How to Detail your Vehicle back to a Show-Room Finish

[mblouir]

PART 1 - INTRODUCTION AND MATERIALS
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If you'd like to greatly improve your paint's condition and how your truck looks please read on! You can go from swirl marks and water spots to a mirror finish!

Introduction:
Okay guys many of you saw my 2nd Detail thread and wanted me to go into more detail. Here’s my reply. What I’m going to cover in this is what I’ve learned about exterior detailing. More specifically in this one, paint correction. Many of you guys are caught up to speed on proper car washing (two-bucket method, etc), but I’m going to cover it all for those that aren’t. This will be pretty in-depth, but I’ll try to keep this as user-friendly as possible, so that someone with extremely limited experience should be able to have their vehicle looking like it belongs in a show room.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this is how I detail my truck. I will thus list the materials that I use and list the steps that I take. Detailing is more of an art than a science. There are many available materials and many methods to get to the same result. Most important rule to follow: HAVE FUN!

Also keep in mind that I am aiming this at someone who wants to do a whole detail from start to finish. If you want to skip steps (don’t need paint correction, etc) feel free. Keep in mind, though, that you should do everything to get the best results possible. I am also going to mention now that if you are doing a full detail that it would be best if you could split it up into a few days (two or more) as it’s much easier to accomplish with everything spread out. I did an entire detail in one day before. It’s possible, yes, but not much fun.




Materials Checklist:
I am going to list everything that I use in a proper detailing. I found that I was missing a few things from my ‘2nd Detail Thread’ so I will put in what I feel is necessary. I’ll try to list things in the order that you will be using them during the detail. If you already have some (or most) of the materials, or have something that will work as a substitute, congratulations! You’re that much closer to going from a monthly washer to an enjoying hobbyist. Try to keep it there, though. It’s not fun to be OCD.

I've linked each item back to Auto Detailing Solutions. I've had great experiences with them. If you can find it cheaper, feel free to buy elsewhere. I also noticed that much of the stuff is 'Out of Stock' at his place. I just put them up so you'd know what I was talking about.


Wheels, Tires, Etc:

1. Meguiar's All-Purpose Cleaner Plus (APC+)
2. Meguiar's All-Wheel Cleaner
3. Brush (for tires, wheel wells, fender flares, exhaust tips, etc)
4. Dedicated wash mitt for wheels (to avoid damaging wheels)

Wash:

1. Two five-gallon buckets (one plain water, one soapy solution)
2. At least one grit-guard (for plain water bucket)
3. Two wash mitts (one dedicated for lower panels and dirtiest parts of truck)
4. Meguiar's Gold Class Wash Soap

Clay:

1. Meguiar's Clay Kit

Dressing:

1. Foam applicator pad (for working product into trim, etc)
2. Meguiar's Exterior Trim Detailer (aerosol can--makes life easier. says out of stock but you can find elsewhere if you look)
3. Meguiar's Hyperdressing (for tires and if you have them, black wheels. my favorite product ever)

Paint Correction and Polishing:

1. Porter Cable 7424
2. 5" Backing plate (included in link above)
3. At least 3 5.5" Lake Country Orange (cutting) pads
4. At least 3 5.5" Lake Country Green (polishing) pads (link above)
5. Blue painter's tape
6. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound **
7. Meguiar's M205
8. Meguiar's Deep Crystal Polish
9. 10 Microfiber Towels

**I recommend UC here because M105 does have a learning curve—even I had a little trouble with it during my detail. Since this is more aimed at beginners I think it’s best that they be able to use the stuff. If you want to try M105, though, feel free. Just do some reading up on it first. It's not too bad and it works very well.

Waxing, Glass Cleaning, and Final Rinse/Dry:

1. Meguiar's NXT 2.0 Wax (comes with applicator pad)
2. 5 Microfiber towels (for wiping wax--switch constantly to avoid swirling freshly corrected paint)
3. Stoner's Invisible Glass Cleaner (amazing stuff)
4. 2 Foam applicator pads
5. 2 microfiber towels (for glass cleaner)
6. 2 Meguiar's Water Magnets (don't want water spots!)

========Condensed Materials Checklist (hint--print me!)========​

Now, you're looking at this and going, "Damn that's a lot off stuff to wash a car!"

Yes, it is, but it's not just washing a car anymore. This is the next level where attention to detail is magnified. If you've ever seen a dark color car in direct sunlight and seen all the swirl marks and said to yourself, "That sucks....", then this is for you. Yes, it's expensive, but it's well worth it. I consider this one of the best things you can do for your truck. It will be in your top list of money spent on your truck. Screw the mods, keep her clean.

It's so nice walking out to your truck and seeing her sparkle in the sunlight, with no flaws in sight. You also get a lot more compliments when she's clean.

With Part I complete, let me take the time and officially say: Welcome to the world of detailing!!!




Guys, please refrain from posting until Part 2 is complete. I will work on it as quick as I can but it probably won't be up until later tomorrow. Until then I will ask the mods to temporarily lock the thread to remove all temptation. Thank you for understanding. Stay tuned!

 

[mblouir]

Part II: Putting the Materials to Use
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Note: It is best to do these steps on overcast days. Trying to work polish on bright, sunny days will just give you headaches.

Note: This is a lot of info thrown at you at once--so please take some time and learn it all before trying it. Please ask if you have questions. I felt the easiest way to explain the steps (besides just words) was to link videos. Seeing is better than reading.

The only reason I didn't make my own videos is because it would require me to strip the new wax off my truck to show the steps. It also takes forever to upload videos and I'm not that patient. Here are a few I found that will make things a lot easier than just reading text. I spent a good deal of time finding the best videos to represent the steps that I take. There are so many methods that I'd find something in all the other ones that sort of went against my method, so I had to look elsewhere. Take note at the paint correction video--like I mentioned before, you can use different products to get the same results. It's all personal preference. Also look at Junkman's video playlist on YT. He has amazing videos on everything you'd ever need (detailing, washing, using the PC, wetsanding, etc).


Outline of steps:

1. Clean wheels and tires
2. Wash using two-bucket method
3. Clay
4. Apply dressing
5. Paint correction
6. Wax
7. Clean glass
8. Final rinse and dry

Wheels and Tires
Materials Needed: APC+, Meg's All-Wheel Cleaner, stiff brush, old wash mitt

1. Do one wheel/tire combo at a time
2. Spray APC+ on first wheel well and tire and let them soak
3. Spray wheel cleaner on heel
4. Rub wheel with old wash mitt
5. Scrub tire and wheel well with stiff brush
6. Rinse and go to next wheel and tire
7. Do other non-pained items with old mitt (exhaust tips, step rails, etc)

Wash
Materials: Two buckets w/grit guards, two wash mitts, wash soap

Prep: Put grit guard in first bucket and fill it with water only. Fill the second bucket with water and pour in the recommended amount of wash soap. (A trick for this is to use a measuring cup and water. Pour the recommended amount of water into a Dixie cup and use a permanent marker to mark the top of the water line. Now you have the exact amount of soap needed for each wash.) After pouring in the wash soap swirl it around by hand to spread it throughout the water. Many people put the soap in then spray in the water, causing lots of bubbles and foam. FYI this is a waste of product. We want soapy water—not foamy water. Put your wash mitts in the soapy bucket and let them soak while you do Step 1.

The two-bucket method:
Wash one panel at a time, flipping the mitt if necessary. After using the soapy mitt to wash a panel, take that mitt to the plain water bucket with grit guard. Plunge the mitt into the bucket and rub it against this grit guard. This removes the dirt and grit picked up from the panel. This grit will fall underneath the grit guard and stay there. After scrubbing the mitt on the grit guard, wring out the excess water and dunk it into the soapy bucket. Go to next panel. We use this method to prevent dirt and grit from remaining on the wash mitt and scratching the next panel.

(Thanks to Junkman for the videos. His channel on YT has tons of good info and videos)
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1. Rinse vehicle from top down
2. Wash top half first, using one mitt and two-bucket method
3. Leave second mitt to soak while you wash the top half
4. Wash bottom half last, one side at a time, using the second dedicated "dirty" mitt
5. Rinse truck from top down
6. Don't worry about drying the truck since we're doing paint correction

Clay
Materials: Clay bar, detail spray

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1. Spray one panel at a time and clay
2. Clay top half first
3. Do bottom half next
4. Clay glass last
5. Leave residue on vehicle

Dressing
Materials: Sponges, Meguiar’s Exterior Trim Detailer, Meguiar’s Hyperdressing

1. Spray dressing on trim pieces (b-pillars, wiper cowl, glass trim, etc)
2. Take a detailing spong and rub dressing into trim
3. Don't worry about residue on paint or glass
4. Apply HD to tires (and if you have them, black wheels)
5. You can wipe off the excess HD if you want--I don't bother

Paint Correction
Materials: Painter's tape, drop cord, PC, pads, microfiber towels, UC or M105, M205

Tips for working polish:

• Only do small sections at a time (2'x2' max)
• Give pad a quick mist of detail spray before adding polish
• Do not work polish until it starts dusting
• If polish starts dusting, give pad another quick mist of detail spray
• If it's a sunny day, I will say a prayer for you (just use more detail spray to work the polish longer)
• Work "cut" polish slowly across section, overlapping
• Use moderate to heavy pressure with "cut" polish, lightening pressure as you work the polish in
• Work "light" polish a little quicker than "cut" polish
• Use light to moderate pressure with "light" polish, lightning pressure as you work it in

GREAT VIDEO!!!
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1. Tape off all trim, emblems, between panels, etc
2. Do a test section (2'x2') with every stepto find a method that works. You don't want to spend all day on the entire vehicle only to find that it wasn't enough to get out all the swirls
3. Follow test section results for each panel separately

Example Method:

1. Only work small sections at a time (2'x2' Max)
2. Put heavy polish (UC or M105) on cutting pad and spread around panel by hand
3. Turn PC to 2 and spread around evenly to prevent sling
4. Turn PC up to 5 or 6 and work polish for several minutes
5. Wipe off and check section. If necessary do a second pass.
6. Put M205 on polishing pad and spread around by hand
7. Turn PC to 2 and spread around evenly
8. Turn PC up to 4 or 5 and work for several minutes
9. Wipe off polish and inspect. If necessary do a second pass.

Wax
Materials: Wax, application pads, microfiber towels

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1. Apply coat of wax over entire vehicle by hand. You want your coat to look like the left side here. As you can see from my detail thread I used entirely too much. It's not a problem--just harder to wipe off and more product used, but I'm OCD so it's okay
   
   
2. Let wax dry while cleaning glass
3. Perform the swipe test to see if wax is ready for removal. If it's ready you should see the top result. I usually go inside for lunch while the wax dries.
   
   
4. Remove with microfiber towels, using several microfiber towels and rotating them constantly. It should be effortless to remove the wax.

Glass Cleaning
Materials: Stoner's glass cleaner, foam applicator pad, microfiber towels

1. While the wax dries clean the glass
2. Generously spray cleaner on foam pad
3. Clean glass panels one at a time
4. Wipe off each panel with dry microfiber

Final Rinse
Materials: Waffle weave towels

1. There will likely be leftover polish and wax dust
2. Rinse vehicle from top down to remove this dust
3. Remove nozzle from hose and run water over vehicle. This "sheets" the water droplets off the vehicle.
4. Dry vehicle with waffle weave towels

Maintenance Tips:

• Avoid the drive-thru car wash, as the soaps used are harsh on waxes. The only reason to ever go there is to rinse off caked-on crud and dirt.
• To clean the truck only use the two-bucket method, which is designed to prevent (minimize) swirls
• Wash your vehicle at least every two weeks to prevent dirt built-up
• Apply a new coat of wax every 6 months. When you do this, wash the car with dishwashing liquid instead of car wash soap. The dishwashing liquid will strip the old wax off of the vehicle, leaving just the vehicle's paint open for a new coat. We don't bother using it in the steps above because the clay bar will remove any old waxes. You don't have to, it's just my personal preference. I feel that if I don't remove the old coat that there will be dirt and grit trapped between the layers of wax that a wash (or clay) didn't get. Just me being OCD again.

Conclusion
Well that's it---the materials and steps you can use to attain a near-perfect finish on your vehicle! Like I said in the beginning I tried to keep this as user-friendly as possible. If you have any questions at all please ask! I will keep up with this thread as often as possible should any questions arise. I will also likely add stuff in the future as I think of more things that would fit in well here. If you happen to notice anything I missed please give me a shout!

If you follow this method and are pleased with the results please feel free to post some before/after pictures. Here's the first entry--my own.

A few days later and still clean....

 

[daddy]

This thread has been reopened for questions!


Keep the conversation in this thread on-topic, please. Matt was kind enough to take the time to write this up, we probably shouldn't jack his thread.

Thanks, guys!

Thanks, Matt!

 

[mblouir]

Thanks Tobias!

Yep if you have questions or are getting ready to detail and want to run your steps by us please post up! We're here to help!

 

[Truckguy24]

Well done Matt

 

[Kyles03]

Great write up, thanks for doing this!

 

[Nick The Great]

Those finished pictures are amazing!

About how long are you talking, start to finish for your truck. I understand people are going to be slower their first time . . . but . . . 4 hours? 10 hours?

 

[CJ Hungus]

 

[mblouir]

Glad you guys like it! Hopefully some of you will be motivated to get your truck looking brand new again.

About how long are you talking, start to finish for your truck. I understand people are going to be slower their first time . . . but . . . 4 hours? 10 hours?

Yeah the first time will be the slowest, especially using the PC. I mentioned in Part I that this is all possible in one day, but it's best to split it up into at least two days, if not more. When I detailed mine I had two days to split it up into, doing the wash and clay the first day and everything else the second day.

Excluding breaks but including prep time, I'd estimate the entire process took me about 8 hours. I'd estimate 2-3 hours for washing, claying, and doing a test section and about 5-6 hours for the paint correction and waxing. So for beginners it should be right around 10 hours. It's a lot of time to dedicate to paint, but it's definitely worth it in the end.

 

[Nick The Great]

Glad you guys like it! Hopefully some of you will be motivated to get your truck looking brand new again.

About how long are you talking, start to finish for your truck. I understand people are going to be slower their first time . . . but . . . 4 hours? 10 hours?

Yeah the first time will be the slowest, especially using the PC. I mentioned in Part I that this is all possible in one day, but it's best to split it up into at least two days, if not more. When I detailed mine I had two days to split it up into, doing the wash and clay the first day and everything else the second day.

Excluding breaks but including prep time, I'd estimate the entire process took me about 8 hours. I'd estimate 2-3 hours for washing, claying, and doing a test section and about 5-6 hours for the paint correction and waxing. So for beginners it should be right around 10 hours. It's a lot of time to dedicate to paint, but it's definitely worth it in the end.

Cool, Thanks!

I will allow 18 hours for myself to do it . . .