Need Advice - Best Products for Detailing

[LoveTheRain]

I have a GMC Acadia that has been a fantastic vehicle for 8 years while my kids grew up, has 300,000km on it. Now that the three of them are in university, we have a black Sierra SLT arriving from Mexico in a week and I will again have the time to take proper care of a vehicle. While the kids were growing up there was just no time.

 

I would like to clean up the Acadia to be 'just like new' for the three kids to use when needed for jobs and university. And I'd like to finally, once again, take proper care of my vehicle - the black Sierra.

 

What are the best products (wax, wash and wax, etc.) for reconditioning a vehicle? I'm in Canada so most things will be available here, but some in the U.S. might be different.

 

And what are the right products for taking care of a new vehicle? How long do I need to wait for paint to fully cure to wax it?

 

I used to use Armour All back in the day, but what are the best things to use now?

 

I'll have a lot more questions when it arrives and would appreciate your wisdom, but this will get me started.

 

Thanks!

[RyanbabZ71]

Moving to the correct section.

 

http://www.adamspolishes.ca/

[Rawyzf]

I'm also a huge fan of Adams.

[2007silveradonbs]

Adams all the way.. Wash it, then use their paint sealant, then a coat of americana wax. It will be one of the most beautiful shines you have seen. (for the new vehicle)

 

The Acadia may need some paint correction. Look at the forums and videos on the Adams website.

[Mike-1000]

+3 on Adam's products. I've tried a lot of stuff over the years trying to find products for vaious detailing tasks. Once I happened on the Adam's line, everything seemed to work as advertised.

 

Mike

[jeffsig]

Autogeek.net

 

Wolfgang, chemicalguys, poorboys, optimum, etc

[LawmanSS]

Another vote for Adam's.

[bdbake01]

Do yourself (and pocketbook) a favor and research Zaino.

[SMiller]

Paint is "treated" when the vehicle comes out of the oven.

 

Clay bar to remove contaminates, then build it up with a cleaner wax followed up with a polish/sealer.

[2007silveradonbs]

Paint is "treated" when the vehicle comes out of the oven.

 

Clay bar to remove contaminates, then build it up with a cleaner wax followed up with a polish/sealer.

You always seal before you wax.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bdbake01]

You always seal before you wax.

 

 

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And you should never wax.

 

Confusing yet?

[same2you]

If you are in the GTA, then look to Kevin at GTA in Detail (anyone that is looking for the best guy in the Toronto area has heard of Kevin). If you really want to get things right from the start, then do the new car prep. You will have to tell the dealership to NOT touch the exterior/interior at all (leave plastic on it, don't wash, don't touch it besides the PDI). Kevin will remove all of the packing/protective materials, fix any blemishes in the paint, and then apply a sealer (C-Quartz or Opti-Seal) that will protect the car for years. If there are any defects in the paint, he will usually point them out to the dealership to have them repair it. It's an expensive service, but definitely worth the money of you want the truck looking like new for years to come while still having the finish be durable. Just do some research on C-Quarts or Opti-Coat and you'll be sold, the catch is that you need a professional to apply the pro-line of either product as it is not available to the general public and it needs to be applied correctly... period.

 

As for restoring the old one... Send some pictures over to the guys at eshine.ca and ask their advice. They will let you know what products/procedures will get that paint popping again. I'm always amazed by the results of Chemical Guys, Sonax, and Poor Boys products. But I've always had black cars... different colors need different products based on how much effort you want to put into restoring/maintaining the finish.

 

Not to stir the pot with the Adam's fans out there... and I'm not 100% certain that it's true, but many have accused Adams of just being re-labelled products from Chemical Guys and Poor-Boys as both companies offer white label/branding services for their products; and the Adams stuff is named very closely to the other 2 brands... and the scents/viscosity seem to the the same too. I tend to stay loyal to the parent company, and would also prefer to deal with them over any issues that I may have with product.

 

The Black Sierra should look awesome when it arrives... just remember that black is not a color; it's actually a part time job.

[thewhitestallion]

I just started using adams stuff, while expensive man that stuff is amazing... never going back to any of that over the counter crap!

[patriot]

http://www.meguiars.com/en/product-advisor/

 

NEWMEG2015 gets you $10 off $60 purchaes.

 

[JerryCanada]

Have been buying FW1 at Costco for a couple years now. Been mostly using it on motorcycle but every once in awhile will do the truck with it. Not cheap but does an awesome job.

 

http://www.costco.ca/FW1-Exterior-Wash-and-Wax-Detailing-Kit.product.100014268.html