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There are 5 basic steps to car detailing:
1. Wash and dry
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. Wax or sealant
5. Everything else (wheels, tires, glass, interior, etc)
You've got steps 1 and 2 down. Step 3 is probably the trickiest because it takes some amount of evaluation to know what will give the best results. The wisest course of action is to use a mild product and go from there. If you're buying at an auto parts store, a couple mild polishes are Mothers Pre Wax Cleaner, Meguiars Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner or Swirl mark removers from 3M or Meguiars. Any of these will be safe and easy to use, and should be reasonably effective depending on your paint's condition.
Once polished, you need to protect the paint. You can use a wax, a polymer sealant, or a hybrid of the two. Waxes, esp. carnauba wax, are traditional and look nice on most cars but don't last too long. Sealants offer a brighter shine and more durability but are pricey and some can be fussy to use. Synthetic products like Mothers FX Synwax and Meguiars NXT offer a little of both worlds.
A glaze is a product designed to fill in light swirls and scratches, giving the paint a nice rich look. They don't remove any defects, only cover them up. Think of a glaze like makeup for car paint. I'd rather see people remove or lessen paint flaws than to just cover them up, but that's just me.
What about everything else? Do you have glass cleaners, tire dressings, wheel and tire cleaners, bug and tar removers, trim dressings, etc?
One brief tip: Be careful with wax around the black trim strip around your car. If you get wax in the grain of the plastic, it'll be almost impossible to remove it. Take a few minutes and cover it with masking tape or carefully apply some tire protectant to the trim before waxing. Same with the felt trim around the sunroof.
Feel free to hit us with questions before the weekend and we'll be happy to help.
posted by 24.98.68...
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