Help bring this car back from the Abysss....

[TA373]

:wavey



I`m working on my dad`s Black 2000 Jetta. I`ve washed with Dawn, clayed, vinegar bathed, and washed again. I`m going to be putting on the Maguires 3 step.



I`ve done the hood so far.



Are there specific types of towels that might help me with the specific steps?



Also, I do have a buffer (ghetto Craftsman) that my folks had picked up a while back. I`d like to use that if possible so that by the end of the day, my arms are still functionial. What pads might aide in certain steps there?



Also, just a random question. do you guys tend to wash your terrycloth towels, and reuse, or do you only use the stuff once. I guess apply the same question to buffer bonnets, and terry cloth applicator pads.



Thanks all...I`m looking forward to learnin`.



Matt

[ehgvette]

I depends on the type of buffer you are talking about, is it a rotary? Random orbital?

As far as the towels definitely reuse them after washing, best to get some microfiber towels in the future. They work wonders, a little pricey, but the difference is well worth it. I don`t know about the other autopians here, but I wash my towels and pads in Dawn!

[imported_BretFraz]

:welcome to Autopia



In general, the softer and more absorbent the towel, the better. Many of us use microfiber instead of cotton terry for those very reasons. Old or poor quality cotton terry will mar the finish you are trying to make perfect so be careful with what towels you use. Lots of detailers buy Fieldcrest or Cannon towels and use them strictly on their cars. Microfiber is revolutionizing the detailing business and there are many sources for them including Autopia Store (click on "shop!" icon at the top of the page).



I always wash my terry towels after use. I`ve had some for several years and they`re fine. I don`t use them for waxing and polishing, but for interior work or cleaning dirty stuff, they`re great. All the cotton towels can be washed together. Don`t use bleach, fabric softener, or those cling free thingys. Just soap, water, and tumble dry.



For buffer bonnets, good ones are hard to find. Some small auto parts stores may stock nicer quality bonnets but the stuff you find in national chain stores are of lousy quality. It`ll take some effort but buy the best bonnets you can find.



Hope all this helps. Happy detailing :up

[TA373]

I`ve only got terry cloth towels to use...so I`ll be gettin` the microfiber towels down the road.



I`ve noticed with my dad`s car that the surface again is starting to feel `wet` but at the same time there are bumps and stuff in the surface. I`m assuming that this is sap and bird bombs that have eaten thru the clearcoat. I`ve finished the whole car using the Paint scrub, and tomorrow, I`m going to polish twice and then go from there...



I`ve also got mild scratches, visable from close up, but not from a few feet back.



I`m assuming that this stuff will only be fixable with a wet sander and perhaps some touchup...



What say you, o` car detailing gods...?



m.

[imported_BretFraz]

Hard to say what the bumps are without seeing it. Usually its surface crud that gets removed by the clay but since you`ve done that step it could be something else. Can you look at the paint with a magnifying glass to see what it is?



Mild scratches will need a pretty aggressive polish to remove followed by milder polishes to remove the swirls. Beyond that you`re correct, wet sanding is the trick.

[Taxlady]

:welcome to Autopia TA373. Take some before after pix

[TA373]

Sorry all, didn`t think to take before pix.



Basically the car is pretty much done, externally, for now.



Here`s what I noticed...

-The stains in the clear coat were helped mostly by the vinegar bath, and then the polishing.



-The polishing didn`t really seem to get the scratches out, and I`m assuming that this was either due to misapplication of product, or just the wrong product (i.e. not abrasive enough...that might be the wrong term---This was Maguires Step 2 Polish)



-The polish never really seemed to come off, at least that was until we rubbed it in and then spritzed it with a bit of water, and then rubbed it in again.



I`d really like to learn what secret products are best for this type of work, i.e. bringing a car back from the edge. I`d like to know the differences between polishes, what types of towels to use for what, and also where to get all this stuff.



I`ve got a pretty new car, and I plan on taking care of it, but it`s my friends/family`s cars that I`m concerned about. They treat theirs like crap and then give up the ghost when a coat of wax doesn`t make the car look new again.



I guess my lack of knowledge regarging clearcoats, painted surfaces and the tools of the trade are keeping me from forming ideas of what is and isn`t possible.



Off topic, when should one resort to wet sanding? What`s like one step below wet sanding? Like the last thing that you could try before wetsanding?



Ahhhh soooo much info, so little time...

As always

m.

[shaf]

Originally posted by TA373

-The polishing didn`t really seem to get the scratches out, and I`m assuming that this was either due to misapplication of product, or just the wrong product (i.e. not abrasive enough...that might be the wrong term---This was Maguires Step 2 Polish)

Meguiar`s Step 2 "Polish"?? Oh man, you should have mentioned your plans earlier - we could have saved you some time! Step 2 "Polish" isn`t really a polish in my books. It`s a non-abrasive glaze, and sorry to tell you this, but you would have been there all week (month?) and still not make any progress. Pick up Mothers` counterpart Step 2 and read the name. Yup. Same idea (glaze).



The product that is (mildly) abrasive is the Step 1 pre-cleaner, but that is fairly useless IMO. You`ll need something noticably stronger, like DACP or some Fine Cut product to deal with moderate swirls or widespread light scratches.



Once you`re done with the abrasive products and have polished out the paint to perfection, THEN you use the Step 2, followed by the Step 3. The Deep Crystal system might be a "step above" for the average user, but it doesn`t come with the ability to deal with anything worse than "mild problems".



My $0.02 :wavey



EDIT: I just re-read your earlier post and you said you used "Paint scrub". Do you actually mean Body Scrub? If so, you may want to try using that more vigorously or a couple more times, since that is more aggressive than the Step 1 and is what Meguiar`s recommends in the absence of things like DACP.

[TA373]

Ok, that makes more sense then, cause I really didn`t seem to notice that much difference after the Maguire`s polish. Not much visual differernce, anyway. I did notice a difference in the `feel` of the paint. But that was all.



2 follow up questions then:

-1. Would I have to start from scratch to fix this...

-2. Either way, what should I look into using (specific products...and stuff that might already be availble locally)





I`m hoping to get this done today or tomorrow. :xyxthumbs



Thanks guys,

m.

[Accumulator]

TA373- Welcome to Autopia. When does one resort to wetsanding? IMO, when you don`t mind repainting the car. It`s just TOO easy to compromise the clearcoat. I`d forget about that course of action. MANY flaws are too bad to remove. Better imperfect paint than NOT ENOUGH paint!



I JUST finished reviving a 14 year old, 186K mile loaner car. A total PO$, appearance-wise, when I started. Looking pretty good now. If you want to redo the Jetta, with locally available materials, you might try this:



For the scratches and swirls, use 3M`s fine cut rubbing compound. It`ll work OK by hand, just DON`T press TOO hard- quit while you still have plenty of paint, just make the scratches a lot better. It`s available at shops that supply autobody/paint shops. Check the yellow pages and call around. SOMEONE will have 3M stuff in stock. This stuff will leave minor swirls of its own. Remove them with 3M`s Perfect-It III Machine Glaze (yes, it works OK by hand). Follow this with a good cleaner wax (I prefer Klasse AIO, but you said "available locally"). The "cleaner" part of the cleaner wax will remove any polish residues you might have missed (remember folks, he`s new at this). Mothers is probably best, but Meg`s and 3M have decent stuff too. You could then top with the "wax" portion of your 3-step kit.



As you`re finding out, there are MANY different ways to go for the final finish (for your application, I`d say buy some AIO and some Collinite). The above regimen will at least get the car looking a LOT better with locally available products. On YOUR car, same thing, except skip the FCRC unless you have some serious scratches.

[TA373]

Cool! This is all good stuff! Basically for MY car, I do intend doing some more research on here to find out what to do and who to buy from...but as for my dad`s car I`ve pretty much been keeping my dad`s car hostage over the last few days, and I don`t want to drag it out much longer than today. He`s happy about how the car looks, but I think he just wants it back. Hell if this stuff really mattered to him, I wouldn`t need to do it right?



I`ll think of what I did over to my dad`s ride the last few days as a `stopgap` and then eventually get to the harder stuff once I get the necessary tools and supplies.



Should I look into a PC? Or is it perhaps a little too early for me to be thinking about something like that? I`ve got a craftsman buffer, but it seems really sloppy/inconsistant...



Anyway, thanks again guys, I`m out to 303 and vaccum the interior...



m.



P.S. has anyone tried Maguire`s interior dash treatments (it`s a foam...) how does it stack up next to 303?

[Accumulator]

TA373- OK, gotcha about needing to get your Dad`s car done (been there..). Very cool for you to have a black car to work on while you perfect your technique.



Yeah, get the PC if you can swing the $. It`s not too soon.



I`m not too keen on foams for treating things like interiors. I myself would go with the 303 instead. Meg`s DOES have some (other) good vinyl treatments though.