1st thing to do when i pick up new car?

[StangSteve]

I will start off by saying I don't think I want to ceramic coat the new car. With that said what should I do when I get the car home? Wash, clay bar, wash? Then what is best to get a good clean car and what is a good sealant to use? This will be a daily driver so I know its gonna get its road wear but I want to protect it initially. I live in Hawaii so lots of rain and sea water. Thanks.

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[catchthecarp]

If you read any of the popular detailing sites the steps below are what the pro's recommend. I did not do step 2 on my car.


1. Wash
2. Iron-X or similar. Rinse off.
3. Clay. Pro's often recommend washing or IPA wipe down after clay. I go right to the polish.
4. Polish - preferably machine polish with a D/A polisher. It is recommended to always polish after using clay.
5. Paint Sealant
6. Wax

As to which products to use that is a personal preference. I'm a detailing hobbyist, not a pro and I chose the following products because IMO they have established a time tested and proven track record. I'm very satisfied with the results, glass smooth finish, very durable and beads water like crazy.

Polish - Meguiars M-205 finishing polish
Sealant - Jescar Powerlock
Wax - Collinite 845
Meguiar's D-156 X-Press Spray Wax after washes, used as a drying aid and adds a little extra sparkle/protection. D-156 works well on the exterior glass/windshield and plastic pieces under the hood, too.

 

[Nagare]

1. Wash
2. Iron-X or similar. Rinse off.
3. Clay. Pro's often recommend washing or IPA wipe down after clay. I go right to the polish.
4. Polish - preferably machine polish with a D/A polisher. It is recommended to always polish after using clay.
5. Paint Sealant
6. Wax

I think I'd add in another IPA wipe after the polish to get rid of any left over residue from the polish. Seems like it's 95 washes/wipe downs every time I watch a pro detailer's video.

 

[Timeless]

I would definitely recommend the Iron remover...you'll be amazed how much there is.

I also highly recommend ceramic or at least a hybrid ceramic. It is the latest and greatest. Sort of what synthetics were to carnuba when they hit the scene.

 

[StangSteve]

Thanks all, never thought about the iron stuff before.

 

[fiveoboy01]

I think I'd add in another IPA wipe after the polish to get rid of any left over residue from the polish. Seems like it's 95 washes/wipe downs every time I watch a pro detailer's video.

Agreed. Polishing oils left on the paint will compromise the bond of whatever wax or sealer is used and shorten its life.

Other than that, that is a fairly decent wash list.

Another tip - do not let the dealer do any prep, or as little as possible. Their wash process is likely to scratch the car.

Reconsider passing on ceramic coating. It's absolutely worth it.

 

[paul_g]

First off, coatings offered by the dealership is not properly installed. A trip through the car-wash, and some spray-on / wipe-off Wax w/ some TiO2 is not a proper application installation.

I pointed out in another thread all the steps required. Dealerships do not perform these steps. They installed the door-guard PPF over dirt. I have customers come to me all the time upset about seeing dirt and debris trapped within the surface and it doesn't wash off.

Honestly ask yourself, how does it take the dealership less than 30 minutes to do something that takes most high-end detail shops like mine 3 days to do? So I took them up on it. I said, sure... leave the coating on (I knew it was going to polish off when I got my hands on it.) During the wash there was no hydrophobic properties, and after iron-x and clay, there was nothing left...

Here is the entire writeup/article on what we did on my 2019 GT / CS. My detail shop has a "New Vehicle Prep." I hope the admins don't mind pointing to a different forum, however the amount of typing that went into the write-up is more than I want to recreate.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...g-gt-california-special-new-vehicle-prep.html

Here is a link to our Specialties webpage where we talk about new vehicle prep:
https://lsnautodetail.com/specialties

 

[StangSteve]

First off, coatings offered by the dealership is not properly installed. A trip through the car-wash, and some spray-on / wipe-off Wax w/ some TiO2 is not a proper application installation.

I pointed out in another thread all the steps required. Dealerships do not perform these steps. They installed the door-guard PPF over dirt. I have customers come to me all the time upset about seeing dirt and debris trapped within the surface and it doesn't wash off.

Honestly ask yourself, how does it take the dealership less than 30 minutes to do something that takes most high-end detail shops like mine 3 days to do? So I took them up on it. I said, sure... leave the coating on (I knew it was going to polish off when I got my hands on it.) During the wash there was no hydrophobic properties, and after iron-x and clay, there was nothing left...

Here is the entire writeup/article on what we did on my 2019 GT / CS. My detail shop has a "New Vehicle Prep." I hope the admins don't mind pointing to a different forum, however the amount of typing that went into the write-up is more than I want to recreate.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...g-gt-california-special-new-vehicle-prep.html

Here is a link to our Specialties webpage where we talk about new vehicle prep:
https://lsnautodetail.com/specialties

This. The dealership tried to sneak in a $2000+ car detail. I saw the overall price on the paperwork and said that is too high, when I asked for a breakdown of everything, they were trying to sneak that in and I said drop it I don't want it. They said we do this for all the cars and I said drop it if it doesn't come from the factory that way I don't want it since Im doing a build. We argued for 30 mins on this and I was about to walk before she said the sales manager agreed to not add this. So I will try and make sure they don't clean the car but I hope it wont be so dirty that I cant see any issues on the paint when I pick it up.

 

[StangSteve]

So do the iron removal (iron X0 before clay bar?

 

[paul_g]

This. The dealership tried to sneak in a $2000+ car detail. I saw the overall price on the paperwork and said that is too high, when I asked for a breakdown of everything, they were trying to sneak that in and I said drop it I don't want it. They said we do this for all the cars and I said drop it if it doesn't come from the factory that way I don't want it since Im doing a build. We argued for 30 mins on this and I was about to walk before she said the sales manager agreed to not add this. So I will try and make sure they don't clean the car but I hope it wont be so dirty that I cant see any issues on the paint when I pick it up.

Sorry this happened to you... As you can see by my avatar pic, I'm standing next to Chip Foose. I'm in the Automotive Industry... I didn't have to argue... I gave the price I was going to pay and told them to delete the window tint, and whatever else.. There is the Window Sticker and then there is the "screw you" sticker. None of the stuff on the "screw you sticker" should be included in the price of the car.

I told them Window Tint can come off very easily, allow me to go back to my shop, grab my Porta-Cable Heat Gun and that tint will be off in two minutes.

I can tell you with sheer honesty as a detailer we have a process to properly prep a vehicle and get it ready for coatings. It takes nearly 16 total hours to fully decontaminate, paint correct and install our coating (CarPro Cquartz UK 3.0) or GTechniq.

Don't worry about the vehicle being dirty... Head on over to Autogeekonline and join the community on how to turn your vehicle into a show-car. Mike Phillips (Velocity Channel's "Competition Ready" and Autogeek Trainer) has folks in his classes from 11 years old to 88 years old.

Go to IDA Website: https://the-ida.com/search/ and find an IDA Certified Detailer near you.

Dealerships no NOTHING about detailing. I've written several articles on this. They said they detailed my GT/CS, but they drove it through a car wash... I spent three days removing Dealership Installed Swirls and Scratches.

We take paint measurements, fully decontaminate paint, do test spots to dial in the proper pads and compounds. Trust me, in addition to the GT/CS above, here is just a sample of more New Vehicle Preps's we do...

Here is a brand new Stingray we did, can't believe how the dealership delivered it:
https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...16-corvette-stingray-new-car-prep-detail.html

Here is a CLS 550 where the customer was so distraught upon delivery he brought the car directly to us:
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/99614-2013-cpo-cls550-lsn-auto-detailing.html

Brand new 2016 EB Mustang
https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...2016-mustang-eb-prem-pp-new-vehicle-prep.html

Brand new Chevy Silverado:
https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...2017-chevy-silverado-new-car-prep-detail.html

 

[paul_g]

So do the iron removal (iron X0 before clay bar?

StangSteve, please watch this 9 part video series by Mike Philips. It will greatly help you:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf9SO3pQlzJ-WLpwg7U4mUqaB4UuPQ91m

 

[StangSteve]

paul_g man those cars look great. I can see it takes a lot of time but they come out nice. I think that's too much work for me to do so I may have to find a good shop here on Oahu and see how much they want. It will be a daily driver here in the elements of Hawaii so it needs its protection I guess. Thanks for the help.

Are IDA cert shops covered with insurance if they mess something up? All the ones here from the IDA site are in the operators group is that ok?

 

[StangSteve]

Stage 1 Exterior Detail
Standard= $500;
Large = $650;
X-Large = $800

Recommended for vehicles in moderate to poor condition. Vehicle still shows little shine and gloss. Hard Water Spots and marring on the paint. Includes everything in a Signature Exterior & Exterior Gloss Enhancement Detail but adds a medium 1 step machine paint correction (medium polishing) for correcting of the paint to achieve the best gloss as safely as possible. Your car will be treated with the most modern and safe buffing techniques / products,. The resulting finish will be better than what most car owners have ever experienced in an automotive detailing package.

• All services included in Signature Exterior Detail
• 1 Step machine polish to reduce medium to medium-heavy swirls and oxidation to bring out color depth and gloss.
• Paint seal upgrade for 6x the protection and shine over wax included
• 4 to 6+ Hour Service Time

• Signature Exterior Detail
  
• Hand-wash using proper and modern techniques to prevent swirls and marring of the finish
• Wheel faces cleaned to remove built-up brake dust and dirt
• Paint decontamination of fallout and LIGHT hard water spots (Excessive hard water spots is additional cost)
• Door and trunk jambs wiped down (Not degreased)
• Tires dressed (non-greasy, non-sling)
• Exterior molding and trim rejuvenated and protected (Excessive deterioration is additional cost)
• Exterior metal molding and trim rejuvenated and protected not including rims and wheels. (Excessive deterioration is additional cost)
• Exterior glass cleaned for a clear and streak free look
• Application of Polymer sealant wax (2 to 3 month of protection)
• Paint seal upgrade for 6x the protection and shine over wax for only $40; $45; $50
• 3+ Hour Service Time

This is from a local shop. Is this a fair price and would this be good for a new car? Im assuming the GT would be considered a standard car.

 

[paul_g]

That’s a very good price. If you have the physical ability (set aside any physical ailments) lets make this easy.

Order some
- McKee’s 37 Iron Remover
- Nanoskin Clay Mitt (very easy to use)
- Porta-Cable 7424 XP or Griots Garage G6 dual action polishers
- (6) 5.5”Lake Country CCS Orange Pads (for moderate defect removal)
- (4) 5.5” Lake Country CCS Black Sealant/Wax applicator Pads
- HD Speed, or McKee’s 360, or Blackfire one step (AIO’s)
- HD Proxy, or Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
- High quality Microfiber towels
- Good wheel cleaner
- Good washmits

These are called “All in ones” because they polish and apply sealants at the same time. They are very easy to work with

Follow Mike Phillips’s video’s I posted above, join the Autogeekonline Forum, get all your info...

Do an All In One, seal it and your done. Will probably take you one day. The money spent will put products in your in your garage cabinets for future use, pride in knowing you did it yourself. And this is coming from an IDA detailer. I’d rather see folks empowered and knowledgeable! Got it?

 

[fiveoboy01]

Are IDA cert shops covered with insurance if they mess something up? All the ones here from the IDA site are in the operators group is that ok?

Any reputable shop will be insured but generally it's going to cover things like theft, fire, etc... not a screw up by the detailer.

IDA certification is overrated. Instead of looking for an IDA detailer, you should be checking references, looking at ratings, having a look at the shop where the work is done, meeting the owner.. etc. IDA certification doesn't mean jack when it comes to the quality of the service you're going to receive.

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