This noob is officially confused help..

[Rob402]

I'm more confused about detailing now than I ever was. I've never detailed a vehicle no further than washing it. I want to make an attempt at bringing a better-than-it-currently-is finish to my 2001, Patriot Blue, Jeep Cherokee. So where the heck do I start, I mean which products do I need to use? I've read the how-to articles and watched the videos which confused me even further about which products to use. A little about the current condition of my Cherokee: There's no deep scratches in the surface mainly swirl marks and light surface scratches, water spots, bird dropping left over’s, oxidation and basically a neglected dull finish with no mirror looking shine. I have the clay bar kit so I'm well aware of that step. It’s the next ones I’m not certain about. After claying should I use Swirl X or Scratch X 2.0, which polish, Deep Crystal or something else, NXT wax or something else? I'm only a "my vehicle" detailer so I don't want to drop $150 or more on a DA polisher. What do you guys recommend for a noob like me? Any additional tips would be great because I'm overwhelmed with all the options available. I'll still do a boat-load of searches and read to educate myself on different procedures. I just need a good starting point. Thanks’

[Murr1525]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

I would look at:

1. Wash - Gold Class soap, 2 buckets, quality towels/mitts. Dont want to add swirls back, esp in the future.

2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay Kit

3. Clean - I would want to have Ultimate Compound and Ult. Polish on my shelf. That way you have a mild cleaner and a strong cleaner. Sounds like you may need the strong cleaner the first time, but best to do a test spot of each. So you may use both products this time, then just the mild cleaner in the future. Of course cleaners need worked in well to remove swirls, not just wiped around.

4. Wax - Nxt 2.0 or Ult. Wax would be good options.

5. Wax - 2 thin coats is best.

6. Maintain - Ultimate Quick Wax is good for after future washings, until it is time to detail again.

[rcktpwrd]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

Ultimate Compound worked great for me on my 2001 PT Cruiser, it is also Patriot Blue. I went from that to the wax step, I like the NXT 2.0, looks great on the Cruiser. Next time I am going to use the ultimate polish as well.

[Rob402]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

Thanks for the info guys. Here's an update: Washed using the 2 bucket method, clayed, then Quick Waxed. I did find issues and need suggestions on the fix. The roof has bird dropping damage on it to where the paint looks like orange peel where the droppings sat. The areas range from smaller than a dime to as large as a quarter. How do I tackle these areas, Ultimate Compound?

[Murr1525]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

Most likely Ultimate Compound, though a pic may be a good idea to share if you can get one.

It is possible if that severe, you may be able to improve it some, not really fix it.

[akimel]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

Check out this article: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen.

I am a enthusiastic supporter of the regular use of a cleaner wax (ColorX is a good choice) on daily drivers. It will help to remove pollutants, staining, and water spots. You could then top it with your preferred sealant for more durable protection. A cleaner wax does not have the cleaning power of a dedicated polish--so for tough spots you will want to use Ultimate Compound--but for regular care ColorX does the job.

[jaymz]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

I don't think you're gonna be able to much real paint correction without a DA.

Jim

[Michael Stoops]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

I don't think you're gonna be able to much real paint correction without a DA.

So much of that depends on the paint itself - some paints are fairly easy to correct by hand, others darn near impossible. No doubt a DA will make life easier, especially when dealing with as much surface area as a Jeep Cherokee presents.

Thanks for the info guys. Here's an update: Washed using the 2 bucket method, clayed, then Quick Waxed. I did find issues and need suggestions on the fix. The roof has bird dropping damage on it to where the paint looks like orange peel where the droppings sat. The areas range from smaller than a dime to as large as a quarter. How do I tackle these areas, Ultimate Compound?

Washing and Quik Waxing are fine as maintenance goes, but you've got other issues to address that need some elbow grease (or the above mentioned DA) to fix. The etching from the bird droppings (and that what they are - etchings down into the paint), swirl marks, even very fine scratches are all grouped together as "below surface defects". All that means is that, to some degree, the defects have penetrated below the surface of the paint as opposed to sitting on top of it. The clay process you used should have addressed those things sitting on top of the paint - bonded to it, literally - but it won't touch the below surface stuff.

For below surface defects you need to use a liquid paint cleaner of some sort. These products are essentially - are you sitting down? - abrasives in a bottle. Scary as that sounds, we often here people asking us how to remove these defects without using any kind of abrasive. The truth is, you can't remove them without some sort of abrasive. Period. But which abrasive you choose is important as they, obviously, come in vary degrees of aggressiveness. Ultimate Polish is very mild and is great for a finishing polish to further refine the surface after removing the more severe defects, but in order to remove them you'll likely need to step up to Ultimate Compound. Don't let the word "compound" scare you, either, as this product uses current cutting edge abrasives technology that won't scour the paint or make it look worse than when you started. In fact, in most cases Ultimate Compound leaves a finish so nice that you don't even need the Ultimate Polish.

The key to using UC or any other similar product, is to work it aggressively against the paint in small areas - no more than about a foot square at a time, and wipe off the residue before it dries. This is NOT a simple wipe on, wipe off process. It takes a fair bit of energy, but the rewards can be quite high.

But know this - using a product like Ultimate Compound by hand to remove below surface defects is going to take some fairly serious elbow grease. And on something as big as a Cherokee, your arms are going to be tired. And sore. Very tired and sore!

[Rob402]

Re: This noob is officially confused help..

So much of that depends on the paint itself - some paints are fairly easy to correct by hand, others darn near impossible. No doubt a DA will make life easier, especially when dealing with as much surface area as a Jeep Cherokee presents.


Washing and Quik Waxing are fine as maintenance goes, but you've got other issues to address that need some elbow grease (or the above mentioned DA) to fix. The etching from the bird droppings (and that what they are - etchings down into the paint), swirl marks, even very fine scratches are all grouped together as "below surface defects". All that means is that, to some degree, the defects have penetrated below the surface of the paint as opposed to sitting on top of it. The clay process you used should have addressed those things sitting on top of the paint - bonded to it, literally - but it won't touch the below surface stuff.

For below surface defects you need to use a liquid paint cleaner of some sort. These products are essentially - are you sitting down? - abrasives in a bottle. Scary as that sounds, we often here people asking us how to remove these defects without using any kind of abrasive. The truth is, you can't remove them without some sort of abrasive. Period. But which abrasive you choose is important as they, obviously, come in vary degrees of aggressiveness. Ultimate Polish is very mild and is great for a finishing polish to further refine the surface after removing the more severe defects, but in order to remove them you'll likely need to step up to Ultimate Compound. Don't let the word "compound" scare you, either, as this product uses current cutting edge abrasives technology that won't scour the paint or make it look worse than when you started. In fact, in most cases Ultimate Compound leaves a finish so nice that you don't even need the Ultimate Polish.

The key to using UC or any other similar product, is to work it aggressively against the paint in small areas - no more than about a foot square at a time, and wipe off the residue before it dries. This is NOT a simple wipe on, wipe off process. It takes a fair bit of energy, but the rewards can be quite high.

But know this - using a product like Ultimate Compound by hand to remove below surface defects is going to take some fairly serious elbow grease. And on something as big as a Cherokee, your arms are going to be tired. And sore. Very tired and sore!

My wash, clay, quick wax was temporary; just to get me to this weekend. That's when I'll again wash, and clay it but this time I'll UC it with a DA, afterward I'll use deep crystal polish or color x (which one would be better?) followed up with 2 thin coats of NXT. Does that sound good or should I change, add/omit anything? I know the bird droppings where it etched the finish will probably never look as if they were never there and I'm ok with that I just want to try and make them look less obvious but at same time adding some protection to the finish at those areas. Any suggestions on an inexpensive DA for a beginner?

Thanks for all the input.