Renewed interest in detailing

[bmdack]

I have always waxed my vehicles in the past 2-4 times/yr, but have recently bought a 2 year old Black STS with minor paint issues. It was a "Fleet" car so not much tender care given to her. Anyway, it's mine now and I have been lurking and reading for a few weeks now on MOL and have developed a plan, which I am looking for advice or support on. Tell me what you think.
I plan to wash with own wash mitt at local car wash, then pull it in the garage and rinse again to remove any road dirt. Dry with chamos then MF towel. Then the fun begins
1-SwirlX any scratches or tough swirls
2-M#09 Applied by hand w/foam pad to clean and help reduce more swirls.
3-Polish by hand w/terry cloth with DC Polish A21
4-NXT liquid by hand w/foam pad that came in box
I have an less expensive Orbital Polisher at my disposal that i'm thinking of using for the M#09 step with a foam bonnet or appicator bonnet.
Please let me know what ya"ll think of my program and I want feedback. My plan is to use my vacation time between Xmas and New Years for this blessed event. I also plan to attack the wifes Black '09 Murano and Kids '03 Maroon Tahoe with same plan but less M09 because of the care given thru their lives. Also, this will take all week if my arms hold up.
I have been thinking of buying the new G110v2 when it's available but never used one before and am fearful of damaging the finish. What pads would i need and how often would I use it, every polish or wax?
I'm from Minnesota so this wax job needs to hold me thru April.

[Cosmin]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

i did once my car by hand ....with meg 3 system , never again!
tools , if u looking for quality , save some time , energy and maybe money by not trying every product from the counter to see if works.
if u do it by hand make sure u have a free good weekend, good breakfast , a lot of liquids and your cellphone closed.

[Murr1525]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

1. Wash - Using the car wash is ok, though it sounds like you could wash it at home as well if you wanted?

2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit. With 3 vehicles, you will definately need more Quick Detailer for the lubricant. Dont forget to clay the glass also.

3. Clean - Probably want to pick up some UC or ScratchX for the tough swirls/scratches. Then SwirlX everything.

4. Polish - Optional, since SwirlX is a cleaner/polish. And you might not feel like it. But if you do, DC Polish is a fine choice.

5. Wax - 2 thin coats of Nxt 2.0 would be good.

As for your cheap polisher, you can certainly try it with the SwirlX or UC as needed.

As for the G110v2, it is just a tool. You can use it all the time, or rarely. I tend to use my G100 a couple times a year for a 'better' detail, and then just cleaner/wax and wax a couple times a year by hand.

[Underdawg736]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

There's nothing wrong with detailing by hand! It's good exercise!!

One thing I do before doing everything by hand is to stretch out for a good 15 to 30 minutes. Stretch everything, especially arms, back, and legs. This will help make the soreness a bit more bearable the next day depending on how fit you are.

Good luck with the details, be sure to show us the end results!!

[TH0001]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

I have always waxed my vehicles in the past 2-4 times/yr, but have recently bought a 2 year old Black STS with minor paint issues.

Congrats on the new (for you) car!

I plan to wash with own wash mitt at local car wash, then pull it in the garage and rinse again to remove any road dirt. Dry with chamos then MF towel. Then the fun begins

After washing it (or perhaps while it is still wet) you should clay the surface prior to polishing.

1-SwirlX any scratches or tough swirls

Modern clear coats (even 'soft' ones) are quite durable and do not like being polished. While you should be able to reduce the swirl marks by hand, you should plan several days (or more) to make a significant improvent to the entire car. Keep in mind that if it was a 'fleet' car it was likely run through a car wash over and over and the marring that you see is likely quite 'deep.'

I would also suggest starting with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Because of the SMAT technology it is quite aggressive but will still finish nicely.

2-M#09 Applied by hand w/foam pad to clean and help reduce more swirls.

Personally I would use SwirlX to finish with foam applicator.

3-Polish by hand w/terry cloth with DC Polish A21

I would NOT use a terry cloth at this point as you run the risk of putting the swirls backing to the paint. DC Polish is a 'Pure Polish' or a 'Glaze'. Wipe it on gently and wipe if off using a nice microfiber.

4-NXT liquid by hand w/foam pad that came in box

This is a great wax for you application because NXT will fill in some swirl marks (quite well) and create a more perfect appearing finish.

I have an less expensive Orbital Polisher at my disposal that i'm thinking of using for the M#09 step with a foam bonnet or appicator bonnet.

You could do this, but remember to work small areas at a time, about 2x2 feet. I would subsitute SwirlX instead.

Please let me know what ya"ll think of my program and I want feedback. My plan is to use my vacation time between Xmas and New Years for this blessed event. I also plan to attack the wifes Black '09 Murano and Kids '03 Maroon Tahoe with same plan but less M09 because of the care given thru their lives. Also, this will take all week if my arms hold up.

Here is what I would to.

I would start with Ultimate Compound and a terry cloth pad and work very hard to remove the swirl marks. You will likely leave little tiny 'micro marks' behind from the fiber of the cloth, but it will help you power thru the swirls. This will also be your most time consuming step. Once you remove the swirls (and replace them with a fine haze)..

I would use Ultimate Compound and a foam applicator pad to remove the marks left from the terry cloth. This step should go much faster.

Finally I would refine the surface with SwirlX and a foam applicator. Again this step will not take as long as the first two.

At this point you can polish with DC2 if you desire, but again, this is only adding gloss enhancing oils to the paint. Apply and remove gently as to not damage the paint you have worked hard to restore.

Top with NXT.

I have been thinking of buying the new G110v2 when it's available but never used one before and am fearful of damaging the finish.

This is a great choice. Remember that the swirl marks in your paint are like peaks and valleys in a mountain range. To remove the swirls means you have to abrade all the paint above it away. The G110 will allow you to do this with quicker and will final results then doing it by hand. For the most part, these machines are extremely safe and modern paints tend to be quite durable. As long as you practice common sense you shouldn't have any problems what so ever.

What pads would i need and how often would I use it, every polish or wax?
I'm from Minnesota so this wax job needs to hold me thru April.

To remove paint defects (safely) I would pick up some of the Softbuff 2.0 Polishing Pads (yellow). Use this with Ultimate Compound to remove the swirl marks and then use a fresh pad with SwirlX to polish the paint to a super high luster. Keep it simple.

You can also use the black Softbuff 2.0 finishing pad to apply NXT if you desire. When you use the soft finishing pad to apply wax you are not removing any paint so you can do this as often as you desire.

Determing how often you will need to do paint correction is a little trickier. What will deterimine how often you need to 'polish' the paint will be your standards and how your washing process effects the paint.

If you have hard paint and are extremely careful in how you wash it, you may not need to polish it for a very long time, as the goal becomes maintaining the surface you created. Keep in mind that over time you will still get some light swirl marks in the paint, but they should be very very shallow and may need nothing more then a very light polish every year or two to remove.

For example I have a black HHR that has very soft paint. It was last polished in March, and after a bunch of washes (1 to 3 times a week) I have some very light swirl marks in the paint. So light that most people cannot see them. To polish them out (because they are so shallow) will take nothing more then a very light polish with a machine to restore the paint back to it's just detailed glory and gloss.

You can lightly polish a car a lot of times before being able to even measure a significant (.1 mil) difference in paint thickness. On the flip side, if I washed my car with a brush and put deep scratches in the paint, I would have to use a far more aggressive process to remove the deeper marks (thus thinning the clear coat out over time).

Hope I helped.

[akimel]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

bmdack, I'm going to offer a suggestion a bit different from the excellent counsel offered above: simplify!

Polishing by hand is exhausting work and is time consuming. Keep things simple. I suggest the following detailing process:

1) Wash

2) Clay

3) Polish with Ultimate Compound w/foam applicator. UC usually leaves the finish LSP-ready, so hopefully you will not have to follow up with SwirlX. BUT do a TEST SPOT first! The test spot allows you to confirm that the product is right for the paint and that you are using it properly.

4) Wax - NXT (two coats).

Your orbital machine is only useful for applying and removing waxes. If you want to use it to apply your NXT, go for it; otherwise, just apply and remove NXT by hand.

Plan on the entire day to accomplish the above.

[bmdack]

Re: Renewed interest in detailing

THANKS GUYS,
This gives me a good base to build on. I will take pix before and after to share if they turn out.
This ia a great site and I have learned a great deal from reading the many posts.
Have a great holiday.