New To Detailing - Where do I start?

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barthofamily

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Hello everyone. New to the form and i'm looking forward to tapping into the thoughts and ideas everyone has.

We purchased a newer vehicle, 2012 Maxima in Crimson Black, and we are looking to do everything we can to keep the car in pristine condition. Unfortunately we are new to the detailing world and are at a lost on where to start.

We have looked at many of the products and it is simply overwhelming. So many brands with similar product types under each brand. We are having a hard time understanding the pros and cons of each product when comparing brands. They all seem to do the exact same, and just have different labeling. Do we stick with one brand? Mix brands to get the best combination of products? Ext.

We are looking to purchase products to fully detail every inch of the car. Exterior, interior, leather care, glass care, and tire care. In addition, we will likely purchase a PC DA polisher as well. Any advice on where where to start? What brands to look at? And specific products in each brand, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
 
first thing first,invest in mike Phillips training class or buy his book,that will be the the best quick info and correct way of detailing.
 
Well, you kind of hit the nail on the head, each brand is pretty much trying to do the same thing, and in a broad general sense they all have a product to address each detailing issue.

The good news is that for the most part there are no bad products today. So you can pick a line based on what appeals to you, and it's hard to go wrong.
 
A mixture of brands in the arsenal would be good. Some brands excel at certain areas with certain flagship products over others but overall most car-care brand offerings do cover most of the areas to be treated specifically i.e. the interior/exterior/glass surface/wheels etc, ultimately it could be just a matter of preference :P
 
GSKR said:
first thing first,invest in mike Phillips training class or buy his book,that will be the the best quick info and correct way of detailing.
Click to expand...

:iagree: and have done so myself in the past. Will chime back with some of my favs.
 
Not sure what you're willing to spend on a polisher.. But Skippibg that
3d HD speed or adapt
A coating paint prep
And a stupid easy ceramic/nano coating like mckee 37, Wolfgang Uber or glosscoat

I haven't went to any classes yet..but plan to go to a 3day in my area along with competition ready 3day...

I've learned how to polish via reading forum and watching vids of Mike and other people off AHO/Autopia.
I've learned from my own mistakes too
 
Some starter items I think are listed below. If you're in CA or anywhere else that has a strict water ban then your methods will change to a "waterless wash" or "rinseless wash" search that in google or your fav search engine and tag on Mike Philips to the end of your question. You will find answers to questions you may have, also of course on this forum.

As for products I couldn't agree more there are so many, and yes I as most have many products. Thats getting into it a little deep though, so we'll just keep it simple to start. I'd start with some high quality stuff like the McKee's 37 line. Great price point, and I think a great product to start off with.

I'm listing basics and your product/brand of choice may differ as everyone likes something specific or have a different method on what "tool" to use for cleaning specific parts of the car.

2 - Wash buckets with grit guards
2 - Wash mitts one for the car, one for wheels
? - High quality microfiber drying towel(s) for cars paint and black microfiber for wheels.
? - A bunch like say 12 high quality microfiber towels for wiping of wax, sealants, or when you quick detail with a detail spray.
? - Less expensive microfiber towels for the interior, the dirty work, door jambs stuff like that.
1 - automotive clay like a clay bar or clay mitt from Nanoskin.
1 - Clay lubricant spray or a waterless wash solution will give the lubricity you need to clay your paint.
1 - All Purpose Cleaner Meguiars APC love that stuff. Its a concentrate so you should dilute it to the recommended ratio.

Wax or Sealant of your choice. There's more reading for ya. So much fun isn't it?? :props:

1 - Porter Cable 7424XP polisher
? - Lake Country ThinPro pads, colors and their purpose are explained.

AG is having a really good sale right now you can probably pick up a Porter Cable polisher kit with all you need to get started and save a few bucks.

Hope this helped. These are just suggestions but I feel this will get you pointed in the right direction.
 
barthofamily said:
Hello everyone. New to the form and i'm looking forward to tapping into the thoughts and ideas everyone has.

We purchased a newer vehicle, 2012 Maxima in Crimson Black, and we are looking to do everything we can to keep the car in pristine condition. Unfortunately we are new to the detailing world and are at a lost on where to start.

We have looked at many of the products and it is simply overwhelming. So many brands with similar product types under each brand. We are having a hard time understanding the pros and cons of each product when comparing brands. They all seem to do the exact same, and just have different labeling. Do we stick with one brand? Mix brands to get the best combination of products? Ext.

We are looking to purchase products to fully detail every inch of the car. Exterior, interior, leather care, glass care, and tire care. In addition, we will likely purchase a PC DA polisher as well. Any advice on where where to start? What brands to look at? And specific products in each brand, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
Click to expand...

>> They all seem to do the exact same, and just have different labeling. <<


As a basic and fundamental level, you are correct. Wash, Decontaminate, Clay, Compound, Polish, Seal, Wax, Coating. Some products combine steps, others have patents and more "nano" tech than old-school formulations, etc... Just understand you don't need to know everything about every product before you start sampling and finding out what products suit you best.

The real question we would need to understand is how often you plan on taking care of the vehicle (e.g. - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly), the purpose of the vehicle (e.g. - pleasure cruiser, daily driver, etc...), and how much skill are you looking to achieve over time.
 
You come to the right place. Many How to articles right here .YOu want at least 3 buffing pads for each type of pad.

Light Cutt pad
Polishing pad
finishing pad

As for brands. Meguiars, Menzerna, Hd Polish, Griots any many other brands on autogeek.com. Its going to depend on preference. Expensive does not always equal best.
 
High Caliber said:
Some starter items I think are listed below. If you're in CA or anywhere else that has a strict water ban then your methods will change to a "waterless wash" or "rinseless wash" search that in google or your fav search engine and tag on Mike Philips to the end of your question. You will find answers to questions you may have, also of course on this forum.

As for products I couldn't agree more there are so many, and yes I as most have many products. Thats getting into it a little deep though, so we'll just keep it simple to start. I'd start with some high quality stuff like the McKee's 37 line. Great price point, and I think a great product to start off with.

I'm listing basics and your product/brand of choice may differ as everyone likes something specific or have a different method on what "tool" to use for cleaning specific parts of the car.

2 - Wash buckets with grit guards
2 - Wash mitts one for the car, one for wheels
? - High quality microfiber drying towel(s) for cars paint and black microfiber for wheels.
? - A bunch like say 12 high quality microfiber towels for wiping of wax, sealants, or when you quick detail with a detail spray.
? - Less expensive microfiber towels for the interior, the dirty work, door jambs stuff like that.
1 - automotive clay like a clay bar or clay mitt from Nanoskin.
1 - Clay lubricant spray or a waterless wash solution will give the lubricity you need to clay your paint.
1 - All Purpose Cleaner Meguiars APC love that stuff. Its a concentrate so you should dilute it to the recommended ratio.

Wax or Sealant of your choice. There's more reading for ya. So much fun isn't it?? :props:

1 - Porter Cable 7424XP polisher
? - Lake Country ThinPro pads, colors and their purpose are explained.

AG is having a really good sale right now you can probably pick up a Porter Cable polisher kit with all you need to get started and save a few bucks.

Hope this helped. These are just suggestions but I feel this will get you pointed in the right direction.
Click to expand...

How do you feel about Chemical Guy's clay mitt? AG has this on sale that comes w/ Blackfire's clay lubricant as a bonus.
 
mommafrica said:
How do you feel about Chemical Guy's clay mitt? AG has this on sale that comes w/ Blackfire's clay lubricant as a bonus.
Click to expand...

I don't have the CGuys mitt but, Chemical Guys is good stuff. Thats a good combo deal price as well.
 
High Caliber said:
I don't have the CGuys mitt but, Chemical Guys is good stuff. Thats a good combo deal price as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I also found Nanoskin's mitt on Amazon for $37. I wonder if AG will match this plus its current 20% ongoing sale.
 
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