There are a ton of threads that crop up almost daily regarding the same few very basic questions as new users join the forums and are unsure of how to care for their new vehicles properly. This results in having information scattered among dozens of threads and general confusion amongst newcomers. This is my attempt to provide a basic overview for getting started in detailing. Below you will find a complete listing of what different products do, when you’d use them, and why. You can find plenty of other articles like this and long-winded videos that will take you forever to watch. But I’m going to make the leap and assume that most of you can read. I try to describe things in laymen’s terms so you may find this easier to grasp than some others.
My car is dirty.
What do I do?
My paint/glass feels rough and bumpy.
How can I fix that?
I have swirls and scratches in my paint.
How can I get rid of those?
Water seems to just pool on my paint rather than slide off.
Is there anything I can do?
There seem to be little brown spots all over my paint.
What's the deal?
***Please do not request information on specific products in this thread; that’s not the intention. I have another thread specifically for that type of thing,
located here. Anything you see in this thread will have a corresponding recommendation in the product thread.***
If you have any questions, suggestions, things you’d like to see added, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do. This is far from the only way to do things, but it works for me and should give you a great jumping off point.