Product Opinion?

[Freddie_hg]

I have been reading for a while, and I think I get the basic idea. I have been washing and waxing my car regularly since I bought it, but since it is only a month old, it hasn`t needed any real work to make it look nice. I have been asked by my sister-in-law to polish the swirls out of her car. She is buying the products, but I would still like to keep it as economical as possible.

I was wondering what everyone thought of this process:



-wash

-clay bar

-wash

-PB SSR 2.5 with an LC orange

-PB SSR 2.5 with an LC White

-PB SSR 1 with an LC white

-PB EX sealant with an LC black

-Meguiar`s Deep Crystal step 3 Carnauba (Since I have a spare bottle of it. Would it be that much different than any other carnauba?)



The car is a black 2002 Honda Civic. It`s a daily driver, and has some swirl and minor scratches.



Any thoughts on this process? Thanks.



Steve

[-Lebowski-]

You really dont need to wash again after claying if you are using a lube. Also you do not need to go to a white pad on 2.5 after the orange. You may even be able to skip the 1 but if you are a rook you might want to to clear up any haze.



EX is good, I personally would skip the Megs but that is just because I do not care for the DC line u. Good luck and post pics.

[Sherman8r44]

Looks like a perfect process. Just know that Poorboy`s EX requires 24 hours to cure, so you can`t top with carnauba or let the car see rain. Personally, I think if you want to put another layer of something on after the 24 hours, put on another coat of EX.



You can definitely skip the middle polishing step (SSR2.5 w/white pad) if the car is light colored, and maybe even if it is dark colored.

[RAG]

I think you will have a hard time jumping from SSR 2.5 to SSR1 - you will notice (under halogen lights or even in direct sunlight) that the SSR 2.5 will leave tons of little squigly gashes (SSR series is really bad for this on black vehicles) - you will have a real hard time removing these with SSR 1. `on the other hand...both SSR 1 and SSR 2 will have a tendancy to leave these micro-marring gashes in their own right, just less of them :) Therefore, on a black vehicle, I highly recommend you get some FPII (much small size abrasives), or even better, some of the Blackfire scratch resistant clear polish for finishing on black. In fact...compare and get back to me - compare SSR 2.5 followed by SSR1 and then try SSR 2.5 followed by Blackfire SRC - tell me you can`t see a difference and I`ll quit being a detailer!



Also, rather than apply multiple layers of sealant/wax, spend extra time polishing, as this makes the biggest difference...unless the vehicle is already swirl-free or something (highly doubtful).

[RAG]

Oh yeah, chances are you will be unpleasantly surprised at how difficult it will be to remove most of the swirls with a PC...so don`t be afraid to get as aggressive as you can...applying a bunch of pressure and probably needing to go polish a couple times with SSR 2.5 before moving on. And by god, set the speed on 6 (always, unless applying a glaze).

[Freddie_hg]

So, as for the second step with the SSR 2.5 and the white pad, I will play that one by ear.

Is there a better suggestion instead of the EX sealant/Carnauba to give the car a good level of protection, along with a nice shine?

Is there a better sealant product that doesnt require the time to cure?

The car will have to be outside during the curing process.



Perhaps using the FPII as the abrasive step would be better suited to this application instead of SSR1?



Thanks

[imported_mburnickas]

I just did a black SUV (father 2004 exploder and my Lexus that had major marring etc. Used SSR1 with Rotary and came out mint!



Clayed first, then SSR1, then EX-P (waiting 1 hour per directions) then topped with Natty`s Blue...



http://home.comcast.net/~sump/dad_hood_done.jpg.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~sump/dad_suv_done.jpg.jpg



Oh, I would not use orange LC pads with SSR2.5. I would try a white first. I think the orange and SSR2.5 might be too much.

[Freddie_hg]

Another Question:

will one (or more) coats of PB`s EX protect the finish, and make it feel slick like it was waxed?

if so, then I might just skip the wax step afterwards



if not, what product would give that feel? should I just wax after polishing the finish to a mirror shine with the SSR 2.5 and 1??

[JasonD]

Multiple layers of EX is awesome. Just make sure you wait at *least* 24 hours between each layer. I like to do apply one layer per week with each maintenance wash for about three weeks or so. This looks and protects very well.

[Freddie_hg]

What if I could only put one layer of something on?

would EX still work, or would wax be better?

Would a different wax work out better (like Gold Class)?

[JasonD]

I`d say EX. EX is a sealant with carnauba wax in it, so you get the best of both worlds, durability + the look of wax.

[RAG]

So, as for the second step with the SSR 2.5 and the white pad, I will play that one by ear.

Is there a better suggestion instead of the EX sealant/Carnauba to give the car a good level of protection, along with a nice shine?

Is there a better sealant product that doesnt require the time to cure?

The car will have to be outside during the curing process.



Perhaps using the FPII as the abrasive step would be better suited to this application instead of SSR1?



Thanks



FPII will beat the pands off SSR 1 is every respect. More expensive, but will save you a ton of time and the end result will be better.

[RAG]

Just so you know, I personally don`t find the orange LC pads to be much more agressive than the white LC, not even noticable.



JDookie has it right regarding EX. And don`t worry about multiple coats...it helps, but it isn`t night and day difference by any means.