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it only gets the compound every other year really. as needed.
i did use turtle wax black box with the buffer, (only the second stage) came out pretty damn good. think i got some of that left, may have to have another run at it.
I just want to make it nice and shiny and easy to maintain. LOL
you'll need/want a d/a buffer. i got the HF buffer on sale for like 65 iirc. pads were like another 30 for an assortment of good pads. the HF pads suck and fall a apart before your done with the car.
I gave you all the info you will ever need. You can use that outline for any brand. I based it on what you can get locally.
If you just want it shiny then slap a coat of wax on it and call it a day. But just so you know a polish is what adds shine. Waxes actually dull the finish. That's been mentioned on a few detailing forums.
What color is the 200?
You can really do what the Guz said and just wax it for now and drive for a year.
Do the research,make informed purchases over the year and buy the right gear to bring it back to life after winter
I use a leaf blower to dry in warm weather to try an keep the swirls at bay.
$20>But really for anything available locally....the only choice for looks,longevity and protection is Meguiars Ultimate wax..liquid or paste
$10>Using the Ultimate Quik wax as a drying aid(misting entire car after final rinse) makes drying a snap....did I say a snap to dry and boosts the slickness of the Ultimate wax.
$10>Some Megs Gold class shampoo,
$15 or so>Turtle Wax black endura shine(for ridiculously good looks for months and super easy to clean tires)...just clean the tires with some super clean, purple power,megs Hot rims before you apply the coating....the bottle that comes with it is junk..i have three or four never used
AS far as trim?.. i dunno I'll use Collinite 845 on paint, wheels,windows and trim....not on rubber. best darn sub $20 wax bar none
$20> A waffle weave drying towel and microfibers from walmart(15 pack green,yellow,blue ones 350gsm i think)
$10>Grabbing a bottle of Ultimate polish(under ten bucks) would be good to have for little spots, stubborn berry stains, overseen bird bombs and even the damn road season tar slings.
This is the inexpensive way.....yep
I did forget to mention to at least clay prior to waxing. Pick up a cleaner wax like Meguiar's white wax ($10) and use that 3-4 times a year. In my opinion it is not worth while to have a carnauba based wax (this includes cleaner waxes) as the form of protection on paint. I would recommend going the synthetic wax (aka sealant) route. Sealing the paint 2-3 times a year depending on which sealant is chosen and then maintain it with good washing practice and the occasional spray wax.
Considering your car is new why not take it a professional detailer and have it coated with a semi-permanent or permanent coating like opti-coat. All you have to do is wash it and wash it the right way. It will cost you a lot up front but in the long run it's less work for the owner.
I had actually had the white wax and mothers cleaner wax in the post I did, but I figured you could do the same with Ultimate polish followed by Ultimate wax.
Clean with the polish and a more durable finish with the Ultimate wax( which is actually a sealant). It would just be a little longer process this way.
a coating at a pro detail shop is gonna make you holler. I just checked a local page here for Cquartz installer 850-1000 for a small vehicle Owie.
Prep is definitely key but darn a CarPro Ceramic Paint Protection Kit is $100.
I would use the money for gear to do it myself.
A lot of guys on AGO and MOL top an AIO with a sealant. They seem to get around the 4 month mark. But I agree with you. Why not just polish and seal for better performance and longevity. White wax lasts about the 3-4 month time frame on it's own and maintained with D156/ultimate wax. That is what is currently on my car (other than the hood) to test it out. Although I just topped it with Adams new H20 Guard & Gloss which is pretty nice and user friendly. It's almost like D156.
Coatings are not cheap. Pro's start charging about $400-500 just to apply it. Some don't have the skill that you and I have to apply it their own. The prep work is the hardest part. Coatings are fairly DIY friendly. The other thing is that coatings will still swirl and scratch if not properly maintained.
Shiny and easy to maintain is the goal. So, I'll try just about anything as long as it doesn't risk effing it up.
Car is white...so it's not absolutely terrible to clean.
Ok...so synthetic wax is a sealer? I currently have some Meguires Tech Wax 2.0 at the house...but I haven't opened it yet.
I have two products sitting at home...Meguires Ultimate Wash and Wax and Meguires Tech Wax 2.0. I need something to clean my wheels and make my tires black (don't care about shiny...just black) and then I have to completely sift through this info to figure out what steps would be best. This car has never had a hand wash...always been those touchless jobs.
Jason,
I have everything you would need to do an amazing job. I haven't touched my car except for washing it since I picked it up. I did ... what I suggested to you at that point. It still looks very good considering it has 260K miles on the paint and I haven't followed up annually on it's cleaning/rewaxing/resealing.
Won't you be up this way for a wedding soon? If so, skip buying anything and let's find half a day to make it afugginmazing.
It always comes down to technique and using the product correctly.
White hides swirls really well. But you will see them at just the right angle. It's also one of the hardest colors to do any paint correction.
Yes synthetics are sealants. NXT is a sealant. It's pretty good. Don't forget to clay before applying it so NXT can get the full benefit of it bonding to the paint and last longer. The soap is good. Just don't expect the wax in the soap to replace a traditional wax. It's not intended to be durable but rather to just give you that freshly waxed look.
For tires I recommend a good cleaning prior to applying any type of tire dressing. Meguiar's makes a nice cleaner in Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner. Can be used on wheels that are clear coated and chrome as well as cleaning tires. Agitate it with a tire brush to scrub all the gunk off and then dress the tire. For a tire dressing that is not shiny I like Meguiar's Ultimate Black Tire Coating. It makes the tire black with a little sheen. It also dries to the touch and it won't sling. Like any aerosol you will have to remove any overspray on the wheel so have a microfiber to wipe off any overspray.
If your goal is just to have some type of protection on the paint right now then just use NXT and you can polish it later.
Ask him about how he said he likes Regals the other week. Enjoyed the comfy ride/seat. Wishes his transmission would shift like that. There's a reason why GP's weren't given digital boost gauges, passenger heated seats, comfy seats, fold down rear seats, heated mirrors or even a strut tower brace from 97-03. You want a featureless car...buy a GP
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