Got my 220 today and tried it out!

[Expertcarpetcare]

Just learning the whole system here. We got our 220 in and are still waiting for the compounds, but I did have a tube of scratchx 2.0 so we tried the following system on our 5 year old van and this is the result.

This van has been used as a work truck daily and has already been through 4 winters going into its fifth. It used to have bad swirl marks from the car wash foaming brush until I stopped doing that and managed to fix it with the scratch X treatment as follows:

-Wash, towel dry
-Quick detail
-Clay Bar
-Quick detail
-DA polisher with Scratch X 2.0 set to 4500
-let dry and rub clean with terry towels
-Quick detail
-Apply Next Gen Wax 2.0
-Rub excess with terry towel
-Use the 220 with foam finish pad all over
-Shammy

Wooee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPjc1yG-g0w

[tcope1]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

G110 v2, not "220"?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Looks great. Awesome reflections.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

While we're glad it worked out so well for you, and the reflections look great in the video, can you please clarify something for us?

In the list below a few things look rather unconventional, specificallly those highlighted in red:

-Wash, towel dry
-Quick detail
-Clay Bar
-Quick detail
-DA polisher with Scratch X 2.0 set to 4500
-let dry and rub clean with terry towels
-Quick detail
-Apply Next Gen Wax 2.0
-Rub excess with terry towel
-Use the 220 with foam finish pad all over
-Shammy

So you applied ScratchX 2.0 with the D/A at 4500opm, which is perfectly fine, but then you let it dry before wiping it off? ScratchX 2.0, and all other paint cleaners/polishes/compounds should be worked against the surface until broken down (if a diminishing abrasive product) or until just a thin film remains (SMAT products, including ScratchX 2.0) and wiped off while still wet.

You applied NXT and then wiped off the haze with a terry towel and then went over the paint with a plain foam finishing pad? Are we reading that right? You should use the foam finishing pad on a slow speed setting to apply the wax, not just use the pad by itself or to remove the hazed wax. Just looking for some clarification is all - we want to make sure you're using the products to their maximum benefit.

[Expertcarpetcare]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

While we're glad it worked out so well for you, and the reflections look great in the video, can you please clarify something for us?

In the list below a few things look rather unconventional, specificallly those highlighted in red:



So you applied ScratchX 2.0 with the D/A at 4500opm, which is perfectly fine, but then you let it dry before wiping it off? ScratchX 2.0, and all other paint cleaners/polishes/compounds should be worked against the surface until broken down (if a diminishing abrasive product) or until just a thin film remains (SMAT products, including ScratchX 2.0) and wiped off while still wet.

At first I tried wiping it off immediately after and found it smudged and smeared all over and I was having a hard time wiping it up, so I thought I would treat it like a wax and rub it off when it dried, it seemed to work quite well, the paint "squeaked" while rubbing it off. Didnt seem to hurt the finish any, but I will try again at wiping it off before it completely dries as per your advice. I would actually prefer it that way as it would save me time.

You applied NXT and then wiped off the haze with a terry towel and then went over the paint with a plain foam finishing pad? Are we reading that right? You should use the foam finishing pad on a slow speed setting to apply the wax, not just use the pad by itself or to remove the hazed wax. Just looking for some clarification is all - we want to make sure you're using the products to their maximum benefit.

Again, I was running into this smudging/smearing issue when trying to take off the Next Tech wax. All I can figure is the scratchx left a coating on the paint kind of like a wax, and I was waxing overtop with NG so maybe there was just too much product on there. I found if I took the dry finishing pad with the D/A it was removing the smudge and leaving a clean glossy look much like what you see in the vid. Afterwhich I took a shammy to give it the final wipe.

I put up another post asking about applying wax with the DA and whether there was benefit. Some said it could help with a thinner even coat, but others said it uses too much product. I found it takes a lot longer to do that way so wanted to know if there was a benefit beyond hand application, which is the way we have always done it. This is my first time trying NG as I always used the gold class before and I found the NG to be much more difficult to remove, even after giving it additional drying time and trying my best not to put it on too heavy, but those new sponges on the NG absorb a lot more wax and the wax itself it a lot more "liquidy" and creamier than the gold class, thus allowing more product onto the sponge with a swipe.

We find it much faster to apply by hand, and again, I just figured since it was a fine finishing sponge, why not use it to buff after using the towel? Again, it was unconventional but seemed to yeild an outstanding result!

Comments welcome, Im still in the learning curve here!

[Expertcarpetcare]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

I am open to suggestions and although I have been wash/waxing cars for quite a few years, I am totally new to compounding/buffing so Please throw suggestions and criticizms out there as they come, I will do my best to take it with a grain of salt!

Below, first time trying out my new DA, using an 8" cutting pad and ScratchX 2.0



Below: Applying NG paste wax.
I've never used this stuff before, it's way creamier than gold class, and seems to go forevor on a single swipe in the tin. Even with just a few swipes it appears to be going on too heavy, but I havent figured out yet how to put this brand on any lighter. The sponge is different too, more porous and absorbs more product. It took much longer to dry and was much more difficult to rub off with terry towel after. Im assuming I've applied it too heavy.



Below a few "after" shots. When all was done, whether to the status quo or not, I was very pleased with the results, the color was noticeably richer beyond all doubt. Great shine, cant wait till I try some of the compounds and get better at this.

[Andy's Pro Detailing]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

that looks nice man!, I am sure you will enjoy the DA.

just to add up to the comments. As it was stated you should never let the polish dry on the surface. Even it conditions are are little bit hot where you are working you should work on smaller sections, work the polish with the DA, and remove it with a microfiber towel. If you let it dry then there will be residue and it will take more work to remove the polish from the surface.

About the wax, you used too much product, whether you are doing it by hand or with the DA NXT comes off like a dream, it is even easier to apply and remove than Gold Class wax if it is used properly. After you apply a thin even coat of wax you need to let it dry and do the swipe test, "rubbing it" in any type of way right after application is not a good idea.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

I also tend to agree with you. From the picture it looks like you have applied it to heavy.

[Andy's Pro Detailing]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

This is not exactly part of the topic, but I highly suggest you cover all plastic trims or plastic surface with painters tape that might go in contact with the DA, it will make your life a lot easier when polishing and waxing.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Wow, this is really turning into a VERY interesting read!!

This is one of those crazy times when we see all sorts of things going on that just don't look right at all - 8" pad on a G110, cutting pad on a G110, working very large areas at at time, letting ScratchX 2.0 dry, applying NXT Tech Wax way too heavy, dry buffing with a finishing pad. In all honesty, if you had just come on here and told us you did that, practically everyone here would assume you're van must look simply horrible. Obviously, it doesn't look horrible at all - it looks quite glossy and reflective. Perhaps more importantly, you are happy with the outcome, and isn't that what really matters in the end?

Still, we really think the process can be made easier for you, and that you'll find the process more enjoyable, with a few tips.

Using ScratchX 2.0 or other paint cleaners (SwirlX, Ultimate Compound, M80, M83, even M105 & M205, etc):

It's best to work an area no larger than 2' x 2' and to use overlapping passes within that area. The machine should be set to speed 5 and moderate pressure applied. Work the product until just a thin film remains on the surface, then wipe it off with a clean microfiber towel. Ideally a polishing pad should be used at this stage, not a cutting pad. Cutting pads on a D/A tend to leave a hazy appearance to the paint since they usually micromar the heck out of it. Yes, they can remove some nasty defects, but they generally don't leave the paint anywhere near LSP ready. Further, you should stick to a 7" or smaller pad as 8" pads tend to present too much of a challenge to D/A polishers with the very large surface area diminishing the overall effectiveness.

Applying wax, whether by hand or D/A:

Method of application aside, you want a thin coat. A very thin coat. No matter how thick you put it on, only so much will bond to the paint. The rest is wiped off and basically thrown away. But a heavy coat also takes longer to dry, and is generally more difficult to remove. Remember, all you're doing here is transferring a tiny amount of product from the bottle to the pad and then onto the paint. If that pad is starting to feel "wet" odds are you don't need to add any more product to it. Just a couple of ounces is all that's needed to wax a full sized American sedan - your big van might need 3 ounces. But that's it.

The car below has enough wax on it (NXT Tech Wax 2.0 in this case) to cover 5 or 6 cars. In fact, we stopped the owner halfway through the process and had is girlfriend use the same pad to wax the other side of the car. But - we told her she had to do so without adding another drop of wax to the pad. When she was done there was enough product in that pad to probably put a second coat on the whole car.



The image below shows a proper coat of wax applied to the hood of the car. In this case it was applied via G110 polisher, but a similar coat can be applied by hand. When we demo this in our Saturday Classes we always let the student who has stated that wax removal is a pain do the final wipe off. They are usually stunned to find that wax removal is actually a piece of cake, if the application is done properly first!



When applied properly and allowed to dry fully (cover all the painted surfaces of the vehicle and then give it another 20-30 minutes to dry) the wipe off is so amazingly simple you'll kick yourself for ever over using product previously. Now, some people still like to remove wax with the D/A but they use a microfiber bonnet stretched over a pad to do it, they don't use a bare pad on it's own. The foam pads are designed to be carriers of liquid product and to provide some cutting assistance (from a lot with a cutting pad to virtually nil with a finishing pad) but not to remove dry product. The potential for marring the surface is very high using that technique, unless perhaps you've got an awful lot of product on the paint (hint, hint ).



OK, so at this point you might be thinking "Well, I didn't do all that but my end result is still really, really nice. So what?" Well, to be frank about it, we think you may have just dodged a bunch of bullets!!! Honestly, we're sort of sitting here scratching our heads thinking "this process really shouldn't have ended up anywhere near as well as it did" but, well, it did. Still, if the above steps and processes make life easier for you, then that alone should get you to thinking about changing how you do things. Beyond that though, using the processes outlined above we can tell you that you will get not only excellent results, but consistent and predictable results. The process you used may well end up biting you, and hard. We just don't want to see that happen to you is all.

Finally, after all that....... it's great to see someone new pick up a G110 and go to work with it. Your results look terrific and we very much appreciate you being so straightforward and candid with your processes and techniques. We hope you continue on your quest to detailing bliss and that you continue to learn and refine as you go along. We look forward to seeing future write ups from you as you go.

[Expertcarpetcare]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Awesome feedback Mike and we totally appreciate it here, and this is why we love this forum, its helping us through the learning curve and Im sharing it with all that are doing work here.

You are right, and I could tell even when I first saw the pic that the wax was put on way too heavy. This is the first time I've used NXT tech wax and Im not used to the smoothness and liquidity of it. That new pad seems to hold a ton of it. Believe it or not, I think I only took about 2 or 3 swipes out of the tin to do the whole van. Up till now we were just using Gold Class and its a whole different story than this new stuff.

I think someone who has never waxed before might have had the unfavorable results you anticipated, but fortuneately I do have some waxing experience and those techniques are probably what helped this first test come out nice. I will admit it took quite a few hours to finish the van and a lot of elbow grease to get it looking like that.

As we all know, detailing is only profitable if you can do all this in a timely manner. And this is where your techniques will come in handy, so everything you say is going to be worked on I promise that.

Looks like I'll be ordering a set of the 6" pads for my DA to start. Im new to this so had no idea when I was ordering parts for it, heck I even ordered the 5/8" pad driver for it and realized it didnt need that, that part was for the other tools. doh.

Here are a few pics of cars we did with Gold Class. Tell me if it is also too heavy?

[Expertcarpetcare]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

I just wanted to add that I was mistaken on the model too. Its a G110 im using not a 220!

[George Wax]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Good job on your van. Paint surface looks shiny!!
Off topic what are your thoughts on HOST carpet cleaner? The manufacturer (Fabrica) recommends HOST to clean my carpet. Just wanted to get your opinion on their product.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Here are a few pics of cars we did with Gold Class. Tell me if it is also too heavy?

Yes, those all look heavier than they need to be. In the first shot it may be the lighting, but the area right around the door handle looks fine, just as it should be. But directly below the handle, below the side molding, it is waaaay too heavy. If you can get it all to look, in person, the way it looks right around the door handle in this picture, you'll be fine. The wax will also be much, much easier to remove too. If you put it on heavy and you find you need to work with a fair amount of pressure on a terry towel, you'll end up marring more delicate paint. A properly applied wax, whether Gold Class, NXT, M20, M26, etc, will almost fall off when you wipe it with a clean microfiber towel. Very little effort should be needed.

Looking at the black truck, you could probably get away with half of what you applied to it.

[Expertcarpetcare]

Re: Got my 220 today and tried it out!

Good job on your van. Paint surface looks shiny!!
Off topic what are your thoughts on HOST carpet cleaner? The manufacturer (Fabrica) recommends HOST to clean my carpet. Just wanted to get your opinion on their product.

Well I've been professionally cleaning carpet for over 10 years and I deal with all the American Products as well as talk with pros around the world on forums just like this and I can honestly say I have no idea what you mean by "host" carpet cleaner.

Is it a cleaning chemical or a machine perhaps?

We use professional carpet cleaning detergent to steam clean the carpets and upholstery.