New to (proper) car care procedures...

[Scotty89]

Ok so my birthday is in roughly a month, and I was asked what I'd like for my birthday. Usually I get a lot of mixed car care products, because my parents and relatives know I like my car.

The problem is that I never usually choose the stuff, I always get "starter kits" and "complete kits" which have a bunch of stuff in a bucket, and I'm now beginning to double up on stuff.

I've seen some of the work done by the people on this forum & on a BMW forum, with regards to car detailing and I've been quite amazed at the finishes that others can get out of their dull and swirly paint.

I decided that I want to get serious about my car care methods, because I think it'd be a worthy cause. They are skills I will have with me for the rest of my life and put forward to any future cars I have.
I have a birthday in about a month, so I am planning to put some money towards a list of decent tools and products that I will need, however I'm still a bit unsure on what to get so I'd like some help please.

I have had a look at many videos on youtube from Meguiars about proper washing methods, claying, cutting and polishing and noted that I've not been caring for my car properly.
So far I have found that I need to start using a 5 step process as well as wash my car with a 2 bucket method. I've also realised now that the liquid wax is a sealant, not a polish & cleaner.

I have never clayed the car before, and have once tried to get some minor scratches out of the paint using scratch-X, which ended up making a dull/matte finish over the scratch, so I promptly stopped.
I now realise that I should have followed up with a polishing compound and not liquid wax...

At the moment the meguiars products I am using are:
- Gold class soap wash (hand wash with soft hand mit)
- Gold class liquid wax (hand applied using meguiars pad)
- Gold class leather conditioner (for leather interiors)
- Vinyl & rubber shine (for plastic impact strips & interior dash)
- Hot shine tire foam (spray on tire sidewalls)
- Scratch X (never could get excellent results from this?)
- Terry towelling cloths (not sure what to use these for? )
- Microfibre polishing cloths (for wiping the liquid wax off)

My car is a 1995 model, and it appears the paint and exterior has been quite badly neglected over its life (in my opinion anyway).

There are several spots where bird lime and tree sap had not been washed off by previous owners, and the clear coat has been severely damaged (it looks like it may even be back to the base coat ).
I understand that it is unlikely these areas will ever be new again without a respray. There are however also areas where the clear coat has not been cut right through, and they leave white marks when wiping off the wax. I would like to polish these out where possible, but I have no idea where to start. There are also scratches and heavy swirl marks all over the car that I'd like to remove.

I have seen the Meguiars DA polishing tool in the instructional videos, and the only place I can find it is via eBay and it will cost me $325 including shipping - the local store has many of the meguiars products, but not the polishing tool. They do have a Mothers polishing tool instead which is also dual action/random oscillating orbital tool, which is only $150. Would this be sufficient?

I think this is the same tool that the local store has:
I dont know if it's variable speed, but it is a random orbital - so that shouldn't burn the paint right?

I would like some help to construct a list of the essential things that I will need, like which polishing compounds etc. There are so many Meguiars products I'm a bit confused. Is there a complete instructional DVD or something that I can purchase which will teach me from start to finish?

From my understanding I need to get:
- Clay kit
- Light cutting compound
- Polishing compound
- Paint cleaner
- A dual action/randomr

I will take some photographs of the paint and post them in a moment, though it will make most people on this forum cringe at the sight...

Thanks in advance.

[Murr1525]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

I have never clayed the car before, and have once tried to get some minor scratches out of the paint using scratch-X, which ended up making a dull/matte finish over the scratch, so I promptly stopped.
I now realise that I should have followed up with a polishing compound and not liquid wax...

The ScratchX should leave a good finish behind on its own. How did you apply it? What applicator did you use?

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

At the moment the meguiars products I am using are:
- Gold class soap wash (hand wash with soft hand mit)
- Gold class liquid wax (hand applied using meguiars pad)
- Gold class leather conditioner (for leather interiors)
- Vinyl & rubber shine (for plastic impact strips & interior dash)
- Hot shine tire foam (spray on tire sidewalls)
- Scratch X (never could get excellent results from this?)
- Terry towelling cloths (not sure what to use these for? )
- Microfibre polishing cloths (for wiping the liquid wax off)

Generally, I use terry towels for the dirt areas, or areas that may snag a more expensive cloth. Then I use the Meguiars microfiber towels (Water Magnet for drying, Supreme Shine for product removal) on the rest of the car.

My car is a 1995 model, and it appears the paint and exterior has been quite badly neglected over its life (in my opinion anyway).

Any pics?

There are however also areas where the clear coat has not been cut right through, and they leave white marks when wiping off the wax. I would like to polish these out where possible, but I have no idea where to start. There are also scratches and heavy swirl marks all over the car that I'd like to remove.

You have seen these? They kind of explain what is going on. Never sure what products are available down there, But SwirlX is a mild cleaner/polish, and Ultimate Compound is a strong cleaner that is similar to #105 in the one link. You should be able to do a good bit with them, even by hand. Always do a test spot first of course, to make sure it works and your technique is right.

They do have a Mothers polishing tool instead which is also dual action/random oscillating orbital tool, which is only $150. Would this be sufficient?

Just based on the pic, it doesn't look great. Those kind often don't have much power, so when you apply some pressure to work the product in, they stop spinning. So you can only use light pressure, which is about best for spreading wax.

I would like some help to construct a list of the essential things that I will need, like which polishing compounds etc. There are so many Meguiars products I'm a bit confused. Is there a complete instructional DVD or something that I can purchase which will teach me from start to finish?

Of course the more things you want to work on and fix, the more products you need may. But really, the list can be paired down to like 5 or 6 basic products. Again, some adjustments may be needed if something isn't available to you.

From my understanding I need to get:
- Clay kit
- Light cutting compound
- Polishing compound
- Paint cleaner
- A dual action/randomr

So yeah, here are two basic details to consider.

Full Detail, removing defects:
1. Wash - Gold Class soap, etc, 2 buckets, quality towels/mitts.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit, plus extra Quick Detailer bottle.
3. Clean - SwirlX for mild/general cleaning, and if worked in with more passion, it can remove some defects. Then Ultimate Compound for worse defects.
4. Polish - Optional, but Deep Crystal Polish is good and easy to use.
5. Wax - Nxt, Gold Class, etc.
6. Wax - 2 thin coats are best.
7. Maintain - I like to apply some Ultimate Quick Detailer or Ultimate Quick Wax after future washes.

Quick Detail:
1. Wash
2. Clay if needed
3. Cleaner/Wax - I like to use ColorX (ColorBoost) for a quick detail. The clay kit also comes with a sample of the regular Cleaner/Wax. ColorX is a little stronger, but both will clean, polish, and wax in one step.
4. Wax - I like to top the ColorX with a coat of regular wax, like the Nxt, Gold Class.
5. Maintain

Now, those products could be used by hand or machine, and as mentioned above, if you arent ready yet to get a good machine, then you'll likely get better results by hand than by a cheap machine. And there are plenty of good results on here by hand, it is just a bit more tiring to do. But no big deal.

[SilverPT]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Hi. I'm new to proper car care procedures too (though considerable older than you - I only developed an interest after getting a good car). I am learning heaps on here so you have come to a great place to ask questions.

Where I live I find Autobarn to have an excellent range in Megs products. Not sure if you have one near you. Also, some of the products discussed on here aren't available (yet?) in Australia.

I'll leave answering the technical questions to the many experts on here. Best of luck wih your current car and the future ones you will work on.

Cheers!

[Scotty89]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Haha, yea, when I say "Local store" I'm talking about Autobahn.

Thanks a ton for the quick and complete response Murr, thats all the information I was looking for I'm looking forward to this.

I'm going to have a look again at autobahn, most of those products you mentioned they had on the shelf.

I will get the products for now and give them a shot without a polishing tool.

Also, I applied the scratch-x by hand with a yellow pad that came with the Meguiar's Gold Class starter kit. Edit: It looks to be the same one in the video that is linked above.

I also tried another scratch or two by applying it directly with my fingertips (which were cleaned thoroughly, and my fingers were soft from washing the car before hand), which did work a little better.

I'll definitely have a look at the Scratch-X link you posted though. Thanks again - much appreciated

[Underdawg736]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Just to touch up on what Murr stated. It probably would behoove you to pick up some Ultimate Compound (if y'all have it down there). Also invest in a bunch of quality microfiber towels and foam or microfiber pads as these will make a difference in getting rid or inflicting new defects in your paint.
The Mothers buffer you pictured looks like a regular random orbital. As Murr said, it's not much good except to spread wax around. I would look into the Dual Action polisher. A DA polisher is a hybrid of the rotory and random orbital. The benefits to this is that you can get a decent amount of correction done with it and it won't burn thru your paint as a rotory will do if used improperly. The downfall is that you may not get the full paint correction a rotory will do if done correctly. Along with Meg's...Flex, Porter Cable, Cylo, and some others make DA polishers so look around, you may be able to find something locally and within your budget.

Hope this helps ya, I'm still learning myself!

[Murr1525]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Looks like I forgot to throw in a couple links about swirls that I meant to...

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How To Remove a Bird Dropping Etching by Hand using M105 Ultra Cut Compound

[CieraSL]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

A couple good videos to watch:

How to wash your car show car style

How to clay bar


You can also find quite a few videos on Meguiar's USA YouTube Channel. Hope this helps!

[Scotty89]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Ok, so its been a while since I was able to get any further with this (just resumed studies after the holiday break). I have read as many of these links as I can, watched as many videos as I could and then researched the products some more.

I have been into the local store, and priced up some stuff - but am back again. Now that I have attached a price tag to each of the products, I am unsure as to whether I should go all out and get several of the individual stage products, OR get a list of the 2-in-1 stage products.

I have proposed doing this, please tell me what you think, and suggest any alterations.
Wash: gold glass shampoo & conditioner (already owned)
+ lambswool wash mitt ($18)

Dry: Soft buff chamois ($16)

Paint Prep: Smooth surface quik clay kit w/quik detailer ($35); then
Deep crystal Paint cleaner ($17)

Paint correction : Scratch-X (not 2.0, the original stuff, as I already have a tube of it)
- This will probably a once off to get it up to par, and remove the bird lime marks. If I don't get super duper results I'm going to try the Ultimate Compound next wash.

Polish: Deep Crystal Polish ($21)

Wax/Sealant: Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax $27

I have looked into the Meguiars DA polisher, and I really can't get it in my area for a decent price. I have tried to find the specs of the G220, so that I may be able to get a fair comparison on some other substitutes, but it seems that Meguiars doesn't release this information anywhere?

My brother works at a local hardware warehouse, and can get a really good deal on a Bosche (Blue) GEX 125 AC. It is a random orbital sander, and its applications list that it is suitable for paint polishing. However it doesn't say whether or not that means automotive paint polishing. I don't know what other paint you would polish though?

There is a link to its specifications below.
Technical Data:

Sanding plate diameter	125 mm
No-load speed	4.500 – 12.000 rpm
Orbital stroke rate	9.000 – 24.000 opm
Eccentricity	2,50 mm
Sanding sheet / disc attachment	Velcro-type fastening
Rated power input	340 W
Weight without cable	2,0 kg
Oscillating circuit diameter	5 mm

Does this tool look like it would be suitable for applying polish? If not, what kind of specs do I need for this type of work? What RPM roughly, power ratings and oscillation diameter?

Please keep in mind, the price of this tool is 1/3 the price of the G220 in my area.

Thanks again.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Scotty, just so you know:

We edited your post to remove the clickable link as we do not allow those during a members initial 30 posts. We also deleted your duplicate post, which we assume you made a couple hours later because you couldn't see you first one due to it being stuck in moderation because of the clickable link. Whew!

Carry on.

[Murr1525]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Wash: gold glass shampoo & conditioner (already owned)
+ lambswool wash mitt ($18)

OK, good. Dont forget 2 buckets, etc.

Dry: Soft buff chamois ($16)

Are there any Water Magnets there? A lot of people seem o like the chamois folllowed up with a WM.

Paint Prep: Smooth surface quik clay kit w/quik detailer ($35); then
Deep crystal Paint cleaner ($17)

No, just clay this step.

Paint correction : Scratch-X (not 2.0, the original stuff, as I already have a tube of it)
- This will probably a once off to get it up to par, and remove the bird lime marks. If I don't get super duper results I'm going to try the Ultimate Compound next wash.

Since you arent getting the DC1, at least not for this detail, maybe you can get the UC right away. I have a feeling you will prefer it for defect removal. But remember you will want a milder product for future details when all is fixed up.

Polish: Deep Crystal Polish ($21)

Optional, but sure.

Wax/Sealant: Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax $27

That will work, though I tend to prefer Nxt 2.0, even Gold Class, #26, #16, etc.

I have looked into the Meguiars DA polisher, and I really can't get it in my area for a decent price. I have tried to find the specs of the G220, so that I may be able to get a fair comparison on some other substitutes, but it seems that Meguiars doesn't release this information anywhere?

Some of the specs should be out somewhere.... do a little forum search for the G100/G110 comparisons.

My brother works at a local hardware warehouse, and can get a really good deal on a Bosche (Blue) GEX 125 AC. It is a random orbital sander, and its applications list that it is suitable for paint polishing. However it doesn't say whether or not that means automotive paint polishing. I don't know what other paint you would polish though?

I have no idea if that tool will be the right thing or not. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

[Scotty89]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Ahh sorry Michael, I thought it was my browser playing tricks on me again...

I couldn't find any water magnet towels in the local store - I looked for them first up, and found the chamois instead. Would a second microfibre towel be ok instead?

Given that you said some of the stuff is probably not necessary, I think I'll skip them. I'll give my gold class liquid wax ago instead of the Deep crystal carnauba as well.

I also found the specs of the g110 in a forum sticky thread... I don't think the bosche can do low enough RPM, when compared to the recommended speeds of the g110 the lowest speed is roughly 4500rpm and that seems to be towards the higher end of the recommended rpm scale.

[Murr1525]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Some have said the chamois leaves little drops behind, and a MF towel picks those up apparently. You could try a second chamois, or maybe there is another high quality brand available to you.

It is hard comparing RPM of the machine to OPM of the head. No idea how it works.

You might want to look up some info on the Flex polisher as well. Even do a little browsing at the autopia forum, you may see a variety of machines there.

[Scotty89]

Re: New to (proper) car care procedures...

Well it says rpm for rotations, and opm for oscillations - so i figured it meant the same as the g110 chart. Either way, they both seem very high in comparison. I will check out the flex polisher, see what info is around on that.