First timer could use a little guidance

[Arch Stanton]

Ok, so I bought my Maggie in July and have had it hand washed regularly, but haven't done anything to speak of to protect the paint. My job is finally letting up a bit and I'm going to set aside a day this weekend or next to do my car up right.

I've never really done a whole lot more than just waxing my vehicles before, but as I've read this forum I now realize that there's a whole lot more than should (or at least can) be done to provide a great shine as well as protection.

With my car being new, I don't have any swirls, spiderwebs or any other real issues with the paint that need to be repaired other than I can feel some nibs even when it's clean. I plan on giving it a clay bar treatment and have ordered a PC 7336, but am uncertain what the next step should be. It seems that most of the advice I see in here involves a cleaning and or polishing step, but do I need to do either of those with such a new car on this first pass? Should I just plan on going from the clay bar to a glaze and then a sealant or wax (I'll be using Meguiar's products). Or is a glaze even necessary?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[pir8magnum]

Hey there,

Did you get any pads yet? You'll need one for polish and another for wax. I think its generally good to have a different pad for each product. Also you want to have one to put a bonnet on for final buffing.

If you bought it in July then you have about 6 months worth of contaminants, so clay bar is probably a good idea. If it was me I would probably just clay bar it, then use some paint cleaner and then you could probably just wax from that point. If there aren't scratches or cobwebs you can probably skip the polish step. Im not the expert here though, so wait for some others to chime in.

Ok, so I bought my Maggie in July and have had it hand washed regularly, but haven't done anything to speak of to protect the paint. My job is finally letting up a bit and I'm going to set aside a day this weekend or next to do my car up right.

I've never really done a whole lot more than just waxing my vehicles before, but as I've read this forum I now realize that there's a whole lot more than should (or at least can) be done to provide a great shine as well as protection.

With my car being new, I don't have any swirls, spiderwebs or any other real issues with the paint that need to be repaired other than I can feel some nibs even when it's clean. I plan on giving it a clay bar treatment and have ordered a PC 7336, but am uncertain what the next step should be. It seems that most of the advice I see in here involves a cleaning and or polishing step, but do I need to do either of those with such a new car on this first pass? Should I just plan on going from the clay bar to a glaze and then a sealant or wax (I'll be using Meguiar's products). Or is a glaze even necessary?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Arch Stanton]

Hey there,

Did you get any pads yet? You'll need one for polish and another for wax. I think its generally good to have a different pad for each product. Also you want to have one to put a bonnet on for final buffing.

If you bought it in July then you have about 6 months worth of contaminants, so clay bar is probably a good idea. If it was me I would probably just clay bar it, then use some paint cleaner and then you could probably just wax from that point. If there aren't scratches or cobwebs you can probably skip the polish step. Im not the expert here though, so wait for some others to chime in.

Thanks.

Yea, I went ahead and ordered a backing plate and 2 or 3 each of the 8006 and 9006 pads as well as a half dozen MF bonnets from Auto Detailing Solutions so I should be good to go there.

[Cdn_Magnum]

Without getting into too much 'opinion wars', I would suggest going here and check out the videos. This will give you an excellent starting point on steps and procedures.
What you ultimately use for your waxing/polishing/glazing is totally up to you, but the basic steps always remain the same. Claybar first! Take the time to apply the product, follow the manufactures recommended procedures and time lines. I use Ziano Bros wax products, but the procedure will be similar. Meguires is an excellent product as is Mothers (so is Klasse but i cant find it up here). Those would be my top three recommended brands. There are no short cuts ... time is what you need. Buy a good detailing spray as a touch-up between washes and waxes.

Post some before and after pix