Hello,
I'm at a point in life where I've got a car that deserves better care of the paint than I've given my previous cars. Fortunately I've also go a beater to practice on! Anyway, I'm looking for recommendations on products. I thought it might be more efficient to lay out my needs/goals here and at least have a narrower range of things to choose from. I also acknowledge that different combinations of products probably yield different results, another reason why I'm just asking about everything in one post
Cars
97 Honda Civic
2007 Lotus Elise
I think I've got the wash mostly covered. Genuine wool mitts, two bucket system with grit guards, Meg's Gold class wash, a couple of different hose nozzles, waffle weave towels, etc. The lotus has plenty of starshield on it, so I went and picked up some plexus.
Priorities
1. Durability
2. Ease of use
3. Overall look of the product
Basically I want to do what I can to maintain the paint, but in the end I want to spend more time driving than detailing. Paint on the lotus looks pretty good, but there is a little bit of marring. Paint on the civic is in need of some TLC. Its dull and has plenty of what you'd expect on a 13 year old car. I don't expect to make it look new but I would like to improve on it and use it as a learning experience before trying anything on the lotus.
At this time, I think I want to be able to polish, seal. Wax if necessary, but right now thinking no... With the civic I think I may need to apply more than one polish, with the lotus probably not. Problem is I don't have any of the tools to do all this (which is where you guys come in and make the product selection less overwhelming). Below I've outlined what I think I need, and some products I've identified but I'm not sure if they fall in line with the priorities I have above. Opinions requested....
Polisher
Griot's
Polishing Pads
Looking for suggestions on size/color. Civic has lots of flat panels while the lotus is fairly curvy.Also need suggestions on if I need products to clean pads. If pads require a backing plate different than supplied the one that comes with the polisher, also need to purchase.
Polishing agent
Megs #105 and Megs #205
Sealant
blackfire wet diamond
Anybody see anything wrong with doing a polish and seal like this? 105->205->BFWD What color/size pads should I get?
I'm at a point in life where I've got a car that deserves better care of the paint than I've given my previous cars. Fortunately I've also go a beater to practice on! Anyway, I'm looking for recommendations on products. I thought it might be more efficient to lay out my needs/goals here and at least have a narrower range of things to choose from. I also acknowledge that different combinations of products probably yield different results, another reason why I'm just asking about everything in one post
Cars
97 Honda Civic
2007 Lotus Elise
I think I've got the wash mostly covered. Genuine wool mitts, two bucket system with grit guards, Meg's Gold class wash, a couple of different hose nozzles, waffle weave towels, etc. The lotus has plenty of starshield on it, so I went and picked up some plexus.
Priorities
1. Durability
2. Ease of use
3. Overall look of the product
Basically I want to do what I can to maintain the paint, but in the end I want to spend more time driving than detailing. Paint on the lotus looks pretty good, but there is a little bit of marring. Paint on the civic is in need of some TLC. Its dull and has plenty of what you'd expect on a 13 year old car. I don't expect to make it look new but I would like to improve on it and use it as a learning experience before trying anything on the lotus.
At this time, I think I want to be able to polish, seal. Wax if necessary, but right now thinking no... With the civic I think I may need to apply more than one polish, with the lotus probably not. Problem is I don't have any of the tools to do all this (which is where you guys come in and make the product selection less overwhelming). Below I've outlined what I think I need, and some products I've identified but I'm not sure if they fall in line with the priorities I have above. Opinions requested....
Polisher
Griot's
Polishing Pads
Looking for suggestions on size/color. Civic has lots of flat panels while the lotus is fairly curvy.Also need suggestions on if I need products to clean pads. If pads require a backing plate different than supplied the one that comes with the polisher, also need to purchase.
Polishing agent
Megs #105 and Megs #205
Sealant
blackfire wet diamond
Anybody see anything wrong with doing a polish and seal like this? 105->205->BFWD What color/size pads should I get?