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AdrianStewart

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Oh brother geez ...



I found autopia.org yesterday out of the blue...



Needless to say, I'm embarrassed at how I've treated my Avalanche (and other cars) compared to the 'gods' on this forum! So far, I've spent about 2hrs reading, learning, and pretty much feel utterly behind with my car detailing skills!



Should I be worried about how my truck will look in 2-3 years using the following methods ... I've never polished, truck is almost 1yr old ... not kept in a garage



I wash using ZipWash - mitt & sponge, dry it with a basic bath towel

I wax using Zymol - liquid applied with terricloth 6" handheld buffer, removed the dry with clean 6" terricloth handheld buffer?

To clean tires, one step Foam - spray on kind, when it dries I add wet finish from black magic?



( I'd love to visit Meguires on Sunday here in Central PA, but I have other committment )
 
Heh, that's not really that bad. I was probably worse than you 3-4 years ago when I first got my GTP. I used to wash it with a sponge and Dawn and dry it with rags, some were paint-stained :(. Once I even waxed it without washing first, it wasn't that dirty but still in retrospect still I want to hit myself in the head :).



On the plus side, now that you've seen the light, 99% if not 100% of your poor care can be polished out and you can start fresh and do things right, preventing new marring. Since your truck is kept outside, the first thing I'd reccomend is regular claying.



Also, buy a foam gun, some quality wool mitts (wal-mart actually carries an excellent brand, Eurow, believe it or not), and a good WW drying towel or two. This will cut down dramatically on your wash-induced marring.



Zymol is not a "bad" wax, but it's not really a good one either. Waxes really come down to personal preferance and theres not really a right or wrong, but I would really reccomend something longer lasting for an outdoor car. Finish Kare Pink Wax is dirt cheap and a personal favorite of mine, as is Collinite #915. If you have a light colored truck, consider a sealant like FK2180.



Consider buying a PC, it's not essential to keeping your truck nice but its a huge help. If you can get out to a Meguiars seminar next time they have one in your area, you can learn some really good tips about PC usage. Just don't listen to the product gospel they feed you :).
 
AdrianStewart said:
Oh brother geez ...



I found autopia.org yesterday out of the blue...



Needless to say, I'm embarrassed at how I've treated my Avalanche (and other cars) compared to the 'gods' on this forum! So far, I've spent about 2hrs reading, learning, and pretty much feel utterly behind with my car detailing skills!



Should I be worried about how my truck will look in 2-3 years using the following methods ... I've never polished, truck is almost 1yr old ... not kept in a garage



I wash using ZipWash - mitt & sponge, dry it with a basic bath towel

I wax using Zymol - liquid applied with terricloth 6" handheld buffer, removed the dry with clean 6" terricloth handheld buffer?

To clean tires, one step Foam - spray on kind, when it dries I add wet finish from black magic?



( I'd love to visit Meguires on Sunday here in Central PA, but I have other committment )
Click to expand...



Welcome :2thumbs:



Gods huh, geez man there are some here that have big enough heads, lets not make them swell any more :chuckle:



Just remember, it is more about technique than it is product. There are a lot of great articles in the Hall of Fame forum and that is probably a great place to start. Also keep in mind that there is a huge amount of posts here and topics tend to be discussed over and over so use the Search feature and generally you will find about a zillion posts on just about any subject :D



I have used the blue Zymol liquid, commonly called Zurtlewax and there is really nothing wrong with it. There are many much easier products to use but, I have always gotten pretty good results with it. It can be a bear to remove if you let it sit too long which I am guessing is why you use the orbital to remove it :) I would second the suggestion of looking into a PC, best investment I ever made.



2760frontquarterzymol.jpg




2760tint.jpg
 
AdrianStewart- Welcome to Autopia!



Heh heh, you're doing a lot better by your vehicles than a lot of people.



The only problems I see with your approach are a) the probability of inducing marring (scratches/"swirls"/"spiderwebs"/etc.) and b) the questionable durability of your LSP (Last Step Product, "wax").



a) Wash/dry induced marring will make your vehicle look old before its time. Besides the foamgun, I'd make sure anything that touches your paint is soft enough not to mar it. Many seemingly soft terry textiles are *not* soft enough. High-quality microfiber usually *is*. I found that switching to a high-lubricity shampoo helped keep the marring down too. I used ZipWash (or is it called ZipWax :nixweiss ) and other cheap ones (Westley's comes to mind) for quite a while but I finally decided to upgrade and the difference was striking.



b) When a LSP doesn't last long, your paint can often end up unprotected. The answer could be as simple as putting something long lasting (like Collinite) over top of the Zymol cleaner wax you're using now. You could do a *lot* worse than just sticking with a cleaner wax + straight wax combo.



Other stuff like claying, paint cleaning, polishing, etc. can be beneficial, it's all a matter of how involved you want to get with this stuff. No need to jump off the deep end right away.
 
deep end right away?



maybe I'm slow, but it takes me a good 2-3hrs to wash/wax now ... whats another 1-2hrs? her car won't get done the same day! That car is an 04 Pilot, definitely ready for one of those polish jobs, I'm eager to try the PC ... (I've asked to borrow one already)
 
AdrianStewart said:
deep end right away?



maybe I'm slow, but it takes me a good 2-3hrs to wash/wax now ... whats another 1-2hrs? her car won't get done the same day! That car is an 04 Pilot, definitely ready for one of those polish jobs, I'm eager to try the PC ... (I've asked to borrow one already)
Click to expand...



Yeah, just take things one step at a time, and you'll be fine.



Get the basics down first (full detail):



Wash

Claybar as necessary to remove embedded contamination

Wash/Rinse

Polish with abrasive and/or cleaner as necessary to remove swirls, oxidation, etc.

Wax/Seal
 
Het Adrian, Welcome ! keep on reading and asking. You will find the path to light :)



Hey RJStaaf, For heaven' s sake, remove that black thing from that poor girl' s nose !! It is no better than a marring and scratching, fading tool ... That girl deserves much better than that...
 
Welcome, Adrian!



Similar experience to mine in finding this site. It's become an invaluble resource for keeping my cars looking better than ever. Careful though, before you know it you may become obsessed with this detailing thing end up spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars purchasing related products and equipment. Not that I'd know from personal experience or anything. :o
 
Murat said:
Hey RJStaaf, For heaven' s sake, remove that black thing from that poor girl' s nose !! It is no better than a marring and scratching, fading tool ... That girl deserves much better than that...
Click to expand...



Nah, have been using car bras for years and have NEVER had one leave a single mark on any of my cars. You can't just slap one on and leave it, there is a right and a wrong way to use a car bra. You first need to find one that fits well, take it off frequently to clean it and the nose of the car, don't leave it on while it is wet. I don't leave mine on all the time, forget why I had it on but, I generally only use it for road trips or when the seeminly never ending road construction is going on.



Thanks for the concern but, not necessary :D
 
We all started somewhere.

I never used dishwashing liquid back in the early 90's but did use some very old school products to wash and dry and found the job a real chore



There are probably a hundred or more so called pro detailers in my country that are masters at using harsh industrial chemicals but are miles behind today's technology and autopia techniques because they are standing still, using the same products they always have and the ones I have spoken to know nothing about autopia or the brands we all love to use
 
There are a bunch here who have reached detail god status-but don't worry, they won't send you to purgatory for mediocer car care knowledge. Through much reading and practice you too can be a detail god (as long as you have a credit card for all those products). Now get to work :waxing:
 
OK ...



Step by Step

I'll buy a Porter kit ... but which do I need? I'd like to CLAY, I'd like to POLISH, I'd like to SEAL, I'd like to WAX ... I can spend around 300. I want my 2 vehicles to POP, best in the neighborhood!!!



I'm going to need to read more about the leather fix's ... but thats for another day!
 
AdrianStewart said:
Needless to say, I'm embarrassed at how I've treated my Avalanche (and other cars) compared to the 'gods' on this forum!
Click to expand...



:welcome don't worry, we were all there at one time or another. glad to see that you're here with the rest of us now, as we all can learn from each other... :bigups
 
AdrianStewart- I wouldn't buy a "kit". I'd buy the PC and the exact pads you need. If you have major marring to remove I'd get a 4" backing plate/pad setup too.



IMO you oughta have (Lake County brand):



Orange light cutting pads (2)

Polishing pads (4)

Finishing pads (2)



If you have significant marring you oughta get the 4" backing plate and some orange pads.



Note that IMO you oughta *always* have at least two of everything because [stuff] happens.



Get plenty of high-quality MFs.



Not knowing how bad your marring is I don't know which products to recommend. For people just starting out with this stuff I'd generally recommend 1Z Paint Polish or Meguiar's #80. I wouldn't bother sealing I'd just clay, polish, top with wax. Keeping it simple is a good idea at this point.
 
Now I'm SCARED ... the heck with being embarrassed, I picked up a Makita 9227C today (borrowed)



it has some funky looking bumpy pads, dusty ... and a wool looking thing attached ...



dude's warning to me was, do not use the wool looking thing near the trim?



figures, I'm eager to do this ... but scared to death to try it!
 
I would not use the rotary if you never used one before or practiced on a panel or two...



They can cause some serious problems as in burning the paint..burning trim..ect...



Your best bet is to use a Porter Cable random orbit polisher...safe tool for a beginner..



go to one of the sponsers here and look at the Porter Cable polisher...you can get them at Lowes for 99.00 now..



then go to a sponser and select what pads you need...



Ask more questions and you will get help



But do not use the rotary as of yet...or you may have more problems...



Al
 
you can burn the clearcoat off the paint....especially on the edges...you can damage the trim panels...



It is not a machine for a beginner to try on your Avalanche...



do a search for buffer burns...holograms...burnt clearcoat or paint...you will see what it can do....



Plus it sounds as if you have a 3M waffle pad and a wool pad...you need better ammo than that..lol...



being scared and holding off a bit till you learn may be the best bet now...



you do not want to do a repaint for any mistakes you do...





Al
 
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