New Car daily driver products help

[xjohne]

Ok so I recently purchased a new car and have been searching the internet for the best ways to clean and maintain it. Ill be driving the car everyday and it will be kept outside unfortunately. It's pretty tough to decide with so many different forums/guides/opinions so i thought i would just write up what i have so far and see if anyone can offer some advice.

Wash- Gold Class shampoo or NXT once a week

Clay- Meguiars clay kit, twice a year

Polish-Not too sure on which product or how many times a year to Preclean or polish an AIO recommendation?

Sealant- was looking at the NXT wax but it doesnt seem like it would last very long, im looking for something that will last 3-4 months at least. read some decent things about blackfire wd?

Wax-Pinnacle souverin on occasions when id like it to look a lil better? is it even necessary with the sealant?

I guess the biggest question is the Cleaner and polish.

When and how frequently do i need to use a cleaner and polish?

Btw, as of now im looking to hand polish the car till i have some more funds to buy a DA polisher.
Car is also black.

I know there are plenty of threads on some of this stuff and i've been trying to read through them but its tough to sift through and find exactly what im looking for.

Thanks in advance

[ffboy]

Re: New Car daily driver products help

Cleaners like ultimate compound shoud basically be used in theory once, since its basically only used to remove paint imperfections, swirls, scratches, it is a compound anyway. Ultimate compound is agressive anyway, unless you have a much lighter pre-wax cleaner product, maybe around 2x a year.So after all the imperfections have been removed there is basically no reason to keep using it on a regular basis. After all the correction work has been done, its basically up to the user to keep it nice and swirl free by using the proper wash/dry techniques. Polishing, or pure polish like deep crstal 2 or M07 showcar glaze which has no cleaners whatsoever, can be used on a more frequent basis. If waxing is recommended 3-4 times a year, i would use it before applying NXT 2 or ultimate wax. Now you say your car is black, using pure polish IS A MUST, it will make add even more depth and that wet look that will make any dark color even richer.

That's why proper maintenance is needed in between waxing. That way, you can minimize any swirls and keep that shine going for a long time.

[1994Gen1L]

Re: New Car daily driver products help

I used Ultimate Polish (UP) and Ultimate Liquid Wax (ULW) on my 1994 Oxford White F150 this past week and applied it with my Meg's DA. I was really impressed with the results. Just something to think about.

[ffboy]

Re: New Car daily driver products help

Sealants' durability will depend largely on the how the paint is maintained. There are many sealants out there, some a bit finicky to use like the klasse twins, some easy to use like the NXT 2.0, Pinnacle or cleaner free carnauba waxes will add the wet, warm carnauba look and depending on your goals you may add it. It can soer of protect your sealant but won't make the whole protective coating last 2 or 3x longer. Depending on whether you like the sealant look or carnauba look, adding the pinnacle will add something to your finish.

Don't be drawn too much with durability, but focus on proper maintenance to keep your car shiny. Looking for an extremely durable sealant may prove troublesome and costly in the end. I actually have been in that situation, from mothers FX to NXT2 to collinites to carlack (klasse) twins, i ended up realizing that they all perform well, and still depend on how I maintain the finish. The difference in one sealant to the other may not be as huge a difference for one to try them all.

[Murr1525]

Re: New Car daily driver products help

My vote is to keep things simple, esp at first. And simple is also good if you are new to detailing in general.

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Nxt 2.0 or Ult. Wax. I like the Ult. Wax myself, but it applies a bit differently, so has thrown some people off.

5. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax after the weekly washes.

[1994Gen1L]

Re: New Car daily driver products help

My vote is to keep things simple, esp at first. And simple is also good if you are new to detailing in general.

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Nxt 2.0 or Ult. Wax. I like the Ult. Wax myself, but it applies a bit differently, so has thrown some people off.

5. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax after the weekly washes.

Outstanding advice! The above is a great menu for success. I use it on my 2011 F150 Daily Driver (DD) and my wifes Fusion DD. I recently tried the GCC+ Quick Wax and it gives a greater depth & shine on Bordeaux Red Metallic than the UQW does.