View Full Version : beginner needs help on detailing black car in pretty bad condition
drdavidge
05-12-2003, 07:57 PM
hey, i posted a similiar thread before but the title was a little misleading... heres the deal:
as you can see..i have a bunch of nic`s and scratches and i am new to detailing, so i dont know what to do about them. the paint is 8 years old, and it dosent look like it was cared for too much before i bought it. i drive on the highway a lot so i have a nice mess of chips on the front of my car. so basically...i havent done much yet detailing wise, so what do i do? i have this stuff lying in my garage:
- Meguires Gold Class Car wash/shampoo
- Meguires Quik Detailer
- Meguires Deep Crystal System:
1- Paint Cleaner
2- Polish
3- Carnauba Wax
- 3m Swirl Mark Remover (for dark)
- Mothers Showtime Instant Detailer
- Mothers Pure Carnauba Wax (phase 3)
- Some GS-27 (this **** actually worked for me on surface scratches a few times)
- And I have many new 100%cotton terry cloth towels (that leave white “towel dust” and shed on my black car..haha)
- some microfiber towels from the pakshack
- a 7 pack of wax applicators from pepboys.. it has 4 things that are 100% terry cloth cotton and 3 of the foam yellow round applicators
- And the absorber
How should these things be applied/taken off? I really have no idea...haha
here are some pics:
http://www.drdavidge.com/nasty_scratch_swirls.jpg
http://car-meets.com/davepics/back_side.jpg
http://car-meets.com/davepics/front_side.jpg
http://car-meets.com/davepics/front_side2.jpg
http://car-meets.com/davepics/nics.jpg
http://car-meets.com/davepics/scratch.jpg
thanks for the help.
drdavidge
05-12-2003, 07:59 PM
an autopia member, OUCH, replied to my previous thread with this suggestion using what i already have:
Hello there, NICs and Scratches (especially one that you could feel) will need touch up paint, you`re not going to be able to remove them but "hiding them from the untrained eyes" should be possible with the proper tools.
Here`s what I would do to your car.
1) Dawn wash the car...
2) Check for Contamination, Claybar the whole car..
3) Quick Detail the whole car or give it a quick wash.
4) Use Meguiar`s Step 1
5) Quick Detail the car, and check for Contamination, Repeat Step 2 if needed.
6) Use 3M Swirl Mark Remover in areas where it`s needed (Hood and Trunk) or the whole car
6) Use either Mothers Pure Carnuba Wax or Meguiar`s Step 3 Carnuba Wax.
All of the steps above will be under shade, out of direct Sunlight. I`ll work on a small area at a time. Applying the Solution with the pad, rubbing it in till dry or per instruction on the bottle and buffing out residue with the Microfiber or Terry towel that I have.
When removing swirls I will put a moderate amount of Polish on the pad, and then rub it on the surface using firm pressure (not too much that I put a dent on the hood) and back and forth motion till the polish is dry. Buffing off Residues with MF Towels
When using Wax I will use as lil as possible, apply it on the surface evenly give it an hour or 2 to cure depending on the temperature or humidity and then buff it off using a MF Towel..
Not sure if you could layer the Wax that you have, if you can then then I suggest doing it. But I`ll wait 24 hours between each layers, and using Quick Detailer in between.
Good luck and don`t forget to take pictures when you`re done.
what do you guys think? thanks again.
ezd96
05-12-2003, 08:29 PM
Nice image of spider webs in the first pic. I would agree with OUCH with the exception of a more aggressive polish/compound if the 3M SMR has no effect. Followed with a glaze or 3M SMR again and then wax.
Dave
Patrick
05-12-2003, 09:15 PM
Dont even bother with the dawn, everything you need to use will remove "whatever" is on your clear anyway.....
IMO:
Wash
clay
DACP
Glaze (your choice) maybe some Meg`s # 7, Vanilla Moose etc...
Sealant, BF II, Platinum...
S100.....
drdavidge
05-12-2003, 09:28 PM
the meguires DACP is a more aggressive polish right? and the meguires #7 show car glaze is good enough? im doing this by hand because i dont have a buffer and if i did i would be scared to use it cause i have no idea how to, haha. i saw cheap ones for $30..how are they?
drdavidge
05-12-2003, 09:31 PM
also, im thinking of the claymagic blue bar for the clay..is that good? i hope pepboys carrys it, ihave $100 in giftcards for that place. otherwise, i know they have monthers and im not sure what else. i had the mothers one but it was really hard to knead and turn over and shape the way i wanted..i dunno. what do you guys reccomend?
imported_Greg
05-12-2003, 09:55 PM
IMO, you are either going to need a buffer to remove those swirls. Naturally you will be able to make them less noticeable, but inevitably it will be needed to take care of those.
glass_image
05-12-2003, 09:57 PM
get a porter cable 7336sp for $109 at lowes. it`s basically idiot-proof and has multiple speeds.
drdavidge
05-12-2003, 11:07 PM
hmm..do i really need one? i dont really have the money for it right now, im saving up for some rims/tires. i do have $100 in giftcards to pepboys though...do they sell them there?
drdavidge
05-13-2003, 01:22 AM
i think im gonna do this tommroow...anything else i should know? or the answers to the questions i just asked before? do i really need a buffer?
drdavidge, did you read my reply to your previous thread?
Hand swirl removal is possible but labor intensive and very time consuming to do right. You can always sweat over it one section/panel a session as time permits. That way the work won`t seem so overwhelming.
Strengthwise I think you`d be looking at DACP at the very least, but I`m not sure what else is "strong" that works by hand.... Maybe 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound?
You might want to search around for some threads about people not sure if they want to buy a PC or not. It can be a good purchase in the long run I think. (And no, I don`t think Pepboys sells it.)
drdavidge
05-13-2003, 10:19 AM
yes i read it, thanks for the reply. the swirls really dont LOOK as bad in person as they do in that picture, but i do know that they are still there. i really dont think i can afford a PC right now..is it that bad to do it by hand? maybe i should sell one of these pepboys giftcards...anyone wanna buy a $50 pepboys giftcard for $45 ? =) haha. what about those $30 craftsmen buffers..what do you guys thik about the cheaper ones?
I`d go at it with the SMR first before trying out the DACP (which you don`t have on hand).
Don`t worry about not being able to afford the Porter Cable. Try removing it by hand first. It will take some time though but you should be able make it look much better.
Work in a 2 foot by 2 foot area. Keep working it, and I do mean working it as 3M SMR can haze a bit if you don`t work it well. Try doing a panel a day type thing. Work on the hold one day. Then next time you detail, do another one etc. That way you don`t kill yourself trying to get it all done in one session.
No. 7 won`t do anything for you. Speed Glaze by Meguiar`s would be a nice choice though.
Scottwax is amazing at doing it by hand so it`s not out of the realm of possibility.
Try saving up for the porter cable though ($10 bucks a week and in a couple of months, you`ll saved up enough for one). Don`t bother with the cheap random orbitals for 20-30 bucks etc.
You`ll only kick yourself later for having spent the money on garbage. Trust me, do it by hand until you`ve saved up for the porter cable. Saving $10 a week is pretty easy and it only takes about 10 weeks before you can pick one up. As opposed to the $200 we have to pay up here in the great white north!
drdavidge
05-13-2003, 11:42 AM
haha oh ok thanks. i have money but i want to buy my rims first..priorities, haha. how exactly do you apply the SMR and take it off? what kinda cloths/applicators also?
and also, what exactly does the glaze do and whats the difference between the showcar glaze (#7) and the speed glaze?
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