Good to have you here. This is one of the best places to keep in touch with your fellow detailers. And congrats on the new car too.
First things first, specifically ask toyota NOT to do their complementary wash when the car is delivered to your hometowns dealership. Bring the car home with all that dust and wash it yourself the PROPER way. I have seen the way the cars are washed before they are delivered to their owners and its not a good sight. Make sure you do this.
Since the car will be new and having minimal paint defections (provided its not washed at the dealership), you don't need to do much. Meguiars has an excellent New Car Kit which includes a shampoo, liquid wax, tire gel, 2 applicator pads, mf cloth, a drying towel and a wash mitt. All the essentials you need.
The additional things you might need are as follows.
1) Clay Kit. Even the paint on a new car has embedded contaminants. Its best to clay the paint before proceeding with anything further. Meguiars have the clay kit which also includes the lubrication spray ( aka quick detailer ) essential for the clay to glide over the paint.
2) Compound/Polish/Glaze. Since the paint on your car is new, you really don't need a compound at this stage. A polish will correct the minor swirls on the clear coat. Meguiars Ultimate polish is what most novice detailers prefer since its easy to work with. The alternative for the polish is a glaze which will actually fill the swirls in the clear coat. Meguiars M07 glaze is a excellent product. Use the polish and glaze together for a perfect finish.
Compound: Abrasive - Will cut the clear coat to fix major/medium paint imperfections
Polish: Light Abrasive - Will cut the clear coat to fix medium/light paint imperfections
Glaze: Non Abrasive - Will not cut the clear coat and fill medium/light swirls.
* A compound/polish will take decades of use on the paintwork to completely remove the clearcoat on a paint. People still detail their 20-30 year old cars with the original paint+clearcoat. Don't worry about that.
3) Waterless Wash/Quick Detailer. Your solution to dry dusting. If the car has light dust on it, you can use either of these along with a mf cloth to clean the car. Not only will they save your paint from getting ruined, they will also boost any current protection on the car.
4) Interior Protectant. This is what will protect the interior plastics of the car including the dash, door trims, side pillars etc. I personally love Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant. It dose not add gloss to create glare and leaves a matt look on the panels.
This is how you would go about cleaning the car. Remember to do everything in the shade. Direct sunlight has proven to be a PITA during washing, drying, waxing for most people using different products. Always use straight line motions be it up/down or left right when washing/ drying/ polishing/ glazing/ waxing/ buffing. Circular motion will induce swirls since no matter where you are working, you cannot stop dust from settling on the paintwork of your car.
*Tons of videos on youtube on how to go about these steps below. Make youtube your friend. Look for the channel AMMO NYC. I've been following that channel for more than a year now. You can also join Autogeek's channel.
1) Wash it using the double bucket method. Start with the roof, followed by the hood/trunk. Move to the doors/fenders. Clean the top half of the doors/fenders first and then clean the lower sections. Alwasy move from the top to the base. Never go from the bottom of the panel to the top. The lower sections of the panels are dirtier than the top sections.
2) Dry the car using the drying towel.
3) Clay the car. You only need do this the first time and repeat the process every six months or 12 months. Again tons of videos. Wipe off any detailer residue with a mf cloth.
4) I would prefer to wash the car again at this stage but most people don't so you can skip it.
5) Polish the paint and follow up with a glaze. The polish will do its best to remove the light imperfections and the glaze will fill up the rest. Wipe off with a mf cloth.
6) Wax the car. Wipe off with a mf cloth.
7) Maintain the looks using the quick detailer or waterless wash.
8) Use your tire gel on a applicator pad to leave your time sidewalls looking dark and shiny. Meguiars Endurance Tire gel leaves the tires with a nice sheen of gloss. Some products will leave a matt look like the Autoglym Tire gel I use. Personal preference for everyone.
9) Use your Interior protectant to protect the interior trim and dash from the sun.
* Every Polish/Compound/Glaze/Sealant have their hazing/curing time after application. Always rear the instructions before you wipe off the product from the panels.
* Sealants are synthetic man made protection coatings that last longer than a wax. You apply it after polishing/glazing the paint and follow up with a wax. Most sealants are in liquid form unlike wax's which come in paste/liquid form's.
* I've recommended Meguiars products because they are readily available in most shops/fuel station shops. Otherwise, you can find a large range of brands here on pw including nanoskin / chemicalguys (dedicated thread for these in the buy/sell section for car parts), dodo, pinnacle, DP, Mothers etc ( where you might have to buy individual items ).
* Stay away from silicon/oil based products. These include brands like Carpride, ArmorAll, 7cf etc including all these Chinese aerosols you find in most stores. You don't wanna go near those. EVER.
So, anything else, just ask.
