Obie1

Just purchased my 993 and was hoping to pick up everything I need to take care of my new baby. I went to Auto Zone and Pep Boys and found that there were fewer choices then I thought there would be. Is there any other auto stores that I may be missing. Is there an internet site that anyone could recommend?
My daily driver has been a company vehichle for the last 9 years so I am a little rusty on what to get and how to detail the car correctly. Paint looks good with very minor paint swirls that I want to get rid of right away.

Thanks,
JD

Falcondrivr

Start at Costco. Pick up a package of the microfiber cloths for drying/buffing/etc... Also a pack of the microfiber wash mitts.
I have a small round brush for doing the wheels, a 1.5" paintbrush, with the bristles cut at about .75" and the metal wrapped in duct tape for cracks and crevices.
Get a good car soap that won't remove wax. As for other chemicals, get one light polish to remove the swirls, and then a good Caranuba wax for sealing the paint.
For the inside, I use Meguires interior detailer, and Lexol leather wipes.

dcdude

During my last recon at Walmart (forgive me, Father), in addition to the 5 quart bottles of Mobil 1 15W-50, I grabbed a 12 pack of microfiber towels for $4. I carry a bottle of Macguire's Quick Detail in each of my cars, along with a microfiber towel or two.

For mail order, Auto Geek carries very nice products. For leather, I can't recommend Leatherique enough. To work, the car needs to have summer "sauna" heat, so the Jersey summer should be perfect. Get on it! Don't mean to start the great Wax Wars of '07, but I prefer P21S and ideally their S100 motorcycle counterparts, available at your local Harley store for much less that the P21S version. They make exellent wheel cleaner as well.

In terms of chain stores, you may have Checker-Shucks near you. I found Pep Boys to be on the high side for this stuff and now prefer Auto Zone.

BTW- my grandfather grew up in Swedesboro. All farm country then.

FGL28

One thing about the Microfiber towels. You need to wash them separately. The guy from Meguire's told me that. Quick Detailer is the bomb. Also Target has lots of Microfiber towels cheap along with Meguries products. Buy more towels than you think you need. Griots has some good products and tools for keeping the car clean.


Use what you like and can get easily; that way you will clean the car.

Joe L

After you get rid of the swirls (may need a buffer?) - use a clay bar on the car. You won't get the finish to 'feel like glass' unless you do... Then you can apply whatever wax / polish you prefer. I use Zaino and get excellent results with a long lasting effect.

+1 on the P21S too (great depth and shine), although it is expensive and in my experience doesn't last very long...

Falcondrivr

+1 on that! I forgot to mention the clay...

mrsullivan

depends what kind of $$ you want to spend and what are your desired outcomes... there is no good or bad way, rich or poor, just different... my theory is for what we spend on these cars, i like to use the good stuff:

Stoner Invisiglass for all glass surfaces, Einszett cockpit premium for inside, Formula 303 for protecting various parts from the sun, Zaino for leather and all washing/polishing, 3M Adhesive remover for tough grease work in the engine compartment, Griots undercarriage detail, Simple green or PS21 for wheels, meguires gel for tires

www.detailersparadise.com

www.properautocare.com

www.zainobros.com

www.griotsgarage.com

No affiliations with anyone

stubenhocker

THis is THE BEST SHAMPOO, BAR NONE

http://www.autogeek.net/nts7-auto-shampoo.html

The Eagle

You'll find all the answers on the Meguiar's Website Happy reading.


~ The Eagle ~
---------------------
'96 Polar Silver/Black C4S, manual, litronics, LED's in the positioning lights, alu/leather shifter & handbrake, silver face gauges with alu rings, "GT" sport seats,
full leather interior, motor sound airbox, stainless door sills, with split rear grill and layered with Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax
__________________
'92 Carrera 2 (Sold)
'89 Carrera 3.2 (Sold)

Obie1

Thanks for your suggestions.
JD

Guy

The key to dark colors is to avoid swirling or scratchng the paint. With that said, steer clear of cheapo wash mitts and applicators. Microifber towels are good but I never use them out of the bag, wash them first. Some of the cheaper towels scratch so beware. I test them first when trying a new brand etc.

I use 100% cotton towels, the big boys you get at bath stores, yes my car gets nicer towels than I have in my shower. They run $15 each but three does the trick for a couple of years. Well worth it if you are really fussy.

IMHO, Zaino products are great on dark cars. Have fun!

RickBetterley

Hard to believe Autopia hasn't been mentioned. Tons of good info on there. This is my track car, which had a good finish when I bought it, but after claying, Porter Cable dual action polisher and a couple of steps of polish, I like the results.
Some would ask why I put so much effort into a track car, but I figure it ought to at least look nice.

troos

One site I think you'll enjoy is: http://www.carcareonline.com/. Larry at Car Care Specialties sells great products at good prices. The most interesting part, however is the "how to" section along with his opinions. Very interesting reading.
One more aside, I've found Meguiar's Next, or Nxt to be very good on dark cars.
It is hard for me to recommend an acrylic polymer from a giant in the field, but the stuff is good, and easy. (It's like admitting you like BBQ from a chain restaurant. It just shouldn't be).

Jmakado

Here is my list I provide for customers that want to have a good maint. routine.
Wash:
Bucket used ONLY for washing your car.
Chenille wash mit. I prefer Meguiar's
Meg's Gold Class shampoo
Drying towel of choice. Some prefer Waffle Weaves. I like the Absorber as long as you are VERY careful with how you treat it and keep it clean.
Stoners Invisible Glass

Maintaining paint:
Meguiar's Quick Detailer.
Good quality Microfiber towels.

Preparing paint:
1. Wash
2. Clay using Meg's quick clay kit, Mother's clay kit, Clay Magic kit, etc. Regardless of what you may read/hear, they are all esentially the same and made by Clay Magic.
3. Polish. This is where it gets more detailed. Porsche paint is some of the nicest to work on. However, polishing any paint by hand will do very little to remove swirls. At best it will fill them and over time may reduce them some. A DA is the minimum to do paint correction. If you really want to work by hand then Meguiar's Deep Crystal step 2 is a good choice. Meg's ScratchX is much more labor intensive but has some light abrasives and will slowly remove swirls over time. Meg's Professional line #9 has GREAT filling abilities and also has some fine abrasives to remove some level of swirls. Again, not much other than hiding swirls can be done by hand.
4. Wax. The list of waxes and sealants is endless. And everybody has an opinion on what's best. As far as a good overall balance of looks, durability, and ease of use, and easy to find I like Meg's NXT for an off the shelf wax.

This is just a starter list and like I said above. Everybody has products they like and hate. The key is to find what you like and follow a good routine of maintaining the vehicle. 99% of a great finish is the prep BEFORE you even open your wax of choice. A lot of people get caught up in trying ever wax/sealant under the sun to get that look they want. The cheapest cleaner wax looks better on a well prepped vehicle than the best boutique brand wax on an ill prepared vehicle.

Jmakado

Clay before you polish.
Wash
Clay
Polish
Wax

Clay can sometimes leave some very minor marring in the paint. Especially if you have a lot of bonded contaminents or don't use enough lube. By polishing after you clay you remove any marring you may have left. Usually not needed if you have a fairly clean car but a good idea anyway.