New Guy here, help with black truck

[escbsap]

Hey everyone, want to start detailing my own car. I figured for what I pay to have it detailed once, I can buy the products and do it myself a few times. Only thing is, I need guidance. Guidance on what products to buy, what brands, should I do it by hand or get power tools. I'm working on my new truck and wanna get rid of the light swirl marks!! Actually the truck is a 2011 and paint looks to be in pretty good condition other than the swirls. And help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[davey g-force]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

Welcome to MOL!

If your budget permits, you should buy yourself a DA buffer. It's much faster, easier and produces better results to working by hand.

As far as products, the possibilities are endless depending on the condition of your truck, what you're trying to achieve, how much time you're willing to put in etc. A good starter's package may look like:

Wash - Gold Class Shampoo
Clay - Smooth Surface Clay Kit
Compound - Ultimate Compound
Polish - Ultimate Polish
Wax/Sealant - Ultimate Wax

Like I said there's many variations to the above. Then you've got other products for trim/tires, glass, and quick detailers, quick waxes etc etc.

We'll wait and see what suggestions others may have..

[The Guz]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

Davey pretty much nailed it. I definitely agree in buying a DA polisher. They are worth the money. For a wax there are so many options. It just depends on what you prefer looks, longevity or a combination of both.

[MTLian]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

If you want to get rid of swirls, you must buy a dual action polisher, there's just no way you can do it by hand. I'd say it's the equivalent to cutting the grass on a football field with a pair of cissors; don't even try. Professionals also use rotary buffers but those are more expensive (300$ + range) and care must be exercised not to burn the paint and do serious irreversible damage to the paint job. Dual action polishers are cheaper (100-250$ range) and the are easy and safe to use for everyone. It is virtually impossible to damage your paint with a dual action buffer, even if you don't have proper technique.

another cost to consider is backing plates and pads. I originally just bought a 5" backing plate and 3 pads of different aggressiveness but after starting to use the machine, I instantly ordered a 3 1/2 inch backing plate and 4 inch pads also. The reason is that a traditional 5" pad is great for large surfaces like a roof or hood but near impossible to use on headlights and small areas, like a pillars, door frames, kick/rocker pannels. Even with a dual action buffer, swirl removal is time consuming demanding work, so what's 30$ more to save hours upon hours of time spent polishing little nooks and crannies.

the good news is that I've tried Ultimate Compound and was completely blown away by the product. I don't have access to a garage and end up having to do my polishing outside in the sun and it holds up nicely to drying. It's cheap as dirt too; you get a big bottle for about 10$. A big bottle should be plenty enough for your truck and you should have some left over. If you want your car so reflective, you can read a book on it, your could follow up with a polish but I felt like the results with the ultimate compound was so nice, I just went straight to my sealant.

so on each panel you need to wash and then use clay (essential prep for the polishing) and then use a dual action polisher with a pad and compound/polish of an appropriate aggressiveness to get the correction level you need. For me, it was Ultimate Compound and an orange cutting pad. If that offers the level of correction you need, then you must use a sealant to lock in and protect the refined surface from future scratching. If not, you can move to a finer polish but it wasn't necessary for me. I recommend using a synthetic sealant for its durability and then you can have fun using carnauba waxes to bring out the traditional wet shine that is so appealing.

[MTLian]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

Here's my roof (notice I didn't do the spoiler, that's why it's dull and not shiny like a mirror). Thanks Meguiars!

See, my spoiler I will do with the 4" pads because it will be easier to work on an smaller, uneven and curvy structure.

[MTLian]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

Just red that your truck has "light swirls". You might wanna try m205 first to see if that is strong enough to get rid of the swirls. Wasn't for me but it might be just the right level of aggressiveness for you and will probably give you a very refined finish.

[escbsap]

Re: New Guy here, help with black truck

Many thanks to everyone for your help and recommendations. I will review everyone's replies over and over until our Holiday weekend arrives, which is when I plan to tackle this task. I will post some pictures of the end results.
Thanks again.