best advice for detailing

after reading a few threads on here i realized that there is a poop load more that i should be doing to my car. basically i just wash and wax it right now. i use a car wash gel and a carnuba wax paste. but everyone seems to be talking about sealants. can i buy this at autozone or somewhere like that? or do i have to order off the web? my dad uses armor all but i read that it dries up your dash and ish. what do you all recommend?
should i also be using a clay bar or something like that? what about a rubbing compound or polishing compound? i not only want to make my car look good but also preserve the life of the paint considering i live in new mexico and get sunshine about 350 days a year.

Sealants are pretty much the same thing as wax except it lasts a lot longer. As far as where to get it i would have to say check out a toyota dealer because thats where my sister got hers from. I know she has to apply hers twice a year unlike wax is every month. About the armorall i wouldnt use it cuz it collects dust and i too have heard about it dryin out ur dash., but i use amsoil vinyl cleaner and protectant, and it does great, but its not something u will find at ur local autozone... but if u have never used a clay bar i would recommend it because it will smooth out the paint real nice and take off any tree sap, bug residue, paint overspray, and industrial fallout.. i would only polish a car 1 to 2 times a year because of the sun fading out its color... but wash ur car regularly, wax it monthly, use the clay bar b4 u wax, polish it once or twice a year and ur car will look great and stay that way :)

I use to work at a toyota dealership and their sealants are just regular wax. To fix faded paint you need a high speed buffer and light compound. Followed by a swirl remover, then the sealant. A keen eye is imparative so take it to a pro. Besided if they burn the paint, they buy you a new paint job.

you can pick up most of the stuff from pep boys,autozone etc...i use the meguires polish about every 3 months,the wax every month and after i wash it weekly i ussally spay on some of the detail mist
check out there web sites check the faq and the car care RX http://meguiars.com/

so i was talking to my dad about sealants and waxes and stuff. he said that nu finish is a sealant. i've read on here that nu finish has mad chemicals and can damage your paint. what's the deal with this? what brand should i be looking for when buying a sealant?

sealant is totally different from wax not even close to the same thing. Some sealants use minerals spirits or petroleum distilates to help the uv protection to seep into the clear and base coat it creates a chemical reaction a very good chemical reaction. If something goes wrong theres other products in the same line that should be designed to counter act over exposure to these harsh chems if it was to say seperate and the chems burn it or change its apearance, its always a good idea to use the same line of products for this kinda stuff cus the chem properties will be slightly different from each manufacturers. Mothers , Meguires are user freindly products very safe but last not long enough like real professional not available to the public kinds of sealants.

how about nu finish for a sealant?

and have you heard anything about a product Zymol or something like that?

Zymol has wax out thats pretty good..not sure if they have sealants tho

If NuFinish has a full line up starting from a cut compound , buff compound , finishing compound and a sealant then it should be a very professional product otherwise NuFinish is a simple hands on product designed for frequent reaplication for consistant results. Its called trial and error when trying something new and if it works well then bonus! When trying the new product out do it a little gentler than usual untill you know how it reacts to your paint finish.