mujeriega

Kind of in the same boat: purchased my 997.2 C2 about 8 months ago, decided on DIY route as well for maintenance due to cost and general enjoyment, watch a ton of car detailing on YouTube including OG, AmmoNYC and more. Here's what I've done:

• Decontamination: Nanoskin sponge works pretty well and is quick
• For rock chips, used the paint pen Larry from AmmoNYC suggested. If you use the pen to put a small amoutn of paint in the chip and then borrow the Dr. Colorchip method of swiping the paint with your finger, I got pretty good results vs. just the pen alone.
• Paint correction: doing spot fixes with Quixx scratch remover kit. Includes wet sanding, then compound and polish. If you don't buy a DA, can definitely get away with just this is you only have spot issues and the rest of the car is perfect.
• Paint enhancement: Used MaxShine 5" DA polisher with Black Lake Country pads & M205 since supposedly soft paint on Porsche, Lexus and Toyota. Not able to remove deep swirls but on the plus side, I can't do any real damage to the car since the cut is so light but still enough to make a 17 yr old Lexus look brand new. If you are going to use a light pen and look close up, this may not be enough for you but from 5 ft away and to most people, the car will look amazing just doing this light one step.
• Sealant + Wax: Used Jescar Powerlock Plus which was very easy to apply/remove and feels super slick. Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax is easy to apply wet but like all waxes, pain to remove if you allow to dry so dry and buff off immediately. Really like the wet application of wax to save a step from having to dry the car off first after washes. However, there will be times to apply after sealant so might either go with some spray wax or might try out Collinite 845 as per OG.

For maintenance:

• Wash: 2 bucket method with microfiber sponges or mitts. Good soaps all seem fine (used Chemical Guys) although you can tell diifference between ph neutral ones and stripping ones which definitely impact sealant/wax on the car. Got a cheap pressure washer (SunJoe?) but maybe would refer to OG on which one to pick if you are looking. Snowfoaming is fun but uses up product quickly and not really necessary. Most of the time, a good spray nozzle with different settings (got mine at Harbor Freight) is sufficient unless you neglect your car and need to remove a ton of build up.
• Drying: Really like using a detail spray as a drying aid with good microfiber towels. Good results with using detail spray concentrations from Wolfgang and Griot's rinseless washes with Rag Company towels.

This is my experience and definitely have been enjoying it. As long as you go with the least aggressive step first, I think you'll have a good experience and see some good results.

Nifty911

I started with some simple tools, and now, three cars later, I have an entire cabinet of stuff, even down to products for different types of paint. It is time consuming. Took an entire weekend to completely de-swirl my Cayman. I just did a panel at a time, took a break, then repeated. I'd suggest a mechanics rolling stool or your back will start to kill you.

dave-C2

For rock chips, used the paint pen Larry from AmmoNYC suggested. If you use the pen to put a small amoutn of paint in the chip and then borrow the Dr. Colorchip method of swiping the paint with your finger, I got pretty good results vs. just the pen alone.

I'm going to try this on the speckled hood of my black 996. Did you use Porsche touch up paint or the Dr Colorchip paint?