what products to use?

[classicaddict]

PLEASE forgive me. i know how mind numbing it is to answer newb questions that are all the same as i am by no means a stranger to forums however i am completely overwhelmed with all the different car products on the market.



i know a guy that works at a detail shop and i plan on having him polish my paint. i own a 2004 mazda3 and its the first car i have owned i want to look like a million bucks. HOWEVER they just use the cheap "wax by the gallon" and i would much prefer something higher grade.



i am reading about glazes, sealents, and waxes and to be honest it all seems like the same stuff to me? the car is out side 24/7 and i want it to look like its brand new......screw that, better than new. what exterior products would you point me towards? i see some here saying glazes make the paint look super shiny and wet. do you wax over this?



cliffs notes; i am having my car professinaly polished and then i will be waxing/glazing/what ever the hell my self by hand. and i want it to look CHERRY.



i have found many helpful tips for the interior and ill be useing the wool lite method tomorrow







edit: oh my, i feel like a tool. there is a near identical thread just below me:scared: *puts on flame suit*

[cptzippy]

Not to worry. There are lots of threads just like this one.



Out of curiosity, what colour is your Mazda?



Also, just because it`s by the gallon doesn`t mean it`s a bad or even necessarily cheap wax. Do you know what kind they use?



What do you want to get out of your LSP - longevity, depth, slickness, etc.



BTW, I use Prima products because they were active on a Mini forum I`m on and have been very happy. Almost went with Zaino and they are an option. Looking at some optimum products because I`ve really liked the one I tried. Several others are good.

[classicaddict]

i want to say they use "car bright" but i may have read the bottle wrong.......but that seems to be the product many detail shops i have been in use. granted i have never been in a "pro" detailing shop.





the mazda is silver. as for what i want.......im not really sure! the only products i have used in the past have been gold class wax and nu finish wax on my older cars as they seemed to last a great deal of time......and thats all i was after. i suppose what i am after is a slick/wet looking finish that you can fall into because its so deep. but i cant afford a $500 detail so take that into consideration lol.

[cptzippy]

Silver is a difficult colour to make look deep IME. But corrected (ie polished) and with a good LSP (and there are many) then it should look very slick and wet.

[classicaddict]

this is what i figured. darker colors are much easier to get a dramatic change from i would imagine.



i have always been fascinated when watching people polish paint but have heard horror stories from armatures useing an orbital machine so i have been to scared to ever try myself.

[wascallyrabbit]

if your going to invest in a machine a da type is what most people start out with. some start with a rotary. the da type are very user friendly and with minimal common sense damage will be avoided. the rotary will take some research and practice (usually on some panels picked up from a junk yard). the top dog for da`s is the flex 3401, however it comes with the biggest price tag. other choices would be the pc 7424, g110 and udm. several places have sales on, or discounted packages for just about any the machines mentioned. you`ll need to do a little research to figure out what your goals are and how much you want to spend. you may also want to see if any autopia member is in your area they maybe willing to help. if your near me i`d be happy to let you use some of my equipment.

[PerroneFord]

There is a troubling disconnect here.



You have a silver car. They are notoriously difficult to make look "wet" with deep color. Doing so requires a heck of a lot of time and effort, and requires the use of quality products, including a orbital for best effect.



You say your car lives outside all the time (fair enough, my cars live outside at night). You say you cannot afford a $500 detail.



Most professional detailers are going to charge $50/hr or so. So you are saying that you are not willing to invest in 10 hours of their time. Given that it will take about 1.5-2 hours to get your car clean enough to begin a polish, you are giving a pro 8 hours to polish your car front to back, seal your car with a sealant (for that durability you desire) and and deliver it to you for waxing.



I know the pros here can work much faster than me, but there is no way I could get back to front on a mid-size car 3 times in 8 hours. At least not producing any quality. So you`re down to a 2-step. Compound and all-in-one (little depth) if you have scratches and swirls that need to come out, or an All-in-one and a glaze if you don`t have many scratches.



The simple fact is that you are asking for skilled labor without being willing to pay for that skilled labor. You are also shorting that skilled operator his fair price for the use of those products (polisher, pads, sealant, compound, glaze, etc.).



I would say that you need to either hold off until you have more budget, or you need to back off your expectations a bit and just get your car cleaned up nicely. Some of these awesome paint corrections you see the guys here do represent $1k-$3k of work. As a non-pro, I certainly would do it for less than $500 a day.



Assuming you only buy a polisher to do the wax well, a couple pads, some good microfiber towels, and a nice wax, you`re looking at $250 or so right off the bat. Are you ready for this?



-P




i want to say they use "car bright" but i may have read the bottle wrong.......but that seems to be the product many detail shops i have been in use. granted i have never been in a "pro" detailing shop.





the mazda is silver. as for what i want.......im not really sure! the only products i have used in the past have been gold class wax and nu finish wax on my older cars as they seemed to last a great deal of time......and thats all i was after. i suppose what i am after is a slick/wet looking finish that you can fall into because its so deep. but i cant afford a $500 detail so take that into consideration lol.

[dublifecrisis]

rabbit and scoach-good posts. this is the advice you need.

[craigdt]

I would suggest getting you own supplies to do it.



All you need is a PC/G110, Megs 105/205 samples, handful of pads, sealant, wax, and MF towels.



Less than $300 bux.



And you can do it again and again...

[classicaddict]

good to. i have no clue as to the time involved or the price. as a flat rate mechanic i now how terrible it is to be ****ed out of money for the time invested in the job. it seems i will be grabbing a good random orbital and some good 3 step polish. yet i still have no clue to what glaze/wax is a good choice. or do i even need both?

[cptzippy]

I`d recommend a couple of things as a DIYer myself. One, start small, try one or two products from any given maker and see if you like the results. Two, I`d go with one of the smaller makers like Zaino, Prima, Optimum so you have a good person on the other end that can give you good advice. Getting depth out of silver is going to be tough but slickness and shine are a bit easier.



You could do what I did, send some emails out to companies your products you`re interested in and see whose response you like. Or, you could pour through the click and brag and pro detailers sections and see what cars you like the results of and see what products they used.



You have to start somewhere so just start

[craigdt]

yet i still have no clue to what glaze/wax is a good choice. or do i even need both?





Here in the states, glazes arent as big as they are over in the UK. We tend to feel that if you are using a glaze to cover imperfections, its not as good as it could be (obviously).



Having said that however, there still is room on a perfect finish for a glaze. Many use them to add a bit of wetness, depth, etc. But they *might* detrimentally hurt the durability of the sealant/wax.



So, you do not need both. If you have a glaze, you will want a wax, as glazes, as a rule, are not very durable. If you have a wax, you do not need a glaze.



Here is my typical process (and I feel it is very simple):



Poorboys SSR 2.5 polish on LC white pad

Poorboys SSR 1 polish on LC white

Clearkote Vanilla Moose Glaze on LC Black

Poorboys EX-P Sealant via LC Black

Poorboys Nattys Blue Carnauba Wax by hand



Now, the glaze, while not necessary, does add a bit of extra shine. You can do without.



The Sealant, is not necessary if you are doing a wax afterwords. I feel it adds to durability.



The Wax, is not necessary, if you are using a sealant, but I feel it adds a bit of depth. And I like nattys blue.



However, Ive gotten very familiar with Meguiars NXT Tech wax 2 and feel it is a great product. Its comparable to the EX-P.



Good luck.

[classicaddict]

Here in the states, glazes arent as big as they are over in the UK. We tend to feel that if you are using a glaze to cover imperfections, its not as good as it could be (obviously).



Having said that however, there still is room on a perfect finish for a glaze. Many use them to add a bit of wetness, depth, etc. But they *might* detrimentally hurt the durability of the sealant/wax.



So, you do not need both. If you have a glaze, you will want a wax, as glazes, as a rule, are not very durable. If you have a wax, you do not need a glaze.



Here is my typical process (and I feel it is very simple):



Poorboys SSR 2.5 polish on LC white pad

Poorboys SSR 1 polish on LC white

Clearkote Vanilla Moose Glaze on LC Black

Poorboys EX-P Sealant via LC Black

Poorboys Nattys Blue Carnauba Wax by hand



Now, the glaze, while not necessary, does add a bit of extra shine. You can do without.



The Sealant, is not necessary if you are doing a wax afterwords. I feel it adds to durability.



The Wax, is not necessary, if you are using a sealant, but I feel it adds a bit of depth. And I like nattys blue.



However, Ive gotten very familiar with Meguiars NXT Tech wax 2 and feel it is a great product. Its comparable to the EX-P.



Good luck.



fantastic reply, thanks a bunch.

[salty]

Are there any Autopian`s in your area?