Questions Questions Questions

[07CivicEX]

after evaluating autopia for about 4 months since i got my new civic... i really ahve a lot of questions runnign through my head... im wondering if anyone could answer a lot of my questions ??? the questions kinda come and go so it`d help a lot of anyone got aim or yahoo ??? i`d really appreciate it a lot. thanks

[imported_DieselMDX]

I dont have aim but go ahead a shoot some ? off Ill help if I can

[07CivicEX]

I dont have aim but go ahead a shoot some ? off Ill help if I can

alright thanks for reply. i don`t have a PC... so i was wondering if i could hand apply the i believe it`s called #7 ? it`s the meguiars mirrior glaze show car glaze tannish bottle, onto my car. i see some swirls on it already... it`s an 07 civic black. if i can hand polish the car... how should i put it on ? i got those application pads too. i don`t understand what it means to cure and all that using polish. so do i just work the whole entire car with polish ? or do i let it sit for a certain amount of time ? could i use terry cotton towels to buff the polish off ?? or should i use something else such as MF ? i don`t really know what people mean by hard clearcoat or soft. Is there a way i can damage the car`s paint if i don`t know what i`m doing with the polish ?? there`s more when i get these answered... thanks a lot

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

alright thanks for reply. i don`t have a PC... so i was wondering if i could hand apply the i believe it`s called #7 ? it`s the meguiars mirrior glaze show car glaze tannish bottle, onto my car. i see some swirls on it already... it`s an 07 civic black. if i can hand polish the car... how should i put it on ? i got those application pads too. i don`t understand what it means to cure and all that using polish. so do i just work the whole entire car with polish ? or do i let it sit for a certain amount of time ? could i use terry cotton towels to buff the polish off ?? or should i use something else such as MF ? i don`t really know what people mean by hard clearcoat or soft. Is there a way i can damage the car`s paint if i don`t know what i`m doing with the polish ?? there`s more when i get these answered... thanks a lot

haha you should number your questions buddy...

first of all, PM me all/any questions you have, and I`ll answer them to the best of my ability...



Now...

I think the consensus here on autopia is that you need a random orbital, at least...

You can do a lot by hand, especially if the car is new like yours, but a PC or griot`s random orbital is great for paint maintenance and keeping it in tip-top shape



You can apply #7 by hand, but like I said, it would be better with PC... since you already have swirls, I doubt #7 will remove them, so you will need a little more abrasive polish, such as meg`s #82 or #9, maybe even more abrasive...



you don`t need to let the polish cure, you let a wax or sealant cure, before applying anything on top of it...



i would recommend using microfiber towels instead of terry towels as it`s much easier to scratch a finish with terry towels...



there`s nothing to understand when it comes to hardness of clearcoat... some is hard, meaning it`s more difficult to correct since you need to do more passes with a machine and/or more abrasive polishes in order to get a scratch out... soft clear coat corrects easily... single stage paint is the easiest to correct, but also most dangerous since you can burn through the paint easier than b/c paint...



yes you can damage the paint if yo dont` know what you`re doing, especially with a machine, especially with a rotary... even by hand, if you use a towel or applicator pad that has some tiny particles in it, you can scratch up the paint...



hopefully this answers some of your questions, and I know there are more... I remember a few years back being in the same boat, and looking at 100s of different products/tools and getting a headache... I`ll tell you this much, you`ll never really completely know about every polish, wax, etc.... because new stuff is coming out and some stuff you just won`t see mentioned anywhere



again, if you have anymore questions, post here or PM, glad to help out



my first suggestion to you for detailing is to visit autogeek.net and buy some sort of starter package there... it usually goes for around $200-250 and includes everything you need for paint correction (PC, couple pads, couple polishes, towels)

from there you can expand your collection to cleaners, tire dressing, leather stuff, etc...