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Newbie game plan


Cygnus

Question

Looks like my PC kit shipped so I'm trying to get my game plan together and could use some advice. Here's my initial game plan based on everything I've read here so far (tons of good info in the archives) and from Junkman and Adam's videos. This is for my 2010 Boxster S which is a couple days short of 1 month old. So it's in good shape to begin with.

 

1. wash and clay.

 

2. polish with FMC. I think I'm fine to skip the S&H. The car only has a few very fine scratches on the hood (dealer installed) that are really hard to see. I can only catch them when I have direct sunlight on them at a low angle. I have trouble finding them with a flashlight in my garage. I tried to take pictures tonight to show them, but couldn't get them on film. Forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow (rained last 2 day again). So I'll try to get a shot. Late afternoon sun is usually the easiest to catch them.

 

I also have one minor blemish on the hood from where a dirt clod hit on the freeway on Monday. This also left 2 tiny scratches in my windshield. Gotta love pickups barreling down the freeway caked in mud. WSW and DS didn't clean it up, so I'm hoping the lighter polish will do the trick.

 

3. VRT the trim.

 

4. MSW. 1 coat or 2? The forums seemed a little split on the number of coats. The car is garaged and I work from home, so it's in it most of the time.

 

5. Americana. Once again, 1 coat or 2? I've seen a bunch of advice of 1 MSW and 2 Americana. Would 2 and 2 be a smarter move? I'm tempted to try Baron's cold water method from tips and tricks, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet.

 

Couple additional questions. I've seen some talk of waxing the wheels to help make them easier to maintain. is that recommended? If so, try to use MSW by hand or use americana on them?

 

Along similar line, the glass. Is it worth it to try to wax (and with which wax) the side windows and the windshield? If I wax them, PC or by hand?

 

Finally, I have a clear bra on the first half of the hood (the dirt clod naturally hit about 1.5" above it). There's surprising no talk on the boards about them. At least what I could find. Any recommendation on what to do with them. I read on another board where they recommended waxing them. If I wax, do the same routine as the rest of the car (1 or 2 MSW and 2 americana)? Is the PC "safe" to use on it for the MSW or should it all be by hand? This is the first time I've had a clear bra, so it's all new to me.

 

Thanks

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Guest Gone & Forgotten

Check out Junkman's vids on Waterless washing techniques. He is Morpheus (sp) and he has the right color pill for ya.

 

My condo HOA doesn't allow it either... F em, I do it anyway. I know everyone's dirt tho, so they leave me alone. Water and sewage isn't as high here as it probably is there. In FL, I was paying $80/mo for water - here (included in HOA fees) average household water bill is under $25.

 

Crazy.

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The one piece of advice that I would give you is to use either the Americana or the MSW, not both at the same time. Also, stick to one coat, and either apply another coat of one or the other around 2-3 months after the first coat. The reason why is MSW is a lot trickier to layer than the Americana and you could end up clouding the shine instead of keeping it. If I were to layer anything, it would be the Americana. It is a lot less work. Personally, I don't layer my wax. I just apply it more often.

 

Interesting that you're recommending going with just the americana. Just about everything else I've read on here was suggesting the multiple coats with MSW as a base.

 

I trust what you're saying though. Guess I'll revise to just the americana for now. I'll experiment with the MSW on my truck to get the hang of it. It's in about the condition your El Camino was in for those videos. So a little clouding isn't going to kill me on it. It's also stored outdoors which I believe makes MSW better for it too.

 

Very nice set of wheels you have. Looks like a fun one to drive and you probably live in the perfect climate to do so. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks, it's a blast to drive. I keep making excuses to drive up to the lakes since it's a fun little drive. 30 miles of very windy, hilly roads through the desert. Climate's perfect for it this time of year. Haven't had the roof up except for the couple days it's raining. We'll see how it goes this summer when it's 120 out. ;)

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Sounds like you are on the right track. I think 1 coat of MSW & after a day or so 1 coat of Americana. As far as the wheels I would use Buttery or Americana. I would use the Adams Clear Polish on the clear bra.Also watch Adams videos. If I missed anything give me a shout!:2thumbs:

Detailing Videos

 

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-360-adams-clear-polish.aspx

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First, welcome. Your plan sounds right-on. When I got my new Jetta a few months ago I did this:

 

Wash

Clay

Fast pass with SHR

FMP

Americana

 

I didn't go to town with VRT and all on the wheels since it's a DD (kept outside and we were headed into winter -- I figured the VRT would be nullified pretty quickly anyway. But the steps I took did clean up the paint quite a bit, gave it better depth and it seems to be holding up to the weather quite well. In the spring I'll give it another once-over with SHR and/or FMP and then a few more coats of wax.

 

IMG_0009.jpg

 

BTW, it's dirty in this pic -- it hasn't been washed in about 6 weeks!!!

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Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

Here's a couple pictures of the hood with the light swirls that I mentioned. They're really light. If the sun isn't on them, I can't find them.

 

4314907010_6746984e62_o.jpg

4314171067_9b4851fe4e_o.jpg

 

And a shot of her. We can call this the before. Only thing that's been done to the exterior since purchase is waterless washing. Last one was last Saturday. It's been raining again all week. I'm still trying to figure out my best water washing option. My condo HOA doesn't allow for washing in the driveway.

 

4314170819_e0484476fe_o.jpg

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Hello Brad, welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

 

The one piece of advice that I would give you is to use either the Americana or the MSW, not both at the same time. Also, stick to one coat, and either apply another coat of one or the other around 2-3 months after the first coat. The reason why is MSW is a lot trickier to layer than the Americana and you could end up clouding the shine instead of keeping it. If I were to layer anything, it would be the Americana. It is a lot less work. Personally, I don't layer my wax. I just apply it more often.

 

Very nice set of wheels you have. Looks like a fun one to drive and you probably live in the perfect climate to do so. :thumbsup:

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