Full detail or Quick Detail?

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 12:52 PM

I was wondering whether or not I should thoroughly polish the car for now.

I`m running out of time. I was wondering if I just did intensive polish, then sealant, and wax. I was wondering if that is ok for now then maybe in the summer when I have some time I can do a propper thorough detail.

Is it possible that if I havn`t taken out some scratches now, could I take them out in near future?

Do I have to be perfect in my first detail or not?

**imported_paradigm** · 12-31-2006, 01:06 PM

it`s fine to leave swirls and such until later if you don`t have time. for winter i would just get some protection on the vehicle and wait until spring to do a full detail. no need to be perfect the first time. old scratches come out just like new ones.

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 01:32 PM

Yeah that`s what I was wondering. Since it`s my first detail it`s taking me a while. But that`s also because my Menzerna IP is the "defect" because it takes hours to do an area with that polish because it dries out very quickly and isn`t as effective as it`s supposed to be.

What do you mean `old scratches come out just like new ones`?

**imported_paradigm** · 12-31-2006, 01:46 PM

i was just saying that i don`t think it matters if a swirl or light scratch is 1 day old or 100 days old...it will still polish out the same. of course, if it is a DEEP scratch you would want to repair it quickly to prevent corrosion, etc.

**Accumulator** · 12-31-2006, 02:08 PM

bonoz- That`s right. As long as a scratch isn`t so deep that it exposes bare metal or the basecoat of paint (under the clear on basecoat/clearcoat finishes), marring is merely a cosmetic concern and strictly an eye-of-the-beholder issue.

[Heck], if the marring doesn`t bother you, you could *never* remove it and no harm done. Heh heh, this sounds like another case where continued exposure to Autopia has given the impression that nothing short of perfection is acceptable

With your time running short, I`d consider just waxing it with something like Collinite. If you want to go a step farther, you could apply a user-friendly and filler-rich polish/glaze and *then* the Collinite and it`ll look swell until at least mid-spring.

For that matter, and not to open a whole `nother can of worms...it sounds like the Menzerna approach (no fillers, use it until it mechanically provides the appearance you want) might not be best for you. Maybe a polish like 1z, which both corrects *and* conceals, topped with a heavy carnauba (e.g., the Collinite 746S or maybe Blitz) would give acceptable (to you) results with a reasonable (to you) amount of time and effort.

I get caught between a) not approving of a long struggle to master a product and b) a reluctance to say a person`s problems can be solved by switching to another product :nixweiss

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 02:47 PM

Ok well guys,

I`m sure there might be like one or two scratches that go anywhere near consideration of "serious" scratches. What I`ll do is for now just go over the car with IP, and if I have time then go over it with Klasse AIO, Sealant, and then S100 Carnuba wax.

Then when I get some time I will post pics of those said scratches. Then I`ll see what you guys tell me to do.

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by paradigm

i was just saying that i don`t think it matters if a swirl or light scratch is 1 day old or 100 days old...it will still polish out the same. of course, if it is a DEEP scratch you would want to repair it quickly to prevent corrosion, etc.

Corrosion as in rust?

Is there some way to tell if a scratch is classified as deep?

**mikebai1990** · 12-31-2006, 04:40 PM

A deep scratch is one where bare metal is exposed and could lead to rusting (or corrosion).

**Envious Eric** · 12-31-2006, 05:06 PM

menzerna drying too fast???? thats weird...when i use my stash, i can usually work for longer than meguiars, but shorted than optimum...

but get a glaze to fill in the minor swirling and lighter scratches not taken out by menzerna....

it should take about 1.5-2.5 hours to polish a car, more for a truck....then the glaze step should be about 45-60 min, then wax about 30 min to apply and remove...is that your timing???

also, make sure you are using the right pad....IP on a finishing pad isnt a smart choice to remove defects

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 05:10 PM

Ok then I don`t have one of those. But if I did have one of those how would I go about fixing it?

**bonoz** · 12-31-2006, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by toyotaguy

menzerna drying too fast???? thats weird...when i use my stash, i can usually work for longer than meguiars, but shorted than optimum...

but get a glaze to fill in the minor swirling and lighter scratches not taken out by menzerna....

it should take about 1.5-2.5 hours to polish a car, more for a truck....then the glaze step should be about 45-60 min, then wax about 30 min to apply and remove...is that your timing???

also, make sure you are using the right pad....IP on a finishing pad isnt a smart choice to remove defects

No that is not how long it is taking me. Polishing is taking a lot of time. And I`m using IP on an Orange pad, I think light-cutting pad.