Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

[rytec]

Good afternoon dear members.

Next week I will normaly pickup my nearly new car which I bought at my local Toyota dealer.
Below some pictures of the car.
It has been registered in 2015 but has been used only for demonstrations.
It has only 5.900km driven in those two years.

I would appreciate it if you could tell me what I should do at home by hand to make this car ready for the usual detailing moments.
I was thinking of using the light car wax first which also cleans the paint. But at the other hand when I use this first I will have to wait some time to do it over again or to be able to polish the car.

Thanks for your advices

[rytec]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Good afternoon dear members.

Next week I will normaly pickup my nearly new car which I bought at my local Toyota dealer.
Below some pictures of the car.
It has been registered in 2015 but has been used only for demonstrations.
It has only 5.900km driven in those two years.

I would appreciate it if you could tell me what I should do at home by hand to make this car ready for the usual detailing moments.
I was thinking of using the light car wax first which also cleans the paint. But at the other hand when I use this first I will have to wait some time to do it over again or to be able to polish the car.

Thanks for your advices

Sorry, forgot to copy the links to the pictures.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lbr49ba368swjss/2017-11-30%2021.31.55.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3cm0kchu8f7cdy3/2017-11-30%2021.32.58.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y9hysxhdnzioxl/IMG_1847%20%28Large%29.JPG?dl=0

[Nick Winn]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Congrats on the new car.

1) Performing a quality wash of course would be first in order. Make sure to use clean quality accessories, a premium car wash solution, and good technique.

2) Next evaluate if there are any bonded above surface contaminants. To do this, when the paint is clean & dry, and your hand is dry, feel the paint, and inspect if it is smooth. If the paint is not completely smooth or feels rough, this is an indication there are some above surface contaminants present. It is best to remove these before proceeding, and to remove them, a clay bar would be used. An example is our Smooth Surface Clay Kit.

3) After washing & claying if needed, there are two ways to approach working with the paint:

a. using dedicated products, i.e. a dedicated paint cleaner or compound, polish, and wax.
b. using a all in one, a one step, or a cleaner wax.

Using dedicated products takes more time, because there will be multiple steps, but most often times they will yield better results.
Using an Cleaner Wax or All In One will save the user a lot of time, and still get really great results, but again depending on the condition of the paint, a multi step process with dedicated products may get better results.

An example of dedicated products would be our Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, and Ultimate Wax. Your process would essentially be, Wash, Clay if Needed, Compound if needed to remove any swirls & scratches, Polish (for additional gloss), and Wax.

An example of a quality cleaner wax would be our Mirror Bright Polishing Wax or even our A12 Cleaner Wax. Your process would essentially be Wash, Clay if Needed, Mirror Bright Polishing Wax or A12 Cleaner Wax.

Light colors like silver respond very well to products with cleaning ability. They work to produce a high gloss & make the color "pop."

Hope this gives you a good start.

Nick

[rytec]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Good morning Nick,

Thank you very much for your expert explanation.

I have always use the Meguiar products for years now and I'm very pleased with them.
I have those dedicated products at home Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, and Ultimate Wax but no clay bar, I'm gonna check this first after I have washed the car with the yellow wash & wax soap.

So actualy this procedure : Compound if needed to remove any swirls & scratches, Polish (for additional gloss), and Wax will replace the quick light wax cleaner.
I will go for the dedicated procedure.

Thanks again.
Ryan

[Nick Winn]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Good morning Nick,

Thank you very much for your expert explanation.

I have always use the Meguiar products for years now and I'm very pleased with them.
I have those dedicated products at home Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, and Ultimate Wax but no clay bar, I'm gonna check this first after I have washed the car with the yellow wash & wax soap.

So actualy this procedure : Compound if needed to remove any swirls & scratches, Polish (for additional gloss), and Wax will replace the quick light wax cleaner.
I will go for the dedicated procedure.

Thanks again.
Ryan

Correct, but one note, Ultimate Polish is considered a "cleaner/polish," it does have mild cleaning ability. It can work to remove light swirls & fine scratches. Although Ultimate Polish is a cleaner/polish, with the ability to remove mild defects, these results are best obtained with a machine like our DA Power System or MT300 Dual Action Polisher. For applying by hand, the defect removal capability of Ultimate Polish will be slightly diminished. If there were a defect which could not be removed by Ultimate Polish, then you can use Ultimate Compound. When working by hand, we typically use a soft foam applicator pad like our W0004 Soft Foam Applicator Pads.

[rytec]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Good evening Nick,

Can I use a polish machine also for applying ultimate wax after the polishing? Or is it then better by hand?

Best regards,
Ryan

[Nick Winn]

Re: Nearly New Car arrival, things to do first?

Good evening Nick,

Can I use a polish machine also for applying ultimate wax after the polishing? Or is it then better by hand?

Best regards,
Ryan

Hi Ryan,

Yes, absolutely. The use of a Dual Action Machine makes applying wax quicker & easier. In my opinion it also helps to lay down a more thin & even coat. Below is a link to an article which explains the differences in the common tools used for working on automotive paint:

Beginners Guide to the Different Types of Paint Polishing Tools

Nick