I have read a lot in the forums about the steps to detail a car but I wanted to post this before I start for the first time to verify that I am getting the right stuff and doing it the right way. I own a 2007 G35 sedan AT. The outside is in good condition. I have a lot of swirls around the whole car and some scratches on the door panels. If you now of a better product to use, if I am using the wrong product or I am doing it in the wrong order, please let me know so I can tweak this list to get it right the first time around. At the bottom are some questions I still have. Thanks for your time in advance.

Steps to detail my car:

1.) Wash
2.) Clay w/ DI GENTLE FINE GRADE CLAY BAR 100G & CLAY LUBE
3.) Wash
4.) Polish (2 steps)
- 1st step Medium Polish
- Menzerna Super Intensive Polish w/ 4" HEX-LOGIC PAD ORANGE MEDIUM-HEAVY CUT SCRATCH & SWIRL REMOVER Pad
- 2nd step Light Polish
- Menzerna PO85RD Micro Finish w/ 4 " HEX-LOGIC Pad GREEN LIGHT CUT-HEAVY POLISH MINOR SCRATCH & SWIRL REMOVER Pad
5.) Inspection w/ Meguiar’s Final Inspection M34
6.) Glaze w/ Menzerna Finishing Glaze w/ 4" HEX-LOGIC Pad - BLACK FINISHING PAD (4"inch)
7.) Sealant w/ Menzerna Power Lock w/ LAKE COUNTRY HYDRO TECH CYAN LIGHT CUTTING AND POLISHING PAD
8.) Wait 24 hours for Sealant to cure
9.) Wax w/ 5050 Limited Series Concours Paste Wax

I will be using a Porter Cable 7424XP Random Orbital w/ 3-1/2" DIAM. PC (85mm) MOLDED URETHANE BACKING PLATE (5/16" x 24)

Questions I have:

Is gentle fine grade clay bar ok to use since I have not detailed before or should I use medium grade?

How many pads should I buy of each for a full detail?

Am I using the right pads (color and brand) for each step?

Is it a good idea to glaze if I am sealing? The reason I ask this I have read that some selects have a hard time sealing due to the glaze
How long does this take? I was thinking 2 days?

Is this ok to do for a beginner or should I start smaller? I think I can do this because I have a lot of patients’ and time but wanted to ask you guys first.

Thanks again guys………

 

If you can correct your paint with the 2 pass polish then you won't need the Glaze. Just take your time and finish with the Sealant and wax.

 

See bold

 

Just be prepared. It can be physically exhausting -- no pain, no gain. The results are totally worth it.

 

Clay during your wash and scratch the washing after clay. Wash after polishing and skip the glaze. I think glazes are a waste - usually not durable. Glazes are intended to fill, IE stuff dealers use to make cars temporarily look good. If you do a test spot you should be able to correct the whole car without "inspection." My final wash is inspection, which is bad but I usually just spot check every panel with a light (I use a RO, not a rotary, which is a different game of inspection since holograms are more a natural light thing).

I would say you can get away with two pads, but I prefer three or four. That is me. My first detail I used one and kept wondering why my last few panels wouldn't correct easiliy: My pad was all gummed up!

If you were to have one you'd be ok, just wash it when it gets gummed up. It may sling lots of water/polish though. This is bad b/c polish tends to be hard to removed from trim.

This is very true. I always want to polish my wheels but after doing the body, I wind up sealing. Polishing is the step you should not cave on. It's the cash and prizes of a detail. It's what makes people drop their jaw. Proper polishing and prep is everything.

If you start to get tired, just give it a break and come back.

I'm sure you already know that if you were to drive the car, you can't simply come back to it, you'd have to rewash. May sound dumb but making sure we cover the bases.

Good luck!

 

So I am proberly going to cut out the glazing. Sounds like its really not worth the time. I'm def going to get prob 3 pads for each. I read good reviews on the wax I am going to use. Anybody here used it before? Also I found alot of DYI video's on how to polish and seal. What do you guys think is the best one to follow. Thanks again for all the info.

 

I'm becoming a big fan of CG, I've used three of their products so far and am very impressed.

In my experience, most waxes last two months tops and then the beading becomes so pathetic I have to reapply. I'm sure the 5050 is good stuff, but if you haven't ordered yet maybe think about jetseal is looks aren't as important. The 5050 will probably look wetter than the jetseal.

 

Jetseal is a sealant right? so I can sub Menzerna Power Lock with Jetseal and still use 5050 for an extra shine?