Help a Newbie buy some products
I'm a real newbie when it comes to things like cleaning and waxing so I thought a thread here might help me out. I'm really after what products I should be using on the outside of my car to keep it looking good. In case it makes any difference, the paintwork is Obsidian Black (metallic black).
Since I'm in the UK, there arent many shops that sell what you guys have available in the US - well at least not over the counter and not anywhere I've looked. The only product that is all over the shelves is Meguiars.
I'm looking to claybar the car as well. So I assume the steps I follow are:
a) Wash to remove any dirt.
b) Claybar
c) Polish/Wax the car
I assume I can use the following products in the following order:
1) Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
2) Smooth Surface Clay Kit
3) Step 1 - Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
4) Step 2 - Deep Crystal Polish
5) NXT Tech Wax 2.0 (not sure whether to get the liquid wax or paste)
All of the products I'm able to buy relatively easily. This will take a good few hours to do but I hope that I can do this and maintain it easily.
A quick aside: Is there anything I can use to stop the car getting dirty so quickly? I live on a busy road and my car get's visibly dirty after a few days. I thought the NXT Tech Wax might help with this...
Thanks and apologies for the long read.
I'm a real newbie when it comes to things like cleaning and waxing so I thought a thread here might help me out. I'm really after what products I should be using on the outside of my car to keep it looking good. In case it makes any difference, the paintwork is Obsidian Black (metallic black).
Since I'm in the UK, there arent many shops that sell what you guys have available in the US - well at least not over the counter and not anywhere I've looked. The only product that is all over the shelves is Meguiars.
I'm looking to claybar the car as well. So I assume the steps I follow are:
a) Wash to remove any dirt.
b) Claybar
c) Polish/Wax the car
I assume I can use the following products in the following order:
1) Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
2) Smooth Surface Clay Kit
3) Step 1 - Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
4) Step 2 - Deep Crystal Polish
5) NXT Tech Wax 2.0 (not sure whether to get the liquid wax or paste)
All of the products I'm able to buy relatively easily. This will take a good few hours to do but I hope that I can do this and maintain it easily.
A quick aside: Is there anything I can use to stop the car getting dirty so quickly? I live on a busy road and my car get's visibly dirty after a few days. I thought the NXT Tech Wax might help with this...
Thanks and apologies for the long read.
Your approach does not sound bad. Only other question is - will you be doing everything by hand or with a machine?
Your approach does not sound bad. Only other question is - will you be doing everything by hand or with a machine?
I do accept that it will get dirty easier, but it's almost like my car is attracting the dust! Oh well, I love the car so I'm not really complaining too much.
I'll be doing it by hand (besides a pressure washer), so I'm aware I'll need a full day.
Last edited by madmla21; Apr 21, 2010 at 11:02 PM. Reason: wrong link

@madmla21: Thanks. I'll definately be looking into it. I had a look around last night and it seems pretty good. It would be amazing if they can offer a package that I can just purchase. I doubt I'd go too overboard though. Unfortunately I don't have THAT much time to be constanly detailing and cleaning!
@Azn C300: If I'm completely honest, I wouldn't want to spend too much. I think spending $300 odd would be my absolute max for both inside and outside. I priced up the products I listed and it came to around $100. Obviously that's excluding applicators and microfibre cloths etc. Anything more would seem unreasonable because I don't drive that often. I've had the car for 9 months and only covered slightly over 3k miles... and it's my only car.
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Thanks for the suggestion on wax. Is it any better than Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0? Again thanks for the Menzerna recommendation but a specific product suggestion would be good! I really am a complete novice at this lol. I may have to have a detailed read around on that detailingworld.co.uk site to see what they recommend...
@Rick SL55: I had a look at the sites, but it says they no longer ship internationally.
@Azn C300 #2: Unfortunately AutoGeek will ship in from the states, so it's probably cheaper for me to look for UK sellers to avoid all sorts of import taxes as well.
@Azn C300 #3: I saw them in the store I saw the Meguiars products. I didn't know if they were any good though. The range available was pretty comprehensive as well, so if that is recommended I'll pick them up. I really just need an idea of what I should be buying for a complete claybar/polish/wax process.

@HIRABI: Thanks but that doesn't help me too much! Any suggestions as to what's good for the process I described in my first post?
If you go with machine polish, Menzerna PO85RD is a great polish made specifically for our new harder clear coat. If you're hand polishing, maybe something like Klasse All In One (AIO) would be a good solution.
Problem is, I'm not sure what's easily available for you in the UK (besides AutoGlym and maybe Menzerna). Just check your UK detailing forums as I'm sure there are sponsors there who carry full line of boutique products if you want to move up from OTC.
Is it OK to run a few things by you before I order the necessary products? I don't want to be a pain but it really would be useful to me.
Thanks again.
PS: Dodo Juice is quite a bit cheaper for us in the UK because it's a UK product. So it's not too much of a markup from the regular AutoGlym stuff. The small premium for a better product isn't a big issue for me. I've just done a few quick calculations and it's marked up in price by about 20-30% for you - based on the figures you've given.
Last edited by Mr Enigma; Apr 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM.
Thanks for the suggestion on wax. Is it any better than Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0? Again thanks for the Menzerna recommendation but a specific product suggestion would be good! I really am a complete novice at this lol. I may have to have a detailed read around on that detailingworld.co.uk site to see what they recommend...
@Rick SL55: I had a look at the sites, but it says they no longer ship internationally.
@Azn C300 #2: Unfortunately AutoGeek will ship in from the states, so it's probably cheaper for me to look for UK sellers to avoid all sorts of import taxes as well.
@Azn C300 #3: I saw them in the store I saw the Meguiars products. I didn't know if they were any good though. The range available was pretty comprehensive as well, so if that is recommended I'll pick them up. I really just need an idea of what I should be buying for a complete claybar/polish/wax process.

@HIRABI: Thanks but that doesn't help me too much! Any suggestions as to what's good for the process I described in my first post?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-G22...2076647&sr=8-2
It is a bit more expensive, but has more power which brings results closer to those of a flex.
As for the wax - since you have a black car, you might rather want to consider a sealant instead of a wax. Blackfire Wet Diamond should get you some great results.
As for polishing, Menzerna PO106FA probably is best for you if your paint only has slight swirls. It has a good cut to it, yet not too strong, and a great gloss rated 4.5/5.
Any fine grade claybar should do the work really.
So cliff notes: any fine grade claybar, 16 oz Menzerna PO106FA, 16 oz Blackfire Wet Diamond and the G220 if it's within your budget.
Also, when going with a machine, you have to consider what pad to use. People have been getting great results with a Lake Country white pad and the PO106FA.
As AZN said, you can get very caught up in the variety out there and easily spend $1000+.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...apolishing.pdf
I was looking around at other forums for advice and found myself on the Dodo Juice forum because I was researching their products. The detailers on there recommend the following two products for use if the G220 wasn't worth the infrequent use.
#1: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/kestrel-sim180-rotary-polisher/prod_523.html
#2: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/silverline-39-silverstorm-39-rotary-polisher/prod_513.html
They are about a third of the price of the G220. I could see if a friend has a polisher and use that if I need to.
What's the advantages over a sealant over wax? I was eyeing up Dodo Juice Blue Velvet (for dark paints) or Supernatural which is rated very highly.
For the polish itself, I inspected my car earlier today and it has very little swirling. In fact I would say it needs the least abrasive cut to get rid of them - that's comparing it with pictures off the internet of what is deemed to be 'minor swirls'. Bear in mind it's only 9 months old and it isn't washed every week so it hasn't had a chance to build them up. What would you recommend in this situation for polish? Pads I'll look at a little closer to when I purchase because I would only need something that is very soft/mild (sorry I don't know the correct terminology).
For the claybar, I'm eyeing up (again) Dodo Juice with their clay lube, which works out to be roughly the same as any of the kits that are available to me, and I get at least twice as much clay, so it's probably worth it in the long run...
Thanks for that article. I read it from cover to cover and it explained a LOT. Very insightful and made me understand what I was doing when I will be polishing.

Synthetic polymer sealants will last longer than carnauba waxes, but the look of carnauba waxes look amazing. What most do is layer the wax on top of the sealant.
I was looking around at other forums for advice and found myself on the Dodo Juice forum because I was researching their products. The detailers on there recommend the following two products for use if the G220 wasn't worth the infrequent use.
#1: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/kestrel-sim180-rotary-polisher/prod_523.html
#2: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/silverline-39-silverstorm-39-rotary-polisher/prod_513.html
They are about a third of the price of the G220. I could see if a friend has a polisher and use that if I need to.
What's the advantages over a sealant over wax? I was eyeing up Dodo Juice Blue Velvet (for dark paints) or Supernatural which is rated very highly.
For the polish itself, I inspected my car earlier today and it has very little swirling. In fact I would say it needs the least abrasive cut to get rid of them - that's comparing it with pictures off the internet of what is deemed to be 'minor swirls'. Bear in mind it's only 9 months old and it isn't washed every week so it hasn't had a chance to build them up. What would you recommend in this situation for polish? Pads I'll look at a little closer to when I purchase because I would only need something that is very soft/mild (sorry I don't know the correct terminology).
For the claybar, I'm eyeing up (again) Dodo Juice with their clay lube, which works out to be roughly the same as any of the kits that are available to me, and I get at least twice as much clay, so it's probably worth it in the long run...
Thanks for that article. I read it from cover to cover and it explained a LOT. Very insightful and made me understand what I was doing when I will be polishing.

I think you would be very well advised to stay away from rotary polishers as these require quite a bit of experience. The last thing you want is to burn through your clear coat and damage the paint because you did not have the needed feel to operate a rotary. A G220 or a PC are orbitals and much safer in that regard.
As for the polish to get rid of light swirls: Either the PO85RD or the slightly stronger cutting PO106FA (both from Menzerna). Personally, I'd go with the PO106FA just because you have the state of mind that you can get rid of swirls a bit easier. You can always ease up on the machines pressure or the rotation level to take some of that cutting power away when you believe that a lighter polish (such as the PO85RD) would have done the job.
As for everything else, you should be fine with Dodo Juice products, if you can get them for a decent price. IMO, lubes, clay etc are not all that different from all the manufacturers as long as you stick with the stream line manufacturers. For waxes and sealants it can be a bit different, but in the end they all protect your car and make it nicer to look at.
The polishishes, how much of the clear coat is only likely to remove over the other? I was eyeing up a Lime Prime from Dodo Juice (might as well just order it from one provider) which has a mild cutting agent but with some other oils that give it a deep gloss. The results appear good, and since it is mild it will ideal for the very very slight swirls I have. I may look into the other polishers before I make a definate decision.
The clay just works out roughly the same price from Dodo Juice compared to Meguiars clay kid (maybe a few ££ more expensive) but you get twice as much clay so it's almost a no brainer!
Thanks for all the advice. Once I make a decision on what to get I'll post up something here. =)


