Noob needs help with detail strategy

L

ladydub

New member
Hi – First post here, but I’ve been reading for awhile. I will be getting a new car in a few months and want to take great care of it.

Before that though, I need to get my current car (Subaru Outback) in shape for sale. Besides one real professional detail ($350), a cheap wax from time to time and a regular drive through wash, this car hasn’t had a lot of love in it’s 14 years. It's need the whole deal..clay, polish, wax, etc. Feels rough when I rub my hand over it. But really overall it’s in excellent condition inside and out (no rust at all) and just needs some attention. There is no winter to speak of where I live, but I'm at the beach there is a lot of salt water/air.

I want to do a quality DIY detail. I don't mind investing in products, but would love to consolidate when possible, am interested in bang for the buck and don’t want to buy anything that I wouldn’t want to use on my new car.

The product choices are overwhelming! I’ve never done anything like this, but this is my product list..please critique and let me know where I’m going wrong or am missing!

1. Clean Tires and Wheels

Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash (already have)
Wheel Brush
Old Sponge
Microfiber Towels to Dry

Wheel cleaner?

2. Wash & Dry Car

Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash (already have)
Two Buckets with Grit Guards
Microfiber Mitt
Microfiber Towels to Dry

3. Clay Bar

Clay Bar & Lubricant - Either Clay Magic with ONR or Blackfire Poly Bar and Lubricant or Wolfgang….so confused here, but think I need something that is a medium grade? Or can I save $ and go with the Meguiars Smooth Kit?

4. Polish

Klasse All-In-One Polish (is this to gentle for a polish)? I don't want to use any machine buffer.
Microfiber applicator
Microfiber cloths to buff

5. Wax

Collinite #845 – Do I need a sealant over or under this? Maybe Klasse High Gloss?
Microfiber towels to wipe

6. Trim/Detail

Use Mother’s Back to Black (already have) on Black Trim just cause I have some
Seal Trim and Wheels with 303 Aerospace Protectant

7. Interior

Shampoo carpets and upholstery
Clean dash and interior plastics with 303 Aerospace Protectant
Clean windows with Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner

Questions:

What products should I NOT get on the black plastic trim pieces. I know you have to be careful of paste wax, but I’m not necessarily using that. Can you get clay, polish and liquid wax on the plastic trim?

What’s the best tire/wheel cleaner? What is the best was to “dress” the wheels? Can I just use 303 Aerospace on it or Klasse Polish after cleaning and drying?

On dash an interior vinyl, should can I wipe with a damp towel and then use the 303 Aerospace on it. Do I need to use a cleaner on it between applying protectants? Would I be better off just using something like 1Z Einszett C*ckpit Premium?

Should I use Back to Black before waxing on the trim? Do I need to put anything on after I use Back to Black?

Can I go Clay>Polish or do I need to wash again between?

Thank you for your help!
 
Just my opin...

The big mistake you are making - because you want to do a "Quality DIY"..... is you are doing this all by hand...THE HAND CANNOT MOVE AT 1000-1500 RPM - and therefore your gloss will be compromised at the polish stage. Watch the vids here and buy a random orbital kit with pads...you cannot hurt your paint with a orbital....

I realize this is not what you want to hear, but it is the truth....
 
Your missing a DA polisher, pads, and abrasive polishes. A 14 year old car will need machine polishing if it hasn't been maintained. Unless you got arms like Popeye, you wont remove the defects in the paint by hand.
 
Where are you located ladydub? Somewhere on the coast? If you don't want to invest in a polisher maybe if you have someone close they can help you out. Like said above you aren't going to get great results by hand.
 
I don't mind investing in a polisher, especially since I'd like to do the detail work on my new car, but I would realistically only use it a few times a year.

Could I get this model and also use it as a sander? It would be easier to justify the cost. Some of the reviews seem to use it for both:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-7346SP-6-Inch-Random-Polishing/dp/B002EQ96MG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top]PORTER-CABLE 7346SP 6-Inch Random Orbit Sander with Polishing Pad - Amazon.com[/ame]


Then on my current car (old Subaru) I could do:

Wash>Clay>Abrasive Polish (Ultimate Compound ?) with PC>Klasse AIO with PC>Opti Seal (rethinking the 845)

Does that make more sense?

Thank you!
 
Welcome to AutopiaForums!

The standard flow is Wash Clay Compound Polish Seal Wax. Everything after Wash is "as required".

Probably too big a step to go directly from Megs UC to KAIO on Subaru paint. KAIO is really a paint cleanser (non-abrasive) and sealant.
 
ladydub said:
I don't mind investing in a polisher, especially since I'd like to do the detail work on my new car, but I would realistically only use it a few times a year.

Could I get this model and also use it as a sander? It would be easier to justify the cost. Some of the reviews seem to use it for both:

PORTER-CABLE 7346SP 6-Inch Random Orbit Sander with Polishing Pad - Amazon.com


Then on my current car (old Subaru) I could do:

Wash>Clay>Abrasive Polish (Ultimate Compound ?) with PC>Klasse AIO with PC>Opti Seal (rethinking the 845)

Does that make more sense?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Yes, the PC 7336 will work for you, but for the same price 125ish, you can get the PC 7424 XP from Autopia-CarCare. You will still need pads and a backing plate (regardless of the machine you get).

Here is a great kit with 2 pads, a backing plate, the Porter Cable and the polishes- Blackfire Porter Cable 7424XP Starter Kit

If you wanna spend a little more, you can get the more complete kit the sealant, detail spray towels: Blackfire Porter Cable Swirl Remover Kit


If you are going to polish the paint there is no need to use Klasse All In One (although its a very nice product). Instead, replace the Collinite with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond AFPP and enjoy.
 
OK, so I bought the 7336 from Lowe's because I had a gift card to use. I will watch some videos on how it's done before I attempt to use it.

If I go ahead with the Blackfire products, would I use these pads:

SRC Compound (Orange)>SRC Finishing Polish (White)>AFPP (Red)

Does that start out aggressive enough? And I assume I should tape the trim with the Compounding and Polishing?

Also, I read this on the Polishing for Beginner's Thread:

"Wouldn't it be better to mention that you need many more pads per step than just one?"

^Can someone explain what that means?

Thank you! I can't believe I've been neglecting my poor car for so long!
 
For each step of polishing one pad is not enough because after a while the pad will become oversaturated with polish and clearcoat and will no longer give you the cutting ability or dissipate heat as well. You have to thoroughly clean them out and allow them to dry before using them again, so to mitigate this you use 2-4 pads per each step of polishing. This lets you continue after a pad is no longer useable for the time being.
 
Don't forget you need to purchase a 5" backing plate for your polisher and then 5.5" pads. IMO you need a minimum of 4 pads per step ie as an example in the LC product line 4 orange for compounding, 4 white for polishing and a couple soft pads for applying LSPs.

Here's a link to allot of info with videos--pick and choose those that apply to you and they will answer allot of your questions -- Articles by Mike Phillips - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum -- Make sure you read the article regarding cleaning your pads on the fly.

Question: Does the OP need to replace the counter weight in the 7336 in order to use this unit as a polisher??
 
Thank you for all the advice about my new project! I watched a bunch of videos, got the PC polisher and a whole bunch of Blackfire products.

This won't be a hobby or business for me so I wanted to use products that were durable, had high ease of use and were very low maintenance. With the Crystal Seal, Waterless wash, Rinseless wash, etc. Blackfire seemed like the right choice. Since I'll only be doing family cars, the products should last a long time so I didn't mind making the initial investment.

I'm ready to get started, I just need to get some pads first (and a few days of good weather)! I bought a Total Swirl Kit which came with three of these:

Constant Pressure 5.5 Inch Hi-Gloss CCS Foam Pads

I know I need more pads to get the job done. Would it be wise to just invest in these across the board? Or is there another type of pad that will work better for me?

The cars that I will be working on are Subaru (old Outback, new Outback), Cherokee and Expedition. With the exception of the new Outback, they all need some real attention. I know the Subaru's have soft, sticky? paint, but I don't how that should affect my pad selection.

I will be sure to take before and after pics.

Thanks!! :)
 
Thank you for the link to the videos. I will check them out.

I already purchased a Porter Cable DA polisher. I'm now trying to figure out which pads to get.
 
ladydub said:
Thank you for all the advice about my new project! I watched a bunch of videos, got the PC polisher and a whole bunch of Blackfire products.

This won't be a hobby or business for me so I wanted to use products that were durable, had high ease of use and were very low maintenance. With the Crystal Seal, Waterless wash, Rinseless wash, etc. Blackfire seemed like the right choice. Since I'll only be doing family cars, the products should last a long time so I didn't mind making the initial investment.

I'm ready to get started, I just need to get some pads first (and a few days of good weather)! I bought a Total Swirl Kit which came with three of these:

Constant Pressure 5.5 Inch Hi-Gloss CCS Foam Pads

I know I need more pads to get the job done. Would it be wise to just invest in these across the board? Or is there another type of pad that will work better for me?

The cars that I will be working on are Subaru (old Outback, new Outback), Cherokee and Expedition. With the exception of the new Outback, they all need some real attention. I know the Subaru's have soft, sticky? paint, but I don't how that should affect my pad selection.

I will be sure to take before and after pics.

Thanks!! :)
Click to expand...

I would stick with the Constant Pressure Pads, pick up at least 2 more of the orange and white and you will be all set :)
 
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