FULL DETAIL... help me through it! *pics*

[imported_nadir]

well... after practicing on my dad`s corolla, i think i have a pretty good feel for my new PC and the LC pads that I bought last month. I`m at the end of spring break and this is the last weekend I think i`m ever going to find time to do a full detail on my car. Here`s some quick info on the paint:



-1996 superblack (8 yr old paint)

-the front driverside door was repainted last year when my neighbor backed into it so it is almost in perfect condition



-the entire front side of the car (front fenders, hood, bumper) is covered with tiny chipmarks from 160k miles of driving.

-the hood is in the worst condition... heavy swirls, chips, and now spiderwebbing.



- I did attempt klasse last year by hand but only good results were the side doors/panels





I just washed the car... it was high noon so there`s some waterspots on the car... hopefully the claybarring tonite will remove those.



Okay, here are some pics of what the car looks like right now... the BEFORE shots:



heavy swirls / chipmarks on hood:





spiderwebbing / swirls





overall hood condition... swirls !





side angle... hope to get more clarity/depth:







With that said/shown...

I am hoping to hit the car w/:

clay bar -> 1Z Ultra Polish -> 1Z Paint Polish -> Klasse AIO -> then what?



I could go klasse SG, Zaino, or 1Z express polish. btw, is there a cure time for klasse AIO? I am leaning more towards Klasse SG but I heard it was too much effort lol. I probably will go for SG though... I`m going to do the detail tonight when I get back from work. Hopefully I will spend alot of time tomorrow too detailing it and finally finish up sunday morning or something. Hopefully it won`t be that long.



Any advice/tips would be much appreciated! thanks

[imported_Tek]

Im a newbie at this board, but I know some of the stuff.



Well the way your hood looks like at that condition, you might have to wetsand ur hood. Don`t forget to use polish and wax after u wetsand ur entire hood. There are helpful links on this fourm. *search*.



The reason why i said wetsand because you going to have sand down to the point where until u feel the smothness again, and remember use alot of water while your doing it. Also don`t forget to do even strokes.



I was gald u to help you.



*Sorry, I don`t know what grade of wetsand paper. ...Search :bounce :up

[imported_nadir]

thanks for the help.



wetsand.... eek! I don`t trust myself with sandpaper.



Well, I just spent 1030PM-midnite claybarring my entire car... damn the maxima is a whale. I don`t think the car has ever been claybarred before... it`s amazing to feel the paint after claybarring it. It`s so smooth! the panels towards the rear were horrible... it felt like sandpaper as i was clay-ing it!



anyways, gonna hit the car with the PC and ultra polish... hopefully that will fix some of the terrible marring on my hood!

[2wheelsx2]

Tek might be right, but I would not go so extreme as to wetsand right away. You have the right idea. Go through your routine, and prior to AIO, examine your work.



You may have to do several passes with the 1Z polishes to get to the finish that you want.



For the water spots, if they are still there after the claying and polishing, try vinegar. If they are truly water spots (and not etching) the vinegar should do the trick. Make sure you wash well afterwards to neutralize the acid.



AIO needs no cure time. You can wipe on/wipe off. It`s mainly a cleaner with a tiny bit of sealant to protect the paint. IMO, AIO is not so great without SG. SG is pure protection, and also has some filling ability.



Many here do two coats of AIO initially to ensure 100% coverage.



For SG application, search for Bill North`s wipe on/wipe off method. I believe that solves most new users` problems. I am old school, and I work the SG in super thin, and let dry for 45 minutes to an hour. Then wipe off. If you want to do more than one coat, wait 24 hours so that the SG can cure.



I`ll let other experts chime in on the 1Z polish use, as I have not tried them. I am a DACP user. Good luck.

[imported_BretFraz]

For polishing I`d try the 1ZPP first with the most aggressive pad you`ve got. Crank the speed to 6 and work a small section at a time. 1ZPP stays "wet" a long time so you can really work a section if you need to. Stop, wipe off, and evaluate. If you feel you need the Ultra, try it after the 1ZPP. You might want to limit the Ultra use to the horizontal panels and use PP on the vertical ones where there is less swirls, oxidation, etc.



Don`t be afraid to experiment with polishes, pads, speeds, and pressure. Its the only way you`re gonna learn how these products work on your car. Your car is the perfect canvas for learning how to use a machine and polishes so take advantage of it.

[andriver]

I second what Bret said. Additionally, I would go with Glanz Wax as a sealant.



Here`s my wife`s mustang after PP, MP & GW.

[kustomsol]

You might try a vinegar (acid) rinse to remove some of the deposits. A section at a time and rince with water well. Beats the heck out of wet sanding.

[imported_nadir]

thanks guys.



Those water spots came off without a problem after claying the car. I can notice some clarity back in the hood and other parts of the car.



I am sure the wetsanding would help out with the rock chips that I have... at least the ones that are not so deep. However, I would want to leave that for another day... or when I become more experienced witih the basics like PC handling.



I will take your advice on the 1Z UP only on vertical surfaces... makes sense! I`ll try 1Z PP first and see if that works. I`m pretty sure I will need the UP because of those spider webbing that`s all over the hood. Maybe UP w/ a cutting pad?



Oh yeah, is it ok to remove the residue left behind from the QD/clay by just spraying the QD again on it and buffing off w/ a microfiber? I don`t want to wash it again... thanks.

[6']['9]

my buddy had the same problem i used the menzerna ip followed by hand polish then finished it with exp. i dont think you have to wetsand cause those dont look too good. or you could try poorboys swirlmark removers. just take your time and work section by section not panel by panel good luck

[imported_nadir]

well, i am using UP w/ yellow cutting pad and at 5k RPM... those spider webbing just become a bit fader but they`re all still there. I think the hood in total is a lost cause because it`s just covered with chipmarks.



Can I go for klasse AIO right after the UP/yellow cut??



Also, what pad do you guys recommend for the AIO? White or orange? I`ve got both... haven`t tried the orange yet. They`re all LC pads btw.

[Accumulator]

nadir- The 1z UP won`t leave a ready-to-wax finish. You`ll have to follow up with the PP. THEN go with AIO if that`s your choice (the K twins as LSPs).



I`d crank the PC up to 6 with the UP/cutting combo. Then PP with cutting, then PP with polishing.



Then AIO with the POLISHING pad.



Not wetsanding when you`re unsure of your abilities in that area: :xyxthumbs

[teamvegas]

I second Accumulator!



Stay away from the wetsanding if your own abilities are unknown.

[GoodnClean]

Make sure you`re working the product in long enough, I agree with everyone here, I always swirl remove at speed 6. What I would try is concentrating on one quadrant of the hood, work the polish in well in this area and this area only until it looks like you want it to look. In my experience when I see swirls that are fading but not disssapearing and I know they`re not super-major I`m not working the polish in enough.



Also watch for the cutting pad getting gummed up with product. This can happen faster than you think. I sometimes need as many as 4 cutting pads to get around a well swirled car when I`m really going over sections well.

[imported_nadir]

So far, I`ve been able to do UP and PP on the car... the swirls have reduced incredibly!



here`s some hood pics again... alot of the webbing didn`t go away, but rather faded.



anyways, I took same angle pics w/ the sun overhead: