freeworld71

I've got a red 97 Jeep Cherokee. I've owned it for three years. In that time, I've waxed it once. The body/paint is in overall very good condition considering I live where it's 100 degrees.

I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.

Amy help would be appreciated.

3Dog

My name is not Amy, but the general process is: Wash throughly, Clay bar, polish, then wax. A proper orbital really helps with polish and wax process. Not sure the brand or product matters as much as the prep and patience (some, though, are loyal to brand as religion). IMO, asking for a wax brand is akin to asking what brand of oil or gasoline to use - i.e. million passionate opinions.

GreaseMonkey17

I’ve done a LOT of car detailing for pay . I wouldn’t suggest using a buffer to anyone that wasn’t very experienced as I’ve seen many a high end car destroyed in public/professional environments due to inexperience and the owner not knowing enough to see that their paint job was completely destroyed . Clay bar is wonderful if you’re trying to get your corvette ready for a car show but shouldn’t be necessary for your XJ. I would suggest a thorough hand wash and dry with a shammy ! Make sure you don’t miss anything or you will drag it through your paint . Then I’d honestly buy some turtle wax and some good microfiber towels and “wax on wax off “ until every square inch was covered . Work in small areas be through and make sure you get all of the wax residue off because once it’s baked on it’s a pain to get off . I’ve tried all the big money brands and unless it’s black there’s really nothing special to worry about IMHO.

craigjacob1

I am a professional detailer, and I can't give you any really good advice here. You can do a clay bar / hand wax for less than $100. Any real correction is going cost $400+ in supplies and equipment.

I have used dozens of different waxes / sealants over the years, including nearly every off the shelf wax available.
I can very highly recommend this sealant if you want great long lasting results. It works by hand, but you can also use it with a rotary or orbital polisher.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vitreo-Poly...PDOf:rk:1:pf:0

awg

is the vehicle a clear-over-base finish, and if so, what state is the clear coat in ?

Its hot here, and I see a lot of vehicles with damaged clearcoats, I think the 97 red XJ is clear over color

It makes a big difference to a solid color, the clear can be very easily buffed right thru with a machine, especially if its worn

on the positive side, you can work wonders on nearly any vehicle, especially as you said it is already pretty good, depends on time

dave1123

Keep in mind red is the one color that has the least resistance to fade in sunlight and there isn't much that can be done about it. Even parking in the shade doesn't help much because it's UV light that causes the problem.

IJM

How do you experienced detailers handle all that textured black trim that's everywhere when waxing? I can easily wax everything, but the fender flares, door trim, and those long black strips on the roof always catch the wax even if I'm careful. Is there a good method for either keeping the wax off the trim to begin with or removing it later?

Turbo X_J

Given the number of times peeps wax just mask it off with blue painters tape because once you get wax on it, it's forever. Don't leave the tape in place any longer than necessary.

https://www.autopia.org/forums/forum.php

awg

I'm sure there is "better" products, but I have found wiping down the black plastic trim on any vehicle with ATF works well

With the hard black plastic on XJ, ATF will make it black & shiny again

been doing it for years. Some sort of UV protection would probably be a good idea, but they tend to be expensive, and never look as good as my ATF jobbies.
I doubt they would be compatible with ATF anyway

3Dog

This stuff is great for exterior faded plastics:
Just be sure it is well ventilated when you apply.

IJM

I'll have to check that stuff out. I've used Mother's Back to Black, but I wasn't impressed with it.

Morat

If you're looking for something that cleans and protects, Zaino All in One is excellent. Yes, you can go nuts buying mega products for each step of the process but IME you'll end up with a dirty car because it takes all weekend to clean it!

My personal favorite is Bilt Hamber cleanser polish - I'm not sure if it's available in the US.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263271207113

investinwaffles

Also a (former) pro detailer, 10+ years of experience.

A dual action polisher is extremely safe and probably the only way to really get any level of paint correction.

The Harbor Freight D/A gets great reviews for the price.

The most important thing is making sure you have proper polishing pads.

For compound/polish I would use Griots Garage Fast Correcting cream (compound) and Griots Perfecting cream (polish). Both are extremely beginner friendly and have a long working time before they start to "flash" or dry out when buffing. But at the same time they are well received in the detailing community

Pair that with their Boss microfiber pads (compound) and yellow "perfecting" foam finishing pad (polish) and you will get 90% of the correctable defects out of the paint in a 2 step process.

For sealant, look no further than Collinite 845. Very easy to apply and remove.
Make sure you wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for best adhesion. Collinite should last 6 months to a year. Ceramic coating is tricky to apply and difficult to remove when you want to re-apply, I would skip it and just re-wax once a year.

Obviously you will need to decontaminate first. Iron remover followed by a clay bar is generally recommended, but you can skip the former considering it's just a Jeep XJ

Should be able to get it all for ~$200 and you can do a few cars before needing to purchase new supplies.

Also don't forget to tape up any rubber/plastics or they will get stained from the compound


For plastics/rubber, I use 303 Aerospace or CarPro Perl but still - avoid getting wax or compound on them or just use tape

freeworld71

Thanks for the feedback. Autozone sells a Griots buffer with the 3 in 1 wax . I think its about $160.00 and there are multiple pads/liquids you can choose from- Probably will do this down the road...

Another question, The plastics around the car have alot of decay/damage on them. The red has turned to a grey crusty like finish. What would be the best way to approach these?

freeworld71

I'm honestly not sure if its clear over base finish or what. I live in Texas so its' generally hot. Its kinda wierd cause the body is in very good condition(little to no door dings or scratches) while there are parts the the car the paint is in very good shape(doors,etc), while there are areas on the hood, bumper roof where the paint almost seems to be flaking off into a greyish haze...Not sure what this is or how I can approach fixing it.

Thanks for feedback.