99F250Smitty
New member
No. I'm a rookie.
Washing/Detailing
- Thread starter 6.7pstroker
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Everyone starts out a rookie, lol. You can hand polish but it's work, just a lot faster with a dual action. I like to use menzerna 3000 for a job like that. It's a pain to remove but it does a good job bringing out the shine.
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For beginners, I usually recommend meguiars Ultimate line. Their ultimate compound and polish, followed by ultimate paste wax (which is a sealant not a carnauba wax) ultimate wax is right up there with the big dogs for longevity. Best part about these products is, they are available EVERYWHERE.
Usually, I try to stick with the same brand from compound to wax. By doing so, everything was designed to work together, there's no need to strip the surface after polish, because their wax was designed to follow the polish. Makes sense?
For brands I use, I use mainly Meguiars professional line for all around daily drivers. And actually use the ultimate compound and polish a ton, for lighter vehicles, you can sometimes go straight to wax after ultimate compound. You just need to have the experience on how to lighten up the pressure at the last pass.
Griots new BOSS compound and polishes I starting using last year and really LOVE them, they have a LONG work time and no dusting.
I use menzerna polishes for German car or cars that come from the factory with ceramic Clear, as menzerna was designed for ceramic clear.
Really there's so many brands out nowadays. It's hard for me to keep up.. I try to read up on the new products and try them out. But I'm the end. The meguiars ultimate lineup works for 90% of the people.
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Yes I do.
My favorite and most expensive is the Rupes 21
I have a porter cable DA that has a 3in pad I use for small areas.
Also have a griots Garage 3in for smaller areas and applying wax mainly.
Then I have my dewalt 849x rotary for the bad stuff.
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I'd love to try the rupes, but above my price range for my own vehicles. I use a torq, also used a 7424 before selling to my friend. Both good enough for what I do.
I have a lot of meguiars ultimate line, just got bored with it, but I'd recommend it to anyone though. Do you do any sealants on American cars, Jomax?
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For sealants, meguiars Ultimate wax, menzerna Powerlock, collinite 845, duragloss 105, finish Kare 1000.
All of the above are synthetic waxes.
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99F250Smitty
New member
So aside from brands. What steps would you do prior to sealant?
I'm not a detailer by trade, so take it for what it's worth. If it were my truck, I'd wash with dawn dish soap, check my surface, if no spider webbing, scratches, surface contaminants, or marring, I'd apply sealant. But I'm usually pushed for time, so my methods are uh, unconventional. The thing to remember is anything on your clear coat, the sealant will just put a layer over it, making it harder to get off next time.
If not pushed for time, wash, clay bar, wash, polish, and apply sealant. Let it park in your garage for at least 8 hours or at least keep moisture off it. Autogeek has a lot of good info if want to get more into it.
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99F250Smitty
New member
The washing part is part of the problem. Its hard not to end up with waterspots after washing in my area. Alot of limestone in the water, even at good carwashes.
Know your pain. My tds at my house is 450 range, I run a di kit for washing vehicles. Worth the cost to me. Buy my stuff from this guy.
http://www.dirinse.com/
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I would do a Decon wash. I LOVE IronX for this, works great and makes claying easier. I add dawn in with my car soap of choice. I actually use a clay wash towel. I clay as I wash.
You wash everything you want to do, the motor wheels, wheel wells, etc.
You then wipe it down and pull it in the garage. Next you inspect the paint and see what you want to do. At this point for sure a full polish. EVERY car in the world needs at least a polish if you're going for a beautiful finish. If you don't care about swirls etc. go straight to sealant.
For most cars, I'll do spot compounding, I go around the car and look for scratches etc that polish can't fix. Then I go straight to polish.
If the truck is new. Compound shouldn't be needed. But I'd do a test spots 1ftx1ft and just try different products. On one test spot do compound and polish. One test spot just compound and one test spot just polish. See what you're happy with. Then go and do the whole truck. That's my 2 cents.
I rush typed this on my phone. Ignore any grammar mistakes LOL.
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Izzybird
New member
What are y'all cleaning your pads with? Cleaners like Mckees 37 are expensive, but if it's really worth it I'll get some. Anything special your doing/using to wash your microfiber stuff? This "taking care of the old lady's car" crap is getting expensive!
Sterling6.7
Well-known member
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Using both of these
https://www.theragcompany.com/platinum-pluffle-20-x-40-hybrid-weave-microfiber-drying-towel/
And
https://www.theragcompany.com/eagle-edgeless-16-x-16-microfiber-towel/
Both come with instructions to wash warm with a small amount of soap.
https://www.theragcompany.com/platinum-pluffle-20-x-40-hybrid-weave-microfiber-drying-towel/
And
https://www.theragcompany.com/eagle-edgeless-16-x-16-microfiber-towel/
Both come with instructions to wash warm with a small amount of soap.
I wash my MF towels with the hot water setting.
Best soap I found for the price.. I highly recommend it.
Towel Kleen 1 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007RVLAE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CTYfzbEXKK4ZF
For pads. I fill a bucket up with hot water and add some of this soap. I let them soak for a couple hrs, then throw them in the washer machine.
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Best soap I found for the price.. I highly recommend it.
Towel Kleen 1 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007RVLAE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CTYfzbEXKK4ZF
For pads. I fill a bucket up with hot water and add some of this soap. I let them soak for a couple hrs, then throw them in the washer machine.
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Izzybird
New member
I think I have a headache.. Like with most subjects, the possibilities and choices in detailing seem to be endless. The car I need to maintain is a '15 with tri coat white and looks great just with a wash, I'm sure there's some swirls and marks but I honestly don't see hardly any. I got some microfiber towels and ultima waterless for rinseless washes, nanoskin fine grade towel to clay, some pads for a DA, some other microfibers for drying and buffing, meguiars ultimate paste wax, and a gallon of towel clean. I was going to use the meguiars 205 finishing polish and skip any compound, I just didn't think it needs it. But I don't know crap. Had the car a year, so I know nothing has been done but washing for at least that long. Any other thoughts or recommendations?
Izzybird
New member
I meant to quote Jomax, but any input is welcome.
I would skip the Compound. It's a white car.
Clay first, then Just use the M205. Followed by megs ultimate paste wax.
It'll make it look amazing.
Also for MF towels don't mix while washing.
Glass towels separate so you don't get wax etc in the towels making hem useless.
I have MF JUST for removing wax I wash those seperate
I have MF towels just for removing compound and polish. Those get washed separate
Towels for drying the paint/ rinseless wash towels washed seperate
Towels for rims/engine
Towels for door jams/running boards.
I'm OCD lol.
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Clay first, then Just use the M205. Followed by megs ultimate paste wax.
It'll make it look amazing.
Also for MF towels don't mix while washing.
Glass towels separate so you don't get wax etc in the towels making hem useless.
I have MF JUST for removing wax I wash those seperate
I have MF towels just for removing compound and polish. Those get washed separate
Towels for drying the paint/ rinseless wash towels washed seperate
Towels for rims/engine
Towels for door jams/running boards.
I'm OCD lol.
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Izzybird
New member
Thanks, sounds like a plan. She needs to get herself a cabana boy for this kind of stuff, "claying my truck" used to have a whole different meaning before I read this thread.
C2tuck
Active member
Lol! What's M205 Jomax?
Just used megs clay bar and ultimate wax on my work truck yesterday while on location. Had all the company men and frac guys askig me to do theirs next lol. Kinda surprised they didn't send me for a drug test..it looks a hell of a lot better. Should have picked up some compound as well but didn't. Most guys don't take care of their work trucks, but you give me a king ranch as a work truck and it's gonna get waxed. My truck and wife's car are gonna get the same when I get home next week. Lots of good info in this thread. I'm a little OCD as well when it comes to cleaning, lucked out and the wife is too!
Just used megs clay bar and ultimate wax on my work truck yesterday while on location. Had all the company men and frac guys askig me to do theirs next lol. Kinda surprised they didn't send me for a drug test..it looks a hell of a lot better. Should have picked up some compound as well but didn't. Most guys don't take care of their work trucks, but you give me a king ranch as a work truck and it's gonna get waxed. My truck and wife's car are gonna get the same when I get home next week. Lots of good info in this thread. I'm a little OCD as well when it comes to cleaning, lucked out and the wife is too!
