new years wax.

[swampkatt]

hello everyone, i am new to MO, but i think im getting the hang of it around here. if any of you ride atvs and stuff, you can find me on ACHAT as swampkatt.
today, we decided to get mom's new car detailed, and we had a lil fun. mom just got a replacement for her '97 chevy astro, a '08 gmc envoy. the paint condition isnt the best, there are water spots everywhere, embedded into the paint. when we clayed today, it removed a lot, but just didnt get down to those water spots, must be a secret... we plan on getting this thing looking real nice, and i was wondering if anybody has [what i would call] a detailers recipe. the best combo of car wash mix, wax, polish, and interior care stuff. we used a combo of: water on rag car wash, clay, cleaner was, then gold class paste. anyone want to share their "recipe", it would be greatly appreciated. [= gotta love dancin peppers! =]

[searle]

Re: new years wax.

Normally, just follow the Meguiars 5-step "recipe" in the Fequently-Asked-Questions forum: FAQ

In your case, starting with a car which has surface condition issues, the "Clean" step may be a bit more complicated. I assume you are doing your detailing by hand (but the same stuff applies to DA).

First and foremost, the cardinal rule of detailing is start any surface repair as least aggressively as possible, and only step up to more aggressive products and application if required. So, try cleaning the paint with SwirlX which is the least aggressive cleaner. If that does not work, you may need to step up to ScratchX-2.0 (not the older ScratchX, which is mildest cleaner of all).

Once you get the paint in good condition, the clean step will be much easier, typically a light SwirlX cleaning every 3-6 months.