I have recently decided to get into detailing as a hobby for my personal vehicles, and oh what an adventure it is. I blame this on my new-to-me 2007 KR Screw since it's the first vehicle that has inspired me to get into it in this level of "detail". I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole is (I got this from one of the threads). After much research and reading the forums, I finally ordered all of my tools and supplies. Since this is a very intimidating world for a new guy, I wanted to post what I ended up buying so perhaps it will help others.

The first thing you will need to decide on if you are going to get serious about detailing is a Dual Action Polisher. The dual action provides both rotary and oscillating motion, which makes it a lot safer to use to avoid messing up your paint. It seems the most popular three choices out there right now for mid-level (~$150) DA polishers are:

• Porter-Cable 7424XP
• Meguiars G110v2
• Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher

From reading most comparisons, people have their own personal preferences, but most say that you can't go wrong with any of these three. I ended up buying the Meguiars because people say it's more quiet and comfortable than the others, plus it has a feature they call "cruise control", which basically adjusts the torque automatically depending on the pressure you are manually applying to the tool. I also liked that it came with the 5" backing plate (not included w/ Porter) and a canvas bag for storage.

I did a lot of research before buying everything. If you are thinking of getting one, be prepared to do some research of your own, because buying the polisher is only the beginning. You have to get plenty of the right accessories to do the right job. Here is the monstrous list of things I just purchased to get started: (yeah, my wife was not so happy)

• Meguiars G110v2
• 6 pack of Lake Country 6.5 CCS Pads (2 Orange for light cutting, 2 white for polishing, and 2 gray for finishing)
• 6" Lambswool Leveling Pad
• Cobra Indigo 6" Microfiber Bonnets
• Mothers California Gold Clay Bar Paint Saving System
• Meguiars #105 Ultra-Cut Compound
• Meguiars #205 Ultra Finishing Polish
• Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes
• Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray
• ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive
• Meguiar's G14422 Ultimate Quick Detailer
• Meguiars Hyper Dressing
• Meguiars Gold Class Trim Detailer
• Foam Pad Conditioning Brush
• Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Cleaner
• Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Conditioner
• Snappy Clean Pad Cleaning Powder
• Grit Guard Insert
• 2 - 5 gallon buckets (from Autozone)
• Microfiber wash mitt (from Walmart)
• Microfiber cloths (from Walmart)
• Meguiars Water Magnet Drying Towel
• 100' Outdoor Medium Duty Extension Cord (from Walmart)

And this list doesn't even include things that I already have like wheel cleaner, tire cleaner, trim dressing, glass cleaner, and interior products. Since I have a King Ranch, interior care is a whole other ballgame, but the quick list I use is:

• Fiebings saddle soap
• Leather CPR
• King Ranch Leather Conditioner

As you can see from the list, this was quite an exhaustive purchasing experience. If you are new to detailing like me, you are probably confused as why and when to use each of these items. Hopefully in the near future, after more experience, I will keep this thread updated with more reviews of each product, what I needed and what I didn't, and of course the most important thing, photos of the results!

I should also mention that there are a lot of starter kits available, but it seems like most of them have a lot of things I didn't feel I needed or vice versa, where it had things I didn't think I would use. The kits didn't seem to be that much cheaper, I think it was more for convenience than anything. However, if I had decided to go with the Griot's Garage Polisher, I would have probably bought this kit from Amazon. Also, many people on the forums say if you want a custom kit, talk to Rick at Auto Detailing Solutions.

In the end, I spent around $400-$500 on everything. Hopefully, the results will be worth it and I will have these tools for years to come. I will come back and post some results in the next few weeks once I get to use my new toys!

For a great detailing guide, check out this post titled How to Detail your Vehicle Back to a Showroom Finish

I also found this nifty detailing flowchart on Autogeek.net.

 

No wax?

 

How does that Griot kit rate among detailers? Seems like a pretty good deal to me

Justin

 

Thats an interesting question actually. I seem to be getting mixed messages about whether you still need to wax after using Zaino Z-2. Some people say yes and some people say no need to. When I first purchased everything (because I got the Zaino's later), I bought Meguiars Gold Class Carnuba Paste Wax, but after doing some more research I was thinking of going for P21S 100% Carnauba Wax instead.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

I prefer a good synthetic such as Megs NXT 2.0 or M21 2.0. You can top it with pure carnauba that has NO cleaning or abrasive properties such as Megs M26 or any number of boutique waxes if you want more "pop".

To me, a "polish" has no protective abilities. That's really all you need a wax for, a sacrificial layer of material on the paint.

I have also heard that if you are going to use Zaino, you need to use the whole process without skipping products.

 

All you need for the sealant coat is BlackFire Wet Diamond. It's great and application/removal couldn't be easier. The depth, shine and wetness are second to none.

Also, Megs has some new products in the pipeline for 2011 that look awesome (new sealant, polish). Check out their web site.

Jim

 

you should also get one of those small air compressors

i use it to blow water off the exterior and detail the interior