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I'm a "weekend detailer" (as in, I don't get paid for it) and am looking to get more serious about detailing, take it to next level from "wash and wax by hand once maybe twice a year". I've got two Hondas, a 2008 CR-V (silver) and a 2012 Civic sedan (Urban Titanium metallic). The Civic is new to us about two weeks ago, and being a used car it's got some paint issues I want to try to correct as best I can. Small rock chips on the hood, various RIDS all the way around, some deeper than others, etc. The CR-V has some of the same. I'm not looking for show-car perfection in terms of correction -- I would be happy with passing a 4-6 foot test, anything better is gravy. Beyond that, I just want to be better about keeping the paint protected -- especially from the brutal winters here in central PA -- so that they still look great years down the road when it comes time to sell/trade.
Problem is, I don't have several hours every week (or even every month) to detail one vehicle, let alone both. I'm willing to put in the hours on the initial corrections, but beyond that I'm hoping to find a way to be more efficient but just as effective (or better yet, more effective) in terms of time investment vs. payoff compared to simple hand wash and wax. Spending 3-4 hours on each vehicle washing, waxing and detailing by hand just isn't going to work, especially because I know how long it'll take going in. If I can get to the point where a quick wash and wax only takes an hour for one vehicle, I'm much more likely to actually do it more often.
When I started researching correcting the paint issues on the Civic, it became apparent that machine-assisted detailing was probably in my future. Initially I considered DAPS, but the more I think and read about it the more I worry about the awkwardness of using it for anything other than spot correction. I'd hate to invest in it and then realize that while it worked for initial spot correction, it's awkward and not much faster to use for full-vehicle polishing or waxing than doing it by hand, at which point I'll wish I'd have invested the money straight into a proper DA polisher. It also sounds like a proper DA is going to be much faster and easier to use, and is goof-proof enough that I don't have to worry about doing irreparable damage. Am I on the right track with my thinking, that investing in a DA is the way to go both in terms of correction potential as well as significantly decreasing the time and effort required for maintaining the paint once corrected?
Assuming yes, I'm thinking about picking up a PC 7346SP and a set of the new 5" DA Foam Discs + backing plate (DFC5, DFP5, DFF5, and DBP5). The 7346SP is available locally at Lowe's, and I've got a $20 coupon and a gift card to use that will bring the cost down. I've also got some Amazon gift credit that should cover the pads and backing plate.
As for liquids, I'm not sure if I should go with UC/UP, or M105/M205, or something else. From my reading it sounds like the 105/205 are more aggressive than UC/UP, correct?, and given that I think I read that Honda paint tends to be on the softer side, I'm afraid 105/205 might be too much. I'm also waffling between NXT TW2.0 and UW for wax (er, "sealant") -- I think I read that UW's durability is better than NXT? I initially was thinking I'd go with Klasse twins because I read that their durability is killer (like, 6+ months?), but it sounds like they're pretty finicky in their application, and either NXT or UW liquid is pretty idiot proof.
I've got a Meguiar's clay bar kit that I bought probably 5-6 years ago to help clean up some roughness on a previous vehicle, hoping it's still usable, but if not I can pick up a new kit as well.
So, shopping list:
Problem is, I don't have several hours every week (or even every month) to detail one vehicle, let alone both. I'm willing to put in the hours on the initial corrections, but beyond that I'm hoping to find a way to be more efficient but just as effective (or better yet, more effective) in terms of time investment vs. payoff compared to simple hand wash and wax. Spending 3-4 hours on each vehicle washing, waxing and detailing by hand just isn't going to work, especially because I know how long it'll take going in. If I can get to the point where a quick wash and wax only takes an hour for one vehicle, I'm much more likely to actually do it more often.
When I started researching correcting the paint issues on the Civic, it became apparent that machine-assisted detailing was probably in my future. Initially I considered DAPS, but the more I think and read about it the more I worry about the awkwardness of using it for anything other than spot correction. I'd hate to invest in it and then realize that while it worked for initial spot correction, it's awkward and not much faster to use for full-vehicle polishing or waxing than doing it by hand, at which point I'll wish I'd have invested the money straight into a proper DA polisher. It also sounds like a proper DA is going to be much faster and easier to use, and is goof-proof enough that I don't have to worry about doing irreparable damage. Am I on the right track with my thinking, that investing in a DA is the way to go both in terms of correction potential as well as significantly decreasing the time and effort required for maintaining the paint once corrected?
Assuming yes, I'm thinking about picking up a PC 7346SP and a set of the new 5" DA Foam Discs + backing plate (DFC5, DFP5, DFF5, and DBP5). The 7346SP is available locally at Lowe's, and I've got a $20 coupon and a gift card to use that will bring the cost down. I've also got some Amazon gift credit that should cover the pads and backing plate.
As for liquids, I'm not sure if I should go with UC/UP, or M105/M205, or something else. From my reading it sounds like the 105/205 are more aggressive than UC/UP, correct?, and given that I think I read that Honda paint tends to be on the softer side, I'm afraid 105/205 might be too much. I'm also waffling between NXT TW2.0 and UW for wax (er, "sealant") -- I think I read that UW's durability is better than NXT? I initially was thinking I'd go with Klasse twins because I read that their durability is killer (like, 6+ months?), but it sounds like they're pretty finicky in their application, and either NXT or UW liquid is pretty idiot proof.
I've got a Meguiar's clay bar kit that I bought probably 5-6 years ago to help clean up some roughness on a previous vehicle, hoping it's still usable, but if not I can pick up a new kit as well.
So, shopping list:
- PC 7346SP
- 1 each of DFC5, DFP5, DFF5, and DBP5
- Liquids: UC/UP, M105/M205, something else?
- Sealant: NXT, UW, Klasse twins?
- I've got a pile of cheap MF towels (like 12"x12"), but I'll probably pick up some Supreme Shine MF towels as well.
- Should I pick up some foam applicator pads and/or MF applicators to get the tighter spots/edges that will be hard with the 5" pads on the DA?
- What else? Pad cleaning stuff? Anything else essential?
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