new truck. I have been reading and researching and from what I've gathered, I should have a coat of Opti pro or Cquartz put on while it's new. I will probably pay a shop to do that so I don't mess it up, and then I'll do the detailing from there on out.

I was thinking about taking Mike's class but that is just out of the budget right now. I just spent a crap ton of money on detailing stuff. I had a big budget but it is gone now after buying everything.

So here is what I have purchased to date:
-Dupray Hill Injection steamer
-Mytee lite ii 8070 carpet extractor
-Sun Joe SPX3000 pressure washer, MTM foam gun, and CG honeydew soap
-Flex HD 3401 with LC backing plate kit. Also bought 2 of the LC hybrid 5" pads in black,white,blue, and orange.
-Rupes mini DA but no pads yet. Not sure which ones to get for this one.
-Based on a post by Mike, I got the Pinnacle Advanced compound, advanced swirl remover, and advanced finishing polish.
-Ultra soft interior brush that hooks to the Rupes mini for cleaning leather seats and boat seats.

Anything else I missed? I know I still need leather cleaner and protectant. Any certain brands? Also, which protectants are recommended for the dash and rest of the interior?

Last but not least, the Flex came with a how to use the polished DVD as well as Mike's detailing book. I will watch and read those but anything else out there that I would need to learn, or should those two be enough for me to learn?

Thanks for any and all help and suggestions.
 
The only thing I see missing is the LSP, Sealant? Wax or Coating. It will depend if your car is a Daily Drive. I like Sealant and then top off with a wax. I like Menzerna Power Lock Sealant and then a quality wax. As for a coating I cannot comment as I do not use them. Other than that you are rockin and a rollin!

Awesome choices BTW. You will find out that the Flex 3401 IMO is the best DA.

As for a sealant there are many choices...Menzerna, Wolfgang, Blackfire...etc. For Waxes....wow there are a gazillion choices!! I like the carnauba's not the hybrids.
 
Now that's what I call jumping in the deep end. Nice haul. You should be able to keep the truck nice and shiny with all those tools. I'm jealous.
 
A nice shop/garage would be nice....as well as a good PW
 
Haha thanks guys. This truck is my daily driver. I really like the truck to be super glossy, almost wet looking.

I don't want to mess my truck up and am starting from scratch. I don't want to burn the paint either. So with those two instructional guides, should I be ok?
 
One piece of advice I'd like to give you is take your time. That's a lot of truck. Detailing takes many hours and sometimes multiple days. I also think it's wise of you wanting to coat it, which will save you time on maintenance cleanings. Also, great products you bought too!
 
:welcome:to AGO!:pc7424:

BOY did you ever drop a bag full o' money on supplies! Then again, that F350 wasn't chump change. :)

First things first. You need A - LOT - MORE - PADS!
Just compounding that truck will take a minimum of 6~8 of whatever color you use for compounding. I say "whatever color" because you might be able to get it done with the white pad and your chosen compound, or you might need the orange pad. Either way, (and it'll probably be the orange one) you will need a LOT of CLEAN pads to get the job done. The hood alone will take 2 pads. Big front fenders will take 1 each, doors can take 1 as well on a big truck. Move to the bed and dually fenders and each side is good for 2 pads. Roof, that's another 2 pads. And you still have the tailgate. That's 13 pads!

You don't have to have a full 13 orange ones, but you seriously need to have AT LEAST 6. The reason is that when you are working you'll need to keep your pads clean, cool AND dry. If you take a dirty pad and wash it it'll need to dry before you use it again. If you try and use it too much it'll overheat and literally melt from the backside (and likely destroy your backing plate in the process).

So basically, you start with the hood, do about a quarter of it in no larger than 24"x24" sections, cleaning the pad "on the fly" as you go. Once you've done 2~3 sections clean it on the fly and pull it off, set it aside, and let it cool. Grab another clean, dry, ready to go pad and start with it. As it starts to heat up, do it like the last one.... set it aside and let it cool. Move to pad 3, then pad 4.

At this point you MIGHT be able to get away with only 4, rotating them in a 'first in - first off' method (which will allow the first one to cool down for a while). It just works better if you have more pads so that you can continue to move while your working.

The good part is as you step up to a finer cut product, and a lesser cut pad that they heat up less, as well as they don't tend to get as dirty either. So say you used 8 pads to compound, you might get away with as few as 4 for polishing. :)

Do a search here for "how to prime your pad" (or something to that effect). Mike Phillips has a thread from a while back that really helps there. :props:

You might want to think about a coating on that new truck, but you'd be just as well to get a nice sealant and use it at first. Either Menzerna Power Lock, Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 would be the best choices, or perhaps Meguiar's M21 2.0 all of which are excellent sealants. The cool part about them is you can get great protection, but if the vehicle is your daily driver you can also go back later and buff it, then re-apply a sealant. You can also top sealants with a variety of liquid waxes (which are basically sealants as well). Where if you put a coating on it, you CAN NOT buff it again later without having to put the coating on again.

On the topic of coatings. Once you get used to compounding and polishing, and working with the perfected paint, applying a coating is child's play. ;) I'd not pay anyone to do it, unless you really want a "pro" version that you can't buy elsewhere, AND are willing to pay the $500~$750 up-charge (on top of paint buffing) that it'd run to coat a truck that big. (It's not out of the question for a full buffing/coating package on a beast that size to run $1200~$1500~$2000.):eek:

What else do you need?
Spray bottles, lots and lots and LOTS of spray bottles. The Meguiar's 6-pack here on AG is by far the best deal out there.
Some sort of APC by the gallon
Megs Non-Acid wheel cleaner
Some sort of spray wax. I'd suggest either Duragloss 951 Aquawax or Meguiar's D156. Both can be used as a light spray sealant/wax that'll easily last several weeks AS WELL AS used when washing as a drying aid. :)
Five gallon buckets, 2 for washing, 1 for wheels, 1 for assorted stuff. Get grit guards, at least 2 if not 4.
Daytona wheel brush kit.
Wheel Woolies wheel brush kit.
Mothers long handle and tire brush kit. (Or at least a long handle brush.)
Carrand tire brush
Carrand 2-pack tire gel applicator brushes (Then get some good tire gel. Optimum Opti-Bond is nice!)
MORE SHAMPOO.... Duragloss 901 (it's 902 in the gallon jug) and works GREAT in your foam cannon! *(You can mix 902 and Honeydew)
Some cheap shampoo for doing your wheels, check out Meguair's at Wal-Mart or Target.
Something to decontaminate your paint, new products like Nanoskin mitts, pads (for the DA) or hand held sponges.


Microfiber towels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get a couple dozen or more 360gsm towels. Also get a couple dozen 530gsm towels as they can be used for compound and polish wiping/removal just like the 360's but they can ALSO be used for drying. :) (You can also get the 530's in larger sizes for drying.)
Microfiber Tech or The Rag Company are absolutely THE place to go. I'm a big fan of Microfiber Tech buying by the case (or half a case) and you'll save bookoo money! :D
Costco Kirkland Gold microfiber towels in the 36 count bag for interior, door jambs and dirty work.

There's still plenty to think of. This'll get ya' started. ;)

Finally; It'd be good to know where you are located.

It's likely, if you're close to another AGO member, that you could reach out and most would be glad to have you over for a bit of 'hands on training'. (Might or might not be free, :dunno: but it'd surely be a fraction of what a detailing class in Sunny Stuart Florida runs.) :D I know that most here are more than willing to help though.:dblthumb2:
 
You dove in HUGE!! That said I wouldn't be paying somebody to coat my vehicle if you are willing to dive in like that start correcting on the boat (or wifey's car, they do appreciate clean rides ;) ) first which may require some wool pads. That will get you the feel for the machine.

Tony pretty much covered everything else. Yes let us know where you are and I'm sure somebody will assist if they are near by.
 
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