New Car Care

[08Civic]

Hi All

I just recently purchased an 08 Civic LX coupe. The car is great and the fuel economy is even better, i do lots of commuting. I bought the car brand new and to the best of my knowledge the dealer didn't apply any wax or protectant. Unfortunately winter is in full force right now where i live, so I'll have to wait a few more weeks before i can detail my car. I'm looking for some advice to keep my car looking it's best and be well protected against the elements.

If i understand correctly the process should go as follows...

Exterior:
1) Wash
2) Dry
3) Clay Bar
4) Paint Cleaner
5) Polish
6) Wax

Which meguiars products would you suggest for the steps i numbered 3, 4, 5, 6? I will be hand buffing.....

Interior:
Does meguiars offer any type of fabric protectant?

Wheels:
would i be able to use the same wax as i did in step 6 above?

Thanks in advance
Ryan

[gators241987]

Re: New Car Care

Heres what I would do if I were you.
1. Wash-gold class
2. clay-medium clay bar
3. #80 over entire vehicle
4. #7 over entire vehicle
5. wax with NXT 2.0

Int-gold class vinyl/rub protectant
wheels- yes same wax

[Murr1525]

Re: New Car Care

1. Gold Clas or Nxt wash are good choices. Be sure to use two buckets, and Grit Guards, and good quality towels, sponges ,etc.
2 .Dry
3. Clay - Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay kit is the easiest way to start.
4. Clean - Deep Crystal #1 is a good general cleaner, ScratchX for any swirls/scratches.
5. Polish - Deep Crystal #2 is a good easy to use polish starting off.
6. Wax - Nxt 2.0 seems like the new favorite at the moment. I have a lot of #21 Synthetic Sealant to use up, and cant wait to try the #21 2.0. So I'd vote for one of those.

Interior: Not really.

Wheels: Sure. If they are painted, you can clay, clean, and wax them. Though hard ot say how long the wax would last. And dont bring the clay back up onto the paint then.

Keep asking away, and here are some more links incase you havent seen them, with a few machine links for the future.


Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[CWM3]

Re: New Car Care

I agree with what Murr1525 offered.

Most of those listed products can be found at Wal-Mart or an automotive place.

If you can, find some Ultimate Quick Detailer. It is a different type of detailer spray that is found in the Smooth Surface Clay Kit. After you finish your waxing simply follow the instructions on the bottle.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: New Car Care

Murr's advice is right on the money. The same things I would have suggested. Just remember to use the quik detailer in the clay kit when claying. Not the ultimate quik detailer.

[ken_ja]

Re: New Car Care

Welcome,

Both the previous posters are right on the money. Been a meguires user for years and have been satisfied with the results. Recently changed to NXT products after using Gold Class for 5 years, and so far have no complaints. Have fun!

[HagFan]

Re: New Car Care

Clay and wax on the wheels was a good thing I learned here. Treat the clearcoat wheels just like your paint, and don't spray wheel cleaner on them. Avoiding the wheel cleaner allows your wax and any tire dressing you might use to last longer. I only use the wheel cleaner now when I'm getting ready to repeat the clay and wax on them, and it's probably not necessary even then.

If your car is white, or not a dark color, then I think you can skip the polish and go right to wax. If fact, I have yet to touch my 2007 Civic Si with my #80. I've only used clay, Cleaner Wax and #21 on it, as the it was not swirled on delivery.

[08Civic]

Re: New Car Care

Thanks for the replies.

I think I'll pick up some Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay kit as suggested. Would i notice any difference if i used deep crystal #1 & #2, or #80 & #7?

[Murr1525]

Re: New Car Care

Well.. There are a few things to look at:

1. If your car has no swirls, etc, then DC#1 will be the easy product to use by hand. It is very mild, and wont remove swirls, so check your paint out on a sunny day.

2. If you want the best products, #7 is a better polish that DC#2, but DC#2 is pretty much fool proof. You can do a search for some of the tips on how to remove #7 easiest.

3. Your car is white, so either way, DC#2 and #7 will likely end up looking similar. There just isnt as much of a difference as there is with dark colors. You might like to read "A Lesson from White Paint" over at autopia.org. White isnt a bad color to work on, but you will get more of a blinding shine in the sun than the 10 feet of depth from black paint.

Hope that helps a bit...