Help me get my pearl white paint ready for the show

C

Crazy3rdgen

New member
First off my names sean, i'm 17 and welcome me :D I drive an 89 rs camaro



Hey I never really buffed before or actually waxed my car but I did just do my tail lights and I think I got the hang of it, but i would still like to know the proper way to buff a car and what to use.. The paint is 6 months old, but the brand new z28 hood I have and the brand new gm front bottom gfx piece are going to be painted about 3 days before the show. So should I still buff them ? I would think they didn't have enough time to cure? I'm not sure you guys probably know more then I do i'm sure.





So here's the deal. I have runs in the clear along my bottom gfx which I bought a razor blade almost like a hand planner except its plastic from eastwood. So i bring all the runs down then what? Just buff away?, Also i only have a few scratches on the car from daily driving nothing major tho, just in the clear coat and 1 tiny chip that i touched up, Do i just buff over that? what happens when i do? Referring to the spot i touched up, its tiny.



What type of wax should i use , I'm clueless, I want to go for a very shiny car show look to it. I heard its hard to get the white car to look wet but i would like to try. Also please List the way I should clean my car. For instance, 1) wash with soap, 2)clay bar, 3)wax and buff, or however It should be done. thank you



Also when my car was on a dolley for an asap tow, I got this blue surface paint on my front bumpers clear. How should I get that out? I bought a rubbing compound, Think of buff of that should work? Then wax?



I bought a buffer from walmart , Yes i'm just getting into SErious detailing. But when i bufffed the tails it turned out great.



Please help me get my cars paint to the best shiny wet look it can be for this car show.



Thank yous so much you rock





Before show plans If you guys were curious

Z28 hood on painted (no hood pins on this one)

Clear side markers are already on

Brand new front bottom gfx piece painted

Lowered more in the front and rear just a bit

Brand new parking lights on their way

Front lights all new and adjusted properly



496369_68_full.jpg
 
Pretty color. What's it called/ where's it from?



Click the link in my signature \/ down there. Download the guide to detailing, and it should answer alot of your questions.



:welcome
 
My current combo on my pearl white is shown in my signature. You'll need to use the "secret decoder" on the home page to decipher the abbreviations.



Here's a few recent pics of my car with the current combo...



MaxAIO-RMG-WGx3-PG-5.jpg


CedarLakeMax4.jpg


MaxandKayak.jpg




here's one with AIO/UPPx3/Paste Glaz x2....



LiquidHood-C.jpg




There are many products/processes that would give you a great look that you would surely be happy with. These have been my two favorite combos for pearl white.
 
The correct process is:



wash

clay

polish

sealant



You can add a paint cleaner between the polish and sealant if you desire. And topping the sealant with additional layers, or layers of wax is also an option.



Those WalMart buffers are nothing special. I would return it and look into getting a Porter Cable 7424 or 7336 orbital polisher.



And fresh paint should be allowed to cure for at least 30 days before sealing it. You CAN, however, use a body-shop safe polish like Meg's #80, which leaves behind some protection but is still safe to use on fresh paint.
 
Thank you guys for the replies.



Can all of these products be purchased at say autozone? Like i dont have to do any special orders online , because I Dont have time. Show is this weekend.



"here's one with AIO/UPPx3/Paste Glaz x2" I search and search and it's like a different language. Remember i'm a newb at this professional detailing world.



Ok whitemax, so i first wash the car with some soap then shammy it. Next I run a clay bar. What do you mean by polish? Is that a typical wax/buff job? Whats considered sealant?





"Those WalMart buffers are nothing special. I would return it and look into getting a Porter Cable 7424 or 7336 orbital polisher."



How much is the porter cable orbital polisher? And what do I buy that at homedepot?





Ps:what about these runs, after I get them off with the razor blade, should i just buff them real good so it blends ?



Also when my car was on a dolley for an asap tow, I got this blue surface paint on my front bumpers clear. How should I get that out? I bought a rubbing compound, Think a buff of that should work? Then wax?
 
AIO = Klasse All In One (paint cleaner)

UPP = FourStar Ultimate Paint Protection (polymer sealant)

RMG = Clearkote Red Machine Glaze (paint cleaner / glaze)

WG = Wolfgang High Gloss Paint Sealant





A sealant is much like a wax, only it's synthetic. They have higher melting points than a wax, so they are more durable.



I don't know of any local stores where any of the above products can be purchased. The porter cable can be found at Lowes for $99, but you'll need to buy pads for it, which you'll probably need to get online anyway.



The products you get at local chain stores are not as good as the products you can get online. If the more expensive, and overall better, products were available in local stores, nobody would buy them since the general population believes that a $3.00 bottle of wax/polish/etc... is equal to a $30 bottle of wax/polish/etc...



For your blue paint scuff, I'd try a paint cleaner first. Next I'd try a polish. The rubbing compound should be a last resort.
 
hmm, alright . Lets just hope autozone has a good inventory or parts plus.



So is this how I should clean the car in steps?



AIO = Klasse All In One (paint cleaner)

UPP = FourStar Ultimate Paint Protection (polymer sealant)

RMG = Clearkote Red Machine Glaze (paint cleaner / glaze)

WG = Wolfgang High Gloss Paint Sealant





Where does the clay bar come in or the buff, I guess i'll just have to use this buffer oh well. You can tell its my first car show.



The reason I feel like i need a buff is because of the runs in the paint i'm bringing down , also theres a tiny scratch in the clear. When i bring those runs down, should i sand it with 1500 wet then 2000 wet, then buff? This stuff is like :think:
 
No that's just a list of the abbreviations. If you look at the AIO/UPPx3/Paste Glaz x2 process, you'll see that I used a paint cleaner, then a sealant (3 layers), and then topped with 2 coats of Paste Glaz (wax).



The clay after washing. On extreme cases, polishing may come before clay, particularly with terrible oxidation.



Why are there runs in your paint?
 
man your still freakin me out with all these crazy names... I never heard of any of this except a simple bucket of water and soap with a 100% cottom wool hand mit.



They runs in the clear are along my ground effects in a hard to paint area.
 
2 buckets are better than one. :)

And get a sheepskin or microfiber wash mitt. Better yet, get both, and use one for dirtier areas like rocker panels.
 
Maybe we should talk about "on the shelf" products since thats all I have an oppurtunity to get right now. Like turtle wax and all them others that i have seen before
 
OK I'd go get a pair of sheepskin wash mitts, a waffle weave microfiber drying towel, a bunch of microfiber polishing towels (get the softest ones you can find), some Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze, and Meguiars NXT Tech Wax. Apply those with the yellow Meguiars foam applicators.
 
what about the buffer ? Its walmart i dunno if i want to use it on my car.



Just 1 more thing. This is all i ask please. Can you put in order on the shelf products of how i should use them.



First i was going to get the runs out then 2000 gritt them smooth. I'm sure it would then need a buff down there? Please help with that i'm confused.:(
 
To remove those runs/paint, I would get these products for the detail. They are available locally.



Meg's #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish or 3M Perfect-It III Rubbing Compound. Use that with a cutting pad on the PC.



Meg's #80 Speed Glaze or 3M Perfect-It III Machine Glaze. Use that with a polishing pad on the PC.



Meguiars NXT Tech Wax or #26 Yellow Wax. Use those by hand with a foam applicator or by PC with a finishing pad.







If you do any sanding, you're going to need to use a compound with a polisher and cutting pad to remove the sanding marks. Then you'll need to use a medium polish to remove the haze from the compound.



You'll probably need to use a heavy polish to remove the blue paint too. That you may be able to do by hand.



Wash the car and dry with a WW MF towel.
 
White95Max said:
OK I'd go get a pair of sheepskin wash mitts, a waffle weave microfiber drying towel, a bunch of microfiber polishing towels (get the softest ones you can find), some Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze, and Meguiars NXT Tech Wax. Apply those with the yellow Meguiars foam applicators.
Click to expand...



OK so if these are the products you are going to use the order I would do is:



  1. Wash with Dawn dish detergent (Use the 2 bucket method )
  2. Clay (Either use a quick detailer, "QD", or car shampoo as lubricant)
  3. Wash with your car shampoo of choice (I know you can get Meguiar's (aka Meg's) or Eagle One (aka EO) Wet Wash at AutoZone, "AZ")
  4. Dry with waffle weave microfiber (aka WW MF) drying towel
  5. Hit your paint with with Meg's #80 Speed Glaze (aka #80)
  6. Apply Meg's NXT Tech Wax

    [/list=1]



    You want to buff off/remove the products you put on your car with the soft MFs that you get. Also, you want some good QD to use on show day.



    For future reference definitely check out the Secret Decoder Ring which can also be found on the main Autopia page. It will help you with all the abbreviations that fly around here. Also there are some great some great articles on Autopia and elsewhere that can help you along, in addition to the detailing guide.



    I would personally, make an online order and get much better products. While the average car owner prefers something they can get at AZ, a true Autopian/car show person will know the difference if you use non-OTC products. You can put in an order and get 2-day shipping and it'll make it to you in plenty of time.



    Either way, good luck on your first show and don't forget to post pics of your baby when she's show-ready! :bestwish:



    PS. I would take that Walmart buffer back. Unless you really know what you're doing you can really make a mess with a cheap rotary. And by mess I mean cut straight through your clear coat and burn your paint real good. You will get a lot better results with a PC for now. When you become an expert at this detailing thing a quality rotary is priceless, until then you'll probably damage your paint more with it than improve anything.
 
Sam's Club has excellent microfiber polishing cloths (you can use them for applying/removing polish/sealant/wax) cheap. Like, 16 cloths for $10 cheap. Get them.

BTW, people will refer to them as MF from now on.



I think that for you, and the fact that you need to do this with off-the-shelf products, I would recommend

1) NXT car wash (or Eagle One = "EO")

2) Mother's or Clay Magic Clay Bar kit (should come with quick detailing spray as a lubricant)

3) NXT liquid wax (or FX Synwax)

4) Because you are showing the car, top the NXT or FX Synwax with a carnuba wax for more "depth", although white notoriously does not look wet or deep, just shiny. A good off the shelf would be Mother's Pure Carnuba. Do not get a "cleaner" wax; it will remove the NXT sealant.



In terms of removing drips in the paint, etc, listen to the other guys. This is not my forte.
 
Are all wax's usually buffed on? or Just applied with the yellow Meguiars foam applicators.



Isn't the only way that you can burn through your clear coat is if you stay in one spot? This can happen with any buffer cant it? I'm just concerned if the buffer will mess up my paint. I know not to stay in one spot. But the pads that came with the buffer i'm alittle unsure? Will it look weird if i buff the ground effect spots where the runs are and thats it? Like in the sun the car more shiny at the bottom then the rest? If that blue crap dont come off my paint my hand with the applicator, I may have to use that buffer. we'll see. Just want to know if I should use this buffer to buff my car. Also if all wax's are buffed on / what wax to buff on if no with the products listed by shirochan or Ruffryder. thank you
 
I prefer to apply paste waxes by hand, and liquid waxes/sealants by PC. The exception is UPP and other very thin liquids, which I apply by hand with a foam applicator.



It's very hard to burn paint with an orbital. The machine doesn't have a very high maximum speed, and wobbles, so it spreads the heat out over a greater area. A rotary can spin much faster and it spins in the same spot the entire time. Burning paint is a real possibility when using a rotary.



I don't think there would be enough difference to see that you had only buffed part of the car. There may be a noticeable difference in swirls, but if the paint is in good condition, it won't be enough of a difference for anyone to tell you it looks weird or anything.
 
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