Getting ready to order product and have some questions...

[NCTahoe]

I have a new Black Tahoe and the dealership has thrown in the sealant protection, you know the one that they pressure you buy for ~$400 right as you are sitting down to sign the paper work. It gives me an extended 3 yr warranty on the paint. I got this prior to ever know about detailing. To make a long story short, paint swirls and scratches on my new truck has lead me here and now I know too much! First I'm excited to jump in and detail my truck properly. Just reading this forum has really enlightened me however there seems to be so many options for the "job" that I need some expert advice on the products I should get. Thanks in advance!

Once they put the sealant I was thinking I might do the following...

Wash, Clay, Wash, Polish, Wax, Wax, Maintain. I'm skipping the sealant step assuming that theirs will already be applied and putting on more sealant may not be a good idea. As I read through the forums this might not be a sound approach so I need ya'lls expert advice. So here the steps and they stuff I intend to buy.

The Big Wash (1-2 times a year?)

• 
  Wash Super Slick Suds, 2 x grit guards and buckets, 2 wash mitts, upper and lower
  Clay - Clay bar and S&W
  Light wash
  Drying - Waffle Weeve, I've got a California Blade for windows. Is this good or bad for paint. I've seen conflicting comments on other forums. Overall I found it almost impossible to get it dried quickly if you are going around just trying to pat dry wet places. Can I go around with a DMT with S&W to get any dried on places I missed?
  Polish - PP and Super Smooth and Soft Microfiber/Sponge Applicator, DMT
  Sealant - Skipping but I have a question since I'm using NB and it's has carnuba it should I use the EX-P or is too much carnuba never enough and EX will be good as well and this jsut depends on what you are looking for?
  Wheels - WS and Soft Microfiber/Sponge Applicator, Work Towel
  Wax - NB and Super Smooth and Soft Microfiber/Sponge Applicator, DMT

Ongoing Maintenance

• 
  Wash ~weekly as mentioned above...
  Quick wash (15-20 minute fresh up) - S&W, S&G, or QW+ with a DMT What's the best combo?
  Wheels - Spray & Rinse Wheel cleaner

Inside

• 
  Glass - S&W? with the VELVET SMOOTH GLASS TOWEL
  Leather - LS or NL or both and what order. Work Towel.
  Dashes - What works best? S&W and the plush mitt?

Thanks in advance for your replies. They are truely appreciated.

Cheers from NC

 

[Go-N Def]

If you're going to wash, clay, wash, and polish, then you're probably going to remove the sealant that applied. I would put on at least one layer of sealant if not two and let it sit for at least 24 hours before waxing it.

The dealerships are used to conning people with their promise of not having to wax your car for 5 years because of their special sealant they use. They tried to charge me $900 for it. I told them to explain the process to me and then asked them how much of the $900 was product and how much was labor. They looked at me dumb-founded.

They pretty much admitted that they were trying to scam me when I told them that I bought a $16 bottle of EX and would apply it myself. They actually told me that they told this to everyone in the hope that the ones that hated to wax their cars would fall for it.

I've seen vehicle that had it done and they were loaded with swirl marks. If I were you, I'd tell them you don't want it, free or not, extended paint warrenty or not!

 

[BigLeegr]

As Go-N Def said, you'll likely remove the sealant by polishing.
Also, (Just thought of this) are you required to have "re-applications" of the dealer sealant applied to keep the warranty valid? Just wondering.

Now as to your other questions:
-The water blade can be a quick drying agent, but all you need is one piece of dirt to get blown onto the paint before you dry it and you'll get a nice scratch from it being dragged accross the paint. I don't use them.
-You can use S+W and a mf to get the areas you missed.
-EX or EX-P would be up to the eyes of the beholder.
-For quick washes, S+W or, if the dust is light, 50/50 S+W and S+G. QW+ shouldn't be used on a dirty car. It's a spray wax.
-For glass, you might try mixing up some glass specific S+W by diluting it 50/50 or even more. It works as well, saves the S+W, and some people get less streaks this way. I highly recommend the Velvet Smooth mf for glass! Get a few for around the house, your glasses, friends, whatever!
-Steve has said that if you have coated leather (it seems most are now) then you can use NL on it. If it's not coated (ie-water soaks in and darkens the look) then you should use LS.
-Dash- if it's not bad, NL has some cleaners in it, so you can use it alone. (I've actually used it on some decently dirty stuff and it was strong enough to clean it too.) I don't really see the need for a plush cloth for dashes.

Hope this helps.

 

[NCTahoe]

Order

First, thank you for the information. Very useful. After much internal debate, I've decided to let the dealer detail it and see how it turns out. I talked to the fella and he explained to me the steps he would take and the products. None of the products sounded familiar, he didn't talk about claying and talked about HS buffer. So at 5 today I'll know whether I made the right decision or not. Either way I can't wait to put in an order to upkeep or fix it!

Thanks again

 

[Go-N Def]

Good Luck, I hope he know's what he's doing with the High Speed buffer...

 

[NCTahoe]

Well the good news is that it generally looks much better than it did and it definitely doesn't look worse. The High Speed Buffer thing really spooked me but I figured there wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed and I'm holding my customer survey until they've got it right. For Chevy dealerships those are a real big deal since Chevy is trying to manage down their distribution channels and they are using the survey as a big part of that effort. So I figured one way or the other they were going to make me satisfied.

I'm putting in my order tonight for my maintenance kit. Can't wait to get everything.

Cheers