beginner needs help!

[Bobwax]

Hi everyone!
I just joined, this is my first post.

i would like to have a go at detailing the exterior of my car. I planned on washing, then claying, then waxing. i own a sears random orbital, and just now got a griot`s orbital and pads. it came with griot`s sealer.

OK. i just started reading, and some people recommend you wash, clay, then polish, then seal, then wax.

i have waxed and clayed cars before with pretty good results. i have a 2008 Cadillac DTS, dark blue color. i would say, paint in very good shape.
1. should I polish after clay treatment? if so, which compound should i use? will I hurt the paint?
2. should I seal the paint before waxing? if so, should I use the Griot`s sealer, or another one?
3. then would I apply my collinite carnauba wax over the sealer?

i would like to do a super job, and i am willing to put in the time. i have a heated garage.

thanks for any advice! forgive my ignorance!

best

Bob

[mjlinane]

Hi Bob. Welcome to Autopia Forums.

First off, the order is right but all should probably be followed by "if needed".

1. No, you don`t HAVE to. If you are happy with the finish, don`t. But, if you see swirls, light scratches, waterspots, etc., then you would polish. Polishing/compounding does remove paint so you should start with your least aggressive combination on a test spot and then inspect. If that didn`t do it, step up. If I were limiting my selection of products, Megs 105 and Menzerna 203 (plus maybe Menz PO85RD) should cover your needs. You would need pads, too - probably orange, white & black for your GG6.
2. Up to you. Sealants (generally) last longer than waxes.
3. You could or you could apply directly on the paint. Collinite is a very durable wax.

[agentxc_02]

As a avid user of Griot products for a few years. My method is wash, clay, polish, wax, then sealant. I do clay my cars once a year or depending on the mileage of the car since its last clay. I sometimes only use polish 3 and 4 then followed with the best of show wax for detailing on my XC70. I have loved their one step paint sealant as i use it on our 08 Suburban to keep it looking new.

[BobbyG]

Hello Bob,

To Autopia Forums!

Basic steps in order are:

• Wash
• Clay
• Paint Correction & Polish
• Seal
• Wax

Clay

In general, I clay once a year but depending on where you live and the contaminates your finish sees might dictate otherwise.

Polish

The clear on your Cadillac is had and can take polishing without much concern. One polish I really like is Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA. This is a great product for removing light to moderate swirls and surface defects. I like to use this with a White then Gray pad on your dual action polisher for best results.

Sealant

I`m a big fan of sealants. Sealants are man made synthetic wax. Sealants unlike waxes contain polymers which stand up much better and longer than their wax counterpart.

There are many quality sealants available today. These are a few I use with much success.

• Menzerna Power Lock
• Prima Hydro-Seal
• Klasse High Gloss Paint Sealant
• Four-Star Ultimate Sealant

Wax

Collinite 845 is one of those beat kept secrets and one of my favorite waxes. By itself it adds 5 solid months of additional protection and leaves the finish looking wet...

[Sleper]

the above posts cover off your questions the only thing you might want to check to see if you need to clay because you can cause maring. Put a plastic bag over your hand and rub over a clean car. If smooth no need to clay but if you feel tiny bumps time to clay. good luck and have fun

[Bobwax]

THANK YOU EVERYBODY!! very helpful!!

any other advice???

best

bob

[Todd@RUPES]

Hi everyone!
I just joined, this is my first post.

i would like to have a go at detailing the exterior of my car. I planned on washing, then claying, then waxing. i own a sears random orbital, and just now got a griot`s orbital and pads. it came with griot`s sealer.

OK. i just started reading, and some people recommend you wash, clay, then polish, then seal, then wax.

i have waxed and clayed cars before with pretty good results. i have a 2008 Cadillac DTS, dark blue color. i would say, paint in very good shape.
1. should I polish after clay treatment? if so, which compound should i use? will I hurt the paint?
2. should I seal the paint before waxing? if so, should I use the Griot`s sealer, or another one?
3. then would I apply my collinite carnauba wax over the sealer?

i would like to do a super job, and i am willing to put in the time. i have a heated garage.

thanks for any advice! forgive my ignorance!

best

Bob

Hi Bob, welcome to AutopiaForums!!!

1. should I polish after clay treatment? if so, which compound should i use? will I hurt the paint?

With out seeing your car or knowing your expectations its hard to say. It would be safe for me to assume that your car would benefit from polishing, only because anything less then surgically precise wash standards will mark and dull the clear coat over time. How much of a benefit you will see really depends on how marked up the finish has gotten in the 4 years since it was built.

Generally a two step polishing system, applied with a Dual-Action polisher such as a Porter Cable is going to create a noticeable improvement to the paint while remaining perfectly safe (no risk of over-heating the paint with very very very mi minimal risk of thinning the paint). Creating swirl marks has really become a do-it-yourself job, although you will get out of it what you put into it. That`s why forums such as AutopiaForums.com exist. They provide the tool to learn as much as you can and give your Cadillac a show quality finish.

2. should I seal the paint before waxing? if so, should I use the Griot`s sealer, or another one?

It depends on your goals, how frequently you wish to apply the wax or sealant, and personal preference.

Generally you can top a wax over a sealant but not the other way around. BLACKFIRE has a combination of a high quality, high-rated premium paint sealant and a super high quality premium carnauba paste that are designed to work together. This combination is a favorite among forum member, enthusiasts, and many high-end detailers: BLACKFIRE Wet Ice Over Fire.

That said, preference plays a big role. If you like the Griot`s sealer and don`t want to change, there is nothing wrong with that at all. Griot`s makes really high quality products and we all have our favorites!

3. then would I apply my collinite carnauba wax over the sealer?

Yes, you can apply the Collinite Wax (which number) over the sealant. Keep in mind that Collinite is extremely durable on its own and many people prefer to use it on it`s one for fear that using it over products could limit its durability. Detailing is very personal, so there is no wrong answer. The fun is finding what works best for you, to your eye`s, on your cars paint!

i would like to do a super job, and i am willing to put in the time. i have a heated garage.

We all started here. It is always fun learning new information and expanding your hobby!

Give this article a look-through when you have the chance, it will get you headed in the right direction: Autopia 5 Step Paint Care Cycle

[Bobwax]

thank youi Todd!!

i am printing all this out, and will read that link you sent!!!! autopia 5 step paint care.


have a great weekend!

bob

[Old Pirate]

Welcome Bob, any more questions please be free to post them.

[Subaroo]

If a car`s paint is in good shape like Bobwax mentions above `very good shape`, could you apply a glaze and then a sealant over the glaze? Will the application of sealant over the glaze make the glaze last longer? Or is glaze a dirty word?

[Todd@RUPES]

If a car`s paint is in good shape like Bobwax mentions above `very good shape`, could you apply a glaze and then a sealant over the glaze? Will the application of sealant over the glaze make the glaze last longer? Or is glaze a dirty word?

Depends on the glaze used and what is used on top of it.

Glaze is a generic term with a lot of different meanings. In a body shop or in the case of Wolfgang Concours Series, a glaze is a finishing polish. Many bodyshop glazes have strong fillers to hide buffer swirls were as Wolfgang Finishing Glaze does not. Glaze can also be an oil based, hand applied product designed fill the paint. Some glazes are sealant or wax based (such as an acrylic glaze) that are compatible with other waxes or sealants.

In the case of BLACKFIRE, Gloss Enhancing Polish is a type of glaze that deep cleans the paint, may round off the edges of minor swirl marks, and leaves behind a `polymer primer`. Using a sealant on top of this is not going have a negative effect.

With the old 3M Imperial Hand-Glaze (which I believe is oil and/or kaolin clay) you may see a decrease in the benefits of some synthetic sealants.

Going the other direction, a lot of Meguiar`s products have their trade secret polishing oils yet all of their paint sealants remain compatible with these oils and may bond find over others...

SO to answer you question (assuming you meant the traditional oil based glaze)...

Some paint sealants and waxes may not last as used over certain glazes. Sometimes it is best to contact the manufacturer or do a small test stop.

In general applying a wax or sealant over a glaze is going to make the glaze it self last longer, provided that the wax or sealant can actually adhere to the surface.