New Car & new to detailing

[lrosales]

I just purchased a new car and was wondering if it was safe to go ahead and do the 5 step (wash,clay,clean,polish, and wax) on my car. Other than waxing my older cars I've never really detailed a car. i've only had the car 1 month, but it was mfg'd in march. So it's been sitting somewhere for a few months. There are no visible swirl marks and i'd like to keep it that way. i plan on keeping this car for a long time, so I want to start protecting it early. I'll assume the Deep Crystal line will be the best for me to start off with. I'm also planning on picking up a PC, as I've read it makes the job a lot easier. Any one have any tips for me?
Thanks.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi lrosales,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

It is completely safe to begin detailing your car, the paint was baked on at the factory and is completely cured by now.

The Deep Crystal System is an excellent way to start out with your new car.

Here's another list of products that you might consider,

Washes - NXT Generation Car Wash
Clay - Quik Clay System
Paint Cleaner - Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
Polish - Deep Crystal Polish
Wax - Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
Quick Detailer - Meguiar's Quik Detailer
Vinyl Protectant - NXT Generation Tech Protectant



And plenty of these,

Hi-Tech Applicator Pad

One of these is a good investment to help prevent swirls,

Grit Guard Insert




Some of this for exterior plastic will keep it looking new,

Gold Class Trim Detailer
Gold Class Trim Detailer works pretty well on flat black paint, even though it's not specifically made for this surface.



If you have a leather interior, these two products work awesome,
Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner

Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner
Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner

Plenty of these, which are also available in a 20-pack

Ultimate Wipe

You don't' have to purchase this at once, it's just a list of recommended products. We teach people how to use these products each weekend at our detailing classes.

The G-100a is a great tool, you will never regret purchasing one and you will find that it takes all of the work out of cleaning, polishing, waxing and removing the wax from your car while producing professional results, often times as good or better than a detail shop will produce.

Hope this helps and again, Welcome

Mike

[chinkapin02]

Hi All:
Well traded in one car and got another new one. 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.
I had a paint problem that wasn't noticed right away because it rained for almost a week. When I washed the van I used NXT on the hood and noticed it wasn't smooth to the touch. No it didn't feel like something on top of the paint, felt like something in the paint. Took the van back to the dealer who didn't know what the problem was. The factory rep was called and a week later showed up. the van was sent over to their body shop and they determined it was rail dust. Well van was cleaned and something else done to it. When I got the van back the sales manager (one of three) said the biggest mistake the dealership did was stop doing their own detailing and stoped using clay magic. Long story is the paint is real smooth now but it's raining once again so waxing will have to wait.
The factory rep told me that Mequiar's makes the polish and cleaning materials for Chrysler, something I didn't know. Might be true but I'll still buy my wash, cleaner and wax from Mequiar's.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey chinkapin02,

Rail dust is a common problem with new cars/trucks. Using Meguiar's Quik Clay System usually removes the problem quickly. Further, I would suggest using the clay once a year to remove any bonded road contaminents etc. Make sure you use plenty of lubrication such as Meguiar's #34 Final Inspection when claying.

Quik Clay System




Final Inspection



Cheers!

Tim

[chinkapin02]

Thanks Tim:
Since I got the car back from the body shop after they removed that rail dust it's been steady raining so nothing has been done.
I know that the body shop just did a fast job and the car needs a real good going over. It's also starting to get chilly here in Arkansas so I better get busy and wax the car before temps drop below 50 degrees. The idea of claying the car is a good one and I'll do it in sections.
Don