Product suggestions for black car.

[xristos]

I have a 2004 Acura TL with Nighthawk Black Pearl paint. At night or in certain sunlight, you can see blue metallic flakes which seems to make the car dark blue in certain angles. The paint has minor swirls & light scratches with a few blemishes/marring from washing & using the car as a daily commuter.

I enjoy detailing my car & would like to use the right products & steps with Meguiar's products. I would like to know what products & suggestions would benefit my task at hand.

I have a Porter Cable Orbital Polisher with 7.5" Lake Country (VC) Variable Contact Polisher Pads in the following color's: white, black & blue. I can also get the green pad, which is a little bit more aggressive than the white pad, or the orange pad that has some cutting ablitiy. The blue pad is the softest with no polishing ability.

I am going to post the following products & steps down below:

1) Meguiar's Hyper-Wash

2) Smooth Surface Clay Kit

Now this is where I need help in choosing the right products & order:

3) ScratchX, Fine-Cut Cleaner #2, or Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner.
- I will use one of these as a pure paint cleaner.
- apply w/ white or green pad.

4) Machine Glaze #3, Show Car Glaze #7, or Deep Crystal System Polish.
- I will use one of these as a pure polish.
- apply w/ green or white pad.

I could skip the 3rd & 4th steps above and use a product that combines both a paint cleaner & polish in one as follows:

* Swirl Remover #9, Speed Glaze #80, Swirl Free Polish #82, or Dual Action Cleaner/Polish #83.
- apply w/ green or white pad.

5) Polymer Sealant #20 or Synthetic Sealant #21.
- Which one is better for my case?
- How long should I leave the product on & wait to apply a 2nd coat if possible?
- apply w/ black pad.

6) Gold Class Clear Coat Wax or NXT Generation Tech Wax.
- I have a almost full bottle of Gold Class wax, but will get NXT wax if I will get better results.
- apply w/ blue pad.

These are the actual products & steps I am thinking of using:

1. Scratch X
2. Swirl Remover #9
3. Machine Glaze #3
4. Synthetic Sealant #21
5. NXT Tech Wax

I have read alot of info regarding what I want to accomplish with my car's paint & just need others opinions on what are their recommendations.
I know this is a long post and any suggestions on products & my step's or procedure's would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

I have to get on the road so I'll be offline for a while as I head to Meguiar's, that said, we've had numerous people come to this forum to learn how to remove the hazing and scouring caused by using cutting pads with dual action polishers.

Meguiar's doesn't recommend using cutting pads with dual action polisher for this reason, but other companies will sell them to you and recommend them to you as will the people on other detailing discussion forums.

Anything you need to remove with a dual action polisher can be done using a polishing pad like our W-8006 pad, if the ones you have already purchased don't work, then you can always try one of ours.

Here's a thread that should cover the basics, start in at the M80 Step, skip the M83 step.

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

[Murr1525]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

Well, heres some ideas, though I have not used the Lake Country pads. I'll just talk in terms of polishing and finishing pads. You wont want to use a cutting pad, unless it is under a bonnet to remove waxes.

1. Wash - Good. Also use the two-bucket system, good quality towels, etc.

2. Clay - Good.

3. Clean - ScratchX by hand in places the PC wont reach. Then, use #80 and a polishing pad to get the rest of the car. Remove with a good MF towel.

4. Polish - This would be optional, but #7 is certainly a good choice, and is probably easier applied and removed by hand. It will probably make a nice difference on your car.

5. Wax - Applied with a finishing pad. Of course you have many options here. I would pick 2 coats of #21, but 2 coats of #26, or #21 topped with #26 would be the top 3 options in my opinion. You could try Gold Class instead of the #26 since you have that.

You would apply the wax, let it dry to a haze then remove. For a second coat, 20 minutes is nice to wait, while 12 hours gives best looks. But I cant wait that long...

[Murr1525]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

And just to add, order the How To Use a PC for Show Car Results video from ShowCarGarage.com or AutoDeatingSolutions.com. It is really worth it, and also shows how to use ScartchX and #7 correctly.

[gb387]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

Read over this post... My parents have that exact car and color: Christmas Detail - Acura TL. The photos are not the best but it sure looked good when it was done. I think there are better shots in my old Meguiars Online gallery but I can not access the photos.

Murr1525 has a great point on the video... very good demonstration of the PC and various products.

[TH0001]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

I'm going to probably end up agreeing with Murr on this one...

Use the Lake Country polishing pad (not the cutting)...

1) wash

2) clay

3) polish with Meguiars #80 (cleans and polishes in one step)

4) wax with 2 coats of #21

[xristos]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

Thanks alot for your suggestions guys!

I will adjust my choice of products & procedures to what was suggested. I previously was using the following steps:

1) Wash - 2 bucket system
2) Clay w/ QD
3) Deep Crystal System Polish w/ white pad
4) Show Car Glaze #7 w/ black pad
5) Gold Class wax w/ blue pad - 2 coats

It seems that I wasn't using a paint cleaner after claying & before polishing. So now I will use the following products in order:

1) Detailer Line Hyper Wash
- using microfiber wash mitt & 2 bucket system.
- using waffle weave microfiber towel to dry.

2) Smooth Surface Clay Kit

3) Speed Glaze #80
- applying w/ white pad.
- second application if needed.

4) Machine Glaze #3
- applying w/ white pad.
- Show Car Glaze #7 is nearly empty & might switch to #3 to see how well it works w/ my PC.

5) Synthetic Sealant #21
- applying w/ black pad.
- layering 2 coats.
- how long should I leave the sealant on & wait between applications?

6) Gold Class Liquid Wax
- apply w/ blue finishing pad.
- will use NXT wax in the future when I use up the Gold Class wax.

I will be using good quality microfibre towels to remove & buff out each product. After each wash, I will be using Last Touch Spray Detailer to get rid of waterspots. For the interior I use Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner #40 & Detailer Line Leather Cleaner & Conditioner. I really like the Detailer Line products & have about half of them.
I would like to know if there is a Detailer Line dressing that is equivalent or better than the #40?

Once again, thanks for the help & info w/ links!

[Murr1525]

Re: Product suggestions for black car.

You were actualy using clay, paint cleaner, polish, paint cleaner, wax in your original plan. Obviously a bit of out of order. (Obvious now of course.. )

So:

1. Good

2. Good

3. Good

4. Good - Remember cleaners and polishes dont need to dry before removing, so remove as you go. I have never used #3, maybe someone can say. It sounds like the white pad still has some polishing ability. You would be better applying a pure polish like #7/#3 with a finishing pad like a wax.

5. Good - 20 minutes to 12 hours. Some people swear they can tell a differnce... 20 minutes works for me. Again, just a finishing pad would be best.

6. Good - THough give #21 a chance on its own, and then with Gold Class / Nxt. You might not even need them.

I dont think there is a straight equilvalent to #40. All Season Dressing is good for Exteriors, but could be a bit glossy on an interior. Hyper Dressing can be diluted, so you can keep 2 bottles, one for matte interior and one for glossy extrior. The ASD is probably a bit more durable though.