First timer: Review my product list...

D

dartmouth01

New member
Hi everyone,



I've been stopping by this site for a few months, and now I think I'm ready to step into the world of detailing. I put together a list of items to order, can any of you see things I'm missing? First off, I'd like to order all the stuff from one site to save on shipping costs and make sure I get everything by the weekend. Right now I've picked everything from the Top of the Line site. Second, what I'm looking for is durability over looks. I have to park my car outside, and there is a good amount of contaminates around now: bird droppings, pollen and leaves, and good ol' RI air. So I need protection first, but looks are important too. I also don't have time to do more than a washing and maybe a spray detail once every week or two. Currently, I wash with Gold Class, Mother's clay bar trouble spots, and use NXT wax once a month (would like to use something that lasts longer so I can cut down my wax time). I do have a 7336 PC but no pads currently. The level I guess I'm trying to acheive is between my current level and dedicated enthusiast finish. Third, the car is a 6 month old silver(metallic) G35, and the paint is still in excellent shape. No webbing or significant scratches, swirls or anything else I can find.



So here's my list....



-Universal Flex Pad Holder

-LC 7.5" Pad Best Buy

* Choose: : White Polishing

-LC 7.5" Pad Best Buy

* Choose: : Blue Finishing

-Terry Bonnets 6.5"

-Wool Wash Mitt

-P21S Bodywork Shampoo

-Auto Detail Clay

-Final Polish ll

-Menzerna FMJ Kit

-Aquapel Glass Treatment

-P21S Wheel Cleaner

-RimWax for Wheels



I appreciate all your help in advance!
 
dartmouth01 said:
So here's my list....



-Universal Flex Pad Holder

-LC 7.5" Pad Best Buy

* Choose: : White Polishing

-LC 7.5" Pad Best Buy

* Choose: : Blue Finishing

-Terry Bonnets 6.5"

-Wool Wash Mitt

-P21S Bodywork Shampoo

-Auto Detail Clay

-Final Polish ll

-Menzerna FMJ Kit

-Aquapel Glass Treatment

-P21S Wheel Cleaner

-RimWax for Wheels
Click to expand...



Welcome to Autopia!



TOL is great to do business with. Here's how I'd alter your list, hope it doesn't sound too critical.



Get more mitts. I use several at every wash; once I've done a dirty area I won't use the same mitt for not-too-dirty areas.



Get some kind of BHB for your wheels.



Get a bunch of MF towels, including some WWs for drying. TOL's suede-style ones are nice for buffing LSPs.



Don't get the 7.5" pads. With the PC they're just too big and heavy..any applied pressure will make it merely "jiggle". Stick with 6.5" pads. The *ONLY* time I use 7.5" pads is with a rotary, period. I find the 7.5" ones utterly useless on the PC, don't even like them for applying LSPs.



Don't get the terry pads. I can't imagine *any* use for them and they're *very* likely to mar your paint.



Find a shampoo that you can get in gallons. The P21s is nice but you're gonna go through that in no time and it's sorta pricey. Saving money here will pay for some of the other stuff I consider indispensable. IIRC, TOL's Bubble Bath is well-regarded.



If you use the RimWax you won't need wheel cleaner very often. Just use shampoo mix for normal cleanings as the wheel cleaner will clean off the wax. I'd just use the same sealant on the wheels that I use on the rest of the car, but that's just me.
 
Thanks for the info. I'll make the changes you suggested, but let me get a couple things straight:



1) I have an Absorber towel and a chamois for the lower parts of my car/wheels for drying. I also have some MF towels for autozone. If I'm just looking for towels/pads for drying/buffing the paint, what should I get from TOF? The suede ones look nice, but are kinda pricey, so I'd only like to buy only enough to cover my need. Would the $3 MF towels on the site be OK? I guess what I'm saying is I'm still confused as to the number of towels and type I should be using on each step.

2) This bring up the question of steps. After washing, the steps I have planned would be: claying the whole car, rinsing, polish with FPII, glaze with Finishing Touch, and then seal with FMJ. What steps should/can I do with the PC, and what steps would be better by hand? What pads and towels should I use for each step?

3) It looks like the variable contact LC pads only come in 7.5". So you would recommend the LC flat pad that are 6.5"? I'm fine if I just go with a couple white and a couple blue pads?

4) And finally, FMJ would be fine to use to to seal the wheels after cleaning, as you suggested, correct? I'd clean them with a snampoo mix instead of wheel cleaner in this case as well...



THanks for your help! Sorry to sound like a noob.....
 
[quote name='dartmouth01']



1) I have an Absorber towel and a chamois..[and]..I also have some MF towels for autozone. If I'm just looking for towels/pads for drying/buffing the paint, what should I get from TOF? The suede ones look nice, but are kinda pricey... Would the $3 MF towels on the site be OK?

2) After washing, the steps I have planned would be: claying the whole car, rinsing, polish with FPII, glaze with Finishing Touch, and then seal with FMJ. What steps should/can I do with the PC, and what steps would be better by hand? What pads and towels should I use for each step?

3) It looks like the variable contact LC pads only come in 7.5". So you would recommend the LC flat pad that are 6.5"? I'm fine if I just go with a couple white and a couple blue pads?

4) And finally, FMJ would be fine to use to to seal the wheels after cleaning, as you suggested, correct? I'd clean them with a snampoo mix instead of wheel cleaner in this case as well...QUOTE]



I dunno how helpful I can be with the Menzerna stuff as I've only used their FPI. But this stuff isn't all *that* different across product lines so maybe I can extrapolate a bit from the stuff I have used.



1) If the MFs you have now don't mar your paint then they're OK. I dunno about TOL's cheapest ones, I don't skimp when it comes to MFs. I haven't checked their site lately, but see if they have a waffle-weave for the final drying. Don't worry about the suede-style ones if the price is prohibitive. WW for drying, soft plush ones for everything else.



Number- get more than you think you'll need, I can't say how many you'll use but it'll be more than you'd expect. It'll take at least: 2-3 to buff off the polish; 1-2 to buff off the glaze; 1-2 to buff off the FMJ. I'd realistically expect you to need perhaps twice that many.



2) I'd do the polishing by PC and maybe also the glazing. I'd apply the FMJ by hand.



Polish with a polishing pad (e.g., Lake white). Glaze with either a polishing or a finishing pad (not sure as I haven't used their glaze). I prefer to use a polishing pad when I glaze.



I apply by-hand stuff with the yellow foam applicators or a MF towel (usually the pad for LSPs/glazes and the MF for polishes).



Buff all products with soft MFs that don't mar the paint. No real need for fancy job-specific ones, just make sure they're soft enough.



3) Yeah, IMO you'll do fine with the ~flat LC pads. They work fine for me. Get a few more polishing pads than you think you'll need. Two finishing pads should be fine.



4) Yeah, that's the approach I use on my S8 (only I use UPP instead of FMJ). Try it that way and see how it works.
 
Thanks so much Accumulator! Yeah, I'm trying to budget my money and gradually build up my detailing arsenal, but I'm not going to skimp on the towels if its important.



If anyone else has other comments, let me know! I just read about foamers, now I think about purchasing one of those too..... :-)
 
dartmouth01 said:
I just read about foamers, now I think about purchasing one of those too.....
Click to expand...



Yeah, IMO the foamgun is money well-spent. Learning to wash properly with one of those is just great, no more wash-induced marring to deal with.



Note that I'm a *BIG* proponent of shooting the foamgun through a BHB. Even on a very dirty car, you can get by with one BHB and maybe two mitts (use the BHB first, then the mitt). BHBs last for years, so I consider them to be money well-spent too. Something to consider....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top