Originally Posted by Nerd-ina-Truck

Well,
My shoulder is about to fall off as I write this..... Finished my first detailing, after picking up my new 07 Lariat last week. I had only 4 hours so by using the combined knowledge of this forum, I tried to use some common sense in picking what steps I should do.

1. Washed.. 2 bucket method - Meguiars Deep Crystal Car Wash
2. Microfiber dried.. pulled it into the garage and took an ice tea break.
3. ClayBarred the car using Meguiars SmoothSurface Clay Kit and Detailing Spray.
4. 2-3 swirly spots in the paint were found. Buffed out with NuFinish Polish.
5. Applied Meguiars Deep Crystal Carnauba.
6. Contemplating applying another coat tomorrow if the shoulder feels better.

So I skipped using a polish on the whole car or any type of "cleaner" wax like NXT. I assumed since the paint is so new (had 18 miles when i bought it last week - Manufactured April 07), that I could skip this step.

I guess I'm satisfied with the results. I can't really see getting a deeper color then what you'll see in the following photos, but I'm very open to any suggestions for the future.

SideNote: I've been reading the various posts on "Orange Peel" and really didn't understand it till I looked closer at the paint. Oh Brother do I NOW understand what people mean. The paintspray nozzle at the Dearborn Plant went positively FLORIDA on my car. Oh well... it's comforting to know that all Fords are afflicted with this paint disease.