Hey Everyone New poster. What do you think of my process

[SuperVillian]

Hey Everyone,



I`ve been reading here for a couple of months, but this is my first post. I finally signed up a couple of days ago and read what was available on the online manual.

I very much enjoy keeping my cars looking great so I figured I`d find out what i was missing (with your help of course). I`m the designated house detailor for my family. I`m in charge of taking care of my parents Black CTS and SantaFe, My Black C5 Vette, my brothers Black C230 Kompressor(yes we all love black cars), and a 71 Ice blue metallic Camaro and soon to be restored 70 Charger R/T.



First off here is my basic process for a full paint "detail":



1)Wash off all remaining wax/product with two thorough cleannings with dish soap. (anything better to use for this?)



2)Mothers Claybar(not really a fan of Mothers products but it was all I could find at the time and it seems to work fine). Then a wash or two with Gold Class soap



3) #7 Meguiar`s Show Car Glaze



4)Summer- Two layers of NXT (used to use Zaino products but since I dont need the durability in the summer/spring/fall I`ve switch to NXT because i prefer the look)

Winter- Klasse SG



5) #26 Meguiar`s Hi-Tech Yellow Wax



I apply each layer of product by hand and remove with MF towels.

I dry after each wash with an Electric leaf blower that is used strictly for that purpose. I think the combo looks great rich an deep (even looks wet when I use the NXT)



Since all the black cars but my C5 are new I dont use any type of abbrasive cleaner or polish on them. Should I if there are no swirls/scatches in the paint?



I would like a recommendation for a polish for my C5, there are some very slight (but noticable to me) stone/road nicks in the hood and front fascia. My current proccess hides it very nicely but I would like them to be permanently gone or helped. Nothing to harsh since Chevy paints seems to scrath by looking at it the wrong way.



I am planning on buying a PC but for now my father has a craftsman polishes similar to this: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1161699464.1095446601@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccijadcmihdiddhcehgcemgdffmdfko.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00910723000&subcat=Buffers+%26+Polishers

Do you think its worth a shot to try polishing, or waxing, or at least buffing with this until I get a PC?



Sorry for the long post figured I`d get it all out in one shot :xyxthumbs

hope I`m not run out after this.

[Accumulator]

SuperVillian- Welcome to Autopia. Heh heh, I`m the last person to worry about longs posts ;)



Sounds like you have some great cars in your family! Since you`re happy with how they look I dunno about making any big changes to what you`re doing. Let`s see....



1) Somebody`s gonna flame you for using dish soap, but it won`t be me. I gather this is an infrequent thing that you only do before major details.



2) Nothing wrong with Mother`s clay. I wash while claying and thus avoid having to do extra washes. If you use enough clay lube (or wash solution as lube) you shouldn`t have to wash any "clay residue"/etc. off anyhow. FWIW I found the GC shampoo to lack sufficient lubricity to avoid wash-induced marring, but many others here love the stuff.



3) #7 is sorta labor-intensive and doesn`t really do what it`s designed to do too well on basecoat/clear paint. If you like Meg`s stuff of this type I`d try the #3 (yeah, it`s OK by hand) or the #81 instead next time you`re buying.



At this point I`ll add my $0.02 on polishing. I don`t think I`ve *ever* seen an unpolished car that didn`t have *some* marring (my catch-all term for "swirls", "cobwebs", scratches, etc.) that could be improved by using a mildly abrasive polish. I keep my S8 as close to marring free as I can imagine, and I still have to polish it every few years. Even if there isn`t any marring, using a *very* mild polish won`t thin the clear or anything like that, but it will clean/prep/shine the paint even better than the dish soap/clay/#7 routine. Something like 1Z`s Metallic Polish (MP), Sonus Paintwork Cleanser, or a similar product just might amaze you. Worth checking out.



4) If you like how NXT and KSG work for you there`s no reason to change. Since you use the KSG, maybe some regular cleaning with Klasse All In One would be a good idea before/instead of the #7.



5) If you like the #26 (which makes sense, especially on black), no reason to change. Souveran can, however, look incredible on black vehicles (hint hint).



Other stuff: I don`t think there`s much you can do about the stone nicks. Once paint gets chipped you can either touch it up, have it repainted, or (my usual choice) live with it the way you are now. When I had a C5 I didn`t worry about stuff like that, but I did use mildly abrasive polishes on it with no problems. Putting a "clear bra" on it before it gets chipped/nicked is about all you can to do avoid this sort of thing if you really use the car in the real world. I remember a museum curator`s words of wisdom: "Real cars have stone chips".



I wouldn`t use that Sears polisher. I`d rather do things by hand while saving up for a PC/Cyclo. If you do use it, only use the foam pads and only use it to apply, not remove, product. The terry pads/bonnets can scratch many paints.