Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

[Pdiddy81]

Hi guys,

Brand new member here and brand new car enthusiast as well!

I bought a brand new 2018 black Nissan Maxima about 3 weeks ago and I want to start the process of detailing it.

I live on the coast of North Carolina and I guess the salty air and poor washing habits of the dealership took it's toll on the paint as it sat on the lot.

The paint felt so rough to the touch that I took it back to the dealership. They claimed to have clayed it (and the paint DOES feel smoother to the touch), but when the sunlight hits it, it's covered in spider-web looking swirls and scratches all over.

Instead of taking it back to them again, I want to start taking care of the car myself, but boy am I terrified at making things worse. So here's my first few questions:

If the car has been clayed as they claimed, what's next? I bought a bottle of UC and some hand polishing pads. Full disclosure, I can't spring for a nice DA right now, so everything will have to be done by hand at the moment. Will this just make things worse, or should I go for it and see what happens? How much damage can I do by hand if my technique isn't correct? Should I buy polish as well, maybe something designed specifically for black vehicles?

HELP! Any suggestions/advice are welcomed and greatly appreciated!

[parhs]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

UC is too much for a new car. I would go to a professional. Unless they did some damage I believe you need very little polishing and then wax to protect it

[Cranston37]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

Your wanting to have some correction and protection but nervousness about screwing something up makes you sound like the perfect candidate for the new 3-in-1 Wax. Great to use by hand. Since it felt rough I'd use something like Iron X first, then clay, then 3-in-1. If you're feeling up to it, end with a coating of Ultimate Fast Finish. Try that and see what you think of the results.

[The Guz]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

Welcome to MOL.

You are going to be putting yourself through a lot of work doing it by hand. You should always have a polish on hand. Ultimate polish would be fine or M205 as it can also be found locally. the reason i say this is that a compound can haze the paint even working by hand.

Start of with a test spot with the least aggressive combo and go from there. You will not get everything out by hand but you can make it look better.

If you don't have time for all that work then as mentioned an all in one type product will be what to use.

[Pdiddy81]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

Should I go straight to the polish after washing the car since they already clayed it, or would you suggest claying it again just to be sure? Like I said, the paint feels markedly better than before, so I believe they did clay it at the dealership.

Welcome to MOL.

You are going to be putting yourself through a lot of work doing it by hand. You should always have a polish on hand. Ultimate polish would be fine or M205 as it can also be found locally. the reason i say this is that a compound can haze the paint even working by hand.

Start of with a test spot with the least aggressive combo and go from there. You will not get everything out by hand but you can make it look better.

If you don't have time for all that work then as mentioned an all in one type product will be what to use.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

Should I go straight to the polish after washing the car since they already clayed it, or would you suggest claying it again just to be sure? Like I said, the paint feels markedly better than before, so I believe they did clay it at the dealership.

I would likely clay it again, but that's me. If you are trying to save on time/money, and it feels completely smooth, they most likely clayed it. It will also get smoother after you work on the paint a bit. There are two ways to approach this:

Multi Step Process - Best Results, Most Time:

I would suggest starting with a cleaner/polish like Ultimate Polish or M205 Ultra Finishing Polish like others have mentioned. Do a test spot. Work in the shade, clean & cool surface. You can use a detail spray like our Quik Detailer Mist & Wipe to remove any dust prior to working on a section. Soft Foam Applicator Pads are what we usually recommend when working by hand. Small, 1 square foot or so area at a time. Hand flat, circular, overlapping motions, moderate pressure, working product in for about a minute or so. Product should break down to a light wet film. Wipe off before it dries. It is only working, when you are working it into the paint. Inspect you work. See how many of the cobweb /spider webs swirls were removed. For example, 50% removed? Would suggested repeating process again to hopefully remove more. Only 10% removed? Probably going to need to step up to Ultimate Compound. Test spot again. Work. Inspect. Work Inspect. Proper lighting is important. If you end up using Ultimate Compound, would be best to follow with a polish, like our Ultimate Polish, especially for a black car, and then a coat of wax.

One Step - Great Results, Less Time:

Our new 3 in 1 Wax like others have mentioned is our latest Cleaner/Wax or "AIO" (All in One) we offer. It has the ability to remove light swirls, increase gloss & add protection in one step.

Hope this gives you a good start.

[Pdiddy81]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

This is awesome info, Nick. Really appreciate you taking the time to go through that. Thanks to everyone else’s advice as well. The AIO sounds like a cool product but I’m going to go the more time consuming route and see what I can accomplish. Thanks again!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Serious Newbie here - Needing all the advice I can get!

This is awesome info, Nick. Really appreciate you taking the time to go through that. Thanks to everyone else’s advice as well. The AIO sounds like a cool product but I’m going to go the more time consuming route and see what I can accomplish. Thanks again!

Anytime, feel free to keep us in touch!