New and wanting some basic info...

[stefanwlsn]

Hi everyone!

So I am looking at getting into detailing my own vehicles. I have used DA's before and am comfortable with the entire process... My problem is that there are so many different products and I can't figure out which is best.

Here is what I am looking to do:
1. Remove surface scratches that are not through the clear
2. Remove texture from the clear
3. Bring finish to a good shine/luster when it is all said and done

I know I want to buy the G110v2. I will also pick up some clay. What compounds would work best along with which foam pads for the DA?

I'm not looking to have a show car, just want to get the most out of the finish on my current vehicles.

[Andrew C.]

Re: New and wanting some basic info...

1. Go ahead and try using Swirl X, or if that doesn't quite have enough cut to take out the swirls/scratches, you can use Ultimate Compound.

2. When you say remove texture from the clear, do you mean orange peel, or are you talking about above surface bonded contaminants? To remove orange peel, you need to wet sand your car, but you don't want to do that with OEM paint, because they don't spray enough clear on OEM to allow it to be wet sanded down to remove orange peel. If you are talking about your paint having a gritty feeling, then go ahead and clay it. That should make it smooth as glass.

3. To try to add a little extra pop to your paint, you can try using a pure polish such as M07 or Deep Crystal Polish. It may not make a difference in appearance, so do a test spot and see if you can tell any difference, and if you can, proceed on to doing the rest of the car. Pure Polishes tend to work best with darker colors like black and dark blue, and don't make too much of a difference on lighter colors like white. But hey, if you can see a difference on your white car, go for it!

As for foam pads, use the yellow polishing pads for using swirl x or ultimate compound, and use the black finishing pads for applying your LSP (last step product/wax) such as NXT 2.0 or Gold Class Carnauba Plus.

[stefanwlsn]

Re: New and wanting some basic info...

So Swirl X or Ultimate compound for the swirls/scratches, then polish, then an LSP? Does that sound right? Which pad should be used for the polish? Would that be the tan finishing pad? Sorry for the novice questions. What can I say?... I'm a newb.

One other question... My wife's car looks like it got some concrete splatter from somewhere at some point. There are a few very SMALL spots that look like dried concrete. What would be the best way to remove those without damaging the paint?