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Originally Posted by bcty Thanks for the awesome info so far. I checked out that forum and there was a lot of great info. I wish I could make it down to your shop to play around right now but living on the island with a newborn keeps you in one place for a bit haha. I didnt name anything because I didnt know where to begin and what steps to take DB forum was good and had a few really good videos. I still got some reading to do. I cant wait to get going on car car with some more professional products. I have a friends car thats just toast that really needs some attention that will be my first conquest. I know theres only so much you can do with a white car but any tips for polishing waxing a year old white paint to look its best. Like I said before I only really used the Mothers 3 step thing but I did pickup Meguires NXT 2.0 just to try it out since I've heard good things. |
Well if you ever are over here it would be a good idea to stop by Kens shop. Best way to learn is hands on when it comes to detailing. Anyways, the Mothers 3 Step I guess is a decent over the counter method. But of course there is way better methods. For washing this is what I break my wash steps down to.
Wash
-2.5 Gallon Buckets x2
(one for soap water, the other for rinse)
-2 Grit Guards
(stay at the bottom to prevent debris from floating up, if it did you would just be rubbing it on to your paint making a bigger mess)
-Wash media
(My favourite currently is my proline grout sponge that you can only find at Lowes in the states. It's $1.98 and super soft, lets debris out very well. You could also use a sheepskin wash mitt, or whatever you choose. But a sheepskin washmitt is probably the safest bet.)
-Shampoo
(for an over the counter product I love my Meguiars Gold Class car wash, great stuff. But my favourite shampoo that I've tried is Majestic Solutions Ultra Gloss. A lot of people like Poorboys Super Slick & Suds)
-Claying/Clay Bar
(You use this to remove contaminants on the paint washing doesnt remove. You use it along with a clay lubricant. You spray the area you're doing and then rub the clay bar over the paint gently. Makes the area nice and clean and ready for wax, sealant, or polish. I use Riccardo Yellow clay with good results and use Optimum No Rinse at the Claying dilution. The clay Ken carries (clay magic red & blue) work great as well.
Wheels/Tires:
-APC (All Purpose Cleaner)
( I use Majestic Solutions Super Green Stuff, people love P21S Total Autowash for tires/wheel wells, and a lot use P21S Wheel Gel for rims. Can't go wrong with any)
-Tire Brush
(I use a Meguiars Tire Brush to scrub the tires down when it's soaked with APC to get it ready for tire shine)
For the face or the rims I use an old wash sponge as it's the quickest way with the rims I wash, some use wheel brushes for the face, I don't. For the inside of the rims I use a Meguiars Wheel Brush, but most wheel brushes you find on detailing sites will work well. I've heard the new long reach wheel brushes Ken has in stock are great because they even get where the Caliper is. Check out his site, he has plenty to get you started.
-Tire Shine/Dressing
(I tried a product called Finish Kare aka FK108. It goes on pretty much goes on all plastics, vinyl, trims, rubber, wheel wells etc. But for tire shine specifically I've heard of good results from Black Fire Long Lasting Tire Shine, I think thats what it's called. You can also get this from Ken.)
-Windows
(I use Chemical Guys Ammonia Free Window Cleaner and it works great, don't use Windex. Find a real window cleaner and get a Window Microfiber towel. Otherwise the window cleaner will just streak.)
-Drying
(Make sure to use a quality Microfiber aka MF towel. Otherwise your just doing more damage. If you have a leaf blower gas or electric use it to blow off as much water as you can and then dry. That way you don't need more than one towel really, two at the max to dry a car. I use the big yellow Vroom towels you find at target, they are actually really soft and absorb well, but I haven't tried Kens towels but they felt great when he showed me them)
-Wax
(I use Collinite 845 purely because I have two bottles of it and it is a great long lasting wax. Not expensive either which is great. Next wax I'm buying is either Vics Red from Ken or Bilt Hamber Auto Balm from Ken. Whatever Ken has on his site are good products, he has used every product he lists so you can trust him, hes been at the business for 15 years.)
-Sealant
(I haven't used any but I've head excellent results from Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket, and Werkstat Acrylic Jet.)
-Microfiber Towels
(You can really never have to much, with MF towels it's all personal preference. I use cheap Wal-Mart towels all the way to the towels Ken has. I use the cheap towels for rims, engine bay, metal polishing, wheel wells, door jambs, interiors. Where you really shouldn't cheap out is for wax removing towels. They really pay off, I have Kens exclusive 530 towel and by far it is my favourite towel. To bad I only have one
. Anyways, thats my favourite towel, I also have one Werkstat Plush Towel, works great and is extremely soft. I just like the 530 towel more, but like I said it's all personal preference. I would pick up 3 or 4 of the 530 and Werkstat Plus towel if you're ordering from Ken)
Let me know if you have any other questions, my best advice is to either stop by at Kens shop and he'll show you the ropes or read your ass off at DB. You learn so much there it's insane. Before you order, if you go order through Ken which I recommend because you can't go wrong with his products, give him a call when you order and see what he recommends. He's been at it for 15 years...13 more than I have