Noob Question

[JasonEx]

Hi I recently purchased a 02 Imola Red M3 and I`ve noticed quite a bit of swirls in the paint. Im lost as to what products I should use for a darker red or does it not even matter? Im going to purchase some waffle weave towels, microfiber towels, and sheep skin mitt to wash and dry the car. Also does it matter if I get those products from a local grocery store?

My goal is to wash, clay, polish, and then wax the car.



Any suggestions for clay, polish, and wax?

[Bert]

Hi I recently purchased a 02 Imola Red M3 and I`ve noticed quite a bit of swirls in the paint. Im lost as to what products I should use for a darker red or does it not even matter? Im going to purchase some waffle weave towels, microfiber towels, and sheep skin mitt to wash and dry the car. Also does it matter if I get those products from a local grocery store?

My goal is to wash, clay, polish, and then wax the car.



Any suggestions for clay, polish, and wax?



Wash - Duragloss 901 or 905 Wash (can get it at Napa or CarQuest)



Clay - Clay Magic Blue (can get at most autoparts stores)



Polish - are you using a orbital or rotary buffer or are you polishing by hand? Need to know that before answering the question.



Wax - Meguiars #26 is good and generally can be purchased locally. Collinite will give better durability andsometimes can be bought locally and is generally found locally. If you want to go the sealant route, Duragloss`s 111 (I think that is the number) is pretty good, especially if you top it with AquaWax spray sealant. As stated above, Duragloss products can generally be found at Napa or CarQuest.

[JasonEx]

Im probably going to pick up a porter cable buffer.



thanks for the info

[Bert]

Im probably going to pick up a porter cable buffer.



thanks for the info



If you are going to get a Porter Cable (an orbital buffer) for you cutting pads, I would recommend either 4 inch Orange Lake Country Foam Pads or the 3.5 inch Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool. When using a orbital buffer, you really need to use smaller pads for effective cutting with the Porter Cable or Ultimate Detailing Machine, they just don`t have the power to oscilate (sp?) larger pads which some pressure on the machine w/o bogging down.



When it comes to your polishing and finishing pads, you can go with a little bit bigger pads since finishing polishes are easier to break down than compound polishes. They you could go with the 5 inch (or is it 5 1/2 inch) Lake Country White Foam Pad or maybe the 6 inch edge blue foam pad. I would do some research on each and see what you can find out. Just don`t forget, if you go with Lake Country, you will need a backing plate for thier pads and for Edge you will need the orbital adapter.



As far as a compound polish and a finish polish, the two brands I see used the most is Menzerna Super Intenive Polish (medium compound polish) with Menzerna Nano Polish (finish polish) or Optimum Compound (compound polish obviously) with Optimum Polish (finish polish). Some people may substitute Optimum PoliSeal for Optimum Polish. You will need to do some research on here to make that decision.



I hope all this helps.

[Bunky]

When selecting a polish, start with the lesser aggressive method. For example, resist recommendations to go for Meg`s M105 as your first step. Post some pics so others can see what kind of shape the paint is in.