Mind blown, so many options for detailing - help?

[mattbatt]

I spent two days trolling this dark side of the forum because I quite possibly have found another addiction to throw my money at besides audio, exhaust and horsepower mods Who knew?

With my 2 day research here and off this site, here are my conclusions:

1. I'm going with Adams VST, all purpose cleaner, leather cleaner and conditioner and drying towel. I believe my stripe issue can be resolved and I hear great stuff about the leather cleaner.

2. For shampoo I'm going with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond, it has less suds than most but more polymers than most for better protection and shine.

3. I also researched various waxes and have decided to almost pull the trigger on this package:
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/wet-ice-over-fire.html

I know polymers don't have the warmth of carnauba wax, but I like the prolonged protection, and as far as paint sealers go, BLACKFIRE has the most positive reviews I have found thus far. Plus this package does the sealant, than the carnauba wax ontop. Sounds interesting.

QUESTIONS / ADVICE

1. the fire/ice package comes withBLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Instant Detailer, yet Todd mentioned a different BLACKFIRE detailer in some of his posts. So is this package a good deal or should I buy the sealant individually and then some different detailer and wax?

2. Do I really need to clay and polish my car before this process of sealant and wax and detail? I say this because the original wax that was on the car when I bought it at 5k miles just wore off (car has 12k miles now). I don't see swirl marks (I've been using the 2 bucket system).

Finally, I don't want to wear down my clear coat or make mistakes polishing since I have never used a machine.

Thanks guys!

[lscamaro]

Yes I would clay, but the way to know if you need it is put your hand through a plastic baggy and run it on your paint and if its rough then you need it. If smooth then your good.

[Hammer St. James]

Wash with Dawn dish soap to strip existing wax. Then clay to remove surface contaminants. Polishing with a da like a porter cable is pretty safe.

This is an awesome thread on polishing: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224560


On near perfect paint a light polish such as Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer with a mild pad will do the trick. Apply the sealant of your choice adhering to the directions on the bottle. I like to apply a nice 'nuba wax such as Pinnacle Sauvaron or Blackfire Midnight Sun over the sealant to make it shine like a mofo.



My results:

[Todd@Autopia]

Originally Posted by mattbatt

I spent two days trolling this dark side of the forum because I quite possibly have found another addiction to throw my money at besides audio, exhaust and horsepower mods Who knew?

With my 2 day research here and off this site, here are my conclusions:

1. I'm going with Adams VST, all purpose cleaner, leather cleaner and conditioner and drying towel. I believe my stripe issue can be resolved and I hear great stuff about the leather cleaner.

2. For shampoo I'm going with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond, it has less suds than most but more polymers than most for better protection and shine.

3. I also researched various waxes and have decided to almost pull the trigger on this package:
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/wet-ice-over-fire.html

I know polymers don't have the warmth of carnauba wax, but I like the prolonged protection, and as far as paint sealers go, BLACKFIRE has the most positive reviews I have found thus far. Plus this package does the sealant, than the carnauba wax ontop. Sounds interesting.

QUESTIONS / ADVICE

1. the fire/ice package comes withBLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Instant Detailer, yet Todd mentioned a different BLACKFIRE detailer in some of his posts. So is this package a good deal or should I buy the sealant individually and then some different detailer and wax?

2. Do I really need to clay and polish my car before this process of sealant and wax and detail? I say this because the original wax that was on the car when I bought it at 5k miles just wore off (car has 12k miles now). I don't see swirl marks (I've been using the 2 bucket system).

Finally, I don't want to wear down my clear coat or make mistakes polishing since I have never used a machine.

Thanks guys!

1. the fire/ice package comes withBLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Instant Detailer, yet Todd mentioned a different BLACKFIRE detailer in some of his posts. So is this package a good deal or should I buy the sealant individually and then some different detailer and wa[B]x?

The detailer in that kit is designed to work with the wax (or any wax) because they it has a high concentration of ivory (pure) carnauba wax in it. I also use BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Polymer Spray, but it is more of a spray sealant than a quick detailer.

2. Do I really need to clay and polish my car before this process of sealant and wax and detail? I say this because the original wax that was on the car when I bought it at 5k miles just wore off (car has 12k miles now). I don't see swirl marks (I've been using the 2 bucket system).

If you don't see swirl marks, then polishing would offer little benefit to you. I would always recommend claying first.