Full detail or Quick Detail?

[bonoz]

I was wondering whether or not I should thoroughly polish the car for now.



I`m running out of time. I was wondering if I just did intensive polish, then sealant, and wax. I was wondering if that is ok for now then maybe in the summer when I have some time I can do a propper thorough detail.



Is it possible that if I havn`t taken out some scratches now, could I take them out in near future?



Do I have to be perfect in my first detail or not?

[imported_paradigm]

it`s fine to leave swirls and such until later if you don`t have time. for winter i would just get some protection on the vehicle and wait until spring to do a full detail. no need to be perfect the first time. old scratches come out just like new ones. :)

[bonoz]

Yeah that`s what I was wondering. Since it`s my first detail it`s taking me a while. But that`s also because my Menzerna IP is the "defect" because it takes hours to do an area with that polish because it dries out very quickly and isn`t as effective as it`s supposed to be.



What do you mean `old scratches come out just like new ones`?

[imported_paradigm]

i was just saying that i don`t think it matters if a swirl or light scratch is 1 day old or 100 days old...it will still polish out the same. of course, if it is a DEEP scratch you would want to repair it quickly to prevent corrosion, etc.

[Accumulator]

bonoz- That`s right. As long as a scratch isn`t so deep that it exposes bare metal or the basecoat of paint (under the clear on basecoat/clearcoat finishes), marring is merely a cosmetic concern and strictly an eye-of-the-beholder issue.



[Heck], if the marring doesn`t bother you, you could *never* remove it and no harm done. Heh heh, this sounds like another case where continued exposure to Autopia has given the impression that nothing short of perfection is acceptable ;)



With your time running short, I`d consider just waxing it with something like Collinite. If you want to go a step farther, you could apply a user-friendly and filler-rich polish/glaze and *then* the Collinite and it`ll look swell until at least mid-spring.



For that matter, and not to open a whole `nother can of worms...it sounds like the Menzerna approach (no fillers, use it until it mechanically provides the appearance you want) might not be best for you. Maybe a polish like 1z, which both corrects *and* conceals, topped with a heavy carnauba (e.g., the Collinite 746S or maybe Blitz) would give acceptable (to you) results with a reasonable (to you) amount of time and effort.



I get caught between a) not approving of a long struggle to master a product and b) a reluctance to say a person`s problems can be solved by switching to another product :nixweiss

[bonoz]

Ok well guys,



I`m sure there might be like one or two scratches that go anywhere near consideration of "serious" scratches. What I`ll do is for now just go over the car with IP, and if I have time then go over it with Klasse AIO, Sealant, and then S100 Carnuba wax.



Then when I get some time I will post pics of those said scratches. Then I`ll see what you guys tell me to do.

[bonoz]

i was just saying that i don`t think it matters if a swirl or light scratch is 1 day old or 100 days old...it will still polish out the same. of course, if it is a DEEP scratch you would want to repair it quickly to prevent corrosion, etc.





Corrosion as in rust?



Is there some way to tell if a scratch is classified as deep?

[mikebai1990]

A deep scratch is one where bare metal is exposed and could lead to rusting (or corrosion).

[Envious Eric]

menzerna drying too fast???? thats weird...when i use my stash, i can usually work for longer than meguiars, but shorted than optimum...



but get a glaze to fill in the minor swirling and lighter scratches not taken out by menzerna....



it should take about 1.5-2.5 hours to polish a car, more for a truck....then the glaze step should be about 45-60 min, then wax about 30 min to apply and remove...is that your timing???



also, make sure you are using the right pad....IP on a finishing pad isnt a smart choice to remove defects

[bonoz]

Ok then I don`t have one of those. But if I did have one of those how would I go about fixing it?

[bonoz]

menzerna drying too fast???? thats weird...when i use my stash, i can usually work for longer than meguiars, but shorted than optimum...



but get a glaze to fill in the minor swirling and lighter scratches not taken out by menzerna....



it should take about 1.5-2.5 hours to polish a car, more for a truck....then the glaze step should be about 45-60 min, then wax about 30 min to apply and remove...is that your timing???



also, make sure you are using the right pad....IP on a finishing pad isnt a smart choice to remove defects



No that is not how long it is taking me. Polishing is taking a lot of time. And I`m using IP on an Orange pad, I think light-cutting pad.