I used my titan as a work truck. Construction. its in pretty good shape still....couple of scratches and scrapes. I usually just wash my truck and wax it becuase thats all i know how to do. I dont have too much knowledge on polishing and clay. I was told that polishing/clay is what removes swirls and scratches and gives you a smooth and sexy shine :). im wondering how hard is this process? Can i do this by myself? I dont mind the hard work but i dont want to ruin my pain due to lack of my knowledge. If i decide to do teh clay /polish process myself can i ruin my truck? btw....i wax my hand...no machines. I have a lil waxer that i bought but i prefer using my hands cuz it seems easier for me. Can i use my hand for polishing and clay or do i have to have the $200 dollar machine? sorry for the rambling post...i just have lots of questions. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Anyonne ??? Come on People spread the knowledge please Do...

I used the Turtle Ice liquid clay bar. It cleaned the paint up well, but was not abrasive enough to get rid of baked on love bugs. Don't be afraid to clay bar if you apply it by hand and don't get too aggressive in one spot.
It does remove your wax, so you will need to wax afterwards.
YOU WILL like the results.

I used my titan as a work truck. Construction. its in pretty good shape still....couple of scratches and scrapes. I usually just wash my truck and wax it becuase thats all i know how to do. I dont have too much knowledge on polishing and clay. I was told that polishing/clay is what removes swirls and scratches and gives you a smooth and sexy shine :). im wondering how hard is this process? Can i do this by myself? I dont mind the hard work but i dont want to ruin my pain due to lack of my knowledge. If i decide to do teh clay /polish process myself can i ruin my truck? btw....i wax my hand...no machines. I have a lil waxer that i bought but i prefer using my hands cuz it seems easier for me. Can i use my hand for polishing and clay or do i have to have the $200 dollar machine? sorry for the rambling post...i just have lots of questions. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, lots here.

If you buy a 200 dollar cutter and compound and don't know how to use them, yes you can royally screw your paint up.

Clay bar is for removing contaminants from your paint, making it feel very smooth and restoring some luster. You cannot really remove scratches with a clay bar.

A good swirl/scratch remover will be your friend. You can do it by hand. Maguire's Scratch X is an excellent product and contains a diminishing abrasive-meaning the more you rub, the finer the compound becomes. That makes it almost impossible to further damage your paint. Keep the rag/applicator "wet" with the scratch X because a dry rag will scratch, even microfibers.

Your Titan has very soft paint. I had my truck "cut" and it swirled like crazy. So before you decide to try this yourself, take into consideration that my truck was cut buy a professional detailer with 26 years of experience. Scratch X and a heavy coat of wax hide the swirls well when the truck is clean. If your are going to continue to use your truck for construction then for get the cutting. The other things you mentioned will be fine.

Wash your truck very well before clay baring. Do not use recycled water(ie, coin car wash). You can leave the truck wet. Use plenty of spay wax/quick detailer with your clay. You can "dig" with a fine clay and you will be ok. Clay bar, then wash and dry. Next use your Scratch X, and then wax. Use can use your little waxer to apply the wax, it saves time. Stay away from ALL plastic pieces with the Scratch X and wax. Take your time and you will have great results.

Here are some good instructions on claying.... Plus "she" is not bad too look at??!?!?!?!

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80231-detailing-clay-pre-wax-cleaning.html

i would start with a really good wash, micro mitt and a good quality soap i use meguiars. next you want to get a really good clay bar and lubriant. you have to use the lube to make sure the clay doesnt drag on the paint. next you can use a polish to remove small to medium scratches with a polish i use 3m they have a 3 step polish. finally you want to lay down a good layer of wax for protection. i would look into a company called one grand their products are off the hook. i use a professional high speed orbital made by meguiars licensed also by porter cable to apply the polishes and waxes. the orbital from meguiars will not scorch the paint. if you take your time everything will work out great and your truck will look wetter than a lizard!

for the polisher and clay http://www.griotsgarage.com/index.jsp
for the polish http://www.properautocare.com/megsno9swirr.html
for the wax http://onegrand.com/ogpprodblitzwax.html

I agree with using Scratch-X. My dog put his paws up on the side of my truck bed and left some fine scratches. With some elbow grease, they came out. It takes a lof of experience working with different compounds to safely use them. Scratch-X is made for the non-professional. It's less abrasive and thus it's really hard to screw anything up using it.

Clay bar works really well to get contaminents out of your paint. When I'm going to clay, I wash the truck with Dawn to completely strip the wax off. If there's any scratches/swirls to polish out I do that next. Next I do the clay followed by washing again with my regular car washing soap (Meguires) followed by a good waxing (Zymol for me). I always use microfiber towels to dry the truck and remove wax.

Do all of this in the shade. It's pretty much an all day job.

Your truck NEEDS to be polished. From experience you have two choices; you can take it to a professional detailer for about $125 for the outside only or make an investment in a dual action polisher (porter cable, Griot's, or Meguires). It is my opinion that these are your only real options for new looking paint. Polish substitutes will not last and won't give you the new look you want (based on the type of use you indicated in your post, others may have better luck with these products).

If you are inclined to do it yourself then a dual action polisher is the way to go, you can't ruin your paint with these and they give you pro results. You can also apply wax with it in between polishing (saves you tons of time and does a way better job than you can do by hand (argueable)). The DA polishers will cost a few bucks and polishing your entire truck will take some time but, if you do it right, the result will be pro and it will look awesome for a long time.

Lately, most of the DA's are packaged with poishes and pads for specific needs (light, moderate, heavy cut), so you dont have to worry about picking out the right products.

Clay is easy - cheap and you should do it regardless of what you end up deciding. Good luck!

PS-emphasis on all of the above if your truck is a dark color!!!

Your truck NEEDS to be polished. From experience you have two choices; you can take it to a professional detailer for about $125 for the outside only or make an investment in a dual action polisher (porter cable, Griot's, or Meguires). It is my opinion that these are your only real options for new looking paint. Polish substitutes will not last and won't give you the new look you want.

If you are inclined to do it yourself then a dual action polisher is the way to go, you can't ruin your paint with these and they give you pro results. You can also apply wax with it in between polishing (saves you tons of time and does a way better job than you can do by hand (argueable)). The DA polishers will cost a few bucks and polishing your entire truck will take some time but, if you do it right, but the result will be pro and it will look awesome for a long time.

Clay is easy - cheap and you should do it regardless of what you end up deciding. Good luck

PS-emphasis on all of the above if your truck is a dark color!!!