A lot of questions!!

[Elonheater32]

I probably should post some of these questions seperate, but I'll see how this goes.



I am sending out my wish list soon and want to make sure I get things right especially since I am a newbie. To start with I am for sure getting either a Flex or a UDM. I need all of the other stuff which is tons of stuff which I need your help with.



I want a good clay and was wondering the difference between the Sonus green and blue clay. Which one do most of you guys use?



I need a good soap to use on my car after the initial dawn wash. I had my mind on the Sonus shampoo gloss.



For the interior I was going to go with the ultima interior shampoo



For the polish I need extra help here.... I was considering using Menzerna SIP and then 106ff. Is that enough to take the swirl marks out since the 106ff is under the category of a "fine polish" according to the Menzerna website. The Audi's clearcoat is supposed to be quite hard.



For the sealant I was considering Zaino Z5 since it is mainly for darker colors and the Z2 is for lighter colors. My car is going to be either black or dolphin metallic grey. Whatcha think? Most people use Z2 though??



As for the microfiber..... I am really afraid that when I wipe the polish and wax off that I will marr the paint by using a microfiber. Is there anything I need to be cautious of or any awesome mfs? Chemical guys???



Let me know what you guys think?

 

[howareb]

I just answered your questions in italics.





I probably should post some of these questions separate, but I'll see how this goes.



I am sending out my wish list soon and want to make sure I get things right especially since I am a newbie. To start with I am for sure getting either a Flex or a UDM. I need all of the other stuff which is tons of stuff which I need your help with.

Dont foget the Pads



I want a good clay and was wondering the difference between the Sonus green and blue clay. Which one do most of you guys use?



Green is gentler than the blue (get the green).



I need a good soap to use on my car after the initial dawn wash. I had my mind on the Sonus shampoo gloss.



Oh no you said the word dawn wash (sorry, that just start up debates around here). Any product mark car wash shampoo is good. Sonus is a good on, NXT Wash and Megs GC are also good OTC.



For the interior I was going to go with the ultima interior shampoo



That is fine. Good stuff.



For the polish I need extra help here.... I was considering using Menzerna SIP and then 106ff. Is that enough to take the swirl marks out since the 106ff is under the category of a "fine polish" according to the Menzerna website. The Audi's clearcoat is supposed to be quite hard.



I am not sure of how severe your swirls are, but yes between the two polishes you will be fine



For the sealant I was considering Zaino Z5 since it is mainly for darker colors and the Z2 is for lighter colors. My car is going to be either black or dolphin metallic grey. Whatcha think? Most people use Z2 though??



I have a dark car an I use both. My main application is 3 coats of Z5 and 1 coat Z2. Each Z-person has their own way they like to us the z 2/5 seleants. The great thing about it is that you can wash and add a layer of z5 z2 or z-cs anytime you like. I (and this is just personal preference) strip everything off at 10 coats. Make sure you get the AIO. I would get the ZFX also, but it is not mandatory.



As for the microfiber..... I am really afraid that when I wipe the polish and wax off that I will marr the paint by using a microfiber. Is there anything I need to be cautious of or any awesome mfs? Chemical guys???



Pickup some quality MF from CG, AG, or here at autopia-carcare. I got myself a set of Sonus towels and I like them a lot. It is everything you need in a nice package.



Let me know what you guys think?

Once you get a good set of pads you will be ready to take on the job. Good Luck

 

[Bert]

I probably should post some of these questions seperate, but I'll see how this goes.

I am sending out my wish list soon and want to make sure I get things right especially since I am a newbie. To start with I am for sure getting either a Flex or a UDM. I need all of the other stuff which is tons of stuff which I need your help with.

The Flex cost about $100-150 more than the UDM but regardless, if I had it to do all over again, I would have paid the extra money and got the Flex, incredible machine. If you haven't already, google some videos on polishing with a random orbital (UDM and Flex are both random orbitals). Regardless to how good of a polisher you get, if your process is awful, your results will be awful. There is a video on You Tube where someone is using the Flex. Put Flex XC 3401 VRG in the search bar and you should find it.

I want a good clay and was wondering the difference between the Sonus green and blue clay. Which one do most of you guys use?

Can't go wrong with either.

I need a good soap to use on my car after the initial dawn wash. I had my mind on the Sonus shampoo gloss.

Sonus is a good shampoo. Ultima's shampoo is better. Makes a good clay lube also. If you want to make washing and claying in the winter easier get some Optimum No Rinse. Do a search of ONR and you will find multiple threads on it. Great stuff. Scottwax has a thread where he describes his wash technique, great info there.

For the interior I was going to go with the ultima interior shampoo

Ultima is a good interior shampoo. 303 also makes some wonderfull carpet cleaners. Just make sure you have a good and powerful wet/dry vac.

For the polish I need extra help here.... I was considering using Menzerna SIP and then 106ff. Is that enough to take the swirl marks out since the 106ff is under the category of a "fine polish" according to the Menzerna website. The Audi's clearcoat is supposed to be quite hard.

You may be able to use SIP and be ready for you LSP (Last Step Product) but using 106ff will make your finish look even nicer, especially since you mentioned a dark paint color.

For the sealant I was considering Zaino Z5 since it is mainly for darker colors and the Z2 is for lighter colors. My car is going to be either black or dolphin metallic grey. Whatcha think? Most people use Z2 though??

I have never used Zaino but the most common method I see on hear by Zaino users is to apply Z5 X number of times and then top that with a coat or two of Z2. I would recommend using Zaino's AIO before putting either down. Also, after you finish polishing, spray some 50/50 water/rubbing alcohol on your paint to remove any left over polish then use Zaino AIO then go to Z5 and/or Z2.

As for the microfiber..... I am really afraid that when I wipe the polish and wax off that I will marr the paint by using a microfiber. Is there anything I need to be cautious of or any awesome mfs? Chemical guys???

A quality microfiber should do the least amount of marring than the alternatives (ie terry cloth, cotton towel, or any other cotton material). If you want to save some money on shipping, go to Target and get some of the grey Vroom towels. They will be over in the automotive section. The grey Vroom towels get much love on this site.

Let me know what you guys think?

If your car leather or cloth? If cloth, your carpet cleaner may work on the cloth upholstery also. After cleaning the upholstery, you probably want to put a stain guard on it. If your seats are leather, you will probably want to clean them and condition the leather. There are numerous leather cleaners, some posters use diluted woolite and love it. There are numerous leather conditioners also, just do a search and you will see them.

 

[Elonheater32]

Thanks guys! I do not have a dry/wet vac..... is this a must for shampooing the interior??

 

[howareb]

Thanks guys! I do not have a dry/wet vac..... is this a must for shampooing the interior??

The Bissell Little green is what a lot of guys here use. If you were going to be doing the detailing on your car only just use your regular house vac to get all the loose dirt up, then use the little green for shampooing. I believe that you have to use the little green shampoo also, which is pretty good. Always pre-treat your spots after you vaccum and let sit for 5mins.

 

[Bert]

Thanks guys! I do not have a dry/wet vac..... is this a must for shampooing the interior??

A house hold vac will suffice but I but eventually you will want to step up to a wet/dry vac. I have the 4 Gallon, 5.0 Peak horsepower Portable Pro Vac from Ridgid. You can get it from Home Depot for $70.