Detailing/tools help

[tustah]

I`m ready to do my first car detail but lots of rain has been coming to Houston.



Will use girlfriend`s 97 Civic Sedan as a lab rat.



Again, the lineup:



A2Z w/ Meguiar`s Wheel Face Brush and Tire Brush

Optimum No Rinse Wash

Clay Magic

Optimum Compound via PC

Optimum Polish via PC

Prime Strong (debating whether to use PC or by hand)

Carnauba Jett

Natty`s Blue (if necessary)



My question is:



What do you guys use to apply your paint cleaner? I understand there are foam pads and MF pads, and maybe some just use MF towels? Pretty confused on what to use.



Same goes with the CJ and Wax.

[JasonD]

Do you have a Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher yet? This is what we all use.

[tustah]

Yes I have a Porter Cable already. I posted "via PC" next to some of the products.

[JasonD]

Yes I have a Porter Cable already. I posted "via PC" next to some of the products.

Oops, sorry about that. I read SO many posts every day that I sometimes find myself skipping over repetitive words and phrases.



Please remember that you don`t "apply" paint cleaner or any other type of polish for that matter, you "work" it. I say this because if you just apply it, it won`t do anything at all.



That being said, paint cleaners can be used with either a soft application type foam pad if your paint is already in pretty good shape, or you can use a mild polishing foam pad for a little more bit to get rid of minor imperfections. Post what brand pads you have, and I can give you a more accurate recommendation.



Now, since it looks like you will be doing polishing work prior to the paint cleaning step, you should be fine with a finishing type pad.



I`m not familiar with carnauba jett, but if it`s just a carnauba wax, I`d apply it by hand. No need to use the machine for this, imo.



I don`t use the mf bonnets that are available. I have them because they came with a kit that I bought, but have never used them. If you ever want to try them out, their intended purpose is for lsp removal, in your case carnauba jett. I just find doing this by hand with a mf towel is actually easier.

[TwoStroke]

I hope I`m not hijacking the thread, and apologize if I am. I have my first set of tools as well and am getting ready for round 2.



One thing I have noticed on my 8 month old car is a lot of little black spots (road grime) that are very hard to remove. They are all over the paint and all over the exhaust. What would be the best tool to remove these if I want to preserve my wax?



I`m definately going to clay, but am wondering if there is a tool out there to remove theses in between.



Thanks!

[JasonD]

You may want to start an entire new thread in the Detailing forum for more replies, but for starters, I`d clay the car to see where I stand, and then if that didn`t work, start looking for something else. No need to get ahead of yourself, and always try to use the least aggressive method possible to get the job done. The black spots could be a number of things from simple to get off, to very hard. Let`s start with a good clay and wash. Hope this helps.

[TwoStroke]

Thanks for the reply. I do clay the car before I go through my whole process, but I`m more interested in what to do between stripping/waxing. I`m sure these spots will come off with clay. I was hoping there would be some sort of crazy sponge or something I could use. :)

[tustah]

I have the Edge 2000 system.



Was planning on using the paint cleaner with polishing pad, and Carnauba Jett by hand. Don`t know what type of product is good to apply with hand though.



What type of applicator do you use to apply wax?

[Envious Eric]

if I am applying carnuba wax by hand, I use a megs yellow applicator pad...if by PC, then a tan megs pad, or the white junk one that came with the PC...mainly used for nxt application

[tustah]

So here are the choices I think?:



- MF Towel (I have some from ExcelDetail)

- Foam Applicator Pad

- MF Applicator Pad



Which one for LSP and which one for wax? Also, where can I purchase it? I`ve seen applicator pads OTC at walmart and auto shops but aren`t sure if they`re good enough.



===============



Edit:



Found the yellow Meguiar`s applicator pads at a local paint shop and paid $5 for 4. Just got back from Wal-Mart and saw they had 2 for $1.50.



I feel ripped off.

[JasonD]

I use the yellow foam applicators for applying paste products (like waxes), and the PC to apply all liquids (both waxes and sealants). I then use nice, thick, plush mf towels to remove everything, and rarely ever find myself using a mf applicator pad for anything.