:welcome:
To Autogeek Online Torrey! 
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Alaska's a gorgeous state and nearly 1/3 the size of the continental US. Alaska simply must be seen as photos or description cannot do it justice. That said, its window for outdoor detailing is rather narrow...:laughing:
I hope you have an enclosed garage with heat or possibly a wood-stove for those chilly days.....
Autogeek is the 1-stop shop for all your detailing needs. Autogeek's customer service is 2nd to none and their goal is to assist you in achieving your detailing goals. :cheers:
Setting your goals too high is very common, we all do it, it's in our genes. Having a perfect defect free finish is something we all strive for but in reality "show car" perfection is well, for show cars only.
Our daily drivers are subjected to a very harsh environment. Each day the paint on our cars must endure wind, rain, sand, road grime, salt, water, sun, and much more. Although today's finishes are pretty durable they also begin to break down and do so over time.
Maintaining a finish not only keeps our cars looking their finest, it also slows down its natural degradation due to the environment.
Basic steps in order are:
- Wash
- Clay
- Paint Correction & Polish
- Seal
- Wax
Working by hand instils "quality" in the mind of most people. Most of us began caring for our cars finish by hand using a bucket of soapy water, a sponge, a few towels and container of wax. While certainly better than not doing anything at all, there are better ways to maintain the finish and actually make this process enjoyable.
Mike Phillips is the director of education at Autogeek. Mike has written some of the finest articles on detailing and their free for all of us to educate ourselves and enjoy..
Car detailing articles by Mike Phillips
Mike has also written a book which is available in both paperback and electronic form..
Paperback
Electronic
If there's one tool that should be required it's a dual action polisher. Man vs machine in this case, man loses every time. Compounding and polishing using a dual action polisher, foam pad. and product does a more thorough, more consistent, and better job....period.
Car Buffers & Polishers
Dual Action Polishers
How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project
DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide
How to prime a foam pad when using a DA Polisher
How much product do I use with my DA Polisher?
Wet Buffing Technique
DA Polisher Articles - Help for Newbies to Machine Polishing
A little on choosing the right foam pad.
Personally, I prefer using 5 1/2" foam pads on all my machines. In my opinion, the smaller pad is a perfect balance between size and efficiency. Smaller pads make controlling the polisher easier putting less stress on the machine and the user
Foam Pads
Yellow Cutting Foam - Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange or white pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.
Orange Light Cutting Foam - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all-around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.
White Polishing Foam - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so it’s perfect for pre-wax cleaners.
Gray Finishing Foam Pad - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.
Blue Finessing Foam – Pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.[FONT="]
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Product links put the finest product selection at your finger tips.
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Exterior Car Care[FONT="]
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Interior Car Care[FONT="]
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To simplify the compounding and polishing, two over the counter products by Meguiar's do a great job at removing minor scratches, swirls, and like defects leaving the finish looking like glass.
Two over the counter products that are available just about everywhere from a company that wrote another book on detailing is Meguiar's...
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
If you'd like some product suggestions that perform, take a look at these. I will guarantee they will not disappoint...
Wash - Duragloss #901
Clay - Meguiar's
Compound - Menzerna FG-400
Finishing Polish - Menzerna SF-4000
Sealant - CarPro Reload
Wax - Collinite 845
Spray Wax - Optimum Car Wax
Tire Cleaner - Meguiar's Super Degreaser
Wheel Cleaner - Sonax Full Effect
Tire Treatment - CarPro PERL
Wheel Protectant - Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0
Trim Protectant - CarPro DLux
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean
Glass Cleaner - Meguiar's Glass Cleaner
Glass Treatment - Aquapel
Interior Protectant - Meguiar's M40
