After reading some threads here I decided for the most part on what to buy to detail my car.

7336 porter cable
rain x for my headlights
clay magic
klasse AIO, SG and p21s carnuba wax
Stoner's invisible glass
Big blue towel to dry


Only thing left to decide is what to use to remove swirl marks, tire dressing and which pads to use with the porter cable? I have enough swirl marks on my black g that you can notice the shine from a distance along with heavy oxidation that has been on the paint for a while along with bugs I need to remove. I never detailed before so any help would be appreciated. I also do not want to go the zaino route because it seems like it will take way too long. Thanks guys

 

You won't regret it. Make sure your car surfaces are clean. Initially, I apply 2 apps of Klasse AIO. For the first application of klasse SG, I usually wait at least 12 hours prior to its removal. If so desired, additional coats of SG can be removed in a few minutes . . . If not, you may opt to leave the SG on longer. Remember . . . For the Klasse products, a little amount goes a long way. I perform the above twice a year . . . Once prior to the summer months and once prior to the winter months. This alone will protect your finish just fine . . .

However, I top the Klasse off with P21s carnuba wax and reapply once a month or so.

I have been using the Klasse products for my previous 3 cars and have not found a better product, yet. There are equals, but none better.

Have fun! . . . Enjoy the results of your labor.

 

clay, then swirl remover. I like Menzerna IP then FP2 (still perfecting my application of it). Another good polish is Optimum polish. I've used 3M swirl mark remover for black. Relatively easy to use for all of these. 3M SMR has fillers though. I'll be trying clay, IP, FP2, FTG, the FMJ on the next black car i work on. 03 Civic Si most likely. I havent' found anything slicker than FMJ.

For tire dressing, I use the concentrated stuff from meguiars professional line. Hyper Dressing. Can be diluted to what you want and it's water based. Watch what you use on the tires... some will reduce the protectants the manufacturers put in their tires and may cause cracking/etc.

Pad selection you'll want 2 polishing pads, 2 finishing pads, and maybe a cutting pad. If you're using a polish, you don't need AIO if you're using AIO for oxidation removal.

 

I like the wolfgang products....they have the best swirl remover I have used yet. I would also suggest you go with 4" pads. They are a little easier to use for beginners, and actually the only ones I got results with.

 

best drying thing i have ever used. Get 2 of them

 

Lowes and get the 7336. Great buy. You can find better info at autopia.org for what you need. But looks like you have a great first start. Waffle drying towles from elitedetail.com are awesome and so are his MF. The ones at Target are also very good from Vroom per autopia.org guys.

Get all the pads and swirl mark remover from elitedetail.com

 

I use the klasse AIO on my headlights and tails, I'm not sure you need rainx

 

Great Post! Your right on the money and you've made some very wise product selections. I detail professionally and my product selection is critical to the overall outcome of the car. You must of done your homework because you made some really good selections. There is an awesome deal on the Klasse twins here. I also really like the P21S Carnauba Wax, it's my favorite carnauba wax. If you need a recommendation on what polish to go with I highly recommend the Poorboy's World Super Swirl Remover (SSR) 2.5 and the SSR 1.0. I use the SSR 2.5 first to get out the heavy swirls and scratches the best you can and then finish off the coat with the SSR 1.0 to leave a butter soft feel to the paint.
Stoners is another great product too. It's easy to use and safe to put on tinted windows.
found a better product, yet. There are equals, but none better.
Clay Magic is great for claying.
The Big Blue is the best towel I've ever used to dry with.

 

Would you recommend the poor boy over the Menzerna IP then FP2 method? Which would bring about a better result and is easier for a beginner to work with? Also could you tell me the color pads I need to buy? Thanks

 

I'll second that... the blue towels from Target are pretty good. One towel can easily dry an SUV.

 

hey where do u get a nice big bar of clay magic?

 

i buy them from my local auto paint shop. since you're in socal... a place called Senik paint. There's one in my area (costa mesa) and one in Orange.

 

Both combinations are great but they are different. After speaking with Menzerna reps directly they explained that their products works better with buffers, especially rotary ones. The product breaks down and works into the clear coat better at a higher temperature. Buffers can generally generate more heat than by hand and certainly provide more even coverage of product and heat over an entire car.
Especially for beginers I think the Poorboy's World SSR line is great. Its very easy to use and isn't too abrassive. If your looking to get rid of swirls and scratches then I would use the SSR 2.5 and then follow it up with the SSR 1.0. I often use this combination and have amazing results. If the car is brand new I would use the 1.0 to keep it clean. If it's relatively new paint with minor imperfections you can use the 2.0 sometimes followed by the 1.0. I don't recomend the 3.0 genearlly because you have to really work it in and do a really good job buffing out the micro scratches it can create to have a perfect paint job.

For pads I like to use Lake Country and I would recommend you get the orange pad, white pad and black pad. The orange pad is the cutting pad which you would use when you are applying your abrassive polish that will reduce swirls and scratches. The white pad is for final polishes which have very mild abrassiveness or a glaze which helps fill in imperfections. The black pads are finishing pads and should be used for applying wax.


Big Blue Drying towel thats plush microfiber with waffle weave design can save you tons of time and is nice and safe on the paint. It takes me two to dry an entire car but it's well worth it.

Some places sell 80g bars of detailing clay but I always prefer to buy in a little bit bigger bulk.
Clay Magic's 200g bars will last you a lot longer. I cut them into about fifths that way if I drop a piece I can throw it away and still have four pieces left. I store it in the container they give you and spray some quick detailer in it to keep the bar soft and malleable.

 

Those are the extact products I started out with. I liked the 2.5, but found the wolfgang product to be better. I had some micro maring, and the 2.5 with the 6" pad wasn't touching it. I switched over the wolfgang and the 4" pad and they came right out. So...it may have been more of a pad thing, as I have read that the 4" pads are easier to work with for beginners like myself.

Anyways...I used the wolfgang swirl remover, followed up with SSR 1.0, and a glaze, then a sealant and the pinnacle wax. it's looks great for the first polish. I want to hit it again, and claybar first the next time. However, I think I'll wait until fall for the next round. Too hot now!!!

 

only 1 i can speak for is stoner's great product and tint safe.