Detailing noob: My brain hurts!

D

draft

New member
Ok, I know this is probably the most common thread posted here but I've been browsing all day trying to figure out what products & pad combos would be best, but its all so confusing now!



Bare with me, this is somewhat lengthy..



I've never detailed ever in my life (except for applying some NXT tech wax) so I've been reading lots, watching videos etc



I drive a 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R, bought brand new in July 08, is used as my daily driver.



For the first few months I was only using ONE bucket to wash (BIG mistake) and a microfiber mitt



I only started using the two bucket method & better products (ONR) at the beginning of winter.

The paint is overall still in good condition, but being a daily driver, its got some small scratches, chips etc.

However the most noticable under intense lighting are the swirls and they drive me INSANE!



I'm not sure whether they would be classified as "light" or "moderate" swirls



Moving on..



I picked up a PC 7424 not too long ago, it came with 1 white polishing pad, 2 orange light cutting pads, and 2 black finessing pads.



I will probably keep using the NXT tech wax, but what about cut polishes/finishing polishes?

I've been researching and it seems that alot of products have fillers in them, which is what I dont want.



Anyway, after browsing the forums it seems that the poorboys SSR is a good product?

However will the SSR1 be enough with an orange LC pad? Or should I save myself the time and go with the 2.5? What would be a good product to follow up with after removing the swirls?



Sorry for the lengthy post, there are just so many products out, its mind boggling:sadwavey:
 
from what i understand, Poorboys have fillers. Don't quote me, but i'm pretty sure. I use menzerna products.. they havent failed me yet.



Super Intensive Polish (SIP) is my favorite..



Welcome and good luck!!



BTW, I have poorboy products... my favorite is 2.5
 
:welcome to Autopia. It looks like you're off to a great start! Keep reading as much as you can, that's possibly the best advice I can give to someone new to detailing. :)
 
David703 said:
from what i understand, Poorboys have fillers. Don't quote me, but i'm pretty sure. I use menzerna products.. they havent failed me yet.



Super Intensive Polish (SIP) is my favorite..



Welcome and good luck!!
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why whould you think the SSR have fillers?



IMO there are more post about the Menzerna having fillers :dig
 
I don't believe poorboys has fillers. I haven't used the ssrs but I don't think it would be good to use a final polish with a cutting pad. Save for the ssr2.5



In all fairness I haven't used menzerna either but read something about the polishing oils in it "swelling" the paint which could temporarily hide very minor defects.



Menzerna cost a pretty penny but gets nothing but praise on here. On the other hand pb is quite a bit cheaper and I haven't heard anything bad about the ssr's. The only complaint I've read is not being able to correct some super hard clears with a pc with them. So if your only detailing your car the ssrs would save you quite a bit
 
I learned with meguiars mirror glaze products. I like #83 Dual action Cleaner Polish to remove swirls from most paints. It is not nearly as expensive as Mnzerna but it still does a good job and it is easy to use. Some nappa and auto paint stores carry #83 and other megs stuff.



Really fillers are not that terrible. I prefer to use products that do not fill but some people want good results with less removal of paint. It is just personal taste really. Most autopians don't do the filler thing i believe.



I was once a novice too, but autopia is a great place to learn. Welcome.
 
MBenz, thanks for the welcome, I guess I never thought of it that way either, i would be great to get rid of swirls without removing a whole lot of clear

However dont the fillers just get washed away eventually?



Dsoto, sorry maybe I mis-typed something, I know for sure not to use

a finishing polish with a cutting pad



I guess my main question here is, which pad+polish combo will yield the best results?

I dont want to use something more abrasive than needed, but I also dont want to have to go over everything twice
 
I'd use something that is really user friendly, to give a better safety cushion for you. That's why Optimum polish or 1Z PP/MP comes to mind.



The NXT is a fine LSP (I'm using the Paste 1.0), but if you want to see how other things work maybe you can add them too.
 
MBenz said:
..Really fillers are not that terrible. I prefer to use products that do not fill but some people want good results with less removal of paint. It is just personal taste really..
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Agreed. "Does the car look good for an acceptably long length of time?" is an OK standard IMO.



draft said:
However dont the fillers just get washed away eventually?
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Yeah, but by then you'll usually need to redo some significant aspect of the detail anyhow. There's a limit to how much you can rely on fillers/etc. but generally they last as long as the wax that's over top of them.



Welcome to Autopia! Yeah, you really can keep your car looking nice without making a huge deal out of it ;)



I generally recommend some 1Z polish topped with Collinite brand wax. User-friendly and the Collinite is quite durable.



Bence said:
I'd use something that is really user friendly, to give a better safety cushion for you. That's why Optimum polish or 1Z PP/MP comes to mind..
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heh heh, for once I get to disagree with Bence about something :eek: Just that I don't find Optimum Polish all that user-friendly, at least not compared to some other stuff like the 1Z. Guess that's not much of a disagreement...
 
I really recommend the Pb SSR 2.5 and 1 combo. That will take care of just about anything you can tackle with a PC, and its easy to work with and isn't really expensive.



Good luck!
 
Yes, this must be the first, Accumulator! :D



However, I still think that OP is a VERY user friendly product. It only has one important characteritics: dosage. If you are using too much, it will produce mediocre results, but if you get how little you have to use, it will cooperate like no other. It gives stable, safe lubrication, won't dust, therefore you won't reinstall pico-marring with the dust, cuts pretty good and its performance can be easily tuned with the appropriate pads.
 
Bence said:
.. I still think that OP is a VERY user friendly product. It only has one important characteritics: dosage..
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Well, let's make that *two* critical factors:



-the amount (and yeah, I'm sure I use too much or too little and just enver get it right :o )

-the work time (you gotta work it forever and a day for it to completely break down)



I can absolutely see it working like a charm for somebody else, we all have our preferences and this is one product that just doesn't seem to click with me. So I figure that if I have to struggle with it (and I just won't do that, I'll use something else) then maybe others might find it problematic too. That's really the only reason I caution newbies about using it. Seems like there are more idiot-proof (let's make that "Accumulator-proof ;) ) products to recommend instead, but that's just IMO.
 
So can anyone agree on a good cut polish thats easy to work with, that will also yield great results?



As noted earlier, my car is fairly new so I dont need a super deep cut, i'd say light-moderate



I just read that you can use poorboys in the sun?!
 
When I first tried the OP, I just blindly accepted the *use very little* advice. Done that, and learned its behavior with a high speed-short throw DA. Never a second of struggle. Spreaded well, came off beautifully, finished nicely. Later, it performed absolutely the same with the rotary.



I think the unique thing is that you can stop earlier than the *broken down-turned clear* state. Its film is opaque and you have to check the surface under the film. I find it is not necessary to reach the clear state of the residue unless you are a true perfectionist and push the polish to its maximum performance. It can be broken down when you start working it immediately instead of slow spreading.



But the new formula works entirely differently than the original.





Draft, Optimum is working great in the sun.
 
Ok so someone on a local forum mentioned menzerna power finish. I've never heard of this product up until a few days ago, and it sounds pretty damn good..



How abrasive is this polish? I googled it and read somewhere that it is a light-moderate abrasive? Basically I dont want to be removing more clearcoat than needed, also I would probably use it with a white lake country polishing pad on a black 2008 nissan sentra. I think the clearcoat is pretty soft.



Sorry I know this is repetitive, I just want to make sure I get the right combo so I'm not kicking myself in the *** later
 
craigdt said:
I really recommend the Pb SSR 2.5 and 1 combo. That will take care of just about anything you can tackle with a PC, and its easy to work with and isn't really expensive.



Good luck!
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Is your SSR2.5 by any chance jelly like? All my others are like pudding but the SSR2.5 is like jelly.
 
Where do you live?



My first car was new, I started to detail it about 6 months after getting it (many years ago). I used to detail a car by hand, it had lights swirls and I was able to get the finish perfect. I would buy (if you already have it skip):



soap

clay magic bar

3m swirl mark remover

menzerna final polish II

wax/sealent (your preference)

get some foam/cotton applicators

microfibers



You wont need much if you want to get into it slowly, detail the car and if you like it go nuts.



If your detailing by hand, even with a heavy cut compound I would worry about removing too much clearcoat. With a moderate/light polish I could completely forget about going through the clear. Your hands will fall off before you hurt the paint.
 
joed1228 said:
Where do you live?



My first car was new, I started to detail it about 6 months after getting it (many years ago). I used to detail a car by hand, it had lights swirls and I was able to get the finish perfect. I would buy (if you already have it skip):



soap

clay magic bar

3m swirl mark remover

menzerna final polish II

wax/sealent (your preference)

get some foam/cotton applicators

microfibers



You wont need much if you want to get into it slowly, detail the car and if you like it go nuts.



If your detailing by hand, even with a heavy cut compound I would worry about removing too much clearcoat. With a moderate/light polish I could completely forget about going through the clear. Your hands will fall off before you hurt the paint.
Click to expand...



I live in Vancouver, Canada. I'm sure most users here are from the US?

Anyway, I'll be using a porter cable, I definitely wont be doing anything by hand. That would literally take me forever and would probably yield less results.



I'm not worried about going through the clearcoat completely, I'm just worried about removing too much of it.



I know I will be detailing more later on down the road, so I just want to make sure that I wont be going through the clear completely in say 6 years or so



So basically, the more clearcoat I have years from now, the better

I'm just trying to think of things in the long run
 
Honestly your worried over nothing. I was the same way at first.



Your going to use moderate abrasives once to get the car mint then use mild stuff from there on in. Even if your always using moderate polishs a few times a year the clearcoat on the car will last longer than you own the car.



Have fun with the clear.
 
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