I Need Chemicals and Pads (Information Overload)

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pharcydeabc

New member
I'm glad that I stumbled upon this forum, but I'm honestly overwhelmed with loads of information, 100's of different products, and unknown abbreviations. I recently purchased the Griots 6" Random Orbital Polisher, with the intent to restore my 2005 Honda, 2004 Subaru, and 2004 Mitsubishi. I'm ready to jump in and get started, but have spent months off and on reading the forum and trying to figure out exactly what I need and the steps to be taken. I'm not looking for a show car finish, but just want to fix the major imperfections and help protect the paint.

Can you please give me your personal opinions on what products I should purchase and the steps to take. Please be as specific as you can (avoid abbreviations) and if I'm missing a step, then please excuse my ignorance. Also, if you can suggest the best place to purchase, that would be great. Thanks in advance!

-Pads (which pads and how many):

-Pad cleaner:

-Wash:

-Clay Bar:

-Cleaning Compound:

-Polish:

-Last Step Protectant:
 
It is easy to come away from the detailing forums thinking that it is all about the magic combinations of tools and chemicals. The fact is that most of the products on the market are fairly good and individual choices come down to personal preference more than dramatic differences in the products. Environmental conditions can also affect results; what works great for someone in the hot, dry, high UV, desert Southwest sometimes doesn't work so well for someone in a cool, humid, wet, comparatively low UV area where they salt and sand the roads like mad in the winter, and vice versa. Beyond that I'll offer a few general comments and leave it to others to make their own suggestions.
Japanese cars tend to have softer, thinner paint to the extent that you can generalize. As a novice you absolutely do not want to try to " fix the major imperfections" right out of the gate. Work on swirls and other more minor flaws and your technique before tackling scratches and other deeper flaws.
If you haven't already get a 5" backing plate for the Griots. You'll probably want a 3" or 3.5" backing plate eventually too.
Tape is your friend, when in doubt tape: soft trim, edges, raised body lines, etc.
Spend the money to get some good towels. Broadly speaking the Korean and German microfiber products tend to work better and last longer than the cheaper Chinese products. There are some good PRC towels but there are some nasty ones out there too. Keep your towels separated by application. Don't ever dry your microfibers in a hot dryer and don't try to bleach them or use fabric softener either.
Setting the issue of pads and compounds/polishes aside I tend to especially trust products from Optimum and Duragloss but SONAX, Prima, CarPro and 1Z are all very solid lines too. You'll probably get nearly as many different product recommendations as you get responses.
 
Well, fortunately or unfortunately, there is a wealth of great products today. You're probably going to get as many opinions as there are products. One approach would be to pick a line that you like (for whatever reason) and just populate your list with products from that line.

The pads are probably a different story as generally, pad mfrs. don't make chemicals. From the goals you described, you'd probably want to use orange and white pads (that's a generalization based on common colors, you want a "light cutting" and a "polishing" pad), and you'd want at least 2 of each to be able to get through a single car. More pads gives you more flexibility as far as changing pads during a session, or working on multiple vehicles.

Since you're looking for specifics, I'll give you one scenario--Optimum products. You can use Optimum Power Clean for your pad cleaner (and it's an all-purpose cleaner that can be used for tires and wheels, interiors, etc., at different dilutions), Optimum Car Wash, Opti-Clay (or one of the Optimum clay substitutes), Optimum Compound, Optimum Polish, and Opti-Seal. These products are easy to use and many of them come in small bottles so you aren't married to them forever.

There's many good pad options, I'm sure you'll get a lot of good opinions.

Another piece of advice, as I noted, there are tons of great products today. We used to have a saying here that process is more important than product, or something like that. It's more important to understand the steps and when to use what than which brand of products you are using.

Oh, one thing that you are missing from your list is something for your black trim. You can use a restorer product like CarPro DLux, GTechnic C4, etc., or easier for a beginner would be one of the trim sealants, like Ultima Tire and Trim Guard, Blackfire Total Trim and Tire Sealant, or Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant.

Oh shoot, and something for your tires--I like Optimum Opti-Bond, it comes in a small bottle so you can "sample" it, and it's very non-greasy. You'll want to scrub your tires with your APC (all purpose cleaner) or tire cleaner, cleaning is important before tire dressing. People are going to suggest tire coatings, but I think you'll probably want to get a little experience with tire cleaning before you venture into that.

Welcome to the forum and good luck!
 
Pads: Did you get a GG6 kit or just the polisher? If you got a kit, it probably came with some 6.5 inch pads. Use those first as they are thick and forgiving which is good while you are learning. Then get a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads. Since you have 3 cars, I would probably try to keep 6 orange pads and 6 white pads on hand. I like the Lake Country flat pads. For sealant/wax application by machine, I just started using the 4" Hydrotech crimson pads and they work great (need a 3.5" backing plate for the 4" pads).

Pad Cleaner: Don't have to get too fancy here. I (and many others) use Meguiars APC (D101). You can dilute it in a bucket with water and toss your pads in there face down as you use them. Personally, I just spray them when I am finished for the day with D101 undiluted. Let the cleaner soak in for about 5 minutes then knead and rinse in the sink. Then air dry face down on a drying rack (I just use the wire shelving in my detail closet).

Wash: after you have your protection on, use Duragloss 901 (902 in gallon size). It's cheap, good, and available locally (Carquest). 1oz. per gallon

Clay: I use Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay and it handles most jobs. I have a medium clay from a local detailer should I need it, but I haven't had to use it yet.

Compound/Polish: I would start with Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. It's good stuff and great for learning on. I started with it and I think many others have as well. It's cheap and available at many auto chains as well as Target and Walmart. From there you can branch out and try other things. I own Meguiars M105 & M205 as well as Menzerna FG400, PF2500, SF4000, and SF4500. This covers my needs.

LSP: This is where I think things really open up. There are a lot of great products out there. I'd start with sealants then work your way into coatings so you can go further between details. I like Blackfire Wet Diamond and I top that with Blackfire Crystal Seal. I plan to try out the new Blackfire Crystal Coat this fall for my personal vehicles.
 
the direct approach...

-Pads (which pads and how many): Get a 5" backing plate and use 5"/5.5" pads: (3) Orange (5) White (3) Red, Lake Country CCS

-Pad cleaner: DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator

-Wash: Optimum Car Wash

-Clay Bar: Meguires (available at the local stores)

-Cleaning Compound: Menzerna FG400

-Polish: Menzerna SF4000

-Last Step Protectant: Sealant: Sonus SFX-4, Wax: Collinite 915 (choose one or both)
 
Really depends on your budget, and paint condition. Regardless of those factors I’d still recommend the following:

-Pads (which pads and how many): I personally like the Lake Country Hydro-tech pads. I would get 3-5x Cyan Advanced Cutting Foam & Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam, and 2-4x Crimson Finishing Foam (depending on your LSP)

-Pad cleaner: I use a pad cleaning brush, but I hear compressed air works really well or the pad cleaning bucket but it’s not cheap

-Wash: 4x 5gal buckets, 4x grit guards, 2-4 Wool Wash Mitts, Wheel Brush, Boars hair bush for the details (grill and around emblem), Pressure washer with Foam lance or Gilmour Foamaster hose attachment, car soap (I’ve tried a few I liked them all about the same). Soaps; Iron X, CG Citrus Wash, CG Wash and Wax, or Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner, CG Mr. Pink

-Clay Bar: 2x Nanoskin Autoscrub towel or wash mitt (one medium grade and one fine) and some Riccardo Clay (medium grade) for the lower panels

-Cleaning Compound: M101 or M105 (personally I like M101 more).

-Polish: M205, CarPro Reflect, Menzerna Micro Polish SF 4000/4500

-Last Step Protectant: Klasse AIO + Klasse SG, toped with Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax 845 and depending on the color (and your budget) BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice Over Fire Combo
 
pharcydeabc said:
I'm glad that I stumbled upon this forum, but I'm honestly overwhelmed with loads of information...
Click to expand...

Perfectly understandable IMO!

Welcome to Autopia!

Heh heh, you're receiving good advice (though I wouldn't want to struggle with/use many of the products suggested, I like things to be *EASY*), but I can't help but wonder if those responses aren't quite as simple/straightforward as you'd like.

How simple do you really want to make this? We Autopians tend to get a bit, uhm...extreme.

One thing I do absolutely agree with 100% is to buy your shampoo in (at least) one-gallon quantities, and don't cheap out on it. That Duragloss is OK from what I hear, though I've never tried it.
 
pharcydeabc said:
Can you please give me your personal opinions on what products I should purchase and the steps to take. Please be as specific as you can (avoid abbreviations) and if I'm missing a step, then please excuse my ignorance. Also, if you can suggest the best place to purchase, that would be great. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

As you can already see, you’ll get a wide range of opinions when you ask everyone what their favorite product is. Before running out to stock your detailing supply cabinet in one fell swoop, take advantage of the Forum search. You can read reviews on the different types of products to see what people liked and may have disliked about them before you buy. You’ll also find dozens of comparison tests and long term tests which I’ve found to be very useful.

Another thing to take advantage of are the product samples if they’re available. It’s easier on the wallet to find you don’t like a product after testing with a sample size as opposed to the full size product. In many cases, a little goes a long way and the sample sizes can be very cost effective.

I’m not an expert, but there are two products I’d consider adding to your list. The first is a decontamination product like Iron X. Depending on the condition of your cars, it makes the claying process much easier since there’s less decontamination to remove.

The second is a clay bar alternative that you can use in place of or in addition to a clay bar. If you’re planning on detailing 3 cars, this would be a huge time saver. I use the Nanoskin Autoscrub pad and Nanoskin Glide in addition to Riccardo Yellow Detail Clay. Again, lots of options for these products.

For your LSP selection, it might be helpful to elaborate on the final “look” you’re trying to achieve. I live in the Northeast so I use Sonax Polymer Net Shield in the winter for max protection. In the warm weather months, I use Blackfire Wet Diamond topped with Blackfire Midnight Sun carnauba wax. Two completely different looks, the Blackfire combo looks better, but I’m looking for the best protection during the winter months.

Good Luck!
 
Looks like you're dealing with vehicles that have generally soft/sticky paint. All of the above suggestions are great.

Here's how I would personally build your arsenal. These are products/tools I use in my business weekly and found they have delivered great results for myself and my customers each time. You probably won't need to step up to a compound or use the cutting pads but this should give you a wide range of attack for your vehicles...maybe even your friends' vehicles.

Pads:

Qty of 3 - Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5 inches
Qty of 2 - Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 3 inches

Qty of 5 - 5.5 x 7/8 Inch Hydro-Tech Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam Pad
Qty of 4 - Single 3 x 1.25 Hydro-Tech Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam Pad

Pad Cleaner: Wash them with laundry detergent free of dye and scent or Oxiclean. (This has always worked for me and then I would leave them to air dry)

Wash: I personally rinseless wash all vehicles and pre-rinse with a hose as necessary if the vehicle is heavily soiled. Not sure what your preference is here but I use Meguiars Rinse Free Express Wash 128 oz. with the Gary Dean Wash Method and many plush microfiber towels.

Clay Bar: Bilt Hamber Regular Clay (It's not that I dislike the alternatives, I just like seeing what contaminants that were picked up in the clay. The suggestion about IronX before claying is great advice as well.)

Cleaning Compound: Shine Supply Classic Cut or Flat Top (Both are great. If I had to choose just one it would be Flat Top. Leaves a nice finish for a cutting compound.)

Polish: Shine Supply Classic Polish (I really like this polish. I've used this in 80 degree weather directly in the sun, no issues.)

Last Step Protectant: Really depends on your preference again but I'll give you my two favorites. Wax = Blackfire Black Ice Sealant = HD Poxy

Good Luck and Happy detailing.

If you need help on the steps and how-to's, check out the Autopia Car Care Guide to Detailing Section of the Forum Here>> http://www.autopia.org/forums/forum2/

The Click and Brag sub forum is also a great resource to see what others are using and what approaches they've took to achieve the results they did. http://www.autopia.org/forums/forum213/
 
Someone else recommended Meguiar's Ultimate line. I am also going to recommend them. They are user friendly and work well. You can also pick them up locally or order them through here.

-Pads (which pads and how many):

Meguiar's New Thin Foam Cutting Discs - Qty 3
Meguiar's New Thin Foam Polishing discs - Qty 3
Meguiar's New Thin Foam Finishing Discs - Qty 2 if you choose to wax/seal by machine

-Pad cleaner: Detailer's Pro Detailer's Pro Series Polishing Pad Rejuvenator

-Wash: Megiar's Hyper Wash Meguiars Hyper-Wash

-Clay Bar: Meguiar's Clay kit locally as someone mentioned. Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit

-Cleaning Compound: Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
(Meguiars Ultimate Compound). Meguiar's D300 works very well on the new thin foam discs (Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction Compound)

-Polish: Meguiar's Ultimate Polish (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-ultimate-polish.html#.VTCimZN2DE4). My personal preference would be Meguiar's M205 (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-ultra-fine-polish-m205.html#.VTCiqJN2DE4)

-Last Step Protectant: For a sealant Meguiar's Ultimate Wax (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-ultimate-wax.html#.VTCiipN2DE4) or Meguiar's M21 (www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-21-synthetic-sealant.html#.VTCjIZN2DE4) . Meguiar's M26 for a wax (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-high-tech-carnauba-wax.html#.VTCjH5N2DE4)

-Maintenance: Meguiar's D156 or Ultimate Quik Wax


Good kit http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars-mt300-best-polisher-kit-buff-and-shine.html#.VTChMJN2DE4

This would be my alternative

-Pads (which pads and how many):

Meguiar's New Thin Foam Cutting Discs - Qty 3
Meguiar's New Thin Foam Polishing discs - Qty 3
Meguiar's New Thin Foam Finishing Discs - Qty 2 if you choose to wax/seal by machine

-Pad cleaner: Detailer's Pro Detailer's Pro Series Polishing Pad Rejuvenator

-Wash: Megiar's Hyper Wash Meguiars Hyper-Wash

-Clay Bar: Meguiar's Clay kit locally as someone mentioned. Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit

-Cleaning Compound: Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
(Meguiars Ultimate Compound). Meguiar's D300 works very well on the new thin foam discs (Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction Compound)

-Polish: Americana Car Care Ameridepth

-Last Step Protectant: For a sealant Americana Car Care Ameriseal. For a wax Americana Car Care Ameriwax 33

-Maintenance: Meguiar's D156 or Ultimate Quik Wax
 
Thank you for all of the great feedback. This makes things so much easier to grasp. After reading, I'm thinking of the following. Let me know if I'm on the right track.

Pads: 5.5" Lake County CCS (orange, white, and red)
Car Wash: Optimum Car Wash
Tar Remover: CarPro Tar X
Iron Remover: CarPro Iron X
Clay Bar: Nanoskin Autoscrub (not sure which one I need. Nanoskin Car Care Products, nanoskin autoscrub system)
Compound: Meguiars M101
Polish: Meguiars M205
Sealant: Blackfire Wet Diamond
Wax: Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste (is this enough to do 3 cars? BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice Over Fire Combo)
 
pharcydeabc said:
Thank you for all of the great feedback. This makes things so much easier to grasp. After reading, I'm thinking of the following. Let me know if I'm on the right track.

Pads: 5.5" Lake County CCS (orange, white, and red)
Car Wash: Optimum Car Wash
Tar Remover: CarPro Tar X
Iron Remover: CarPro Iron X
Clay Bar: Nanoskin Autoscrub (not sure which one I need. Nanoskin Car Care Products, nanoskin autoscrub system)
Compound: Meguiars M101
Polish: Meguiars M205
Sealant: Blackfire Wet Diamond
Wax: Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste (is this enough to do 3 cars? BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice Over Fire Combo)
Click to expand...

Looks like you got yourself a killer combo!
 
pharcydeabc said:
Thank you for all of the great feedback. This makes things so much easier to grasp. After reading, I'm thinking of the following. Let me know if I'm on the right track.

Pads: 5.5" Lake County CCS (orange, white, and red)
Car Wash: Optimum Car Wash
Tar Remover: CarPro Tar X
Iron Remover: CarPro Iron X
Clay Bar: Nanoskin Autoscrub (not sure which one I need. Nanoskin Car Care Products, nanoskin autoscrub system)
Compound: Meguiars M101
Polish: Meguiars M205
Sealant: Blackfire Wet Diamond
Wax: Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste (is this enough to do 3 cars? BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice Over Fire Combo)
Click to expand...

You are on the right track.
 
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