This is from another forum
quote:
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Originally posted by Buffman:
Okay guys, I've been doing some searching on how to go about detailing my car. I'm kinda looking for a general list of what order to do things. I've gotten to the point where I hate the swirl marks in the car, and I know you guys know what to use to get rid of them.
So from what I've been reading, I've come up with this..
1. Wash the car really good. Use a good soap or even dish soap to remove oils and such. Dry car good with the best 100% soft cotten towels I can find, or my dad's leaf blower..
2. Remove other crud (like bugs) with 3ms tar and wax remover
3. 3m Swirl mark remover.
4. Wash again with soap.
5. Apply wax/polish.
Now since the car has 143k on it should I be doing a clay bar, and if yes when should it be done?
Also I can borrow a buddies orbital buffer, but what pads do you recommend me using with the wax/polish and for the 3m swirl mark remover (are you supposed to use a buffer with it?)
Sorry if it's all been answered before guys, but I like to get a clear confirmed answer on everything, so I don't go messing anything up..
Matt
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Matt: I'm getting back to you here, owning a detail garage (sig pic) with 24-years experience. Don't know why you would bother with clay unless you have surface contaminents on car like hard-sap, paint overspray, rail-dust, etc. Next, I see your RM is DCM - take it from somebody with two black RM's, once you get this car detailed, you must exercise care drying it or you will cumulatively sctatch it with each pass of that terry-cloth towel you're thinking about. Here's THE most careful drying method (by the way, the leaf blower is a good idea, but unless your in the middle of no-where, you're gonna piss people off) Use "The Original Califoria Water Blade" (about $20) to wisk heavy water off tops and upper sides. Terry towels for glass. Genuine leather large chamois (about $25) dunked in new bucket of Meguire's #62 car wash soap. Hereafter, all product #'s are Meguire's. Wring chamois and wring it more between terry towel, use to dry car, top to bottom, then go over it again. That soapy water you dunk it in every so often provides lubricity which makes it glide. To detail, use tar remover on tops, if needed, upper sides, lowers, finally, wheel openings. polish with terry towel pieces by hand first, using # 83 dual-action cleaner-polish (by the way, I like the fact that Meguire's has been a family business for over 100 years. Just how long has "Zaino" been around?) I like to put painter's tape over any paint-stripes to avoid eroding them when polishing heavily. Now, that you hand polished and were able to focus on any scratches/blemishes and left #83 on car, use friends orbital buffer with nice new heavy-weight terry bonnet to machine polish with more #83. Remove with terry towel about 80-90% of polish. Now, hand polish with #81 "hand-polish", use buffer with more if you like. By the way, I use an older bonnet on buffer head with my newer bonnet over top. Half way through car, I turn bonnet over to a fresh side. Take off #81 about 95%. Now use Meguire's Tech-Wax by hand (comes with applicator) Each step above, you are using a new terry towel to remove product and with wax removal, use one towel to remove most and yet another to buff. While buffing, spray some (I can't think of the # cause I'm gettin tired) Meguire's pink detail spray on car to buff out any wax swirls and remove any residual material. Soft tooth-brush is good for crevices and a tongue-depressor inside a rag gets polish out of gaps. Use my chamois in soapy water dry method to wipe car if it gets light dust/road film on it & you can use detail spray also. I've got good info from experts in this forum so I'm glad to share my expertise with with you/others, Regards, Frank. By the way, many of your dings could be removed by "Dent-Wizard" technician from back-side of panels, usually w/o taking anything apart.
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Buffman:
Okay guys, I've been doing some searching on how to go about detailing my car. I'm kinda looking for a general list of what order to do things. I've gotten to the point where I hate the swirl marks in the car, and I know you guys know what to use to get rid of them.
So from what I've been reading, I've come up with this..
1. Wash the car really good. Use a good soap or even dish soap to remove oils and such. Dry car good with the best 100% soft cotten towels I can find, or my dad's leaf blower..
2. Remove other crud (like bugs) with 3ms tar and wax remover
3. 3m Swirl mark remover.
4. Wash again with soap.
5. Apply wax/polish.
Now since the car has 143k on it should I be doing a clay bar, and if yes when should it be done?
Also I can borrow a buddies orbital buffer, but what pads do you recommend me using with the wax/polish and for the 3m swirl mark remover (are you supposed to use a buffer with it?)
Sorry if it's all been answered before guys, but I like to get a clear confirmed answer on everything, so I don't go messing anything up..
Matt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt: I'm getting back to you here, owning a detail garage (sig pic) with 24-years experience. Don't know why you would bother with clay unless you have surface contaminents on car like hard-sap, paint overspray, rail-dust, etc. Next, I see your RM is DCM - take it from somebody with two black RM's, once you get this car detailed, you must exercise care drying it or you will cumulatively sctatch it with each pass of that terry-cloth towel you're thinking about. Here's THE most careful drying method (by the way, the leaf blower is a good idea, but unless your in the middle of no-where, you're gonna piss people off) Use "The Original Califoria Water Blade" (about $20) to wisk heavy water off tops and upper sides. Terry towels for glass. Genuine leather large chamois (about $25) dunked in new bucket of Meguire's #62 car wash soap. Hereafter, all product #'s are Meguire's. Wring chamois and wring it more between terry towel, use to dry car, top to bottom, then go over it again. That soapy water you dunk it in every so often provides lubricity which makes it glide. To detail, use tar remover on tops, if needed, upper sides, lowers, finally, wheel openings. polish with terry towel pieces by hand first, using # 83 dual-action cleaner-polish (by the way, I like the fact that Meguire's has been a family business for over 100 years. Just how long has "Zaino" been around?) I like to put painter's tape over any paint-stripes to avoid eroding them when polishing heavily. Now, that you hand polished and were able to focus on any scratches/blemishes and left #83 on car, use friends orbital buffer with nice new heavy-weight terry bonnet to machine polish with more #83. Remove with terry towel about 80-90% of polish. Now, hand polish with #81 "hand-polish", use buffer with more if you like. By the way, I use an older bonnet on buffer head with my newer bonnet over top. Half way through car, I turn bonnet over to a fresh side. Take off #81 about 95%. Now use Meguire's Tech-Wax by hand (comes with applicator) Each step above, you are using a new terry towel to remove product and with wax removal, use one towel to remove most and yet another to buff. While buffing, spray some (I can't think of the # cause I'm gettin tired) Meguire's pink detail spray on car to buff out any wax swirls and remove any residual material. Soft tooth-brush is good for crevices and a tongue-depressor inside a rag gets polish out of gaps. Use my chamois in soapy water dry method to wipe car if it gets light dust/road film on it & you can use detail spray also. I've got good info from experts in this forum so I'm glad to share my expertise with with you/others, Regards, Frank. By the way, many of your dings could be removed by "Dent-Wizard" technician from back-side of panels, usually w/o taking anything apart.
