New to detailing

[leeleee]

Hi guys, I`m new to all this auto detailing and had a couple of questions. I usually just wash my car with a foam gun and call it good but I recently bought a brand new 08 nighthawk black accord about 6 months ago and figured I`d try some new things. I purchased the Wolfgang PC kit, Wolfgang Porter Cable 7424 Swirl-Free Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-porter-cable-swirl-remover.html), and was wondering if that was all I needed for someone of my skill level. Now, I have never used any machines and the only product I`ve used after a wash is Eagle One wax as you dry. I was planing on doing my normal wash with a foam gun, and trying a clay bar, and then using the wolfgang PC kit. Do I need anything more as a LSP or will the paint sealant be enough? My main thing is to keep the paint looking nice for at least a week. Also, how often do I need to repeat this process? I`ve heard a clay bar should be done once every 6 months but the whole polish and sealant with the PC, I have no idea. Should I be doing this once a week every time I wash the car or once every few months? Thanks for all your help guys.

[02zx9r]

the paint sealant will be all you need, but some people top the sealant with a carnauba wax for added depth, gloss, shine, whatever you want to call it.



Have to let the sealant cure for 12-24 hours after you buff off then can top it with wax.



a full detail with the polish sealant maybe twice a year with wash/dry every week or two with some detailing spray after to keep it looking as good as possible

[Accumulator]

leeleee- Welcome to Autopia!



AFAIK, the paint on your car is kinda soft, so you`ll probably do OK with the PC kit.



I haven`t used Wolfgang, but I`d certainly expect it to last a lot longer than a week. Use the Detailing Spritz in the kit after each wash and maybe consider redoing the sealant once every six weeks/washes or so.



When something you value (e.g., beading, surface slickness, gloss, etc.) seems dimimished after a wash, that`s the time to redo the sealant.



You don`t want to use abrasives very often (as it will thin the clearcoat a little each time), but you basically repeat the polishing when the marring gets bad enough that you want to reduce/eliminate it again. Once/twice a year is probably about the norm, but I`d rather do it less frequently than that.



Claying frequency depends on how quickly the paint gets contaminated. Do the "baggie test" if you can`t tell. Most people probably clay once/twice a year unless the vehicle gets contaminated with something. Some of us clay a lot more often than that, often (very gently) before refreshing the LSP (Last Step Product, i.e., wax or sealant), but that might not be necessary. Some clay is mild enough that it won`t strip your sealant if you use it right, but many clays (and/or claying techniques) are *not* that gentle and will precipitate a need to reseal.



I wouldn`t bother topping the sealant with a wax, just keep this stuff simple and see how it goes when you clay/polish/seal and then maintenance-wash/spritz.

[bigdawgfoxx]

I made a thread like this but it never got added for some reason...



My friend and I are college kids and about 2 years ago he got a PC kit with pads but no polishes but we never got around to using it. We basically want to remove light swirl scratches and make our cars shine and look good. Are there any good guides that tell which products and how to use them. I know you wash, claybar, then Idk after that..

[citizen arcane]

Are there any good guides that tell which products and how to use them.



text guides:



Guide to Detailing - Autopia.org (http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/)



Auto Detailing Guides, How-To`s, Tutorials, FAQs, Articles, Tips and More - Detailed Image (http://www.detailedimage.com/guides.php)



Paintcare & Detailing - Enthusiasts guide to detailing (http://paintcarendetailing.com/)



Videos:



Car Detailing videos - How to detail, polish and wax your Car (http://paintcare-n-detailing.com/video.html)



Happy detailing!

[Accumulator]

I made a thread like this but it never got added for some reason...



My friend and I are college kids and about 2 years ago he got a PC kit with pads but no polishes but we never got around to using it. We basically want to remove light swirl scratches and make our cars shine and look good. Are there any good guides that tell which products and how to use them. I know you wash, claybar, then Idk after that..



Welcome to Autopia!



If you want to try something *VERY* user-friendly, but also kinda mild (so don`t expect miracles on deeper scratches), get some 1Z Paint Polish or Meguiar`s #80. Both are great polishes for getting acquainted with the PC, almost impossible to have a problem with them.



With these, there`s no big drama about breaking down the abrasives, just work them until they`re almost dry and only use enough product to keep the pad lubricated (clean excess off the pad when it looks necessary). Use speed 5 or 6. Buff off the almost-dry residue and inspect, repeat as necessary/desired. Pretty much just as simple as that.



Put some Collinite wax over top after polishing- the cars will look good and be protected for a long, long time (mabye until spring break if you get a few coats of the Collinite on there).



While it`s possible to make this stuff very complicated, the above approach will be a simple way to effect a huge improvement without spending a lot of time/effort or risking a big "oops".

[akimel]

Welcome to Autopia!



If you want to try something *VERY* user-friendly, but also kinda mild (so don`t expect miracles on deeper scratches), get some 1Z Paint Polish or Meguiar`s #80. Both are great polishes for getting acquainted with the PC, almost impossible to have a problem with them.



With these, there`s no big drama about breaking down the abrasives, just work them until they`re almost dry and only use enough product to keep the pad lubricated (clean excess off the pad when it looks necessary). Use speed 5 or 6. Buff off the almost-dry residue and inspect, repeat as necessary/desired. Pretty much just as simple as that.



Put some Collinite wax over top after polishing- the cars will look good and be protected for a long, long time (mabye until spring break if you get a few coats of the Collinite on there).



While it`s possible to make this stuff very complicated, the above approach will be a simple way to effect a huge improvement without spending a lot of time/effort or risking a big "oops".



Simple and encouraging counsel! :)



Al

[bigdawgfoxx]

Welcome to Autopia!



If you want to try something *VERY* user-friendly, but also kinda mild (so don`t expect miracles on deeper scratches), get some 1Z Paint Polish or Meguiar`s #80. Both are great polishes for getting acquainted with the PC, almost impossible to have a problem with them.



With these, there`s no big drama about breaking down the abrasives, just work them until they`re almost dry and only use enough product to keep the pad lubricated (clean excess off the pad when it looks necessary). Use speed 5 or 6. Buff off the almost-dry residue and inspect, repeat as necessary/desired. Pretty much just as simple as that.



Put some Collinite wax over top after polishing- the cars will look good and be protected for a long, long time (mabye until spring break if you get a few coats of the Collinite on there).



While it`s possible to make this stuff very complicated, the above approach will be a simple way to effect a huge improvement without spending a lot of time/effort or risking a big "oops".



Theres a bunch of different pads that the PC came with though, which one is the best to use with the #80 or 1Z?

[Accumulator]

Theres a bunch of different pads that the PC came with though, which one is the best to use with the #80 or 1Z?



Regular polishing pads, which are usually white or green. Cutting/light cut (yellow or orange) are too coarse for these products (just just make for more micromarring, *not* more/better correction) and finishing pads (gray/black/red) are too tight, thus they load up too quickly.



If you go with the 1Z Paint Polish, don`t be afraid to work it a pretty long time- about the only thing you can do wrong (besides using too much product) is not working it long enough to break down the abrasives. If you overwork it to the point that it dries out, it`ll just break down into cleaner-wax so there`s no real harm in that. The #80 isn`t *quite* as foolproof, but it`s close- work #80 until it changes from it`s initial opaque green/brown to translucent sorta-white/clear.



Buff off polish residue with a soft MicroFiber towel (same thing you`ll use to buff off the wax). Fogging the surface with your breath can make the buffing-off easier.



If you want to apply wax by PC, use speed 4 and a gray/black or red or gold finishing pad.



BTW, I`ll be offline until Monday, so please don`t think I`m blowing you off if you post back with more Qs.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Thanks man. So wash, clay bar the entire car, use the #80 or 1Z with the PC on 5 I believe and buff off, then apply wax with PC on 4 (and let it haze like normal, I do hand wax so I know what to expect).



And this should remove those tiny swirl marks everywhere when looking at the car in direct sunlight?



Thanks for everything guys...this is a great starting place.

[Accumulator]

..



And this should remove those tiny swirl marks everywhere when looking at the car in direct sunlight?





Well, it`ll at least make things better. You might need to do the polishing over and over and over to get it nice enough for you, but it`s best to err on the side of caution and use gentle stuff while you`re getting the hang of this.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Thanks for everything. I saw a thread talking about how claying will produce micro marring or something like that especially on black cars, which mine is...should I still clay?

[Accumulator]

Thanks for everything. I saw a thread talking about how claying will produce micro marring or something like that especially on black cars, which mine is...should I still clay?



Marring from claying comes from one or more of the following:



-aggressive clay

-aggressive technique

-improper technique (not always the same as the above)

-abrasive contaminants getting transfered to the clay

-*very* soft paint



If you use a very gentle clay (e.g. Sonus green Ultrafine, which might be *too* gentle, or Mother`s/Griot`s, or ClayMagic Blue), and you use a lot of lube and virtually no pressure, and you knead/replace the clay frequently...and the fates are smilinng on you ;) then you should be able to clay most any paint without marring.



But that`s a lot of "ifs" and *very* soft paint might pose problems.



But FWIW, I wouldn`t worry about marring at all and I clay all the time without problems. So I say go for it, *with the right clay*, plenty of lube, and careful methodology.



I tear my clay into small pieces and I only knead them once or twice before getting out a new piece (also handy if/when you drop the clay, thus contaminating it). If you suspect the clay has picked up abrasive contamination (thus sorta turning into sandpaper), knead or replace it.



OR just skip it for now as black doesn`t show most of the issues clay resolves. You can always try it later on some other vehicle, and it`s not like people didn`t do OK without claying for many, many years.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Well, were doing my friends 99 tahoe first, so I will deff clay that lol. What should we use for lube?

[Accumulator]

Well, were doing my friends 99 tahoe first, so I will deff clay that lol. What should we use for lube?





I always get the best results with dedicated/specific clay lube. Others do fine with ONR or shampoo mix, but not me. And some QDs work a *LOT* better/worse than others IME. So I either use Sonus Glyde or the ClayMagic lube (got a bargain on a *lot* of it when David/Lynn closed it out).