*Official* Ask A Detailer Thread

Oh I see. Good to know about the appearance. It's going to be bright red so I want it to look amazing in the sun.

I'm open to any company really. I just don't know as much about them as I do Chemical Guys lol. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

I personally like Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant. It is very wet looking on a properly prepped car. It also produces very deep reflections and will really make red pop. It's very easy to apply and the bottle will last you a long time. I get around six months of protection with the sealant topped with a wax and my truck being garaged. It is very durable.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Blackfire-M32/Wet-Diamond-P205/16-oz-S1/

 

That stuff sounds great! I'm definitely going to get it. I apologize for all the questions, but I was wondering if it would be best to top this off with a particular wax? I'm having a hard time deciding on a good one.

Thanks for all the help man!

 

Any quality paste wax will work. All have different characteristics, so just pick one that fits your budget. In all honesty, I would do 2 layers of the sealant first and see how you like that. If you still find that doesn't meet your expectations then invest in a quality caranuba paste wax. No need to spend the extra money if you don't need to.

 

Sweet! That sounds like a good plan.

Is it possible that using a wash soap to strip any protection from the factory off and using the alcohol/water mixture could harm the paint since it's so new? I'll be picking it up as soon as it arrives at the dealership so I'll be the first one to ever wash it. Someone mentioned to me that they wouldn't do such an in depth detail because it's so new and it freaked me out, but it's going to spend three weeks on a ship coming from England then the time it takes to be transported from the port to the dealer where I'll pick it up. That will be a month and that seems like plenty of time to me? Or am I over reacting?

 

You'll be fine. Factory paint is baked on and fully cured before it leaves the factory. The only time this is a factor is on repaints after collisions, etc. The paint needs to out gas which can sometimes cause bubbling when it is waxed. On a factory painted car you will be fine.

 

Whew haha. Awesome! That's good news.

 

P21S is a quality product. You cannot go wrong with the Blackfire sealant mentioned earlier as well.

I use a sealant and top it with a true carnuba in the summer or a combination synthetic carnuba in the winter.

If you are on a budget you might want to look at the Poor Boys line on Autogeek. Lots of bang for the buck.

 

Thanks for the info 95SLE! I'll definitely check out those companies.

I went to the dealer Wednesday and they made a note while I was there to NOT wash the car when it arrives. They're even going to leave the shrink wrap on it. Does anyone know if that will be a PITA to remove myself?

Also, I was at Sam's a few days ago and saw a pack of 24 microfibers for $11.58. They say they don't scratch, but the cheap price has me scared. The blend is 80/20 and some better ones I've found online are 70/30. Should I stay away from them? I don't mind spending more money to protect my paint if they're not that great, they just caught my eye while I was there.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=198756&navAction=#BVRRWidgetID

 

The microfiber towels you mentioned are good for the dirty jobs in the engine bay and wheels. I would not use them on the paint.

This is a great microfiber towel for removing polish abd wax.


For drying I would recommend this towel.

Click on the buy one get one free link on the left side of the screen and Blackfire products are listed.

If you are spending moer than $95 use the code AGO at checkout and receive free shiping.

New AutoGeek 20% off code good till 1/29/2012 SALE20

Auto free shipping on orders over $125.00

 

Can I ask a detailer about this:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/detailing/200648-anything-i-can-do-help-shift-knob-off-gas.html

Thanks

 

Thx for letting me know about the BOGO dude! I went ahead and ordered the sealant and got a second one as my free gift! Either I forgot you posted the 20% off coupon or missed it and used a 10% off one instead Crap! I need to start paying closer attention.

Also, I ran in Kmart with someone tonight and saw that they had Meguiar's clay bar kits on sale for $11.99. I was considering buying professional grade clay, but I figure these will suffice since it's a brand new car and won't have many contaminants. I got the only two with 160 grams of clay just because they were so cheap.

 

The MEGs kit FTW. Inexpensive and does a great job. I use it all the time. I also have some Pinnacle clay and to be honest borh do a decent job. The Megs kit is less $$$.

 

Oh perfect then. Maybe I should go buy the rest just because they're so cheap.

 

I have a 07 silver with a matching fiberglass camper shell. Do i care for the shell the same way as the truck? Anything I should know about detailing the silver paint?

Thanks

 

Care for the shell the same as the truck body.

Silver is a very forgiving color and for that reason it takes a lot of work to really make it pop when doing a detail.

I would continue to use a decent wax and polish when the scratches and swirl marks become really noticeable.

 

I was detailing my mountain bike (I know, totally OCD) and I clayed it with a piece of the Meguiar's kit and it left a lot of splotchy spots all over the paint. I used A LOT of the detailer and it still happened. Is there anything I can do to help prevent this? Is it the detailer not providing enough lubrication and doing this? I wasn't using a lot of pressure.

 

Hey guys, i've been using rain x car wash on my truck. anybody know if this stuff is safe in the long run?

 

Did the clay seem like it would get stuck sometimes? And if so, Is this where the spots occurred? I always spray the surface that I am claying and the clay itself and I never get spots.

 

As long as its paint safe and doesn't strip wax etc., I don't see why it would harm anything.

Just looked it up. You should be fine.