What a beginner needs in their arsenal....

[DARK AGE 53]

I'm going to list your basic supplies and tools needed, for most guys/gals this will be all they really need...again, these are the basics.

1. PC or the Griot’s Garage 6 Inch Random Orbital Polisher, what I've learned is you can get the Griot's with a 25" cord which I would recommend.

2. Maguire's Gold Detail Spray with Clay Bars.

3. Maguire's Gold Class Wash Shampoo.

4. Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, I recommend this because it's a mild compound for the beginner.

5. A couple of each orange pads and red pads, best from either CG or Adams.

6. Two five gallon buckets ( new if possible ), get two Grit Guard Inserts....CG, Adams will be fine.....two bucket wash of course.

7. Meguire's NXT Generation® Tech Wax® 2.0 - Liquid.

8.Turtle Platinum Wheel Cleaner, Turtle Platinum Tire Dressing....don't forget the curved tire dressing sponge.

9. Now comes polishing micro fiber towels, Premium Microfiber Towels would be your best choice. I've never seen a good micro towels locally so I would suggest getting the from CG, Adams or Groit's. 16"x16". 16"x24". Four of each should be a good start, when ordering get a couple of three or four 26"x35" Waffle Weave Microfiber Drying Towels.

10. A couple of detailing brushes are useful.

11. Two Micro Fiber Washing Mitts, one for the upper part of the car and the other for lower section ( belt line ) of the car.

A couple of things you've probably noticed, to make it less confusing I've suggested some over the counter products for the beginner. BTW, I've used these products and they have work very well for me.

I may have missed something here but I think these items should work just fine for many members here, what you want to do is make the right choices the first time so you're not wasting your money....there's too many flavor of the month products out there so be wise.

[CamaroDreams07]

Good post, thanks for taking the time to put it together. I really like a lot of what you have there.

Couple questions/suggestions that came to mind as I read this:

-ScratchX- not really the best choice for a machine application. It doesn't like heat.
-No polish to clarify after?
-Why orange and red? Orange and white is a much more common choice. Red generally has no cut, is very soft, and is for application of LSPs.
-What's the rationale of having four each of 16x16 and 16x24? I generally find these sizes to be interchangeable.
-What do you like about the TW products you have listed? I've never tried them so I'd like to hear more about them.

One thing I would suggest is that you can often end up spending way more in the long run on cheap OTC products because you have to use more of them and more often. Sure, $40 for a bottle of tire and trim coating is tough to swallow up front, but when one application lasts 3+ months as opposed to a couple weeks for the OTC stuff, you profit a ton over time.

This is why I always suggest people get started with quality products from the get-go. You save money and you eliminate, or greatly reduce, the risk of getting unsatisfactory results and throwing in the towel on detailing altogether.

Hope that doesn't come across as rude, I am just genuinely curious on those questions and offering an alternate opinion.

[DARK AGE 53]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

-ScratchX- not really the best choice for a machine application. It doesn't like heat.
-No polish to clarify after?
-Why orange and red? Orange and white is a much more common choice. Red generally has no cut, is very soft, and is for application of LSPs.
-What's the rationale of having four each of 16x16 and 16x24? I generally find these sizes to be interchangeable.
-What do you like about the TW products you have listed? I've never tried them so I'd like to hear more about them.

-ScratchX works fine for me, I recommended it because it's a mild compound.
-AS for polish Meguire's NXT Generation® Tech Wax® 2.0 - Liquid should meet most owners needs.
-Orange and the Red pads again work for me, the worst thing a beginner can do is have pads that are heavy on cutting....that's not for me.
-I just like to have different sizes towels available.
-I've tried other tire and wheel products and found these work great for me.

I think what can turn people off is getting bombarded with too many suggestions on what's best and what's not. Just saying

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Hope that doesn't come across as rude, I am just genuinely curious on those questions and offering an alternate opinion.

Not at all, come out to Dewitt and we can compare notes.

Later,
Al

[motorhead]

You missed the most important thing you need in your arsenal. That's a really large check book.

[DARK AGE 53]

Originally Posted by motorhead

You missed the most important thing you need in your arsenal. That's a really large check book.

No, you'll need a large check book when you buy all the specialty products out there that people say you just gotta have.

I say that because I've decided I just gotta have the Groit's 3" polisher to go with my other polisher's, I mean, I just gotta have it.

[Tecca]

[smarbrit]

As a newb, I would suggest lots of towels. I have 3 zaino towels and I ended up washing them 3 times during my detailing. I used them to dry the car after washing, dry the car after claying (rinsing) and then at least 1 more time during polishing and final wash when I was done.

[DARK AGE 53]

Originally Posted by smarbrit

As a newb, I would suggest lots of towels. I have 3 zaino towels and I ended up washing them 3 times during my detailing. I used them to dry the car after washing, dry the car after claying (rinsing) and then at least 1 more time during polishing and final wash when I was done.

That's why I recommend having more towels of different sizes available, you did very good job on your car with no past experience.

[CamaroDreams07]

Just to clarify, Tech wax is in no way, shape or form a polish...

[DARK AGE 53]

Is that because it called a wax?

[axis]

I understand offering OTC products but since he's already going to have to order a DA, pads, and MF towels, it only seems logical that he/she should order some good products while they're at it. I agree with CD about the scratch X. Wasn't impressed with it when I used it. IMO, Meguiars Ultimate compound and Ultimate polish would be a better choice for the beginner and both are easily found at local stores. Orange pads are pretty much standard compound pads for most that aren't using the MF pads. If you look at the progression chart, white is right below it and is recommended for polishing. Red is at the very bottom and is generally used for application of LSP's and sealants. As has been said, it has no cutting ability so it's not really doing much. Using a better cutting pad for polishing would make the job go a lot quicker. I would also add in a healthy supply of detail spray. Pretty much all of them work well but ONR is undoubtedly the best bang for the buck and has multiple uses, depending on how you dilute it. It's one of the products that should be ordered when you get your online stuff.

[DARK AGE 53]

Originally Posted by axis

I understand offering OTC products but since he's already going to have to order a DA, pads, and MF towels, it only seems logical that he/she should order some good products while they're at it. I agree with CD about the scratch X. Wasn't impressed with it when I used it. IMO, Meguiars Ultimate compound and Ultimate polish would be a better choice for the beginner and both are easily found at local stores. Orange pads are pretty much standard compound pads for most that aren't using the MF pads. If you look at the progression chart, white is right below it and is recommended for polishing. Red is at the very bottom and is generally used for application of LSP's and sealants. As has been said, it has no cutting ability so it's not really doing much. Using a better cutting pad for polishing would make the job go a lot quicker. I would also add in a healthy supply of detail spray. Pretty much all of them work well but ONR is undoubtedly the best bang for the buck and has multiple uses, depending on how you dilute it. It's one of the products that should be ordered when you get your online stuff.

I believe Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is more abrasive then Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, using abrasive compounds and pads results in thinner clear coat......you could end up with a split coat if you're not careful.....then again, if you do those micro fiber polishing towels will work great as a crying towel.

[axis]

Originally Posted by DARK AGE 53

I believe Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is more abrasive then Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, using abrasive compounds and pads results in thinner clear coat......you could end up with a split coat if you're not careful.....then again, if you do those micro fiber polishing towels will work great as a crying towel.

They're still less aggressive than the M105/205. It would all depend on how bad the scratches or swirls are. That's why it's recommended to start on a small section to see the amount of correction needed. It's just wasted time and product if you're having to run the DA for an extended period of time to correct the scratches/swirls. Either way, you're taking off the same amount of clearcoat to get the swirls out. You can do a LOT of compounding on your car before you get through the clearcoat.

[its a syn]

What is this CG you are talking about getting supplies from?