New to me Silverado HD, now what?

[dnel45]

I bought a 2011 Silverado 2500 HD LTZ black/black just before Xmas and now wondering what my best plan of attack is on the finish. I have always been into detailing but have never had a black vehicle to test my skills. Overall the truck was taken care of but I don't think it was waxed or detailed too often. I noticed the swirls in paint when I was driving it off the lot and spent about 6 hours on it the next day in the garage. I used swirlx 3 times, then ultimate polish and then followed it up with NXT 2.0. I'm somewhat happy with the results but there's no doubt I left some swirls behind. I have a daily driver so i havent been driving it in the snow/salt/anti ice on the roads. We have a snowmobile trip planned for the middle of February to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it definitely will be in the snow salt sand etc. My goals would be to remove the swirls and then seal the **** out of it with whatever it takes. I am familiar with M consumer products, not overly familiar with the pro lines. I guess the question is where should i start? I was thinking about buying the DA power system, as there is a lot of space to cover on this baby. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: New to me Silverado HD, now what?

to MOL dnel45

I think that would be a great Ideal to get a DA power system(to have in your arsenal) but go for the Meguiars G110V2 or the porter cable 7424(ADS or AGO has some great package deals right now with 6 pads included/ I would get 4 polishing pads & 2 finishing pads), sounds like you've already have an ideal of Meguiars products.

Since it being black I would start with the basic's, a 2 bucket wash system w/grit gaurds/ Meguiars smooth surface clay bar or the C2000 mild blue clay/ and on the cleaner I don't know how hard your clear is so a test spot would be a great idea! but you have been using SwirlX( and by hand) I would step up to Ultimate Compound (UC) so you don't have to keep going over your panels so many times. Now if you get a DA power system or G110V2 or PC7424 I would go with the M205 Ultra Finishing Polish (UFP).

Since this is the most Important step in a detail and your after a swril free finish spend the time on your paint cleaning under the surface with M205 (UFP) since you already cleaned the above surface bonded contaminants with the clay. Next would be the polishing step but since the M205(UFP) is a cleaner/polish with light oils it is helping put/add resins back into your paint to fill the pores , so you can skip this step or apply a light polish just to give that little extra and maybe add some more resins/or oils to make your paint deeper,darker and with a clear mirror like reflection (it's just how much passion you want to apply and put into your truck)

Last as you know is the LSP (last step product) and this is were the OCD gets out of hand because there is so many LSP's and combo's! But just apply 2 very thin coats and since this isn't your DD you can wait the 12 hours inbetween your 1st coat and your 2nd coat. My self I have a couple favorite combo's but one to try is M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 and top with M26 Hi tech yellow wax (liquid or paste) and then again if you want your truck to look dripping wet use Ultimate Spray wax on after the M21 & M26 combo.

There's just so many fantastic combo of LSP's and layering or topping just remember to not apply a 2nd coat of a LSP over top of your first if it containes some form of cleaner to it because it could remove some or all of your 1st coat of LSP. And just because one combo looks good to my eyes another combo could look better to your eyes, just remember this is your paint and if it looks better to you and you like it that's all that matters!

Again welcome to the start of your OCD addiction

[dnel45]

Thanks for the info, I'm not real familiar with either DA system, is there a particular benefit to either one mentioned? Also, there seems to be a million different pads that sound like they complete the same objective, what pads would be suggested for the goals mentioned above? Thanks.

[h_bomm]

Re: New to me Silverado HD, now what?

Thanks for the info, I'm not real familiar with either DA system, is there a particular benefit to either one mentioned? Also, there seems to be a million different pads that sound like they complete the same objective, what pads would be suggested for the goals mentioned above? Thanks.

The full sized G110v2 or Porter Cable 7424 are full sized DA machines so you are able to use full sized 7" pads. The Power System was designed for people who don't have money for a bigger machine, maybe think they don't need something that big or may be a little intimidated by a full sized machine. But it is a great tool and you will still get good results even though its a smaller tool to be used with an electric drill. I think a lot of guys have one because it uses smaller pads so you can do smaller areas like A-Pillars and mirror housings without having to switch out backing plates. Plus most people have a drill at home already so it is an easy attachment that most everybody will be able to use. As far as pads go, I personally stick to the Meguiars Soft Buff 2.0 pads. Like you, I think it is too confusing with all the different pads out there, each with varying levels of cut, to decide which one I will need for a particular job. Yellow polishing pads for compounding and black finishing pads for polish and wax, simple! Like Stang said, I would go with 4 yellow pads and 2-3 black pads for a truck that big. Hope that helps a little!

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: New to me Silverado HD, now what?

Thanks for the info, I'm not real familiar with either DA system, is there a particular benefit to either one mentioned? Also, there seems to be a million different pads that sound like they complete the same objective, what pads would be suggested for the goals mentioned above? Thanks.

h_bomm nailed it except I would stick with the 5.5'' pads and make sure the DA had the balance wieght for use with the 5.5'' pads.

I've used Meguiars, Lake country(LC) and a couple more brand of pads and they all have pro's and con's to me but as long as you take care of your pads they will take care of you. Right now I've got the 5.5'' LC flat pads and I'm going to try these out the next time I order, you never can have to many pads! Go over and look and read what each one is intended for. http://www.autodetailingsolutions.ne...foam-pads.html

I believe it's better to have and not need then to need and not have!!!
Think of it this way, a pad only cost about $8.00 to $10.00 for my 5.5'' pads so I will try to have each one they offer because say I run into a paint that is super soft and scratch sensitive I can grab one of the light polishing pad or fine finishing pad or even one of the concours finishing pads and also grab the least aggressive product I have rather it's the professional or consumer line to get the job done without trying to switch speeds, pressure and arm speed with the only polishing pad I may have!

Hope I've helped

[dnel45]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll admit machine polishing is a little intimidating at first hopefully I'll catch on. That ADS site that explains the pads helps a lot. Thanks again.

[CCC4me]

Re: New to me Silverado HD, now what?

I'm going to slightly disagree and suggest going to the DAMF (dual action microfiber) system from Meguiar's instead of foam pads. For the beginner, it yields very good results without the guesswork (and frustration) of trying three different foam pads with two different compounds in the quest for polished paint. A quick search here on the forum will show the results it achieves.

Obviously that would mean I'm agreeing on the suggestion for a DA polisher. The G110 is great, but don't overlook the Harbor Freight model. It's plenty powerful and only $59--perfect to start out. The only thing lacking on it is the backing plate it comes with. The DAMF system comes with its own--problem solved.