Finally almost ready to begin. What am I missing? Tips?

S

sremick

New member
After a bit of a lull (that darn life outside of car-care) I'm ready to pick back up and begin. I've been collecting stuff over time, and today finally ordered my Porter Cable 7424. Here's what else I have:



Clay Magic kit

Sonus DAS pad kit (yellow flexplate, orange pad, green pad, blue pad, buffing bonnet)

Lots of assorted MF towels

Sonus Cockpit Detailer

Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer

Sonus Acrylic Spritz

Sonus Rim Bright

Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing Gel

Poorboys Natural Look dressing

303 Aerospace Protectant

303 High Tech Fabric Guard

303 Cleaner and Spot Remover

Meguiars SCRATCH X

Meguiars NXT Generation Speed Detailer

Klasse AIO

Klasse SG

Meguiars #80

GR-40 Trim Cleaner

Adam's V.R.T.

Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax

Black touch-up paint (body)

"Hyper silver" touch-up paint (rims)

Leatherique Pristine Clean

Leatherique Rejuvinator Oil

Stoner Invisible Glass



About to buy:

Pinnacle Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad

1Z Einszett Anti-Insekt

Poorboy’s Bug Squash



Question #1: Any glaring omissions?



Question #2: Procedure... given what I have, what order and with what pads? I think the order would be:

Bug treatment, wash, clay, chip repair, #80, AIO, SG, Souveran, but I'm not sure the best pads to use with each (blue w/ SG and Souveran?)



So excited to finally be ready to do this... I've spent way too much to have waited this long and not used it yet!
 
That's a pretty complete list. No real glaring omissions from what I can see. You might consider a grit guard for your wash buckets. I've also found a Gilmour foam gun to be pretty useful, but you'll get folks on both sides of the foam gun. What kind of car wash are you using?



As for you second question, I'd probably work like this:



#80 - green polishing pad, speed 5

KAIO - blue finishing pad, speed 4

SG - by hand with microfiber applicator (or orange pad w/buffing bonnet, speed 3)

Souveran - by hand with foam applicator (or blue pad, speed 3)



You may consider getting additional pads so you can have products dedicated to each pad. This will help you avoid any cross-contamination between products. Of course all of the above is based on personal preference and working style. You may find a different methodology works better for you. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error, but that what makes it fun! :2thumbs:
 
That is quite a list ....



You might need something with a little more cut for those cases where paint correction is needed (swirls, light scratches, water etching, etc.). The #80 and a PC will be effective for only light marring IMO.



Have fun!
 
Actually, I don't do the bucket method for washing... I actually invested in a Mr Clean Autodry, which I've been using and it works pretty well. I wash with a sheepskin mitt. Sorry, I should've mentioned that on the list.



I was actually thinking of applying the SG and Souveran using the PC. I'm a bit confused by what you meant for applying the SG by machine.... apply it with the buffing bonnet? Wouldn't both the Souveran and the SG be applied with the blue pad and removed with the bonnet (which would be over the orange)? Do I need the gray or red pads out there?



I think the original idea with me getting the #80 was that I was a newbie and it would be the most newbie-proof. :D There actually isn't much for swirls... there's some "spider-webbing" I guess you'd call it, a couple light scratches that your fingernail can't pick up (2-3) and 2-3 chips on the hood I'll be trying to repair (primer exposed, no rust). You think I'll need yellow for any of that? Something more than #80? I have ScratchX... could I get by working that by-hand on the few bad spots and then clean-up with #80 et al?



I had wondered about getting extra pads... was holding off until I got feedback on this thread. So maybe I'll get a yellow or two, and some extras for orange/green/blue... is there any need for white, or will the green be ok? Gray or red? Lake Country CCS 6.5" ok?
 
Klasse Sealant Glaze can be kind of fickle to use. Do a search and you'll find half a dozen ways to apply and remove it easily. The bonnet over the orange pad to apply KSG was merely a suggestion, but not necessarily the go to method for application. It doesn't take much KSG and often the biggest mistake is applying to much.



If your car only has some light swirl marks, you should be good to go with #80 and the green pad. It may take more than one pass, but I've generally had good success with #80 for removal of medium to light swirl marks. And as you said, ScratchX can work for any of the deeper imperfections and usually won't require additional polishing if you worked the product by hand properly.



I really only have three pads in my arsenal: light cut, polish and finish. I have two polish and two finish with one light cut. That works well enough for me. If I feel I need to step up the aggressiveness, I typically turn to a stronger product rather than a pad. So if you were using the Meg's line it would be #83 on a polishing pad. The product has a bit of a learning curve, but it sounds like you might not need it out of the gate anyway.



Pad size is typically 6" - 6.5" and that's pretty universal across manufacturers. I've recently switched to 4" pads for tight spots and heavier defect removal and love them. You may consider doing some research to see if they would be appropriate for your paint.



Hope that helps!
 
Sremick: +1 on the Mr.Clean Autodry. I'm not sure what colour car you have but on my Obsidian Black Pearl Impreza it's a huge time saver and absolutley neccesary as a pre wax step, otherwise I always have errant water spots that get trapped under the wax. I find the soap too gentle for the daily driver and it's road grime, but on a cleanish car (normal dust and dirt) it's perfect.



MatrixXRS: You mentioned the corrective ability of ScratchX by hand. This intrigues me as I have some specific areas that require correction but have been banned from buying anymore products for the car otherwise 'she won't marry me in two weeks'; so no PC. What applicator do you use, and how much work is involved in correcting minor swirling? If the results turn out good I might get nuts and attack the whole car.
 
evilWagon said:
MatrixXRS: You mentioned the corrective ability of ScratchX by hand. This intrigues me as I have some specific areas that require correction but have been banned from buying anymore products for the car otherwise 'she won't marry me in two weeks'; so no PC. What applicator do you use, and how much work is involved in correcting minor swirling? If the results turn out good I might get nuts and attack the whole car.
Click to expand...



Here's a little more on ScratchX for you:



How To Apply ScratchX by Hand to Remove Swirls, Scratches, Etchings and other Below Surface Defects
 
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