Detailing Questions-n-Answers!

[Sk8er_Square]

Ive been reading through alot of the posts on these forums and learning heaps about the polishing products and professional lines to help with my detailing.

Ive got a few questions and answers which mite help others but i'd love to know too.

A few things that have come up through my research is that:


1. Australia does not supply G100's or Porter Cable DA's:
A. Bosch PEX 400 AE polisher/sander is a great alternative ~approx $170aud

2. Meguiar's Australia does not supply final finishing pads (W9006), what is an alternative?

3. Meguiar's Australia does not supply M83 Dual Action Cleaning compound!! How can i get the same aggressiveness? Will 2 passes of M80 do the trick?

4. The W8006 pad's are extraordinarily expensive to buy retail here, is there an alternative which can be used with Meguiar's M66, M80?

5. Should i use a W9006 type pad when applying M21 synth sealant or is W8006 still viable?

6. Is there any online detailing sellers which ship to Australia for reasonable prices on pads and other detailing accessories. (such as microfibres etc.)

7. If there is no alternative to M83... would a pass with M66, followed by M80 and M21 return similar results?

8. If my arsenal consists of M66, M80, M21, M07 is there any mirror glaze products you recommend me getting (remember on a tight budget) which are integral for my detailing? (such as if i would need ScratchX as M66's fillers wont do the job).

9. Ive been informed that claying can greatly improve plastics on cars, and remove the need for products such as PlastX, ive seen alot of yellowing and 'dried out' looking headlights and plastics, is PlastX my only option and should i invest in some?

10. Ive heard mention that ammonia (in some types of glass cleaner) is bad if it gets onto paintwork? This could be wrong im not sure.

11. Waterless car washing - How is the most effective way? Australia's water restrictions are making it difficult to use water at all for car detailing so im restricted to using last touch. Should i invest in a body duster to firstly remove alot of the heavy dust, following by Last touch with which type of cloth? Remembering it is going to get fairly dirty quickly etc. (any ideas would be greatly appreciated).

12. I love meguiar's products soo much, as much as i'd love to have 7 SS microfibre's for usage on customers cars it is quite an expensive outlay. Is is smart to buy an SS for claying and use it for the final wiping and daily touchups? or can i use a cheaper style of microfibre. Ive found out too cheap microfibres can actually scratch the paintwork... but we have a tight budget here.

13. A new job coming up has a range of imported cars - paint / white texta has been used on the windows for prices and also on the paintwork is salt water stains from the boat transport. Best way of removing these?

14. Can i put small amounts of glass cleaner into the water jet resivour for the wipers? Will this be more effective or less effective then cheap 'Bug Off' type products?

Thanks heaps hopefully i can get replies for most of these questions, i apologise if they seem silly to some.

[Murr1525]

Re: Detailing Questions-n-Answers!

Wow, you have been reading.... We are going to have to have everyone try and keep this thread organized. I'll number the questions.

Lets see what I might be able to answer...

1. I guess. Have to have some others from down there chime in.

2. They dont? That sounds odd, what do you other guys down under do?

3. Again, sounds odd. I could have sworn people down under have used it?

4. The other guys from Australia are going to have to chime in.

5. 9006 would give the best finish. 8006 could be done in a pinch, bu it is a rougher pad, wont give the same perfect finish.

6. Guys from Australia?

7. ScratchX might be a good option. If not, I think #66 is a bit more aggressive than #80, but not by much. Still if you can get a little to try, go for it.

8. Not sure what you are getting at by fillers. But the bare minimum would be ScratchX, #80, #21, and then the pads, accessories. Those 3 products would cover most everything to get you started decently.

9. Someone is getting you confused on what claying can do. Clay can remove above surface contaminants, that is, the stuff stuck on the surface. So yes, it can clean up plastics if used gently. But yellowing is not on the surface, and it would need something like PlastX to try and clean up.

10. Well, if it gets on the surface I would wipe it off, as it could remove wax.

11. Thats a tough one. Any thoughts guys?

12. Well, using a cheaper on wont help much, though I use cheaper ones on the interiors. Maybe you could consider claying as you wash, and so just dry at the end?

13. Do you mean all the paint/salt on the windows? Claying and using a glass cleaner solved my window problems. Some people can probably give advice for worse problems.

14. No, it will probably end up over spraying and hurting the wax. The best thing is a good claying/cleaning, maybe RainX as well. Then just keep after it often.

[Sk8er_Square]

Re: Detailing Questions-n-Answers!

does ne1 know answers to any of these questions?"