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Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

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  • #1

    Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

    Hey there guys! Been lurking on this forum and have learned alot, so thank you all for that I own a silver 2006 Suzuki Aerio on which detailing products have never even been used once and I'm looking to restore it's paint as much as I can and for that I need your advice. From what I gather a good process for this will be wash, clay, ultimate compound, ultimate polish and then wax. Is this approach fine and do you guys think there are any improvements that I should make to it? How should I break the process up over a couple of days or even weeks without compromising it's result too much? Please remember that everything is going to be done by hand (I would love to buy a DA but it's just not possible for me any time soon) and I own absolutely no detailing products so please let me know which ones I would be needing and their quantities. Thank you guys in advance
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  • #2
    Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car



    The basic steps you listed above are fine. They can be modified / added to / simplified countless different ways depending on many different factors, but as a starting point, that's a good process.

    Products I'd recommend are:
    - Gold Class Wash
    - Smooth surface clay kit
    - Ultimate Compound
    - Ultimate Polish
    - Ultimate Wax
    - Foam applicator pads
    - Lots of Supreme Shine MF towels

    As far as doing it slowly, you want to do the whole process to one section or panel at a time. So you would wash, clay, compound, polish and wax one or two panels in one session, then do the same to another one or two panels the next time you get a chance.

    Good luck and feel free to ask more questions, or let us know how it goes!
    Originally posted by Blueline
    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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    • #3
      Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

      Welcome, I too have a 2006 Suzuki Aerio, mine is red though with single stage paint. The process that you and Davey brought up is what you need to do. These cars are small enough that other than the hood and roof, two panels at a time should be easy enough, you might want to make a day just for the roof, since it is the largest panel and it's a bit more difficult to reach since the car is so 'tall.'

      Good luck and make sure you get some pictures to post with your results.
      Don
      12/27/2015
      "Darth Camaro"
      2013 Camaro ... triple black
      323 hp V6, 6 speed manual

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

        If you had access to some products like IronX and TarX, those an help give a nice stronger cleaning at first. Then wash and detail as noted above.
        2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

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        • #5
          Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

          Thanks alot for the replies guys Now that you mention it there are a few questions that I had for you guys:
          1. In my area supreme shine towels are very hard to get a hold of, the microfibers generally available are of somewhere around the quality of say the AmazonBasics ones. Will those do, at least for now. Keep in mind I'm not going for perfection here, and any microfiber is going to be a big step up from the ordinary towels the car was previously exposed to. How many microfibers do you recommend I have on hand for this process?
          2. It's the same case with the foam applicator pads. Would some cheap foam applicator do the job or will there be a big difference? I see some pros substituting these pads with something like CCS Euro Foam pads but I'm thinking that there isn't much point of those considering it's my first foray into the detailing world, right?
          3. Do I need microfibers of other types as well i.e drying towels or the plush ones? If so then how many should I have
          4. From what I understand one applicator pad will probably come with the wax I buy. How many more of those should I be looking to buy?
          5. I'm still not entirely sure on how to do a test spot. Which area of the car would be best for it? How big should it be? Due to my inexperience I have no idea how the results of this process should look like and have no real idea how I can use the results of the test spot to tweak the process.

          Hate to bombard you guys with questions but I just want my car to look the best it possibly can. I'm sure you guys can relate with that, right? :P

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

            Originally posted by Murr1525 View Post
            If you had access to some products like IronX and TarX, those an help give a nice stronger cleaning at first. Then wash and detail as noted above.
            Hey there! I was under the impression that something like that could probably make my life easier but wouldn't be needed since I'm going to be giving the car a thorough claying anyways. As you can imagine acquiring so many products at oxnce can seem expensive to someone who has never bought a detailing product before, so looking to buy only those items which are absolutely essential. Do you think IronX would fall in that category?

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            • #7
              Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

              Originally posted by m_ali56 View Post
              5. I'm still not entirely sure on how to do a test spot. Which area of the car would be best for it? How big should it be? Due to my inexperience I have no idea how the results of this process should look like and have no real idea how I can use the results of the test spot to tweak the process.
              You can do a test spot anywhere, but many people choose a large horizontal panel (like the hood) because it's easier to see without being a contortionist. Usually you want to do a spot 1.5' x 1.5'. You use the test spot to see what it takes to get the car's finish to the level you want, then repeat that on the entire car. The test spot should kind of resemble a clean spot on a dirty car, it will be a small area with no scratches or swirls surrounded by paint that is still swirled up.

              As for the foam hand pads, I really don't see much difference in the ones that come with the wax or the ones you buy individually in the store. as long as they are clean, either should work well for you. Generally you should have at least one applicator per product, that way you don't get products that don't work well together, mixed together on the same pad
              Don
              12/27/2015
              "Darth Camaro"
              2013 Camaro ... triple black
              323 hp V6, 6 speed manual

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                Agreed with Don but I might just add: the test spot should be done somewhere where the defects are indicative of the defects on the rest of the car.

                Also, if your first test spot does not yield the results you want due to the process not being aggressive enough, you want to move onto a new area for your next test spot with a more aggressive process. That way, you're not seeing the result of a combination of both processes (if you know what I mean).
                Originally posted by Blueline
                I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                  That sure is some great advice guys, I probably wouldn't have thought of all that on my own. Thank you so much Do you guys think that four soft foam applicator pads will be enough for the compounding and polishing steps, given that I'm probably going to do 2 panels at a time? Also someone on a local forum recommended I wipe the surface with a dilute APC after polishing and before compounding as the high amount of polishing oils in ultimate polish will stop the wax from bonding properly? Thanks again

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                    Originally posted by Don View Post
                    Welcome, I too have a 2006 Suzuki Aerio, mine is red though with single stage paint. The process that you and Davey brought up is what you need to do. These cars are small enough that other than the hood and roof, two panels at a time should be easy enough, you might want to make a day just for the roof, since it is the largest panel and it's a bit more difficult to reach since the car is so 'tall.'

                    Good luck and make sure you get some pictures to post with your results.
                    I would sure love to see some pictures of that ride

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                      The process was Ultimate Polish on a yellow polishing pad, followed by 2 coats of Ultimate Paste Wa by hand (I hadn't learned the trick to machine applying yet)






                      Don
                      12/27/2015
                      "Darth Camaro"
                      2013 Camaro ... triple black
                      323 hp V6, 6 speed manual

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                        Originally posted by Don View Post
                        The process was Ultimate Polish on a yellow polishing pad, followed by 2 coats of Ultimate Paste Wa by hand (I hadn't learned the trick to machine applying yet)






                        Wow that Aerios looks top notch In my part of the world its called the Suzuki Liana and the biggest differences in the exterior are probably the front bumper and the front grille but I have to say I like your grille much better

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                        • #13
                          Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                          Looks like no one's prepared to help anymore

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                          • #14
                            Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                            Originally posted by m_ali56 View Post
                            That sure is some great advice guys, I probably wouldn't have thought of all that on my own. Thank you so much Do you guys think that four soft foam applicator pads will be enough for the compounding and polishing steps, given that I'm probably going to do 2 panels at a time? Also someone on a local forum recommended I wipe the surface with a dilute APC after polishing and before compounding as the high amount of polishing oils in ultimate polish will stop the wax from bonding properly? Thanks again
                            Four foam applicators should be enough in your situation, providing you wash them after every session (2 panels).

                            You would only want to remove UP's polishing oils if you're applying a different manufacturer's wax afterward, where the directions say this is necessary. If you're following up with a Meguiars wax / sealant then this is not required, since all Meg's products are compatible with each other.
                            Originally posted by Blueline
                            I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Beginner Need Help With Neglected Car

                              Originally posted by davey g-force View Post
                              Four foam applicators should be enough in your situation, providing you wash them after every session (2 panels).

                              You would only want to remove UP's polishing oils if you're applying a different manufacturer's wax afterward, where the directions say this is necessary. If you're following up with a Meguiars wax / sealant then this is not required, since all Meg's products are compatible with each other.
                              Thanks davey The wax I had in mind is actually not a Megs product but is a carnauba based paste wax from another manufacturer. I can't find any directions that say its necessary though. What do I do?
                              Also could you please tell me if I should use the even coat microfiber applicators for applying the wax?

                              Comment

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