About to start paint correction - need some help

[Nav45]

You mentioned about a foam gun and I would recommend for you to skip it for now. You are starting out to learn washing and polishing techniques. You might experience too much product overload. My impression is you are also doing your own car so I assume you are looking to keep the cost low.

For backing plates, you may want to invest in these two:
Dual Action Flexible 5 inch Backing Plate
3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate

The standard backing plate that comes with GG6 is too big in my opinion for paint correction. I was not able to get results out of it. With the 5inch plate, you can purchase smaller pads that will do correction effectively. The 3inch is for smaller areas.

The M105/M205 combo worked great for me and not so great for me sometimes. The oil in M205 needs a good IPA wipe down and when I used it on black paint, I found it finicky (meaning I caused light marring from my wiping). I also own FG400 but cannot provide feedback until I try it this Spring.

To really reinforce maintaining your car has to be an enjoyable experience. And I found that for myself, the less tools I have to drag out, the more often I wash my car. Nowadays I use a few towels for rinseless and once a month I drag out the hose for a 2 bucket wash.

Hey Zelfiris, you are definitely correct about the product overload part . Wow, my head is spinning from so much information that it`s hard to figure it out sometimes. I`m definitely going to stick to as few products as I can and try to keep it simple.

Thanks for the suggestions, that looks like a good backing plate for the Griot`s DA. I`m definitely going to be using 5 in. pads. But the question is, which ones? I`ve been suggested a few by some nice people and I will give them a look. I just need to find out which pad will work better with soft paint and also be good at removing swirls with a milder polish/compound. I don`t know too much about the difference between a polish and compound, LOL.

Your the second person in this thread who has said something about the M205 leaving a residue behind. Interesting.

Once again, you are correct. I like to stick with a few good products and use them consistently. But the reason I want to get a foam gun and two buckets is because it seems nice to spend a couple of hours cleaning your car. It`ll give me a chance to chill out a bit. It`s one of the reasons why I`m considering the longer wash method rather than the rinseless or waterless wash.

Thank you.

[Accumulator]

Nav45- Yeah, the way 845 is *SO* user-friendly, and its being trim-friendly, does make it easy to just reapply as needed. So don`t be too quick to let people (like me ) get you thinking that you oughta try something else! The Collinite waxes outlast some sealants IME and can provide *better* protection against etching from bugs and birds too.

I`ve generally switched my Collinite applications to their 476S, but again, that`s just me.

The TSO residue from M205 isn`t necessarily a deal-breaker, but on some paints it *has* driven me nuts (and on others it wasn`t an issue). I really am all about the HD Polish though, and I resisted trying it for a long time- I wasn`t expecting to be so impressed (had previously preferred 1Z High-Gloss over the M205 most of the time).

[Tpr1634]

Here`s my 2 cents I have both a PC and Flex 3401 I started using micro fiber pads on the PC with Wolfgang products. I use lakecountry ccs or hybrid with my flex. I also use 845 the best in my book, try different pads with the PC, different polishes find what you like and what works and have fun.

[Nav45]

Nav45- Yeah, the way 845 is *SO* user-friendly, and its being trim-friendly, does make it easy to just reapply as needed. So don`t be too quick to let people (like me ) get you thinking that you oughta try something else! The Collinite waxes outlast some sealants IME and can provide *better* protection against etching from bugs and birds too.

I`ve generally switched my Collinite applications to their 476S, but again, that`s just me.

The TSO residue from M205 isn`t necessarily a deal-breaker, but on some paints it *has* driven me nuts (and on others it wasn`t an issue). I really am all about the HD Polish though, and I resisted trying it for a long time- I wasn`t expecting to be so impressed (had previously preferred 1Z High-Gloss over the M205 most of the time).

I`m actually thinking of possibly going with a coating but I`m not sure. I want to do proper washes but I can probably do them twice a month or so. I`m thinking a good coating will be good for a year and will protect the car from the environment. Please share your input.

If I don`t go the coating route, I will probably go with Collinite 845. But first, let`s see how this paint correction works out!

[Nav45]

Here`s my 2 cents I have both a PC and Flex 3401 I started using micro fiber pads on the PC with Wolfgang products. I use lakecountry ccs or hybrid with my flex. I also use 845 the best in my book, try different pads with the PC, different polishes find what you like and what works and have fun.

Hey Tpr1634, good to know about the Collinite! Certainly seems like a nice product to say the least. What specific pads do you use for light swirl removing on the PC?

You are right: one needs to find his technique and find what products work for him. I need some more pointers and then maybe I will catch on.

Thank you.

[Nav45]

It appears the Mazda 3 has thin paint and the clear coat, from what I`ve read, is delicate (not sure if its the right word to use). I`ve been helped quite a bit by Merlin and that has me leaning in this direction:

Buy Meguiar`s Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Compound. Also, get CarPro Reflect.

My plan is to try the Ultimate Polish first with a certain pad and see how it goes. If it goes well, then try it over the entire car. Then finish up with Reflect. If the Ultimate Polish does not work well, use Ultimate Compound and finish with Reflect.

I`m sure I will be posting quite often here, LOL. My head hurts from all these products and so much information. But I guess it`s part of the learning process. I am thankful for the help I`ve gotten here!

[The Guz]

Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish are good places to start and learn your technique. From there you can move onto another product. The only reason I would not recommend M105 for someone starting out is that it has a slight learning curve and it can be frustrating to use. I would go with M101, Ultimate Compound or D300 over M105. M205 is a good polish. I would recommend you pick this up versus Ultimate Polish. It offers more cut than Ult. Polish where as Ult. Polish offers more polishing oils.

Another compound and polish that gets overlooked is Mothers Professional Paint Restoration System. I`ve used it and it`s user friendly and works very well.

Mothers Professional Paint Restoration System

[Merlin]

Ahh, yes, here`s another product combo I might suggest for light correction and minimal swirl removal.

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction Compound D300 and Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5 inches

Not as aggressive as M105 or M101. They do a great job of removing swirls and a good product for a newbie.
I`d follow the D300/mf cutting disc combo with Reflect & a soft LC Hydro-Tech tangerine or crimson foam pad.

Use the Megs D300/mf disc for correction and Reflect for the polishing. Sorry I didn`t think of this combo earlier.

[Accumulator]

Nav45- I might be just a little biased against coatings as they`re just not right *for me*, but generally I`d keep this simple and just use a conventional LSP.

Sorry, not familiar with Reflect.

When Mazdas have thin paint it can be *VERY* thin, so take it easy in that quest for Autopian perfection Do a few tries with the Ultimate Polish instead of giving up and switching to the Ultimate Compound if the UP doesn`t immediately solve the issues.

[Nav45]

Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish are good places to start and learn your technique. From there you can move onto another product. The only reason I would not recommend M105 for someone starting out is that it has a slight learning curve and it can be frustrating to use. I would go with M101, Ultimate Compound or D300 over M105. M205 is a good polish. I would recommend you pick this up versus Ultimate Polish. It offers more cut than Ult. Polish where as Ult. Polish offers more polishing oils.

Another compound and polish that gets overlooked is Mothers Professional Paint Restoration System. I`ve used it and it`s user friendly and works very well.

Mothers Professional Paint Restoration System

Thank you The Guz. You are stating an important thing: without proper technique, a good product won`t do much good. Thanks for understanding the limitations of a novice.

Appreciate also the recommendations on the compounds/polishes. I can definitely use the help.

[Nav45]

Ahh, yes, here`s another product combo I might suggest for light correction and minimal swirl removal.

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction Compound D300 and Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5 inches

Not as aggressive as M105 or M101. They do a great job of removing swirls and a good product for a newbie.
I`d follow the D300/mf cutting disc combo with Reflect & a soft LC Hydro-Tech tangerine or crimson foam pad.

Use the Megs D300/mf disc for correction and Reflect for the polishing. Sorry I didn`t think of this combo earlier.

Hey Merlin! Those Microfiber cutting pads sure look different (and I`m sure function a bit different from regular pads). Another great suggestion by you. I am going to keep in this in mind. Thank you again.

[Nav45]

Nav45- I might be just a little biased against coatings as they`re just not right *for me*, but generally I`d keep this simple and just use a conventional LSP.

Sorry, not familiar with Reflect.

When Mazdas have thin paint it can be *VERY* thin, so take it easy in that quest for Autopian perfection Do a few tries with the Ultimate Polish instead of giving up and switching to the Ultimate Compound if the UP doesn`t immediately solve the issues.

Accumulator, yes, you are right - I`m going to correct the paint about as reasonably possible. This forum can certainly raise the expectations a little high for us regular people .

I`m going to go less aggressive with my polishing. If I need more correction, I can later use a more aggressive product.

I`ve also been dithering about the LSPs. Every one of those products and methods has a pro and a con (like everything else in our usual life).

I`m thinking with a coating, things have to be done in a certain way whereas with a wax or even a sealant, there might be more flexibility. I`m new to car detailing so please correct me. With a coating, the condition of the car has to be really clean so the coating can do its job. After that, it might protect for 1 +/- year. However, I`m wondering how does one know when the coating has worn off. With a wax, one might wait 2 months and reapply it. With a coating, how does one know? When the water stops beading? Also, with a coating, if one wants to polish the car for whatever reason, I think the coating has to be reapplied. With a wax, it`s a bit easier to just reapply it.

Is a sealant somewhat in the middle? It can be somewhat more flexible to live with but may offer longer protection than a usual wax.

I will try to do as much of my own detailing as possible. The fact that I`m so new to all this, I don`t want to apply a coating improperly. Maybe down the road I can learn to do it but right now, a good wax might be the answer for me. I`m looking for a protection for at least a month. Appreciate your feedback.

Thanks Accumulator.

[Accumulator]

Nav45- I agree with all of your points regarding coatings vs. conventional LSPs.

SOME sealants last longer than durable waxes like Collinite, but some don`t. You won`t go wrong with the 845 and being able to use it on trim is a plus.

I myself use FK1000P on almost all of my vehicles. It`s called a wax, but it`s really a paste sealant IMO. (I view sealants as basically synthetic waxes and I don`t worry about the nuanced details of such stuff.) You should keep FK1000P off trim, but it looks nice, lasts longer than most anything else I can think of, and cleans up very easily at every wash. That`s what I`d use.

So yeah...do a reasonable correction and then wax it with something and work on your maintenance wash technique. Either 845 or FK1000P would be my recommendation. Heh heh, I sure sympathize with your situation as there are just *SO* many different products and approaches! Easy for it to become overwhelming, huh?

[Merlin]

I`m sorry maybe I missed it.

What color is your paint?

[Nav45]

Nav45- I agree with all of your points regarding coatings vs. conventional LSPs.

SOME sealants last longer than durable waxes like Collinite, but some don`t. You won`t go wrong with the 845 and being able to use it on trim is a plus.

I myself use FK1000P on almost all of my vehicles. It`s called a wax, but it`s really a paste sealant IMO. (I view sealants as basically synthetic waxes and I don`t worry about the nuanced details of such stuff.) You should keep FK1000P off trim, but it looks nice, lasts longer than most anything else I can think of, and cleans up very easily at every wash. That`s what I`d use.

So yeah...do a reasonable correction and then wax it with something and work on your maintenance wash technique. Either 845 or FK1000P would be my recommendation. Heh heh, I sure sympathize with your situation as there are just *SO* many different products and approaches! Easy for it to become overwhelming, huh?

Hey Accumulator, I checked out FK1000P and it seems to be a great product - very durable, long lasting and looks good. I also saw a video of it being applied by hand and it seemed to be an easy application (at least visually). From what I`ve read, it`s one of the longest lasting waxes/sealants around. Can it be applied to glass? If so, I might really be interested in it. If I get it, I will try to work around the trim.

I have to say that I`m trying to try out a few products on my current car so I know what to use on my next car. The next car will have some areas with a lot of trim and also in tight spots. So this is where the 845 might be better but it`s not a big deal. I am flexible with either product. I guess I`ll flip a coin or something .

I will definitely try to work on the washing technique even though it will be outdoors in the South. I know where to come when I need more help and suggestions when it`s time for a 2 bucket/foam wash, hehe.

Thanks!