Help with best possible steps on red!

[CutNAction]

Ok, after searching extensively and having hours of hours of continous researching I still cant seem to find the best possible combination on red paint.

A few weeks ago I:
Clayed
3MSMR
Megs #7
Megs #26

I was happy with the results considering I dont have a PC so i did everything by hand. Well I plan on picking up a PC and some pads within the next week and want to know should I continue with this process or is there something else that will give it a deeper, wetter look?

I want the absolute deepest, wettest look possible with red. I dont want any waxes that are going to cost more than 20 bucks (IE P21S).

I dont care to much about durability as I enjoy working on my car.

Could anyone give me a good list such as polish, wax and such and order of doing these. Also with what pads? Im going to purchase LC pads.

Please anyone post up your best combination with red for that perfect look. Thanks so much in advanced guys.

May I also mention that while reading these forums for months upon months I feel as if this is the best forum Ive ever been associated with, not only because of the knowledge people give but simply because people are helpful and not rude when someone asks an easy question. There are so many forums I deal with that will bark your head off when you ask something thats been asked before. I absolutely love this forum and keep up the good work.

[E30Alex]

I would say if you don't want anything over 20 bucks, your best wax choice would be S100. It is the exact same thing as P21S, just different packaging. You can find this at a local Harley store, or you could get it off the internet for around 15 bucks.

Hope this helps,
Alex

[Rainbow]

Meguiars NXT looks great on red. Put a second coat on a day after the first. This is a very wet look and looks great on red.
I have NXT on my Vette and it has never looked more red or more wet since I have owned it.

[hirosh]

best combination for red? try checking the 'click & brag' section for GSRstilez's post on his Cinnabar Red Integra. i thought it looked very wet with EX w/caranuba + Natty's Paste Wax although this is more than $20. EX w/caranuba with 3 coats should be nice.

i think NXT would also be a good choice, plus fits your $20 cap.

as for polishes, a question to ask is what kind of paint defects do you have? pictures can be helpful.

i've found Poorboy's SSRs to be some good polishes, and they've worked well for me. SSR 2.5 is quite aggressive, and with a cutting pad, is good for getting rid of swirls. sometimes it'll leave some hazing behind, so it is good to follow it up with SSR 1 with a polishing pad.

other people might have some other polishes they can suggest. 1z seems to get quite a bit of recommendations as it is easy to work with. i don't have any experiences with 1z products, so i wouldn't know.

if you need a good all around polish, i've had good results with Meg's #80 Speed Glaze as it is quite aggressive at getting rid of spiderwebs and leaves the surface ready for your LSP. depending on what you're trying to remove, you could use a cutting or polishing pad.

waxes/sealants - there is a bunch of good ones out there, take your pick. before buying new stuff, try using your current stuff with the PC. i don't have any experience using 3M SMR, so i don't know which pad to use with it. but for #7, use a polishing pad. for #26, you can do this by hand, or if you have the liquid version, with the PC and a finishing pad.

also be sure to check out the article DavidB has about the PC. you can get to it by clicking on the 'Learn' button and the link to the article should be on the main page. also there is post in the Hall of Fame, i think, that talks about accessories for the PC.

good luck!

[CutNAction]

Thanks guys keep em coming.

I dont mind spending money at all to make my car look good, but I figured it was useless to pay 50 bucks for a thing of P21S when you can find stuff just as good for 20-30 bucks ya know.

Ive read a lot of posts by GSRstilez and everytime I see his car it looks beautiful. But he has had so many processes, that I cant keep up with which one was better

Also as far as my paint, its actually very very nice. Its a 96 Trans Am, and I have always babied it. Theres very very light swirl marks on the hatch and the hood, but nothing you would see unless you had the right light and right up on it. The rest of the paint is about as perfect as you can get for an 8 year old car. Ive always kept it waxed and washed weekly about. But up until about this year have I really started getting into the right processes and a little better products.

Ive heard NXT to be a good product, but I was kinda wanting to try something not found locally.

Ive been planning on purchasing the Poorboys SSR2.5 for my polish.

Im going to look back over the EX w/caranuba + Nattys Paste Wax to see how well he liked it.

Also guys, Ive been looking for a Porter Cable for a while and just yesterday I found out that Lowes has dropped the price on the 7336SP to 99.99 plus with the 10% new movers it comes down to about 90 + tax. What a steal. I posted this up in the Good Deals section, but many people look over that section and just wanted to share this with everyone.

Again thanks so much, and anymore recommendations would be awesome.

Also one more question I would really like to stick to using the PC as much as possible. I know a lot of people use a PC for polishes and usually do their waxing by hand. With the EX can I use the PC as well with the Nattys Paste Wax?

[hirosh]

if you don't mind spending money for your car, how about Souveran Paste Wax?

if you do get SSR 2.5, you might want to consider SSR 1 also just in case you get some hazing. in my experience, i've used SSR 1 after SSR 2.5 because i got some hazing. BUT i've also had times when i only had to use SSR 2.5. i think i wasn't letting the 2.5 break down enough.

with EX and Natty's, you can use a PC to apply, just use a finishing pad. but for the Natty's, i think you'll need to find a way to get it out of its bottle. DavidB's article on the PC, it shows him wearing latex gloves, popping the paste wax out its container, and applying the wax to the finishing pad. he also mentions to use a low speed to work the wax in.

oh, i just remembered, someone had a laser red mustang, rjstaf i think? and he used the #7 + #26, and that was a nice deep, wet look.

[Fskof]

I want the absolute deepest, wettest look possible with red



The VERY BEST would be Souveran Paste. If you want your paint to GLOW I would use

AIOx1
SGx3
Then two coats of Souveran wax applied 24 hrs apart. You wont believe what you see.
I have tried many different waxes the last two years. Many gave great results but nothing compared to this combo. ITS AMAZING!

ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY