My first detailing - notes for all inside!

[rudemood12]

well, i finally took the big step today and whipped out all the meguiars products ive been gathering since september and went to work. it was about 40ish degrees today, not too warm, but sunny and no wind. for new england in february, it was perfect. i figured id go through my process and give some details - some for those ive gotten information from, some for those who may be new to this and may have questions of their own. lets start the rundown -

started with the nxt car wash - great smell, great sudsing action. glad i picked this up to replace some other stuff i had. went out of my way to get it too, and im glad i did. went with the two bucket method, although i didnt have a grit guard i had hoped to find something comparable in the area, but to no avail. washing was quicker than i thought, which was good.

then i made the mistake of doing the windows/tires next - i realize i shouldve done these first to remove any residue/overspray from the car, but i figured the claying w/ the speed detailer would take care of that. will definitely do this in reverse next time.

edit - it was at this point i injured myself pretty badly - while cleaning the inside rear windshield, i was running my hand down the window with a MF towel, when i caught the electrical connector to the defroster on my right index finger very hard - and it took a nice, 1/8th inch size chunk of skin out of my finger. OUCH! so what did i do? walked inside, let it bleed for a bit, cleaned it out with some alcohol (mega-bleeping ouch), threw some liquid bandage on there, a bandaid, wrapped it in packing tape, and went back to it. i mean, hell, what else could i do?

so, next i used all wheel cleaner on my rims. this stuff is GREAT. this combined with a tire brush will take just about anything off. i was also planning on polishing the chrome trim on the rim, but it looked so good by just being clean, that i left it that way.

then went at the tires with the nxt tire cleaner/insane shine. another one-two punch. the cleaner worked especially well on the tires, and the insane shine 'stuck' better than the hot wheels product i had used previously. i got these as presents for christmas, and glad that i did. all of this NXT stuff is wwonderful.

then i worked on the chrome magnaflow exhaust tips on my mustang... i have the nxt polysh - THIS STUFF IS AWESOME!!!(sensing a theme yet?) i had initially used it on some hollow-tip door lock tips and they looked great, so i expected similar results. i took some pics as well, couldnt help it. get this stuff if you have any chrome/aluminum on your car. you wont believe the difference.

then came the windows - ive heard a lot of great things about the nxt glass cleaner, but i originally picked up stoners glass cleaner and have fallen in love with that. like mike says 'find a product you like and use it often'. its the only non-megs product in my basket. i also applied some rainx to the windows. i would suggest using it to anyone - it can give some dramatic results in the rain. the beading action is incredible.

then i clayed the entire car - ugh! it was A LOT of effort and took A LOT of time (about 2 hours by itself) but it was so worth it. i cannot believe what this stuff can achieve. there is NO excuse not to use this EVER!

my only dilemma is that it took so long after the claying, that i had no time to do the dc#1, dc#2, nxt wax combo that i wanted to. so, this leads into my questions/suggestions for everyone.

suggestions -

1.) TIME - give yourself way more time than you expect it to take. you never know what you will encounter/change your mind on in the middle of your day. the last thing you want to happen is to not have enough time to complete your agenda (like me )

2.) beware of the surface you are working on. more specifically - beware of asphalt! anything you drop will need to be cleaned immediately before using again, and can render some towels/clay useless if you drop it. it ***** big time. bring a pillow for your knees as well. it can be a killer of an activity on the body.

3.) dont under-estimate the power of the clay bar! this thing can take just about ANYTHING off of your car. its very similar to scratchx - it will WORK if you WORK IT. if there is a stubborn spot, work it for a bit. going in circles seemed to work best for me and (i dont know if this is recommended, but) sometimes doing it dry seemed to help give the clay some extra grabbing power. if you havent clayed your car before, or have a lot of caked on grime/sand/salt, etc give yourself the time to do it. your car's paint will thank you.

4.) beware of the overspray! plan out your detailing ahead of time so you give yourself the ability to take off anything extra that you may have sprayed on. this applies to any surface.

alright, now for some questions that arose after my activities -

1.) arg, i didnt have enough time to get to my dc#1/dc#2/nxt wax combo. id hate to think i wasted a lot of my time doing this for nothing - its going to rain tomorrow. i have some time in the morning, so what do i need to do (if anything) to not waste all of my efforts from today?

2.) is it really necessary to dry your car after washing? i know water spots would be a pain, but if you are claying/cleaning/polishing afterwords, would that negate any effects that the water may bring?

3.) if i dont get the chance to do any cleaning/polishing/waxing tomorrow before the rain, what will i need to do when i go to do my dc1, dc2, wax combo? i would assume i wouldnt need to clay again (unless really necessary), so would a wash/dry then cleaners/polishes/waxes be good enough?

woooo... i think thats it folks. a great big thanks to everyone who has contributed on this forum - priceless information. my car has never looked better. thanks all.

[Murr1525]

Congratulations.. You're almost a nut like the rest of us

Glad everything went so well..

1 note, you may find it beneficial to have a cleaner/wax, either ColorX or the regular, in your arsenal for just such occaisions as short on time.

As for your questions:

1. I'd at least put wax on if you want something.

2. I dont dry after washing if I am going to clay. I try to keep the car wet, then hose down and dry when all is done. I do dry before cleaning/polishing/waxing, because for me, water seems to mees up the application. Esp of waxes.

3. Yes, just give it a wash, then use the 3-step process. You shouldnt need to clay after a day or two, probably good for 4 months or so at least... but anything can happen.

[rudemood12]

i had assumed i would have enough time to get the job done, hence why i didnt use an inbetween product like colorx. the claying took quite a bit longer than i had hoped. doh.

so i could just jump straight to the wax? if i do that, what is necessary when i want to go through the dc1/dc2 process before i wax again? anything?

and yes, i think this qualifies me for certified nut status! i had a great time doing it, regardless of how much work it took. i found it helped to had the stereo going with some good tunes to help the time go by.

[Murr1525]

If you just wax it in the morning, it will be protected, but not at its absolute best of couse. But you may as well enjoy it for a little.

Your next free day, you can wash, dry, then just go clean/polish/wax. The cleaner will remove any wax, and get down to the paint.

Just keep note of how our paint feels now, and when it feels rough, or overspray, etc, clay again. Incidently, put your hand in a sandwich bag, and rub your fingers over the paint in that. You'll pick up even more roughness, at least on unclayed paint.

And dont let the Nxt wax dry on black trim.

[rudemood12]

looks like it is going to start raining early, so i doubt ill be able to wax it. ill prob just hold off till when i get a chance next week to wash it, dc1, dc2, wax it. there is a lot of sand on the roads here, and that was the majority of the spots i took off with the clay, so i may have to do that again as well.

murr, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer all the questions, as well as your comments. it is most definitely appreciated. i can only hope to return the favor to others in time.