A Newbie Question

[vincer77]

What would be your advise on a "regime" for a 1997 Porsche. It is Arena Red, a metallic wine color, and is in pretty good shape. There are some swirls in the paint, a couple of places with what may be bird dropping damage - or possibly something beneath clearcoat - if that is possible, and an area where the "Carrera" script was removed where you can still read the outline due to paint oxidation.

So far, I have waxed it once with NXT 2.0 just to get some protection on the paint. So questions are:

1. Do I need to get a D/A?
2. What should I do for the initial detail?
3. What should I do for maintenance and how often?
4. What are the best product for this car?

This is a great forum and I am glad I ran across it!

Thanks,

Vince

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: A Newbie Question

Her vincer

Welcome to mol

First off check out the site navigation on the right hand side when you first loged on, and then check out the list 'o links,the numbers and there's lots more great info on there.

So I take it that you've been applying everything by hand or a orbital?

1. Do I need to get a D/A? yes, to be alittle more effective and much better results
2. What should I do for the initial detail? 2 bucket wash method with grit gaurds, 1 bucket car wash solution / 2 bucket pure water
3. What should I do for maintenance and how often? weekly washes, maintaining products-quik detailer-quik wax
4. What are the best product for this car? start off with the least aggressive products that gets the job done,

check on the list 'o links and you will get alot og questions answered and then some. And when you have question just ask there's alot of great members on here that will be more then happy to help you.

[Jeff U]

Re: A Newbie Question

Is it a 993 ? Tail, no tail? Wide body turbo look or regular ?

That Arena Red is a beautiful color.

On the DA polisher - Removing swirls by hand is a back breaking, finger numbing task.

I was always a believer in hand doing things until last year when I got a polisher. Without a doubt it is the best investment in keeping cars looking great that I have ever made. You'll get better results in less time.

If the paint has been etched by bird droppings, it can be very difficult if not impossible to complete remove those marks. A good polishing will probably get them to where the only one who knows where they are is you.

If it's never been done, claying the surface will be very beneficial.

[vincer77]

Re: A Newbie Question

Is it a 993 ? Tail, no tail? Wide body turbo look or regular ?...

That Arena Red is a beautiful color.

If it's never been done, claying the surface will be very beneficial.

Yes, it is a 993 Cabriolet, so no tail. I love the color also.

How often should claying be done? Also, I assume NXT is good for the wax, but where do I start as far as swirls/oxidation? ScratchX, 105, 205...?

Cheers,

Vince

[Jeff U]

Re: A Newbie Question

Post a photo of the car when you can. Close ups of the paint will prompt people to give you specific advice.

This link will give you the standard clean, polish, and maintain process:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ad.php?t=29505


Clay probably about once per year. A good test for clay is (after the car is washed and dry) slip your hand in a plastic bag, sandwich bag works, and run your hand over the paint. If you feel little bumps, you need clay. If it is very smooth, skip clay and go straight to polishing.

Yes, I would look at getting a DA polisher.

Prior to 2009 I always did everything by hand. Trying to remove swirls by hand is hand numbing and back breaking work. The polisher is by far the best investment I have ever made in making, and keeping, my cars looking good. After a year of using the DA, I now wonder why I was afraid of using a machine. The DA polishers are fairly idiot proof. (I have the Flex 3401 DA polisher)

Polishing is the key to a great looking car. Wax is just the last layer of protection, the shine comes from proper polishing.

Everybody has their favorites for polishes and waxes. I have mine but make no great claims that they are significantly better than anyone elses favorites. They just happen to be mine.

My favorite polishes are:

• M105 - very aggressive and takes some practice to figure out how to use. Don't start here but only use when you need a very aggressive product
• Menzerna Intensive polish - not as aggressive as M105 but still pretty powerful
• M205 - easy to use great finishing polish
• Menzerna Final Polish II - It's a little finer than M205 and I like this one a lot

Personal opinion, I am not a big fan of NXT wax. I have a black 911 and I've tried a couple times but have never managed to get streak free results.

My favorite finishing products:

• Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant
• Blackfire Midnight Sun carnauba wax
• P21s carnauba wax

[Jeff U]

Re: A Newbie Question

Another wash, polish, maintain process link:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ad.php?t=37320

It's more of the Meguiars only product list, but you'll get the idea.

[William_F]

Re: A Newbie Question

Vince, just bring your Porsche to me. I'll take care of everything. Next time you see it it will look like new. My new Porsche that is .

Actually, here are a few of my thoughts-

Should you get a DA? I love my 110. Can't say enough good things about it. I was getting good results by hand, but since I got the DA, my results have gone from good to awesome.

As for the products, each car is a little different. If the paint is in good shape for the most part, Gold Class Shampoo or ONR would be my suggestion.

I'd follow up with a clay treatment and an application of 205 polish and if you feel like going the extra mile, a coat of #7 Show Car Glaze. Either top with NXT 2.0 wax or #26.

That will get you a pretty good result. Or at least that's worked well for me.

Don't forget a tire dressing in there somewhere I like the Hot Shine Tire Foam as it can be sprayed on left alone with no scrubbing needed, although you may have to clean the wheels afterwards as it runs a little bit.

What do you have in mind for the interior? I like #40 for the dash and interior hard surfaces. It leaves a nice finish and the scent is as close to new car as I have found.

If you have leather upholstery, there are several products that fit the bill for that, but I don't have any first hand experience with them, so I will hold off on any suggestions other than look at the line up.

Good luck and happy detailing

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: A Newbie Question

Yes, it is a 993 Cabriolet, so no tail. I love the color also.

How often should claying be done? Also, I assume NXT is good for the wax, but where do I start as far as swirls/oxidation? ScratchX, 105, 205...?

Cheers,

Vince

Hey vincer

You use clay whenever you wash your car and run your clean hand over the surface to feel the surface for any bumps, if you feel any then you have above surface contaminants and need to clay.

There's no guides or rules to how often you clay, after every wash run your clean hand over the horizontal surfaces to feel for the bumps, if smooth as glass then move on to your polishing or apply two coats of your favorite wax/sealant up to you.

I'd start with a test spot and try out a couple applications of swirlX or scratchX. Then a polish if you want to go for the extra step.

Hope that helps

[vincer77]

Re: A Newbie Question

Hey guys, thank you so much for the advice. This is a great forum. The car-specific forums have some good info, but the product choices are so varied, that it is hard to sift through and choose. I think that Meguiars has a large enough product selection and good reputation that I can center my car care around their products.

I will try to get some photos of the problem areas posted. I think I saw a thread as to how to get these shots.

So let me throw out another question - what are experiences with the duplicolor, Langka, drcolorchip type products for fixing road rash nicks?

[vincer77]

Re: A Newbie Question

Personal opinion, I am not a big fan of NXT wax. I have a black 911 and I've tried a couple times but have never managed to get streak free results.


My favorite finishing products:

• Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant
• Blackfire Midnight Sun carnauba wax
• P21s carnauba wax

Interesting. I had the same results when I did the Porsche the first time. I then tried it on my Honda with the same blotchy look. It has been pretty cold here, so I was thinking that it was just not drying. I left it overnight and it was much better - but not perfect. Thanks for the recommendations. P21s seems to be mentioned alot.

Cheers,
Vince

[BobbyG]

Re: A Newbie Question

It really depends on the finish condition.

Let's assume that it does not need heavy paint correction, if it does then I'd add Meguiar's M105 after claying.

Wash the car thoroughly then inspect the surface for imperfections. Clay bar the entire car then proceed in the following order.

I would highly recommend you purchase a good quality DA buffer like the Porter Cable 7424 or equivalent. A selection of suitable pads for carious products are essential along with Microfiber Towels.

Car Wash - Meguiar's
Wash Mitt - Microfiber sponge
Clay - Meguiar's
Paint Correction - Meguiar's M205
Polish - Menzerna PO85D polish
Sealant - Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
Wax - Collinite 845, Collinite Marque D"Elegance, Paste Wax