Thoughts on detailing process

[Bengalfang]

So I am going to wash my dad's '99 Landcruiser for Father's Day. After reading a ton of posts on this forum I decided to go with this process. I have never done anything past washing a car and waxing (once). I am sure my dad's car has tons of swirls.

It's a goldish/silvery color and hasn't been well taken care of. Pretty much Touchless carwashes since he got it and that's about it.

This is what I was thinking (all by hand):

1. Wash with Gold Class and dry
2. Clay with one of the Meg Kits
3. Rinse
4. Deep Crystal step 1
5. Deep Crystal step 2
6. NXT Tech wax (liquid) x2

I read on meguiars.com that DC is specifically made for darker colored cars. So will it still work well on my dad's car? Also I realize Scratch X maybe better for such a neglected car but I wil be happy if I get most of the scratches out, don't need all of them out. Also it's a big car and I think Scratch X would kill my arm.

Also I have a Dark Dark Grey Metallic IS250 that I am going to use this same process on sometime. Probably in a month or so. Are there any steps I should leave out or add since it's a new car (3 weeks right now)?

Again I am new to this whole thing I wanted to stay with the consumer lines for ease of application and ease of buying. I don't need the car to be 100% perfect, just really nice.

Thanks,

Todd

[Magic]

We'll you seem to have done your home work.. That's pretty much how I started, and used the same process. DC1 is a mild paint cleaner. While it works great for light paint cleaning (water spots, stains) it will not put a dent in the swirl removing department. So just as long as that's not your main goal (Remove Swirls) you will be happy with the results. DC1 works great on all colors.

And you dad will be thrilled!

Also:
1. Wash with Gold Class and dry
2. Clay with one of the Meg Kits
3. Rinse You can skip this step if you dry with a MF cloth after you work the clay!
4. Deep Crystal step 1
5. Deep Crystal step 2
6. NXT Tech wax (liquid) x2

[Bengalfang]

So you don't think DC1 will do anything at all for the swirls? I would like to get a lot of them out. Other than Scratch-X what product would do a decent job of getting them out. Keep in mind this is by hand. Will DC2 help with the swirls at all?

[Murr1525]

DC#1 by hand wont do a whole lot. And ScratchX would be better. Remember it might take 3-5 well worked in applications per area to really remove swirls, but if you dont want them removed, you dont have to do 5 applications. Maybe just two really worked in applications.

The only other option is ColorX. It is kind of a medium strength cleaner by hand, but it is a cleaner/wax, so it might mess up your process a bit. Not as strong as ScratchX, but better than DC#1.

DC#2 is a pure polish, non-abrasive, and wont do anything for swirls.

Hopefully you dont need the ScratchX for your car as well, but ColorX is handy on new and old cars.

[TSR6]

Go with the ScratchX!

I generally skip DC#1 if I use ScratchX, and move to DC#2 & #3. It saves a little bit on the arm. If you work the ScratchX in with a little bit of determination, the results.....and lack of swirls is fantastic.

I did this to two full size pickup trucks one day. It takes a long time, but the results are worth it.

Good choice on the father's day gift. I'm waxing dad's car & truck this week for a combo of birthday & father's day. Dad's car has never been waxed other than the detailing spray he uses.

[Bengalfang]

Thanks for all the info. Maybe I will get Scratch X. It's just a really big car!! I'll do a comparison test.

I will be able to see results after the DC1/Scratch-X phase right? to compare I don't have finish the polish and the wax right?

Also, is one tube enough for a Land Cruiser?

[Murr1525]

Well, kinda depends on how many applications you choose to do... maybe get 2 just in case.

Not sure what you mean be seeing results and not needing polish and wax?

[Bengalfang]

Originally posted by Murr1525
Well, kinda depends on how many applications you choose to do... maybe get 2 just in case.

Not sure what you mean be seeing results and not needing polish and wax?

I want to compare scratch-X and DC1, to see how much more scratch-x helps. But I don't want to do one panel of scratch-x and one panetl of DC1 then use DC2 then NXT. Then realize I should just scratch-x all the panels and have to restart. So I was asking if I could see the difference right after I apply DC1 or Scratch-x. Then I could judge if I want to scratch-x the whole thing right there an then.

I hope that made sense. If not, you can just ignore it.

[TH0001]

DC1 does have very minor abrasives which might help remove minor oxidation but is not going to give you swirl removing action (as stated above).

DC2 might "fill" in some micromarring but will probably not help with swirl hiding at all. It will make the color deeper and more reflective.

NXT is also rich in oils and will further concel light marring but again isn't gonna make a big difference in the swirl department. What you might find when you are done is that the swirls are more noticable because the paint is very clean.

ScratchX will cut out some swirling, but is a PIA and I couldn't imagine using it on a SUV that sized.

You might be better off doing something such as....

Washing
Clay
ColorX
NTX

ColorX will remove light marring also (more then DC1, I believe) and will also introduce oils in the paint, similar to DC2. Top with 2 coats of NXT and you should have a nice deep refective shine. Considring the color of the vehicle I would imagine the results would be better this way then using the DC1, DC2 combo....

Todd (in Orlando).

Hit me via PM, I am in Largo often (my parents live there) and I would be willing to help you knock out some swirls on your dad's vehicle or yours, or show you the advantages of a PC.

[LiquidBlack]

My two cents, DC2 probably wont show any difference in the appearance of the car's finish because of the car's color.

Be aware you may have a lot of work ahead of you if you plan to do ALL of this by hand in one day. You may prefer to spread it out over a couple of days.

My recommendations:

Wash
Clay
Wash (again)
DC1
Wax
Dress tires

[TSR6]

I don't know about gold - but I do know that I notice a difference in my truck's solar yellow after using DC#2

[fuzzydd]

A little off topic~ I really like the paint colours on the new Lexus IS'es

[Bengalfang]

fuzzydd - I agree. I love the Smokey Granite Mica color I got. I don't think I could have asked for anything closer to what I was looking for. Looks black a lot of times but in light is a really dark charcoal. The other colors are awesome too.

After reading what Liquid black and Th0001 wrote, I think I am going with the Color X instead of the DC1/DC2. It will save me one step and hopefully remove the swirls.

As for my car, I think I will try the DC1/DC2 combo sometime. It's a dark colored car and doesn't have major scratch issues. Just some minor ones. How long will this last before I have to redo all of this?