First time detailer

[0ozma]

Hi All,

First post and first time doing this!

This weekend I am planning to do some claying\waxing and possibly others to my car. I know this topic has been beaten to death, but also read it is very different for car makes.

Car: 2005 Dodge Neon SRT4
Color: Black
*Links didn't work*

I just purchased some Gold Class wash & wax paste, MicroFUSE microfiber cloths, a few turtlewax microfiber detailing cloths and a wash sponge.

I still need to buy the claybar kit but it was sold out today.

Basically I want my car to be sexy clean It has never been properly waxed\washed\clayed before. I plan to devote the entire day or possibly two to doing whatever I can to make everything shine.

It does have some swirls that I would LOVE to take care of, but I'm a bit scared of the horror stories from ScratchX and Ultimate Compound.


Is there anything else I need? Anyone that has detailed a black Dodge Neon with sucessful product tips? Any tips in general? Thanks!

[Markus Kleis]

Re: First time detailer

The embedded link didn't quite work. Any chance you could upload them to the free gallery here on MOL?

[Murr1525]

Re: First time detailer

Well, you can do two things. You can either get the car shined up, and then work on the swirls slowly (it is a lot of work to remove swirls by hand), or jump all in and try to remove them all at once. I'll lay out a little plan for both.

Quick Detail for a Shine:

1. Wash - 2 buckets, good soap, quality towels/sponges, Grit Guards if possible.

2. Clay - Smooth Surface kit. You may want to buy a second QD bottle.

3. ColorX

4. Wax - Your Gold Class will finish things off nicely.

A Detail to Remove Swirls:

1. Wash - as above

2. Clay - as above

3. Clean - The first product you will want to do a test spot with is SwirlX. You want to get your test spot right before moving on to the rest of the car. So you would try SwirlX, and then if it is not enough, you would then move onto a stronger product. Working the products in with some passion of course.

4. Polish - Optional - SwirlX is a cleaner/polish, but with a black car, you could choose to follow up with a pure polish like the Deep Crystal Polish if you wanted.

5. Wax - Gold Class is still good.

6. Wax - 2 thin coats are best.

[0ozma]

Re: First time detailer

Thanks I will check out some local shops today and see if I can find the SwirlX or DCP.

Other than the spot test failing, anything I should keep an eye on to stop whatever I'm doing?

Looks like I'm not able to post pictures til 30 posts, but I uploaded it to my avatar. TY!

[akimel]

Re: First time detailer

Oozma, I don't think you need to fear SwirlX and Ultimate Compound. You just need to learn how to use the products properly, and that means that you should always do a test spot first. See this article: Doing A Test-Spot. Doing a test spot not only allows you to determine which polish is best for the paint system you are working on, but it also allows you to improve your polishing technique.

You may find these videos helpful:





Mat (Murr1525) has outlined two reliable detailing processes for you. Do not be surprised if you will need two full days to wash, clay, and polish your car with the second process. But your car is going to look great! If you run into any problems, just post back here on MOL, and we'll help you through them.

Good luck and have fun!

Cheers,
Al