Best Products for Detailing My Car?

[DNG35]

Just wondering, I have an 04 G35 Coupe/Silver. Its 5 years old now and the paint is it decent to good shape, but you can tell its dull, its got a few scrapes here and htere that i think can be buffed out. I was considering getting a proffesional buff and wax which will cost $250 CDN. What is the difference between them doing it and me doing it myself. Also if i do it myself what steps do i take, and most importantly WHAT PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST, i need recommendations. I want something that will get the paint back to a super shine and i wont see all the hairline scratches from brush marks and all that. Even if anyone has recommendations for the following:
Best products for:
Cleaning Leather
Dash
Rims and Tires

[jdoria]

Originally Posted by DNG35

Just wondering, I have an 04 G35 Coupe/Silver. Its 5 years old now and the paint is it decent to good shape, but you can tell its dull, its got a few scrapes here and htere that i think can be buffed out. I was considering getting a proffesional buff and wax which will cost $250 CDN. What is the difference between them doing it and me doing it myself. Also if i do it myself what steps do i take, and most importantly WHAT PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST, i need recommendations. I want something that will get the paint back to a super shine and i wont see all the hairline scratches from brush marks and all that. Even if anyone has recommendations for the following:
Best products for:
Cleaning Leather
Dash
Rims and Tires

If you can get it done correctly for only $250 canadian take it! Pending your expectations, that is a very cheap price.


You will spend over $300+ getting all of the products and machines to get similar results. (can't price the pro's experience, unless you want to detail it on a regular basis)

[DNG35]

What do they acutally do tho? I know its a bit better than just waxing but what does the buff and wax actually do. I'm not really explaining it very well.

[Nikku-]

Buffing or compouding and polishing removes the hills and valleys associated with a swirled of scratch car. Some scratches maybe too deep to be addressed with a compound or polish and would then need to be touched up.

Waxing and sealing protects your car from harmful uva and uvb rays as well as other contaminants acquired from everyday driving.

You could attempt to detail the vehicle yourself but take precaution and I would suggest practicing on a body panel you can find at a scrap yard before trying anything on your car.

As Jdoria $250 is very little to pay for a quality detail but $250 is probably just a starting point. It could increased based on your expectations, the car being detailed and the current state of the interior and exterior.

I hope this clarifies things a little. If you need more info just google detailing. There are many detailing forums around

If you have more questions just PM.

Cheers,
Nick

[blueboxer]

Do you have a porter cable or rotary yet? If not the costs for the buffer and products might exceed your budget, however it would probably be one of the better investments for your car you can make. Yes, a single professional detail might be cheaper, but when you factor in the number of times you can detail your car with your purchased products, the disparity quickly goes into your favor. I would suggest having a professional restore your finish this time and then work on maintaining it with a two step polish and wax method versus having to learn compounding or wet sanding on your new car.

The basics:
2 wash buckets, one with the car soap of your choice and the other with water to rinse off your sponge inbetween panels.
Washmitt, a microfiber mitt or grout sponge will do fine.
Grab a box of latex gloves for detailing later, no reason to get your greasy and grubby fingerprints all over freshly cleaned, polished, and waxed paint as you go.
If you are starting from scratch grab some Dawn detergent to strip down your paint or even better you can go with Wash and Clear. If your paint has contaminants, tar, etc… you might want to thoroughly wash once and then clay bar your vehicle. I like Clay Magic or Chemical Guys sales a good sized bar too. You can use it with a quick detailer or highly lubricating car soap, just double the soap you would normally use.
Drying is the most important step. I personally use a water blade for the windows to save some time and the Big Blue Towel for all painted panels and parts. I love the towel more than anything else, if someone knows of something better other than an air blower let me know. If you do want to use an air blower you can get one as well, Air Dryer. I use two towels, the first goes over the entire car very lightly and the second gets misted with a quick detailing spray and completely dries the car on the second path. I don’t like using a dry towel on a painted service, hence the quick detailer spray.
Polishing, hopefully you will only need a medium polish and finishing polish along with a couple orange and white pads for use in that order. I like Menzerna polishes, Ceramic Clearcoat Polish and
SIP, the intensive polish in 16 oz. is close enough if you don’t want the large bottles. Meguiars 105 and 205 have been getting great reviews as well, especially with the now legendary KBM. I haven’t tried them personally so cannot vouch for either, but many others can.
Waxing, well, now we get into how much you want to spend and what are you looking for? I like Meguiars NXT 2.0, love S100 if you have a Harley shop nearby and even Klasse AIO is a good sealant. You can also get into the hundreds with Pinnacle, Swissvax, Zymbol (real Zymbol), et c… I like something inbetween like Collinite, P21S, or Chemical Guys. It comes down to budget and preference.
Sealants, are optional, but I love Full Molecular Jacket and never put on a coat of wax without applying it first. I would actually rather do two coats of it and skip the wax than wax without it.
Tire dressing, interior products is a whole other subject and list. LOL

[imports]

lot of good info. wheres the best place to purchase a porter cable and pads?

[FlSHRFun]

Originally Posted by DNG35

Just wondering, I have an 04 G35 Coupe/Silver. Its 5 years old now and the paint is it decent to good shape, but you can tell its dull, its got a few scrapes here and htere that i think can be buffed out. I was considering getting a proffesional buff and wax which will cost $250 CDN. What is the difference between them doing it and me doing it myself. Also if i do it myself what steps do i take, and most importantly WHAT PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST, i need recommendations. I want something that will get the paint back to a super shine and i wont see all the hairline scratches from brush marks and all that. Even if anyone has recommendations for the following:
Best products for:
Cleaning Leather
Dash
Rims and Tires

$250 is a good price, but chances are you'll end up adding more swirls and scratches later on and will be shelling out another $250... and another.
If you invest in the supplies & products now, you'll save more in the long run. But, it's up to you where your prioritize your spendings.
I invested in detailing cars myself about 5 years ago and now it has turned into a small business of mine. $$$

Originally Posted by imports

lot of good info. wheres the best place to purchase a porter cable and pads?

Buffers from Detailed Image are great, and they often have deals with 5-15% off + free shipping. Or you can just type in the promo code 10offg35 and get 10% off.