New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

[hapyhar0ld]

Hey guys (and girls). Been lurking for a little bit and the weather man said it was finally nice enough to work on the cars. Just picked up a 7424 (only thing available locally in my small town) and need some advice. This is what I have, I was hoping you guys could tell me what I need.

1. Gold Class Car Wash with Microfiber Mitts
2. Clay Kit
3. 7424 with 8207 and 9207 pads on a w68da
4. Nxt 2.0

What I need to know is what products you recommend to remove swirls and to polish? This will be on a 2002 Red Honda Civic and on a 2001 Silver Lexus IS300.

Also are these the correct steps?
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Tape up trim and edges?
4. Remove Swirls and Scratches
5. Polish
6. Wax

I'm pretty sure this is right from what I've been reading on the forums but the last thing I want to do is screw up my wife's car as she will divorce me on the spot. Thanks again in advance.

[Murr1525]

Re: New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

Sounds good, hopefully have a couple polishing pads? Could get away with 1 wax pad.

Really just need a cleaner/polish, and that can depend on how bad things are. If you have SwirlX and Ultimate Compound on your shelf, you would be able to cover about anything.

Do a test spot/area with the milder product (SwirlX) first of course.

[hapyhar0ld]

Re: New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

Sounds good, hopefully have a couple polishing pads? Could get away with 1 wax pad.

Really just need a cleaner/polish, and that can depend on how bad things are. If you have SwirlX and Ultimate Compound on your shelf, you would be able to cover about anything.

Do a test spot/area with the milder product (SwirlX) first of course.

Thanks for the quick response. I was going to use the 9207 to apply the wax (and just remove by hand) and use the 8207 to polish and remove the swirls. Does that sound right? Also I've been looking around people have been recommending either swirlX, UC or Mxx as a polish and swirl remover. What's the difference between the two lines? Is there one that is better than another? What would you recommend for a detail virgin?

And I know I should tape up the trim so I don't stain it. Do I need to tape up the edges of the panels as well? Will 3M blue tape work or do I need to get some specialty auto tape?

[Murr1525]

Re: New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

Well, there can be several differences in product lines, but all get to the same result. SwirlX and UC are probably easiest to find. SwirlX and #205 will be somewhat similar, and UC is supoosed to be very nice to use by DA, if you need something that strong. #105 would be the strongest of all, shouldnt need that really.

Blue painters tape is good. You really shouldnt need to any edges. On old paint jobs, high spots of edges could be thin, but you should not have that problem. Just remember to work along each side the edge/ridge, not right on top of it.

[hapyhar0ld]

Re: New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

Just remember to work along each side the edge/ridge, not right on top of it.

Good to know! I was totally going to go on top...

[hapyhar0ld]

Re: New To DA Need Answers from A to Z

So this is how it turned out. Initially, did the test spot with SwirlX, but it didn't cut through enough of the staining and swirls so I hit it with some UC. One pass through the whole car (one pass being 4-6 sweeps with the DA). I think about 60% of the defects came out, but there is still some staining and scratches that didn't. Should I hit it again with some UC or move on to some M105? What do you guys think?

You can sorta see the stain spots in these pictures. These two pics look okay, but the last one shows how it really looks. Just more scratches and these spots!