Taking a week to get everything done

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

So one more question. Someone here had recommended that after I have things fixed in my car, my future details should be, Wash, ColorX, Wax. Do you recommend that I should do wash, UP, UW instead for future details then?

You already have Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax and NXT Tech Wax 2.0 Paste - our goal is not to have you go out and purchase two more waxes (ColorX and UW) but to get your car in shape and keep it that way. So we'd recommend using Ultimate Polish as needed, and waxing every 3 months or so with the NXT Paste.

Also, the PC D/A is a 6inch D/A, but the in the article they used w8207 and w9207, which are 7 inch pads. Will those work on the D/A I am purchasing? Will other sizes also work, like 6.5 or 8 inch pads? Thanks again.

There are a couple of ways you can go here. The D/A you're looking at comes with a backing plate that will work with our earlier W8006/W9006 pads or with the Lake Country Pads if you're so inclined. If you want to go with our W8207/W9207 pads (these are machine washable, the others are not) then we really recommend you pick up our W68DA backing plate for use with them.

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

OK, so the car is 12 years old and recently hasn't been given the love it used to get. Sounds like your expectations are right where they should be, and we know you can get the car back to that point. No doubt a buffer is going to help tremendously in this endeavor, though.

From your other post just above the one we've quoted here, it sure sounds like you now have a plan of attack laid out - a good and proper plan at that. One quick note regarding the article on delicate paint: at the time that article was written we did not yet have Ultimate Polish in our lineup, so ColorX was used to remove the light hazing on that delicate paint. You will likely find Ultimate Polish will do an even better job, so rather than buying both ColorX and UP, stick with the UP.

OK Thanks!

So one more question. Someone here had recommended that after I have things fixed in my car, my future details should be, Wash, ColorX, Wax. Do you recommend that I should do wash, UP, UW instead for future details then?

Also, the PC D/A is a 6inch D/A, but the in the article they used w8207 and w9207, which are 7 inch pads. Will those work on the D/A I am purchasing? Will other sizes also work, like 6.5 or 8 inch pads? Thanks again.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

It was actually 93-01, but mine is a '99. Yes, very fair statement. I used to keep it clean and stuff, but until recently I didn't realize that my method of washing the car was horrible. And, yes, there is no such thing as perfection, and I am not trying to get there, but what you are describing above, if the condition I would love to bring it to. Thanks

OK, so the car is 12 years old and recently hasn't been given the love it used to get. Sounds like your expectations are right where they should be, and we know you can get the car back to that point. No doubt a buffer is going to help tremendously in this endeavor, though.

From your other post just above the one we've quoted here, it sure sounds like you now have a plan of attack laid out - a good and proper plan at that. One quick note regarding the article on delicate paint: at the time that article was written we did not yet have Ultimate Polish in our lineup, so ColorX was used to remove the light hazing on that delicate paint. You will likely find Ultimate Polish will do an even better job, so rather than buying both ColorX and UP, stick with the UP.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

Is the Ultimate Polish the polish I should use?

What pad should I use for the ColorX?

I wouldn't worry about using colorX. The pics you posted make me believe it is too mild a product to remove a lot of the marks your paint has.

SwirlX is where I would begin. If your paint is soft it may be all you will need- and the only way to know how any paint will respond is by testing a particular product on a small area. If SwirlX isn't doing the job, then step up to Ultimate Compound and test again.

Ultimate Polish is a good product to use after Ultimate Compound- but only if you find Ultimate Compound leaves any marring or haziness behind on the panel you're working on. You may not need to use it. Try it out first on your test spot.

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

If those white spots are gouged down to the primer, or the paint is pulled up and wrinkled, the very least you can do to minimize their appearance is to apply a bit of touch up paint over them. You can pick this up for a few bucks from any auto parts store, but skip the built in brush and apply a small amount with a toothpick so as not to create a big blob. Ideally, some wetsanding and buffing would go a long way to concealing them further, but that's getting into some pretty advanced work and it's easy to make things even worse if you don't know what you're doing.

There's something else to consider here - this car is how many years old (that body style of the Integra was introduced in '85 and ran until '06 so it's hard to tell here)? And it's been somewhat neglected, or at the very least it hasn't been babied since day one. Fair statement? It's really unrealistic to expect to make it look like it's brand spanking new again, but you can do amazing things with it. In fact, you can transform the finish to the point that only you will even notice the couple of little spots. Everyone else will either think you've had the car repainted (friends who are familiar with the car) or they'll ask how you managed to keep a car that age looking so good (complete strangers).

A daily driver is going to show some wear and age. It's going to get little nicks and scrapes eventually, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. It's never going to be truly "perfect" again. But it can still look amazing.

It was actually 93-01, but mine is a '99. Yes, very fair statement. I used to keep it clean and stuff, but until recently I didn't realize that my method of washing the car was horrible. And, yes, there is no such thing as perfection, and I am not trying to get there, but what you are describing above, if the condition I would love to bring it to. Thanks

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

Please don't let any of our comments discourage you. Yes, from the pictures you posted the paint obviously is in need of a lot of work, but that doesn't mean you can't accomplish the task. Nobody will deny that doing all that work by hand is going to be hard work, but it absolutely can be done.

Still, use of a D/A (the one you linked to is perfectly fine and will do a great job) will make your life a whole lot easier, let you get the job done faster with more consistent results, and better results over all. Best of all, the learning curve is pretty shallow with that tool and the odds of you really messing anything up are slim to none. Usually the worst case scenario involves poor technique and then you just don't quite get the results you want.

Two articles you should read through:

D/A Buffing 101 – An Introduction to the G110v2 and similar tools - This will spell out what pads you need and how to properly go about the whole correction process.

A noob + D/A + Ultimate Compound + hard paint = Success!! - We're giving you this link for inspiration. The car in this thread has crazy hard paint; it's like granite with a diamond coating, meaning it's quite a challenge, especially for a novice. And the guy who did the work was just that, a total novice. We gave him some pointers on another forum and he dove into the project, with fantastic results.

Awesome articles, I just read them both, but paying special attention to the first article. Thanks for sharing those with me. Let me just go over the steps with you here, and please let me know if everything looks good.

Wash car properly, clay the entire car. First you start by taping your lights and other trim pieces up. Get your products and pads ready. Start with pad W8207 at speed 5 with SwirlX. Start in a test spot area, plug device in, throw cord over shoulder, make an X on the pad with product, place firmly on the car, turn on and spread it around quickly, slow down and with moderate pressure move in 50% overlapping strokes, smooth movements, hold device comfortably, keep pad flat with constant pressure, and keeping weight directly on top of pad. Work product in until it is very thin and before it dries. Also be careful of having excess product on the pad, if so, take it off with a towel. Wife it off with a microfiber.

Inspect the changes, if it improved a good amount, use same product again, if it didn't do much, move up to Ultimate Compound, and continue the above steps. After most of the swirls and such are gone, change pad, put on the W9207 pad, and get the polish. Same method for the polish. Finally, get another W9207 pad, and put on some Ultimate Wax, but go a little faster, do the entire car instead of a panel at a time, and let it dry, and then wipe off with a microfiber.

Now I really need to know what I have to order. So far I know I need this:

1. Two 5 gallon buckets
2. Two grit guard
3. Lambswool mitt
4. Gold Class car wash
5. Drying cloth
6. Clay kit
7. A bunch of microfiber cloths
8. Porter Cable D/A
9. Two W8207 Pads
10. Two W9207 Pads
11. SwirlX
12. Ultimate Compound
13. ColorX
14. Ultimate Quik Wax
15. Ultimate Quik Detailer
16. Ultimate Protectant
17. All Purpose Cleaner
18. Ultimate Polish?

Is the Ultimate Polish the polish I should use?

Now my question is. Is this the order I should do the things in

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. SwirlX
5. Ultimate Compound, if needed
6. Ultimate Polish?
7. Ultimate Wax
8. Ultimate Wax

What pad should I use for the ColorX?

Thank you so much!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

If those white spots are gouged down to the primer, or the paint is pulled up and wrinkled, the very least you can do to minimize their appearance is to apply a bit of touch up paint over them. You can pick this up for a few bucks from any auto parts store, but skip the built in brush and apply a small amount with a toothpick so as not to create a big blob. Ideally, some wetsanding and buffing would go a long way to concealing them further, but that's getting into some pretty advanced work and it's easy to make things even worse if you don't know what you're doing.

There's something else to consider here - this car is how many years old (that body style of the Integra was introduced in '85 and ran until '06 so it's hard to tell here)? And it's been somewhat neglected, or at the very least it hasn't been babied since day one. Fair statement? It's really unrealistic to expect to make it look like it's brand spanking new again, but you can do amazing things with it. In fact, you can transform the finish to the point that only you will even notice the couple of little spots. Everyone else will either think you've had the car repainted (friends who are familiar with the car) or they'll ask how you managed to keep a car that age looking so good (complete strangers).

A daily driver is going to show some wear and age. It's going to get little nicks and scrapes eventually, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. It's never going to be truly "perfect" again. But it can still look amazing.

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

And as for the white spots, what can I do about those. I don't really care if those spots are perfect, but I would rather have them less noticeable. Any ideas?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

Please don't let any of our comments discourage you. Yes, from the pictures you posted the paint obviously is in need of a lot of work, but that doesn't mean you can't accomplish the task. Nobody will deny that doing all that work by hand is going to be hard work, but it absolutely can be done.

Still, use of a D/A (the one you linked to is perfectly fine and will do a great job) will make your life a whole lot easier, let you get the job done faster with more consistent results, and better results over all. Best of all, the learning curve is pretty shallow with that tool and the odds of you really messing anything up are slim to none. Usually the worst case scenario involves poor technique and then you just don't quite get the results you want.

Two articles you should read through:

D/A Buffing 101 – An Introduction to the G110v2 and similar tools - This will spell out what pads you need and how to properly go about the whole correction process.

A noob + D/A + Ultimate Compound + hard paint = Success!! - We're giving you this link for inspiration. The car in this thread has crazy hard paint; it's like granite with a diamond coating, meaning it's quite a challenge, especially for a novice. And the guy who did the work was just that, a total novice. We gave him some pointers on another forum and he dove into the project, with fantastic results.

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

"Help", in this context, is a gross understatement. Use of a quality D/A and the correct pads will make all the difference in the world here - with regards to both time spent and results achieved. To quote Ferris Bueller: "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

OK, so first I was really excited after being on these forums about making my paint perfect, then I send you guys those pictures and was really bummed that my paint is a piece of ****. But, you know, I'm going to figure it out, and make my paint significantly better, maybe not perfect, but for now, I want to fix it as much as possible. I saw a porter cable one at Lowe's the other day that was very similar to the 7424XP you guys really like, it was this one

http://www.lowes.com/pd_137715-70-7346SP_4294857558+4294962151_40_?productId=3280062&Ns=p_product_price|1&pl=1&currentURL=/pl_Power%2BTools_4294857558%2B4294962151_40_%3FNs%3Dp_product_price|1%26page%3D1&facetInfo=PORTER-CABLE

This should be fine right? What are the correct pads that I need?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

If you guys think a DA will help I may be able to get my hands on one.

"Help", in this context, is a gross understatement. Use of a quality D/A and the correct pads will make all the difference in the world here - with regards to both time spent and results achieved. To quote Ferris Bueller: "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

OK, quite a few different things going on here.

First off, it looks as though you've got a few areas that are beyond repair with what you have on hand, and probably beyond repair without some spot sanding and maybe even painting. Those are things you probably don't even want to consider at this point. Instead, concentrate on correcting the vast majority of the swirls, fine scratches, etc rather than those couple of nasty gouges on the bumper and side. Both of those look like they're deep enough to have removed a substantial amount of paint. And the cracking on the portion of the bumper that's hanging a bit loose can only be fixed by sanding it down and repainting. Again, probably not something you want to tackle at this point.

As for the paint transfer you removed, it would seem you did an outstanding job of getting the actual transferred material off your car, but maybe got a bit too aggressive in the process. It is very likely that this car has what we would call "delicate" paint and that Ultimate Compound is maybe a bit more aggressive than you need. Before we accept that as fact, however, let's look at your application method:

• What kind of applicator did you use? Terry cloth is very aggressive and that material itself can cause the kind of hazing you're seeing.
• How aggressively did you work the Ultimate Compound? If you were scrubbing pretty hard to get that paint transfer off, you could inflict a lot of marring too, almost regardless of the pad. If you used a foam wax applicator pad, go over the area again with UC but go easy, and work it for several minutes. Really ease up on the pressure toward the end of the process.
• Since you have that sample bottle of Cleaner Wax, try applying that with a foam applicator to the hazed area and see what, if any, improvement you get.

If you find that even with a foam applicator and light pressure you still have marring, then UC may indeed be too aggressive for this paint. That's not common, but it does happen. And sometimes hand application can exacerbate the situation, too. Read through The Challenge of Delicate Paint to get an idea how to approach this paint when working by hand. You may need a two step process here since those swirls look pretty heavy - that means you may need the punch of Ultimate Compound to remove them, even though it will haze the paint, and then something like SwirlX or ColorX to clean up the hazing. That's what we did on the Honda in the article on delicate paint, and it came up great. You can use the NXT Tech Wax 2.0 after the ColorX to gain some gloss, protection and durability.

Whatever you do, don't let that M01 Medium Cut Cleaner touch that paint, especially when working by hand!

So I used a microfiber, but I did get pretty aggressive with it, it wasn't coming off so I used enough force and pressure to cause the entire car to shake, oops.

So you think for that, I should use a foam applicator with UC and go easy for a few minutes and then use the cleaner wax. I'll read that article and ask any questions.

If you guys think a DA will help I may be able to get my hands on one.

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

That car needs a lot of work.

Have you thought about paying to have someone else do it?

I have thought about it, but I do not have the money to do so. College student here!

[zobie02]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

What did you use to apply the UC with in the 2 & 3 pic?

A green microfiber cloth

[Tuck91]

Re: Taking a week to get everything done

That car needs a lot of work.

Have you thought about paying to have someone else do it?