Detailing from new

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I'm awaiting delivery of my z and just preparing buying the products I need to look after when it finally arrives. I've got RCZ1 full detailing guide printed out and selecting products from each section there but my question is what should I be doing from new? Is a full detail really required, would I really need clay for a brand new car? Should I just seal with wax or sealant from day 1 and ease into it etc?

Cheers
P

 

[RCZ1]

Hi all,

I'm awaiting delivery of my z and just preparing buying the products I need to look after when it finally arrives. I've got RCZ1 full detailing guide printed out and selecting products from each section there but my question is what should I be doing from new? Is a full detail really required, would I really need clay for a brand new car? Should I just seal with wax or sealant from day 1 and ease into it etc?

Cheers
P

Hi

I'm pleased your finding the detailing guide useful. It's good to know

You don't have to go full out on a full detail. Take your time, get to know the products that you use and how to get the most out of them to give you the results you require and your technique. No one expects you to jump right in from the start and do every single thing. When I first discovered detailing it took me about 2 years before I clayed a car for example. These days there are products which decontaminate the paint making claying almost unnecessary (it just picks up any little remains after using products like Tardis and Iron X for tar removal and iron contaminants respectively). So to answer your question use Tardis and Iron X and you don't need to clay unless you really want to. Decontamination removal is an important process as it helps add shine to the paintwork, followed by polishing (this adds the shine not the wax) and then add a wax or sealant of your choice to seal in the shine.

If you choose to use Tardis and Iron X just feel the difference in your paintwork before and after. The paintwork will feel much smoother after decontamination.

Take your time, build up your confidence, get to know you products, adjust your technique as your experience grows and everything will fall into place. Most of all, ENJOY

 

[Anonymous]

Should I just seal with wax or sealant from day 1 and ease into it etc?

This.

Until you want it to make it your new hobby (that's also fine of course).

Whenever I get a new car, I clean it from whatever is still there from production, or put on it by the dealer to make it look better (sigh), seal the glass and put some quality wax on the car. Sometimes followed by a quick detailer to get that extra shine.

Coincidentally I'll start testing some products on my current car tomorrow because the wax I've used is used up and I want to test something newer, so I'll hopefully find something good and reasonably priced before my RCZ shows up.

 

[Anonymous]

Great thanks guys, bill start with those basics and go from there. Looking forward to it. I have a big double car garage and getting the floor painted next week to give the rcz a nice home and will give me good space to work on some of these things in the evening when I get my daughter to bed.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in exactly the same boat. Just ordering a snow-foam lance for the karcher and came across iron-x snow soap - any opinions on this - it is supposed to be a combination iron-x and snow foam at the same time...

 

[RCZ1]

I'm in exactly the same boat. Just ordering a snow-foam lance for the karcher and came across iron-x snow soap - any opinions on this - it is supposed to be a combination iron-x and snow foam at the same time...

I haven't used it but from what people have said on Detailing World, it's not necessarily effective and you have to use it neat, which makes it expensive and you also have to use the normal Iron X, because the snow foam isn't as effective.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

My previous C4 THP150, 100km on the clock... this was 1 panel...



So yes, you need to clay your car. Never used the Iron X and Tardis so I can comment on those.

Brand new car, full detail, after pic:



Yummy, super wet look results. Went through the same process with the RCZ but didnt document the process.

 

[Anonymous]

Still waiting on my delivery date but I now have around £150 of cleaning and beautifying products sitting here mainly thanks to this forum. You guys are costing me a small fortune ;-)

 

[RCZ1]

Still waiting on my delivery date but I now have around £150 of cleaning and beautifying products sitting here mainly thanks to this forum. You guys are costing me a small fortune ;-)

........ It will only get worse :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Still waiting on my delivery date but I now have around £150 of cleaning and beautifying products sitting here mainly thanks to this forum. You guys are costing me a small fortune ;-)

Ooooooh....whatcha been buying?

 

[Anonymous]

Still waiting on my delivery date but I now have around £150 of cleaning and beautifying products sitting here mainly thanks to this forum. You guys are costing me a small fortune ;-)

Ooooooh....whatcha been buying?

Whatever it is he clearly didn't need a pressure washer as the bill would have been a whole lot more :lol: £150 is a snip. Wait till RCZ1 really gets her teeth into ya

 

[Anonymous]

No - already had the karcher but I now have a snow foam adapter for it and some of the valet pro ph neutral snow foam, along with a new lambs wool MIT, bunch of micro fibre cloths, drying cloths, shampoo, glass polish, wheel cleaner, etc etc. I thought I would try some meguires nxt tech wax 2 for top coat to start with.