Hi yall, I'm new to detailing and taking care of my car. I used to drive a beat-up 1998 Green Honda Civic, so I never really went all out in conditioning the car.
My questions are in regard with waxing and polishing. I originally thought you just wax the car after using your claybar. I'm confused with what pads I should use and what wax/polish?

I did some research and found out that the Porter Cable 7424 is a great starter polisher, but I'm not sure what to use in terms of pads, polish, and wax.

Sorry, you could say I'm a rookie car enthusiast.

 

Griot's Garage has a lot of products with entry level equipment and products. Also a section on polishing, waxing, etc

 

griots is really good, plus now you can pick them up at any local auto parts stores.
Ive always used Po Boys products. You really can't go wrong with either, both these companies explain in detail on how to use their product and what they do.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tsx-2009-2014-143/wax-do-you-use-why-873524/

I ordered almost everything that BobbyC said he uses on the top of page 3. I am currently waiting for my stuff to be delivered.

 

Polishing is used to correct paint.
waxing or applying a sealant is used to protect the paint from UV rays and dirt.

two completely different things.
Determine how far you want to get into detailing.
Would you just like to protect the paint or would you like to get into more depth and actually correct the paint?

I would suggest you brush up on correct washing techniques in order to keep your paint in pristine conditions. that way you dont really have to Correct the paint.

Never go through automatic car washes. the bristles are hard on the paint and can cause swirls.
always use the two bucket method with grit guards when washing.
this prevents cross contamination and will have less of a chance of having debris on your wash mitt. debris on your wash mitt will scratch/swirl the paint

head to autogeek.com for some tutorials.
this will teach you all the terms and correct techniques

 

I've always wanted a Porter Cable but never owned one. In fact, in my 15 years of driving I've only ever detailed my cars by hand.

My detailing products / steps are:

• Meguiar's Deep Crystal car wash with a microfiber wash mitt
• Dry with Absorber chamois and microfiber towels
• Clay with Meguiar's clay kit and Quik Detailer
• Wax with Meguiar's Gold Class (black bottle) liquid wax
• Buff off with microfiber towels
• Dress tires with Meguiar's Endurance tire gel
• Treat exterior rubber/vinyl with Aero 303 protectant
• Condition leather with Griot's "Leather Care" product
• Wipe down dash, door panels, door sills, console with a slightly damp microfiber towel, apply Meguiar's Natural Look protectant
• Clean windows inside/out with Sprayway glass cleaner (no ammonia)

Hope that helps a bit. The biggest "secret" in detailing is just old fashioned elbow grease. For best results, you've gotta invest the time.

 

^^^ Easy for you to say! What if one lives where it snows and it's cold? Can't wash it yourself because the weather won't permit. Of course, one can take it to a hand car wash shop but how would one clean the undercarriage to get rid of the salt?

 

The original poster who asked the question lives in Alhambra, California which is a suburb of LA. I hardly think any weather conditions would keep him from performing any of the steps that I mentioned.

I've spent my share of time in cold weather climates (northern Utah specifically). I was religious about taking my Legend to a coin-op car wash to spray the undercarriage off by hand and remove all the road salt. One time I put some spare coins on the ledge by the machine, and they froze there, encapsulated in water that was oversprayed by my hose.

This is why I now live in Arizona where we get 300 days of sunshine a year.

I also forgot to mention, I love to Rain-X my windows and I use Meguiar's Plast-X on headlights if they start to yellow or discolor at all.

 

I own the Porter Cable and can tell you it's nice for applying wax and Minor Swirl corrections. It's perfect for the beginner because it does not have the power to burn the clear coat of most cars unless you purchase a pad designed to do so.

I purchased mine to help out with my part time job (I work at a bodyshop in Ceresco, NE during the summer) and we use Deltron DC3000 for a clear. It's a semi-hard, high gloss clear coat that the porter cable would not cut. Trying to burn the clear a bit to knock down orange peel (We tend to flood cut the last coat and then knock it down so the clear is good and thick to begin with) and the buffer wouldn't do it. Switched to my dual action polisher with channel lock and I can have the paint scream and burn in like 10 seconds.

I think the Porter Cable is perfect though for your spring time swirl correction and glaze applications. I kept up every year with my cobalt and after 8 years the car still looked brand new when i traded it in.

 

Ah! Thank you for the tips/help guys! I researched a whole lot and decided to go with the Porter Cable, Meguiars NXT Wax, 6.5 inch Polishing and Finishing Pads (I don't think I need a cutting pad because my ILX is still new), I also got the Meguiars Car Cleaner/Liquid Wax. I'm not sure if I need it though because I don't see any needed paint corrections.

As for washing techniques, I spent an hour or so researching before I bought the car to make sure I maintained the paint

Yes! I don't really have to worry about harsh weather conditions in LA. Just the occasional thug or two.

So, since my car is new. I should skip the whole polishing phase, and go straight to waxing? If not, should I use the Meguiars car cleaner/wax before the NXT wax? Or will it strip the original factory coat?

 

Stick to wax for now, no need to polish yet.

 

Sweet! Thanks!

Do I use a detailer right after waxing?

 

Please please please for the love of god; check out DIY on you tube.

your terminology is all sorts of fucked up.


as I explained earlier...
polish is to correct paint.

waxing or sealing is to protect the paint from the elements.


PLEASE youtube this shit.

if you keep the car clean; and wax/seal it every 6 months; you should be good to go.

 

^ This

And some people wax by season.. your choice/time/money.