Zero experience what do I need to keep it looking new?

[zeenon]

Ok, I'm not going to lie......I know zip about washing/detailing a car, but now own a 2011 Sorento and actually have the time to clean it once every one/two weeks.

I picked up a some Meguiars stuff (see below) but I'm running out (never lend to the wife and friends), and heard great things about the Poorboys line.

I use the Meguiars Soft Wash Gel/Microfiber Wash Mitt to wash and rinse the mitt off between drops in the wash bucket. After dry I use Meguiars Gold Class Trim Detailer on all the plastic trim and Meguiars NXT Generation Insane Shine Tire Spray on the tire walls. For the inside I spray down one microfiber cloth with Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and wipe down the leather, and one cloth with Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer and wipe all the plastics. I'll do a touch up between washes with Meguiars Ultimate Quik Detailer.

Car is washed by hand and is kept outside in NJ. Color is Dark Cherry with black leather int. My main intent is to keep that "off the new car lot" look.

So there are major holes in this process that I'd like to correct and after reading up on this forum looks like I need a few things:

1) Super Slick & Suds Car Wash. Start with this and use two buckets (I was using one soap bucket and rinsing the mitt in my hand)

2) Drying. Need help here. I saw a post 1)Flood with water 2) use spray and gloss 3) blot with waffle weave 4) remainder with mega plush (Do I need the spray and gloss???)

3) Other then the above cleaning process I have done nothing else to the car. I read on another post to do this: Polish w/ Carnauba Blue --> EX sealant (2 coat then wait 24 hours) --> Nattys Blue

4) Lastly, Trim Restorer (apply with a foam brush, let sit for an hour, buff w/ cotton towel) and BNB Tire Dressing

Is the cleaning order right?
Do I need anything else for the exterior?
If #3 is correct how often?

Z

 

[BigLeegr]

You don't *need* S+G, but it acts as a drying aid as well as a gloss booster. It adds some pop to the finished product, but your car won't collapse into beater status without it.

Waffle weave is typically used for drying, but I have used fluffy towels with good results as well. (I typically use some sort of QD after washing, though. S+G or QD+ are good. QW+ can be used after a wash to give it a bit of protection boost as well as gloss pop.)

PwC Blue is an All-In-One product. Better results can be achieved via multiple steps (polishing, glazing, sealant/wax), but as a "quickie" or maintenance of a car in good shape, it is a good choice. You didn't mention if you are doing this by hand or machine, but I'm guessing by hand. I would recommend getting some Black Hole as well as a "pure" sealant or wax (EX,EX-P, Natty's) to help hide marring (And you will get it, and it does show up more visibly on dark colors.)
How often? As often as needed. It depends on what is acceptable to you. Some people might polish twice a year. Others monthly. If you maintain it, it shouldn't take too long to re-wax it, but if you really don't like waxing with something as substantial as PwC, you could supplement it with QW+, which is a spray-on wax. It's a little faster and you can use this right after you dry the car from washing, which will help clear up any water trails that may have been left behind.

I suggest getting some S+W as well. It can be used to clean up fresh bird bombs and dust that settles on the car between washes-if you had some event to attend but don't have time to wash the car traditionally, you can do a cleaning with S+W and some towels. Less mess to clean up afterwards too. You could even do it while dressed for the event if you were careful enough. You can carry it with you in the car and when you have a few minutes to spare, such as waiting for someone or if you were early for an appointment, you could do a quick touch up clean without needing a bucket, hose, etc. and when you are done all you have left over are some cloths to clean.