Intro: Vehicle P&P

Used or new, a vehicle is likely one of the most expensive things you’ll buy multiple times in your life. Spending time to “protect and preserve” the vehicle as it ages can keep it looking great – and, more importantly – extend its life. This process doesn’t need to cost a lot of money, as “expensive” doesn’t always mean it is the most effective option. With hundreds of options out there, it can be confusing and frustrating to know what to use.

This article is a comprehensive list of the products we use and the processes we employ in the Xtreme Racing automotive division of NextGen XR, Inc. We won’t show every product we’ve bought and tried, and instead, we’ll show just a few options, brands, and resources we have settled on over the years.

First, the Rules to Detail By:

  1. Keep it simple. Pick a product line or supplier with an automotive focus (like Turtle Wax, or Esoteric, or Ethos, or whatever you prefer), and look at what experienced reviewers actually use when working on vehicles. The professionals generally want things to be easy, effective, and economical.
  2. Start with the least aggressive method when cleaning and polishing a surface, and evaluate the results before stepping up to more aggressive methods.  
  3. Use clean, soft, properly-washed microfiber towels and other products (drying towels, washing mitts, etc.) made for vehicles.
  4. Properly clean your tools and polishing pads thoroughly between use. Clean pads during use, after each panel, blowing or brushing out any excess polish. Change pads many times as you polish a car, every couple of panels or so.
  5. Practice your paint correction techniques on something unimportant before stepping up to something more valuable. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes, and gives you confidence. Avoid edges and panel lines.
  6. Research the myriad of materials on the vehicle, inside and out, and how to clean and care for them properly. Never assume that a product is okay to use on that particular leather or convertible top, in particular.
  7. Always dry the vehicle immediately to prevent water spots.
  8. Not all advice is good advice on the Internet. Look for people doing high-end work and adapt that to your vehicles.

YouTube and Advice

Speaking of advice, there are a lot of YouTube channels out there reviewing a LOT of products, and demonstrating how to detail a vehicle. It is easy to go down a rabbit hole chasing reviews and the latest products, especially when so much is coming out lately, and at some point, you shouldn’t care whether this random product compares well to another unless it is something you use and you need something better, or it is new groundbreaking tech.

At first, it may be hard to know what advice is good and what to avoid. We’ve seen a lot of bad – or at minimum careless – advice, and just because a channel is popular does not mean it is showing best practices, or products that are right for you, your budget, or your vehicle. Our favorites are:

Brian isn’t trying to sell you anything and even warns you not to run out and buy something just because he highlighted it. He does highlight a lot, and usually compares the new things to other similar products so you can make an informed decision. He’s down to Earth and practical in his approach, and does great work. He also has an Apex Facebook Group to help other detailers.

Tom and his team from Esoteric work on some of the top vehicles in North America, and has a lot of straightforward advice on working with cars, particularly for the One-Step process and keeping things simple. Like setting your polisher speed to 4.5 and leave it for most purposes.

Esoteric does sell products, and they review almost every one and show how they are used in their professional business. They only carry products they have used and tested first for a year or more, and stake their reputation on them. Their prices are as good or better than most resellers (including Amazon Prime), and we’ve spent a lot of money there on tools, pads, polishes, coatings, microfiber, and other products. When COVID isn’t an issue, they have an Elite Detailer’s Academy and a one-day version on Saturdays for Weekend Warrior types.

The Rag Company is a group of professional detailers that sell top-quality microfiber and other detailing products, and have videos on a variety of topics. They also stake their reputation on what they sell. You’ll see their stuff on Amazon, but buying directly from them puts more money into their pockets.

We get nothing from endorsing any of these companies or products. But, you can get a discount at Ethos by clicking this link!

Vehicle Preserve & Protect Steps

Below is an overview of the steps you may use in a complete Preserve and Protect process. You’ll see other pages on this site with more details on each step.

  1. Inspect the vehicle for defects, touchup needs, and rust.
    1. Take overall vehicle photos, and close-up photographs and videos of all sections you may work on in more detail like scuffs and scratches.
    2. Order touchup paint and Blob Eliminator if needed.
    3. Rust and repainting will need special handling and is not covered here.
  2. Clean Wheels
    1. Use a dedicated Wheel Cleaner and Iron Remover on wheels and paint as needed. Check the label for use.
    2. Use buckets, cleaners, and tools just for wheels and tires.
  3. Exterior Deep Clean
    1. Foam the exterior (Pre-Treat) w/Foam Cannon or Sprayer and road-grime removing shampoo. Rinse and dry.
    2. Remove Bugs and Tar with tools and cleaners for this purpose. Wash or rinse and dry to remove cleaner residue.
  4. Surface Decontamination (Claying, Iron Remover)
    1. This is an optional step, however, it is required before polishing.
    2. This can be a chemical (Iron Remover) or mechanical process, or both.
    3. The mechanical method is not advised if not polishing afterward.
  5. Two-Bucket Method Wash
    1. Use separate buckets for soapy water and rinsing, separate from the bucket and tools used for wheels. Use a Grit Guard.
    2. Ues mitts and sponges made for working on automotive paint
    3. Use pH-neutral car shampoo
    4. Use soft mitts and the two-bucket method
    5. Rinse and dry the car completely.
  6. Compounding and Polish
    1. An optional step for swirls and scratches: Compounding with a DA polisher and Correcting Compound.
    2. One-Step Polish using 3D One or Sonax Perfect Finish.
    3. Clean polishing residue off with a surface prep like Detox or Geyon Prep.
  7. Coating or Wax
    1. A Graphene coating is preferred over Ceramic or Ceramic Wax for durability and resistance to chemicals and etching.
    2. That said, use what you like and what fits the customer’s budget. The new Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions are inexpensive and effective, as are similar new products from others.
    3. Once a coating or sealant has cured, add a maintenance gloss layer like Defy, Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax, PolishAngel Cosmic Spritz, or something similar.
  8. Maintenance Phase
    1. Use the multi-bucket method for washing with a shampoo that works with your coating or wax.
    2. Use a Salt Neutralizer if needed or practical. Rinse well.
    3. On a regular basis, reapply a maintenance product over a coated vehicle, like Defy or other products made specifically for your wax or coating.

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