Ask the Detailer

From what I understand
On a dry dirty truck
Iron X
Rinse and wash
Dry
Speed shine with nanoskin
3 in 1 ceramic wax with microfiber

 

You might remove a good percentage of fallout with just the Iron X. There are a bunch of factors at play here, but you will probably see some light marring after you clay. If you haven't clayed your paint in 9 years, I would definitely recommend doing at least a one step polish after. Your truck is white though, so you might get away without the scratches being too noticeable. Just remember to let the clay do the work and plenty of lubrication to be safe.

 

These are what I used when I detailed my truck along with the CarPro Iron X. I'm not a fan of clay mitts.

 

Plenty of lube as always! I’m really hoping to get rid of what looks like specks everywhere. If I notice marring or scratching after the 3 in 1 can I go over that with a polishing wax?

 

You'll notice the maring right after you dry it. You COULD use an applicator or MF towel, but you won't want to haha
If you really want to correct the paint, I would pick up a DA Polisher, some decent pads and a sealant with some protection(KochChemie, Rupes, etc.). This will make your whole truck really POP. The nice thing about a DA, the worst thing you can do is make it better.

 

I always wash the paint before Iron X.

My steps are:
Wash
Iron X
Rinse
Drive down the road and back to get most of the water off
Speed Shine (or most any detail spray) and Nanoskin mitt
Wash again
Sealant / wax

I use the fine grade mitt. That combined with Iron X will do the job. I’ve never once gotten any marring with this method, even on black.

I’d say at that point see if you’re happy. If you still think it needs improvement, you can look into getting a DA and doing a correction.

 

The mitts are more forgiving when presented with lighter contamination

 

I did true clay early on, then tried the Carpro blocks, then started using the mitts. Any difference between them is so minimal that it’s not worth the extra effort of using traditional clay in my opinion. I’ve never done any of them without a chemical decon first.

 

Plus way larger coverage on the decon mitts/towels.

 

This is exactly the way I go as well. I prefer it not to be bone dry when I clay.

 

I use griots synthetic clay almost always real clay is a pain and not worth the trouble IMO maybe I’ll try a mitt one day just for comparison

 

I’m gonna do this for now and assess

Griots iron x
Griots speed shine with fine nanoskin
Griots 3 in 1

Hope they don’t mind the smell at the coin op

 

flash sale in case anyone needing something....

 

Thanks....been waiting for one of these sales.....lately they have been focused on one brand

 

agreed!
while i gotcha....i'm wanting to do some correction. I have some hard water spots and some light swirls on the truck. wanting to see about doing the medium cut to get out the water spots and light swirls/scratches. then wanting to finish with the m205 to polish. i was going to do the m105, but that seems to be pretty hard cutting....or do you think i'd be safe using it following with m205?
i seem to be going about the right way? i'm going to ceramic coat after. thanks in advance

 

Check out this article on M205, you can probably do all the cutting and buffing you need with the 205. I have used it quite a bit, the only downside is the dusting, its dusts a lot https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/meguiars-m205-cutting-finishing-versatility/

 

forgot the link?

 

I've read reviews about it dusting a lot too. i'll blow it off when done as well as give it an IPA wipedown.

 

Alright guys. Booked my appointment like a month ago and it finally happened. I'm very happy with the end product. Went with Recon auto detail and the owner was actually the one to come out and work on my truck. Paint correction looks amazing and all swirl marks and hazing is gone. My front headlight filler piece that looked like crap actually had a paint protection film on it so I told him if he can't get it to look good just to take the film off and I'll get it replaced later. Well, I shouldn't have said that, when he went to take it off paint ended up coming off with it! Super noticeable but I'm already getting a quote to get both sides repainted. Other then that the truck looks great. I'm going to keep up with the cleaning and get him to do lifetime ceramic in the future. $490 and I have a 6 month warranty. Plus I can call them out for a basic clean interior/exterior for 25 bucks. Might just work it into my weekly budget.

 

Truck looks great...glad you're happy with it

 

https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/meguiars-m205-cutting-finishing-versatility/

 

I got some mirror caps painted for a hundred bucks. I’d say it should cost about the same for those pieces. They’re pretty easy to pop off and take to someone.

 

I'm

Looks like I'll be shopping around a bit more...

 

Holy shit. New ones are 75.00+ paint!

 

X2, Why is body labor 5.5 hrs? These literally pop off.

 

Yeah, take away curing / drying time and this is a one hour job.....

 

Any recommendations for a quick detailer/waterless spray for dust? Maybe something that would repel dust also?

 

Wait, are they sanding yours down and re-painting them? Seems it would be cheaper to get new ones and paint.

 

Depends, how far down the rabbit hole would you like to go?.... For repelling dust the best solution I've seen is ceramic coatings. For waterless wash someone else will have to help as I have no experience with that.

 

Optimum No Rinse or Shine Supply Eco Shine are the two best quick detailers / waterless washes in my opinion, but neither will leave a sealant behind. CarPro Ech20 leaves a little bit.

As far as a quick detail spray with good sealant qualities, Shine Supply Spiked Punch is my favorite. It’s expensive though so I don’t use it a ton.