Noobie question

[andysperformanc]

I am just starting to get a little more serious about detailing my car from the old generic bottle of wax, by hand. I purchased the PC 7424 that everyone on here seemed to recommend. I have a Black 2000 Mustang Gt, the paint is in decent condition but I want more depth, i have some scratches in the clear on the trunk that i hope this will take care of.

My main question is on products to use, I am interested in either the Menzerna , Wolfgang, or sonus lines, can anyone point me in the right direction as to what would work better in my application using the PC? also what pads should i buy to use, how many to buy starting out? i have serched the forums but could not find a direct answer. I have been using a claybar and NXT by hand, but i am looking for better results. Thanks for any help, will post pic of current results.

http://img198.exs.cx/img198/4339/hood2wk.th.jpg (http://img198.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img198&image=hood2wk.jpg)

[MongooseGA]

I reccomend DavidB`s e-book. It describes several high end polishes and explains the how`s and why`s.



Also, click the "Learn" icon at the top of the screen. It will give you a page of FAQ`s that should help you out.



BTW, :welcome

[WaterDR]

Hey fellow stager, I have been a a NXT user and recently made the chang over to Sonus and Klasse. I have not used the products yet, but I went with Sonus Clay Bar, Sonus Paint Cleaner, Klasse AIO, and Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Then, I am topping it off with PS215.



I am in the process of putting a Roush Stage 3 kit on. The bumper is mounted, but waiting on the hood and the wing (hood got repainted). When done, then I will hit it with the wax.

[seracis]

I have the Sonus SFX-1, -2, -3, and the Paintworks Cleanser. My `01 Dodge had some serious scratches and swirls, and so far I`ve use the 2 and 3 with a Sonus green foam pad. All of the swirls are history, but a few scratches still remain. I just received the SFX-1 and a Sonus orange pad. I`ll be putting them to work tonite or Sunday. I also have some white and gray pads from the Autopia garage sale, but they will be replaced by the Sonus or LC pads as they wear out. I`ll post again with the results of this weekend`s quest.

[seracis]

As for what pads to buy first, I would say it depends on the severity of the scratches. You`ll need at least 1 grey (finishing) pad, 1 or 2 white (polishing) pad/s, and cutting pad of some sort (green sonus for light scratches, orange sonus for deeper scratches). Start with the least abrasive combo and increase as you need. For example: don`t jump to an orange sonus pad and and heavy cutting polish. You may not need that much cutting action.



I will probably stick with the Sonus pads just because I`ve used one (so far) and it washed and rinsed clean in less than 30 seconds. The garage sale pads took about 5 minutes each. It may have been the amount of product in the pad, but I`ll know more this weekend.



I, too, was tempted to use the Menzerna line to take care of the deeper scratches, but since I already had the SFX-2 and -3, and by recommendation of someone here at Autopia on the phone, I picked up the SFX-1 instead of the Menz. IP and FP.

[zippymbr]

Lc pads and Mernenza polishes made this newbe feel like a pro. I used a yellow VC pad with the IP and then used a white VC pad with the FP. Followed by the Klasse twins. It did wonders on our black 1996 ES 300.

[togwt]

:welcome to Autopia andysperformance



Foam Pad Starter Kit:

1-Polish / Cutting Pad (*Yellow)

1-Polish / Light Cutting Pad (*Orange)

2-Polish / Waxing Pad (*White)

2-Finishing Pad (*Black)

1-Flexible Urethane Backing Plate



*The foam pad colour identifications and specifications are by Lake County Manufacturing (LC) www.lakecountrymfg.com other manufactures of foam pads use a different colour to identify the abrasiveness or cutting ability of their foam pads



Regardless of the Mfg I would suggest the type of pads and number to start with (trust me in a few months you will add to there number LOL, you should also look into some Microfiber towels (4)

JonM

[andysperformanc]

where is a good place to buy the lake country pads?

[MongooseGA]

I believe the Autopia store sells them.

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by andysperformanc

where is a good place to buy the lake country pads?

Lake Country makes a wide variety/style/color of pads. Here are a few vendors that carry LC pads and most have a pretty good description of the different types:



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/garagesale.html



http://www.properautocare.com/hi612infopaa.html



http://www.topoftheline.com/tolae/lake-country-polisher-pads.html



http://www.topoftheline.com/tolae/7durvelpad.html



http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html