remicks

So, I have a 2011 GT with Red Candy Metallic with Tinted Clear and leather interior. This is my first really nice car, before this I've only had trucks and cars not worth the detailing before, and I want to do this right. I appears the previous owner didn't do much detailing and the leather inside doesn't really show any signs that it has ever been taken care of before.

I was looking for some help to build a basic detailing kit, things I can do in a driveway. I was looking for recommendations for a budget DA, polishes, waxes, soaps, leather care, etc. So basically everything, build this kit from scratch, all I have is a few odds and ends from Autozone but I would like to upgrade from that world.

I've seen many posts about the Meguiars 105 and 205 systems and I was thinking of doing that. Like SON1C's color correction, that looked amazing.

Also I remember seeing on here awhile ago something about tinted waxes that bring out the color of your paint differently or waxes that are paired with the color of your paint.

Thanks for the help guys. I don't really know where to start here.

Sonic Mustang

I suggest you go to Autogeek.net or Meguiarsonline.com for advice on "building your detailing kit."

When I got started, I chose to go with Meguiar's products because they are designed to work together. I attended two training classes at Meguiar's in Irvine and used the same products and pads that I learned on.

Detailing is paint correction. To obtain maximum reflectivity the paint must be perfectly flat. You must remove the imperfections in your paint. You do not remove scratches and swirls, you remove the paint next to the scratch to level it.

You should always use the least abrasive combination of product and pad to remove the minimum amount of paint to level its surface. That means testing your products on small area before doing the whole car.

The idea is to correct the paint defects and not hide them with colored wax. Besides, the idea of using colored wax on clear coat seems, well, pretty stupid.

Here's a good DVD by Mike Phillips formerly of Meguiar's now at Autogeek:

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/pcdvd.html

DocSnickers

Get all my stuff from http://www.griotsgarage.com/. They got a lot of amazing products some of the best I have ever used.

The stang II

Like posted above go to autogeek.com. Great DA polishers are the Meguiars da, I personally have and love the Griots Garage 3rd gen 6" polisher, and the Porter Cable 7424xp is also a top choice.

Waxes: There are many different types of waxes. Carnuba, synthetic polymer waxes, cleaner waxes... But a great cheap choice on autogeek is Collinite 845 insulator wax. I have that product and it's excellent! But OTC products like meguiars nxt tech wax (more of a sealant) is good, and at autozone you can find some of meguiars professional line of products.

Get the 6 pack of Lake Country 5 1/2" flat pads. Get 1 yellow pad 3 Orange pads 1 white pad and 1 black waxing pad.

Great polishes are like you said, M105 and M205 and I have M105 and it works great. I also have Optimum's line of polishes and compound. I love their finishing polish. Menzerna makes great polishes, pinnacle, chemical guys, wolfgang... Can't go wrong with most of the products autogeek sells...

Sealants last longer than waxes but don't have as much depth and "pop" to the finish as waxes do. Menzerna makes a great sealant, Detailers Pro makes a good cheap sealant.

Waxes: Pinnacle Souvern Sp? is a top choice among the detailing community, along with Wolfgang Fuzion is another top choice. Collinite, like I said makes superb cheap waxes that rival the big dogs. Poor boys has great waxes and chemical guys.

Get a nice rinseless wash like Ulitma waterless wash and you can use it as a quick detailer, waterless wash, clay lube you name it, and it can do it. For a normal wash, Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss is a top favorite along with Optimum No rinse. Meguiars Gold Class is amazing as well and it can be found pretty much anywhere.

Also, I like Chemical Guys Hybrid V7. It's a spray sealant/ quick detailer that truly does add an amazing shine to the paint. You should invest some brushes for the wheels and engine bay. Get a nice all purpose cleaner and some good dressings for interior and the tires.

I spent about $400 on my initial Detailing supplies from autogeek and have been adding to here and there along the way.

Good luck and hop on those forums at autogeek.

remicks

Awesome, thanks guys. This is what I was really looking for tip wise, now I have a good starting point.

I like the idea that all the Meguiars products are designed together and work together as a system. I don't remember where I read that tinted wax idea, but yeah, now it doesn't exactly make sense.

The big thing was figuring what DA and equipment to get. I didn't want to get something wrong and end up with swirling everywhere. But I'll be careful about the polishing and using the least amount of abrasive. The paint on this car isn't bad since it is an '11 so I will just try the light polish and wax first to see how it turns out and go from there.

Any suggestions on taking care of the interior and helping out the leather. I don't want to get something not designed for the leather in these cars. I have heard if you get the wrong type there can be issues.

Thank you again everybody. This really helps me out. I am definitely going to looking into all of the products recommended and check out the DVD and videos for more techniques and tips.

DocSnickers

Happy to help, the detailing stuff keeps you very busy. I got a good 4 hour detailing to do to day got a car show in the morning.