New to detailing and looking for feedback on my cart products

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DMage

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Hi all -

New to the board and sent over to AutoGeek from a friend who has shopped before. Never was much into detailing myself besides off the shelf stuff @ my local auto store and waxing a car one a year (yeah I know now - bad). Friend picked up a new car and started looking at products and some of the things he has used are great at making a car look clean. Never again will I touch Amor All wipes.

Little bit of background - getting into this because I have a new car on order and want to be the first one to touch the paint (having dealer not detail it) as the car is a dark gray and my current black car has bad swirl marks. The car I have on order will arrive only 5 weeks after it rolled off the assembly line and I've read in some places that the paint might not be fully cured yet. Don't want the detailer to touch it and start swirling it. Second car is my wifes 2005 silver Golf. Paint is in pretty good shape for the neglect I've shown it in the past but the interior can use some cleaning.

I've done a bunch of reading in the product reviews and 101 section, and just want to make sure I am buying the right products for the right jobs. Also if there is something on my list that someone has had experience with and could recommend something better or different, please shout out.


Products in my cart:

Klasse kit w/AIO and High Gloss Sealant Glaze - Plan on using both on the 2005 Golf, but should I be using the AIO on a brand new car or just the sealant glaze? Read that some AIOs are abrasive and can cut the paint, and it seems like the Klasse is not, just want to confirm though.

Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax - Being that I am new to detailing and one of the reasons I've done it so infrequently before was because I hated the turtle wax 'elbow grease' needed, I am looking at easier to wipe on/off products. This looks like a nice compromise.

Duragloss 902 - Saw some good reviews of this, and would use it between waxing/sealing to keep the protection in tact. However, is there a wash I should use to strip wax prior to sealing/waxing for the first time? Saw a lot of posts saying to use Dawn, and then others saying to not use Dawn.

Einszett Vinyl Deep Clean & Premium Interior Cleaner - Saw a detailing post on another forum where they used these in combo to clean up an old car. Plan on doing that with the Golf and only using the premium interior on the new car to keep it clean/keep the matte look.

Detailers Pro Series Wheel Special w/cleaner & glaze

Grit Guard

Cobra Micro Chenille Wash Mitt


Anything I am forgetting that is a high importance item for someone just starting off? Thanks everyone!
 
Just a few quick thoughts--

The paint will be fully cured when the car rolls out of the bake oven at the factory. KAIO will not hurt your paint. You will want to do some sort of heavy cleaning, either a system like the Finish Kare Decon, or Iron-X. Clay would also be in order, but be careful, you CAN swirl your car with clay.

Since the car is new, you might want to consider a coating like Opti-Coat 2.0, C-quartz, etc.
 
A man with a plan can't lose. The Klasse High Gloss is a PIA to remove unless it applied perfectly; it made for a not so fun day when I used it the one and only time.

The 1Z Einszett Cockpit Premium is great stuff, i use it often.

Take a look at the Optimum Spray Car Wax, I love this stuff and you can do your whole car in 10 minutes.

Keep evolving your plan until it meets your time restraints and budget!

:dblthumb2:...enjoy the weekend!

Fussman
 
On my 2011 Charger I didn't think I'd need to use clay, I figured it was almost new, how contaminated could it be? Boy was I in for a surprise! I used a new bar of Poorboy's clay over the whole car and came off with a lot of yellow gunk, etc. Maybe the car picked it up in transport or during the short time I've been driving it around. I used a lot of Quick Detailer to make sure the clay was lubricated at all times and I got no swirls on the car with it.

I then used Klasse AIO and Klasse sealant glaze on top of that. If it ever stops raining I'll get the Collinite 845 wax on it.

The KAIO is great, the paint popped really nice after just a clay and AIO. The Klasse glaze is good, but I found it just a bit harder to go on and to remove. No big deal really, but I'm going to try Poorboy's Black Hole Glaze next time (my car is black).

I also clayed my wheels and applied KAIO to them. They turned out very nice.

I've never used Opti-Coat or C-quartz, but a lot of people here love those products.

May I also suggest a few more things that helped me out?

1. A set of microfiber towels. A few big ones for drying (if you don't have a leaf blower/metro), and 5-6 small ones for removing product, buffing, etc. I find that it's helpful to a have few more than you think you need. You can switch up to clean one or dry one as you're working on the car.

2. One or two of the Cobra micro fiber glass cleaning towels. These things are truly awesome for cleaning glass. With these little towels and aerosol Stoners I get all my glass clean and streak free pretty quickly.

The Cobra Waffle Weave Microfiber Glass Towel cleans & buffs glass to crystal clarity with the soft texture of genuine Cobra microfiber.

3. Daytona wheel brush and the Mothers brush kit. These combined will allow you to pretty much get anywhere on your wheels and get the tires, the wheel wells, and the tires clean.
Good luck!

Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush, auto detail brush, Wheel Brush, Tire Brush, Detailing Brush, Corvette brush, Mercedes brush, sport wheel brush,

Mothers Tire, Wheel & Well Brush Kit
 
Thanks for the replies so far, really appreciate it!

Never really thought of using a leaf blower to dry the car before! :xyxthumbs: I do have some regular generic microfiber towels but I added in some of the black microfiber wheel towels in my cart, and am still looking at the rest. Thinking about picking up the guzzler for drying, but what about removing wax? Griots wax removers are out of stock - any good alternative? Or just a regular microfiber? The color coding system for the towels sounds like a good idea, going to start doing that.

Any recommendations aside from the Klasse High Gloss Sealer thats a bit easier to put on / take off?

The Opti-Coat and the C-Quartz might not be for me just yet starting out - especially the C-Quartz comment that it could stain the paint if not applied correctly. Scares me a bit to do that to a new car.
 
Klasse Sealant Glaze comes off easier with an Instant Detailer. When I use KHGSG, I use the Sonus Spritz.
 
DMage said:
Thanks for the replies so far, really appreciate it!


The Opti-Coat and the C-Quartz might not be for me just yet starting out - especially the C-Quartz comment that it could stain the paint if not applied correctly. Scares me a bit to do that to a new car.
Click to expand...

:iagree:...you'll have fun and amazing results with all the other stuff thats in your plan!


:dblthumb2:

Fussman
 
DMage said:
Thanks for the replies so far, really appreciate it!

Never really thought of using a leaf blower to dry the car before! :xyxthumbs: I do have some regular generic microfiber towels but I added in some of the black microfiber wheel towels in my cart, and am still looking at the rest. Thinking about picking up the guzzler for drying, but what about removing wax? Griots wax removers are out of stock - any good alternative? Or just a regular microfiber? The color coding system for the towels sounds like a good idea, going to start doing that.

Any recommendations aside from the Klasse High Gloss Sealer thats a bit easier to put on / take off?

The Opti-Coat and the C-Quartz might not be for me just yet starting out - especially the C-Quartz comment that it could stain the paint if not applied correctly. Scares me a bit to do that to a new car.
Click to expand...

I just use small microfiber towels to take products (wax, glaze, etc) off. Whatever I have handy works. I love the guzzlers for drying.

I have 2 guzzlers, 3 large Cobra drying towels, about 10 small microfiber towels, and 2 of the Cobra glass cleaners. Your mileage may vary. :)
 
mjlinane said:
Klasse Sealant Glaze comes off easier with an Instant Detailer. When I use KHGSG, I use the Sonus Spritz.
Click to expand...

I assume its the Sonus Acrylic Spritz Quick Detailer as that seems to be the one that works with the Klasse products (and I would guess it would still be OK with the Carnuba wax?) vs the Sonus Carnuba Spritz Quick Detailer, right?
 
in my opinion i like the look of wolfgang fusion over the look of Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax...little pricey but worth it. i tend to give my customers that are frequent the fusion treatment and they love it.. looks like everyone else pretty much gave u some good advice so far.
-Kory Kagels (Kagels Auto Detail+reconditioning)
 
DMage said:
Thinking about picking up the guzzler for drying, but what about removing wax? Griots wax removers are out of stock - any good alternative? Or just a regular microfiber? The color coding system for the towels sounds like a good idea, going to start doing that.
Click to expand...

You do not want to use just any microfiber on the paint of your vehicle because some will cause swirl marks. These are good for removing wax and other products from paint.

Super Soft Deluxe Blue Microfiber Towels, microfiber detailing towels, buffing towels, micro fiber towel, detail cloth
 
Correct. The Sonus Acrylic Spritz is designed to work with Klasse.

The Sonus Acrylic Glanz is a nice "recharge" between KHGSG applications, too.
 
Duragloss 902 is a car wash concentrate so I'm not sure why you're thinking of using it between sealants and wax.

Wash - Duragloss 901
Clay - Pinnacle or Mothers
Polish - Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA
Sealant - Klasse High Gloss Sealant
Wax - Collinite 845

Polish

I'm recommending Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA as it's a light polish with minimal cut that will remove those very minor imperfections in a new car finish. Use this with a White and Gray foam pad on speed 5.

Sealant

Klasse High Gloss Sealant is a great sealant but it can be a little tricky to apply correctly for ease of removal. What I found the hard way was not to simply apply the product to my foam pad and start applying.

On my Porter Cable 7424 polisher I use a blue or red foam pad, give the pad a spray of detail spray, apply a small amount of product and now apply on speed 3..

I should have read this BEFORE I started..

• DAMPEN YOUR MICROFIBER PAD with a quick detailer, such as Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz or DP Final Gloss. Then apply a dime-sized amount of Klasse onto the pad. Wipe in long, layered strokes and use just a little pressure; it won’t hinder the results. Let the sealant remain on the entire surface area of your vehicle until it is absolutely dry before you buff your car. Mist the surface with quick detail spray if it resists buffing.

• WAIT 8-12 HOURS BEFORE LAYERING additional coats of Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze or any other product. I recommend you let your car sit overnight and then reapply in the morning or afternoon.

If you ever come across a spot of sealant that's a bit difficult to remove put a dab of the liquid on a soft cloth and rub the affected area. This will dissolve and remove the troublesome area.

Wax

Collinite 845 is a superb wax especially for the price. Try not to confuse or correlate performance to price.

On my Porter Cable 7424 polisher I use a blue or red foam pad, apply 4 dime size globs of product and now apply on speed 3..Spread the product very thin, let haze, and buff to a beautiful gloss and realize 5 solid months of protection to boot!
 
To further what BobbyG said, go really thin with KHGSG, too. I've tried both WOWO and letting it sit. WOWO makes me chase streaks for quite a while. I've had best results letting it sit at least an hour (in Austin heat - obviously out of the sun) before wiping off with the detailer.
 
Just made some recommendations to another forum member in this thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...vet-my-shopping-cart-griot-s-pads-polish.html

Take a read if you like! :xyxthumbs:

If you don't like elbow grease wax off then IMHO I would choose something other than Klasse, my experience says it is some of the hardest to remove..... Yes it is a good product but there are others just as good of better. 845, Max wax, DP Poli-coat, and the list goes on ..............
 
What color is your new car???
Meg's gold class or Duragloss 901 for washing..
Meg's clay kit comes with quik detailer..And can be used afterwards for quick touchups..Price is right and it works very well...Claying is a must.
Klasse products are outstanding..Great choices...
Collinite 845 for the top coat, very inexpensive and the stuff is nothing short of amazing, especially on light colors..
I used all these products on my 2011 BMW..Touched first by me and not by the dealer...
 
New car is a dark gray metallic.

Also to clarify not looking to use the Duragloss 901 between the application of the sealant and before the wax, but rather as a normal weekly wash in-between the weeks I apply wax (as it says its safe).
 
Thanks everyone for the continued feedback!

From the last comments I switched out the Souveran Liquid wax with the Collinite 845, and also added on the Pinnacle clay kit & Wolfgang instant detailer for the Klasse HGS, as well as a slew of microfiber towels/pads.

Going to pretty much follow BobbyG's flow but do it by hand and skip the polish for now. No porter cable for me yet, think thats still a few steps above where I want to start out.

Any recommendations for a quick detailer to use on top of the collinite? Assume I shouldn't be using the wolfgang detailer as its acrylic and it shouldnt go on top of the carnuba wax. DP final gloss? Sonus carnuba quick spritz?
 
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