Hello from CT

S

Steve_33

New member
Greetings from CT.

I have just started getting into the whole detailing thing after bad experience with a car wash place. Realized I spent a lot of money on a car just to have a place scratch and add swirls to the paint :( Im here to learn some of the basics and get help. I have a black honda accord so keeping it clean is somewhat hard but when she is clean the car looks amazing.
About the car:
I would say there are swirl marks and some light scratches on the hood and trunk. There are also some chips on the hood from my commute to work. Overall I would say the car is on the moderate side of things.

What I have so far:
Chemical Guys Suds II soap
Meg's Mirror Glaze 105 Ultra Cut Compound
Meg's Mirror Glaze 205 Ultra Finishing Polish
Blackfire Clay Bar
Blackfire Clay Lubricant
Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protector
Blackfire Total polish & Seal
Power washer
Foam gun
303 Aerospace protectant for the interior
Microfiber towels
and an orange, white and gray cutting and polishing pads
Porter Cable 7424XP DA

I have been buying things slowly but have yet gone through the process of detailing.

So now is the time.... I have been looking at flowcharts on how to detail and I believe I have most of the stuff needed to complete. However I am a little confused with a few of the products as I was going through the flowchart.

Here is what my process was going to be and I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could tell me your opinions and thoughts and correct me if I may have missed a step.

Wash the car
Clay the car
Since the car has some swirls and scratches I was going to use the Meg's 105 however I was reading the Blackfire Total Polish and Seal is for light swirls... where im confused
After removing the swirls go with the Meg's 205
then Blackfire All finish paint protector

Does this sound right to you guys?
Am I missing a step? or product?

I was looking into Chemical guys V36 and V38 as well as their Blacklight and V7 hybrid for the spray wax but I'd like to get your opinions.

Sorry for the long post.
Thank you

Steve
 
Welcome to Autopia !! Sounds like you have a nice range of products and are definitely on the right track. If your car has light swirls than BFTPS or M205 should remove them. It not you can always bump up to 105. Just remember to start with the least aggressive product first and move on up from there.

I love Blacklight and have a bottle of V7. When it's done I won't be getting anymore. I find that Megs D156 is much better, so much easier to use, and costs a lot less.
 
Welcome to the forums! I agree with Pats300zx, test your products on your paint from least aggressive to most aggressive but I have a feeling your best off doing M105 then M205 to get rid of most if not all of the scratches. I assume you also have grit guards for your buckets?

Rinse, wash, clay and dry panel by panel, M105, M205, IPA/eraser wipe down, Blackfire sealant, wax (optional)

Don't forget to tape off your trim, I recommend doing one panel at a time as you compound. I also recommend cleaning the pads often, I hope you have 3-4 pads of each type.
 
Hi from a former citizen of the peoples republic of t.

Where in CT ?

Advice above is good, so nothing for me to add.
 
welcome to AF. you've got a great basic set up, but you can always use more pads and microfibers. with just one cutting and polishing pad, you'll find yourself stopping more to clean in the middle of working and that slows things down a lot. you're going to love the blackfire products, one of my favorites!
 
Thanks guys. I do have a lot of microfiber towels. I have 2 of each pad. Probably will pick up some more. Really dumb question but what is an IPA/eraser? The only IPA i know is beer...lol Sorry for the newbie questions.

@Ronkh - Danbury



Also, can anybody suggest any wheel shine? I have Stoners More Shine but Im not too happy with it. Im looking for a more wet look and I feel like Stoners is more of a dull look.

Thanks
 
IPA stands for Isopropyl alcohol (mixed/diluted with water of course) Recommended dilution ratio’s very wildly (10%-50% IPA to 90%-50% Purified water) *assuming the IPA is 99% alcohol. One of the preferred alternative is Car Pro Eraser (also contains alcohol) to wipe down the car after the final polish to remove all the TSO (trade secret oils) that prevent sealants and more importantly coatings from adhering to their full potential.

I just happened to come across a video comparing the two (my first order of eraser is on it's way).

Eraser vs. IPA video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKIl4UWFXm0
 
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