First Detail - Please Advice Which Steps Are / Aren't Necessary?

[Garabaldi]

Hello Everyone,

I'll soon perform my first detail on a 2012 Red Hyundai Sonata that has been my wife's daily driver for about a year. The paint has been pretty well cared for, with only faint swirl marks visible in direct sunlight.

I originally planned to:

1) Wash
2) Clay
3) Wax (with NXT 2.0)

However, after reading Meguiar's 5 Step Paint Care system, I realize I'm missing a Paint Cleaner and Polisher. Are these two products necessary to achieve best results - even if this is a fairly new vehicle with no major defects? Thank you!

[ffboy]

Re: First Detail - Please Advice Which Steps Are / Aren't Necessary?

The 5-sep paint care is ideal for best results. Paint cleaners will remove imperfections and leave the paint flawless, and create that shine and clarity and remove any if not many unwanted material from the paint, cleaning allows succeeding products to bond better to paint. Pure Polish (some call glaze) will add the depth and wet look and moisturize the paint, will work best on dark colored or even warm colored cars, this will complement the shine of the car wax/sealant you'll apply. Whether or not you choose to apply cleaner and polish is up to you and how you like your paint's condition.

Cleaners at this point may not be necessary, but it will give optimum results in protection and in shine. One alternative to cleaner wax, it cuts detailing time quite significantly. It Cleans, polishes and protects in one step. Like ColorX or A12 cleaner wax, ColorX in particular will be better at removing some of the imperfections or at least clean the surface and leave some protection then follow up with NXT 2.0, colorX is not a swirl remover, so you may need more than one application of it to really be able to remove those very light swirls.

Cleaner waxes are good products, but being an all-in-one, it is a compromised product. Not being a pure paint cleaner, it may not be strong enough for deeper defects. Not being a pure polish means it may not give the deepest richest gloss that a pure polish may give, and finally not being a pure dedicated wax means you're not getting the best protection even if it's a synthetic polymer type of cleaner wax.

[Murr1525]

Re: First Detail - Please Advice Which Steps Are / Aren't Necessary?

As noted above, the 2 details you would be looking at to cover all the steps (with no defects to fix up) are something like this:

Quick:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax

Full:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean/Polish - Ult. Polish
4. Wax
5. Wax

In theory it would be a little extra time/steps, a little better result. But who knows, your eye may or may not see a difference.

And then:

6. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax after future washes.

[imz4n]

Re: First Detail - Please Advice Which Steps Are / Aren't Necessary?

Welcome to MOL.

The steps you take is a personal choice. Some of us here are crazy about how we do our cars. The steps you listed for a new car, the clay is most likely not required. It sounds to me like you are in the want to do what is necessary to keep you car in good shape, which a wash and wax is a great start. I would suggest that perhaps attend a Saturday class and learn what causes the scratches in the first place and then a Thursday Night Open Garage

[Michael Stoops]

Re: First Detail - Please Advice Which Steps Are / Aren't Necessary?

Welcome to MOL.

I would suggest that perhaps attend a Saturday class and learn what causes the scratches in the first place and then a Thursday Night Open Garage

We think this is a great idea. At a Saturday Class we'll not only teach you how to evaluate the finish of your vehicle, but help clear up confusion over what products to choose to accomplish whatever task you need to accomplish, and most importantly, we'll show you proper technique with those products so that you maximize results. And best of all, the classes are always 100% free of charge.

The full class schedule is available here.