newbie here: wanted to start detailing my car

[rlman41299]

hello there, i wanted to detail my car for i have swirls marks, bird dropping stains, hard water stains etc. i have bought these stuff for detailing: PC7424, sanus pads(orange,green, blue, black and mf bonnets), meguair's #9 (dual action polish/cleaner), meguiar's # 2 for dark cars, meguiar's hand glaze, klasse AIO and the other klasse, and zaino products. this is what i planned on doing it.
1. wash the car
2. clay the car
3. use orange with meg#9
4.use green with meg#2
5. use blue with meg hand glaze
6. apply AIO with applicator
7. apply the other klasse product
8. buff with bonnet
9. apply zaino car polish

pls. let me know if i'm doing it right before i start for i don't want to ruin my car paint, my car's only 3 years old.
and if there is any suggestion, i would greatly appreciate it. TIA

[Accumulator]

rlman41299 - Welcome to Autopia.

Steps 3 & 4- I'm a bit confused by your descriptions of some of your products: Meg's #9 is not DACP, DACP is #83. #9 is a very mild swirl-remover. Meg's #2 is a pretty heavy duty polish for rotary use only, and it's not for light or dark cars specifically, so I sorta doubt that you're really talking about Meg's #2. You might check the bottles and see what you're really dealing with.

Step 5- I wouldn't use Meg's Hand Glaze (#81) before AIO as the AIO will just clean it all off.

Steps 6 & 7- You apply AIO, then remove it, then apply the SG and then remove *that*.

Step 9- I dunno about using Zaino on top of the Klasse twins...I'd pick one or the other myself. Not sure if Zaino will even bond to SG.

Better sort out what products you're really dealing with and their compatibility before you start such a big job.

[rlman41299]

thank you for the reply. you were right. i have meg's #83 (dacp), meg's #7 and #9. i also have the 3M swirl mark remover for dark colored cars.
Accumulator, if you have all the products i have listed what would you use with what pad? i thank you very much if you could help me out.
by the way, thanks for welcoming me at Autopia.

[Greg]

Like Accumulator said, those are some confusing product descriptions. Generally speaking, your process should look a little something like this:
Wash
Clay
Polish- most aggressive that the situation requires
Polish- milder polish to bring back gloss
Paint cleaner, like AIO, if you are using Klasse or Zaino for that matter
Sealant- Klasse SG or Zaino Z2/5

[JDookie]

Yes, what those two said plus never use AIO on top of a swirl remover or hand glaze because all it will do is remove and you will have wasted your time. Sometimes, less is better.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by rlman41299
thank you for the reply. you were right. i have meg's #83 (dacp), meg's #7 and #9. i also have the 3M swirl mark remover for dark colored cars.
Accumulator, if you have all the products i have listed what would you use with what pad? ...

OK, that clarifies things! I must admit I'm not (yet ) familiar with the Sonus pads, so I'll have to use pad descriptions instead of colors.

I would use the #83 with a cutting pad (?orange pad?) to remove most of the marring. Work the #83 for a long, long time, until it turns to powder. Wipe off. Then go over it with the #9 on a polishing pad (?green pad?) to remove any micromarring from the #83. Wipe off residue from the #9.

I would not use the Meg's #7 or the 3M SMR/dark for this application as the AIO will undo most of the benefits from those products.

After using the #83 and #9 the finish should be pretty good. Go on to the AIO with a finishing pad (?blue pad?). Buff that off and then apply the Klasse SG by hand. Buff *that* off and you should have a pretty well detailed car. Adding more layers of SG (apply about 24 hours apart to ensure curing) is recommended, I like as many as six.

[rlman41299]

thank ou guys for all the replies. i will detail the car on saturday and will post pics. i hope i can get it right the first time. thank you.

[rlman41299]

i tried it this morning and everything went great except for one thing. the sg is kinda hard to get off. i applied it very thinly but i can't get everything off without really rubbing it.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by rlman41299
i tried it this morning and everything went great except for one thing. the sg is kinda hard to get off. i applied it very thinly but i can't get everything off without really rubbing it.

There are different ways of dealing with this, including the "Bill North" or Wipe-On-Wipe-Off method. Many people use a little QD or even water for the first wipe and then follow up with a *dry* MF.

I never seem to have trouble getting it off, but I put it on so thin you can't really even see it on the panel (I apply it by feel, takes a little work to ensure complete coverage). I also let my SG set up overnight (but this will only work if you have a *very* clean garage environment). It seems that the longer it sets up, the easier it comes off. I do fog the panel with my breath when I wipe it off- the little bit of moisture a) makes it easy to see the thin SG application and b) seems to aid in the removal. So besides telling you to put it on even *thinner*, I'd just try fogging it with your breath.

At least the rest of the detail went well