Detailing Goodies on the way :-)

For folks new to detailing, there are several great online resources available. My favorite ones are three forums: MeguiarsOnline.com, Autopia.org, and Autogeekonline.net - the latter being my favorite and most unbiased.

Last week, I posted a question on AutogeekOnline about waxing my black 2012 Nissan Altima. I got several good suggestions from veteran autogeekonline members. My primary criteria was durability and cost. Durability - because I am not a full-time detailer, and find it difficult to spare time to do it. Cost - because I am on a shoe-string budget :-)

Collonite 845 was was something that came highly recommended by folks on durability front. At $15 per bottle, it is not exactly the cheapest wax, but it is definitely not as expensive as the $90 tubs either. So I decided to take the plunge and order one.

To my surprise, just when I was about to order it, 2 kind members decided to send some free samples my way. One member had posted an ONR review where he offered a small sample of Collonite 845. Another kind member is sending me several cleaner waxes, LSP (last stage product) waxes, foam pads, compound, etc. Basically, everything I will need for the next few months for the two big projects coming my way :

1) Fix the damn scrapes, scratches, and chips I put on my brand new car when I tried to park it in a narrow space. You can find a photo in my first post on this blog. If you have any suggestions, do send them my way (n00bdetailer [at] gmail [dot] com). My POR (plan of record) for this is:

• Clean the spot with a wax remover or degreaser
• Use a polishing pad and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound to fix the scratches and swirls
• Use touchup paint and Langka Blog Eliminator to fix the chips
• Allow the new paint to dry for 30-60 days and follow it with a sealant and wax

2) Remove DISO (Dealer Installed Swirl Options - a term coined by Mike Philips on AutogeekOnline)

• Clay the car with Mother's Clay Kit
• Polish with Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0 (step up to ultimate compound if it is not aggresive enough)
• Finish with Meguiars Ultimate Polish

3)  Seal & Wax

• I am planning to do a 3-stage polish-seal-wax here. The Polish step is already done above.
• For paint sealant, I plan to use Collonite 845
• I am still undecided on which LSP to use - I will decide once I receive the awesome free goodie bag from the kind AutogeekOnline member :-)

As always, email me if you have any suggestion on any of this! n00bdetailer [at] gmail [dot] com