I got a bunch of stuff -- What am I missing?

[thomas_ccc]

Hello guys,

I have been checking out hundreds of makeovers on this forum and finally decided to start a small collection of products for my own car. My friend from New York is going to visit me in Germany and I placed an order on Amazon for him to bring with him when he comes over since I am saving almost 70% compared to the prices of Meguiar's products over here. Obviously, he can only bring over so much which is why I ordered huge amounts of towels so it doesn't take up too much space.
Anyways, since I might be missing a few pieces to get started properly, I will just tell you what I got.

1x Surf City Garage101 Clearly Better Glass Cleaner Spray (they don't have the Megs cleaner to ship from Amazon)
2x Meguiar's X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt
9x Supreme Shine Microfiber Towels (I bought two packages that include those which is why I have so many now)
2x Water Magnet towels
1x ScratchX 2.0
1x Quik Detailer
1x Meguiar's X3080 EvenCoat Applicator - Pack of 2
1x Ultimate Compound
1x Meguiar's Clay
1x Meguiar's Gold Class High Gloss Tire Protectant Gel (already have it at home)
1x Caramba Cockpit Cleaner (also have that at home – does a decent job)

Since my 17 year old car never experienced anything close to a makeover, I don't have a washing solution yet since I am going to use huge amounts of dish washing fluid to get off the worst stuff first. There is seriously no need for the cheap car wash wax to stay on there.
For now, I will also use two regular buckets without the grit guard but I will look into those later.
From what I understand, I can use the Ultimate Compound and top that with a coat of wax and won’t need a seperate polish. I know I shouldn’t use it when it isn’t necessary but it’s going to be fine for the first time, isn’t it? I am sure that the condition of the finish (It does have a clear coat even tho it’s so old) will need it anyways but I need to know if I can skip the polish. Can I use any of the applicators/towels that I have to apply UC? I read it might be better to use the foam ones.
Since I don’t have a garage I can use for polishing and waxing the car, the car might get exposed to the sun while I am doing it; is that going to hinder me?

What should I use to clean the trim? I was thinking a sponge might be good for that since you can scrub a little which would be fine with the trim on my car since it is a rather rough plastic in terms of the texture.

Which wax would you suggest? Please bear in mind that I am working by hand. I would either like to use a wax that is easily and rather quickly applied or something that lasts for a long time.
How long does washing a car take when you do it properly? The thing is that you can’t wash your car anywhere where there isn’t an oil extractor which means I can only use the coin high pressure washers and then do a hand wash in the box (see: ). However, I have to be very fast or the owner will probably kick me out of his box since I am holding up his customers and aren’t actually buying anything anymore. Again, I will probably have to do the drying in the sun so it is probably a good thing that I will get two drying towels.

What essentials am I missing to get started? Here is what I know that I don’t have but will need:

- Wheel cleaner
- Tire brush (I definitely need one since I tried the Endurance High Gloss Gel on my tires and I only wiped them off with a towel before applying the product and you just know the dressing was completely gone after the first sight of rain)
- Wheel brush
- Car washing liquid for maintenance
- less aggressive substitute for UC for maintenance
- Wax
- Trim Detailer (I tried the tire dressing and it works wonders but dust seems to stick to it very well... you should see the beading tho: the water drops stay on it forever when the rest of the car is already dry again but it looks very nice ... is that going to be the same thing with the actual trim detailer?)

Well, I guess that’s it for now. However, can somebody think of an advantage I might gain by having so many superwhatever MFTs? Maybe there is some type of a technique that you can only do if you have loads of MFTs...

Thank you very much for your help. It’s much appreciated.


Have a great day

Thomas






(I hope I am not double posting now -- didn't work for some reason...)

[Shawn T.]

Re: I got a bunch of stuff -- What am I missing?

A little suggestion, try not to post more than 3 questons per post. It becomes very cumbersome after a while going through all the questions. A lot of people look at this forum while at work and can not afford the time to read through this long post and answer it sufficiently. Even at home, this post looks daunting so try and make them a little shorter with less questions. Thanks!

Since I don’t have a garage I can use for polishing and waxing the car, the car might get exposed to the sun while I am doing it; is that going to hinder me?
I also do not have access to a garage for detailing. It will become annoying at times when the polish will dry too quickly in the hot sun, which will haoppen a lot, but id you add a little more produc then its usually alright for that buffing cycle. Repeat this around the car.

How long does washing a car take when you do it properly?
I can do a quick wash in 30 mins or I can do a complete wash (wheels, wheel wells, vacuum interior, dress everything, etc.) in about 2 hrs.

What should I use to clean the trim?
If it has never been detailed before I suggest Ultimate Protecetant. make sure to clean the trim with an all purpose cleaner or glass cleaner to remove anything from the trim. This will allow the Ultimate Protectant to bond properly. You only have to use a little bit as it goes a long way and work it into the trim.

Which wax would you suggest?
This one is totally up to you. There are so many choices, its really a personal preference. If you are looking for longest lasting, go to NXT 2.0 or M21 Synthetic Sealant.

How long does washing a car take when you do it properly?
It depends. I can accomplish a quick wash in 30 mins or I can do a complete wash in 2 hrs. It also depends on how much time you want to spend.

What essentials am I missing to get started?
Buy a G110V2 if you can. The machine is incredible and is totally safe to use in case you have any hesitations. I recently bought one and will never go back to hand polishing. I also suggest Swirlx as your less aggressive product, it is a great cleaner/polish.

[thomas_ccc]

Re: I got a bunch of stuff -- What am I missing?

A little suggestion, try not to post more than 3 questons per post. It becomes very cumbersome after a while going through all the questions. A lot of people look at this forum while at work and can not afford the time to read through this long post and answer it sufficiently. Even at home, this post looks daunting so try and make them a little shorter with less questions. Thanks!

Hey pal, thanks for taking the time anyways. I suppose you are right but I didn't want to leave out possibly important information and I would not have wanted to post numerous threads. I will however try to keep it short and simple next time.

I also do not have access to a garage for detailing. It will become annoying at times when the polish will dry too quickly in the hot sun, which will haoppen a lot, but id you add a little more produc then its usually alright for that buffing cycle. Repeat this around the car.

Alright, cool.

I can do a quick wash in 30 mins or I can do a complete wash (wheels, wheel wells, vacuum interior, dress everything, etc.) in about 2 hrs.

I meant without drying the car with regard to my problem of blocking the box at the car wash. So I figure it should be possible to do the finish in like 10-15 minutes, right? I guess, if I go really early that is going to be fine.

If it has never been detailed before I suggest Ultimate Protecetant. make sure to clean the trim with an all purpose cleaner or glass cleaner to remove anything from the trim. This will allow the Ultimate Protectant to bond properly. You only have to use a little bit as it goes a long way and work it into the trim.

Is glass cleaner going to be a good idea on tires, too? The last thing I want to do is damage my tires but maybe it's fine?



Thanks again