help for a noob?

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gwoodtitans

New member
Hello everybody. Looks like theres alot of knowledge on this forum. I have been snooping around a few detailling forums for a while and this one looks very helpful. I recently joined another detailing forum and it was like pulling teeth to get any help.



But anyways, my name's Chris and I own a 1996 black Camaro Z28. It looks alot better than when I bought it but could still use some work. My wax of choice currently is Turtle Wax Black Box. It does a great job of hiding the swirls on my paint and deepening the shine. In the summer I detail for money. I dont really have much paint correction ability so i dont offer full details but I wash, clay, wash, wax, and clean the interior.



I have been looking into getting a pc and im having some trouble figuring out what pads and polishes i need. Menzerna used to be the favorite among f-body owners but now it seems m105 and 205 are pretty popular. I have also been looking for a wax that wont leave streaks when i take it off. It seems that every wax i used last summer left streaks and it was such a pain. I tried black magic, nxt2.0, and turtle wax ice. Zymol cleaner wax has treated me well tho.



I also have been looking into klasse. Any opinions on this product for black. sounds like a combination of klasse, danase glaze and black box would be a good combo.



Its great to be here and any suggestions would be great.



thanks!!!
 
gwoodtitans said:
I recently joined another detailing forum and it was like pulling teeth to get any help.
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I post to a number of different forums but sometimes even though I appear online I'm working on an article or project, so I hope it wasn't any of the normal forums I hang out on because I try to get to people asap.



gwoodtitans said:
I have been looking into getting a pc and im having some trouble figuring out what pads and polishes i need. Menzerna used to be the favorite among f-body owners but now it seems m105 and 205 are pretty popular.
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Getting a PC style polisher is a great step forward into doing more and better correction work and enabling yourself to tackle higher end customers. Just be sure to bring your prices up when you start adding extra steps like a dedicated correction step and polishing step.



M105/M205 are a good combo, so is their Consumer counterparts Ultimate Compound and SwirlX, so is any of Menzerna polishes, the Optima polishes and the Wolfgang Twins. The thing to do is research, which you're doing now, and then make a choice and work with the product enough to get to know them and then try something new, after you've tired a system or two you'll find favorite to run with. It's hard not to compare with out testing and that means at least a little investment at some point.



Most of the serious enthusiasts and pro detailers on this forum have all done this, (tried different product lines), till they find a system they're comfortable with and produces consistent results over a wide spectrum of paint systems.



I've had very good luck with Meguiar's' for decades and now am liking Menzerna and the Wolfgang Twins. The Wolfgang TSR 3.0 is pretty much Bubba-proof and easy for a Newbie to get good results from, so are M205 and SwirlX but these last two are on the lighter side of the aggressive scale but they are easy to work with.



As for pads, try to get the new PC 7424XP or the Griot's Garage ROP as these both have plenty of power to rotate a pad under pressure and that's when a dual action polisher removes paint, which is another way of saying, that's when a dual action polisher removes swirls and scratches.



The 5.5" pads are very versatile for correction, polishing and protecting. 6" and 6.5 are also fine with the above tools. Meguiar's 7" pads can be made to work but they are taxing the limits of most polishers as you work around a car because as you work around a car your pads will tend to become saturated with product and wet or saturated pads act to dissipate the power of the tool instead of rotating the pad, thus less swirl removing ability.



4" Spot Repair pads are good for thin panels and spot work but they're kind of small to try to tackle entire cars.



If you're going to do this as a part time business then look at getting a Grit Guard Pad Washer, it cleans your pads fast and helps you to work clean, (better results), while getting the most use out of your pads.



gwoodtitans said:
I have also been looking for a wax that wont leave streaks when i take it off. It seems that every wax i used last summer left streaks and it was such a pain. I tried black magic, nxt2.0, and turtle wax ice. Zymol cleaner wax has treated me well tho.
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Moving up to machine cleaning and polishing will in turn create a more uniform finish and this will help any wax to bond better overall and look better overall, I"m sure others will chime in with their favorites.



Also, make sure you use heavy duty extension cords when using a polisher to buff out entire cars, don't use the lightweight cheapie cords.







:)
 
thanks man thats really helpful. could the heat or humidity have affected the way the waxes left streaks? I tried buffing it off lighter and it helped a little but not totally. Maybe I should spray quick detailer on it when I take it off?
 
it's best to buy the items seperately as opposed to a kit unless you plan on using ALL the items in it. with said, pick up a PC7424XP, new Griots Random Orbital Polisher, or the new G110v.2 coming out and around three each of both the 5.5" (you will need a 5" D/A backing plate with use of these pads) orange and white pads (you can also pick up a red or blue in the same size if you want to apply a glaze, wax, sealant). you can also pick up a quart or smaller samples (if available) of both 105/205 and/or SIP/106FA. check the classifieds, there are some members who are selling product in smaller size samples so you won't have to commit to a quart if you don't think you will use it all...
 
sounds good on the samples. Anyone know a good combo for 1996 camaro paint? or is it different for each car? Also, what about the wax streaking?
 
gwoodtitans said:
sounds good on the samples. Anyone know a good combo for 1996 camaro paint? or is it different for each car? Also, what about the wax streaking?
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Streaking can be from using to much product, humidity or poorly prepped surface. None of your waxes are considered to be great products, even for OTC.
 
Nattys Blue looks pretty good but the durability is somewhat lacking. Collinite 845 IW is IMO the best OTC. Strong gloss and very durable. If you do a title search for OTC wax you will find lots of opinions.
 
gwoodtitans said:
sounds good on the samples. Anyone know a good combo for 1996 camaro paint? or is it different for each car? Also, what about the wax streaking?
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The GM clear of that vintage is generally pretty hard, so I'd lean towards something that's likely to be aggressive enough. These days I usually recommend the M105/m205 twins for people just starting out, and I'd keep it simple with the new cyan and tangerine HydroTech pads.



Much as I like Klasse, I'd steer clear of it in your case (can elaborate if necessary).



I'd keep things simple: two polishes, two types of pads. You can apply the wax/etc. by hand or, yeah...get some kind of zero-cut finishing pads if you want to do it by machine.



You could always use the Danase Glaze since it works with all sorts of Last Step Products ("LSP"s, i.e., waxes and sealants), but I'd generally caution against doing more steps and otherwise complicating things.



One coat of Collinte wax would provide good protection, dirt shedding, and looks. Or consider Meguiar's NXT, which is usually very user-friendly but not nearly as durable. Hmmm...wonder why the NXT gave you problems :think:



Besides getting the prep right, working out of the sun and limiting the heat/humidity as best you can should help with the streaking. Also, work at effecting a thin, uniform application of whatever LSP you're using and buff off the excess/residue with a high-quality, *CLEAN* microfiber towel.



The buffing off of *anything* should be done gently, no "scrubbing" or otherwise pressing hard. If you need to do that then a) something went wrong and/or, b) you oughta employ something to help get the stuff off without all that pressure (a spritz of Meguiar's #34 for polishes, a *little bit* of QD or fogging the surface with your breath for LSPs).



FWIW, I almost always fog the surface with my breath when buffing off LSPs. The tiny bit of moisture from the condensation helps with the removal and isn't significant enough to cause any issues. It's easy to overdo it when spraying on a QD.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!
 
I have a black 1998 trans am and i have found that Meguiars SYNTHETIC SEALANT 2.0 #21 is a perfect for a black lsp. or POLYMER SEALANT #20. also even though menzerna is a bit expensive, Menzerna Super intense polish is a very very good product that will eliminate defects better than any other Product i have tried. But now that i have polished the car to perfection. a perfect combo to keep it top notch is Meguiars #205 ULTRA FINISHING POLISH, and a meguiars new yellow soft buff 2.0 polishing pad. I hope this helps. there is alto out there and this just works for me. Another great product for black is 3M ultrafina SE. that will help with holograms and stuborn swrils.
 
thanks accumulator, great advice. sounds like m105/m205 is a winning combo. Its hard to control the heat for me. I wax in the garage after the surface has cooled off but i still have problems sometimes. i feel like i am applying it properly but maybe ill try the qd or the breathing method. thanks for the help.
 
gwoodtitans said:
What would be considered a great otc wax.
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can be had at your local carquest for under $10...

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