Need some beginner advice - product choice and polish/compound required?

[Barry Theal]

Accumulator for the win:dance:

wetsanding should be an absolute last resort IMO. On a daily, I don't see the need for it, don't worry about getting it perfect unless it's a show car. Get it the best you can for your own eyes, and that will tell you what needs to be done.

I would disagree with this! Wetsanding shouldn't be a last resort. Todays papers are a lot nicer then some compound and more forgiving. Im not suggesting that the original poster resort to this. I'm just simply stating how I feel. With sanding you can see what is being done. It also runs cooler paint tempatures then most compounding. I'd prefer 3000 or 4000grit for leveling anyday of the week vs going at it with a heavy compound.

 

[Zelfiris]

I just use a Denture Brush from the Dollar Store along with a cotton terry towel. The brush works great and doesn't damage the pads.

Thank you, that will save me a couple of dollars

 

[Zelfiris]

Got a friend to look at my lighting while we were doing some work on the car. He agreed the 500W halogen lights were not bright enough to see imperfections since he owned the 1000W version of the same lights.



Thank you Accumulator for pointing it out. The next step is to hunt for inexpensive lighting I can use outdoor. Saw some reviews of detailers owning $300 set of lights but that would be overkill for me. Anyone have a good suggestion?

 

[umi000]

Looks like Accumulator has gone through most of your issues - only thing I'd like to mention is that you might be seeing diminished performance from your polish because of the use of ONR QD on the pad. Remember that ONR is a product which works by encapsulating dirt and grit. I would suppose that it isn't too far from the realm of possibility that it would have a similar effect on the abrasives in your polish, to the detriment of said polish's cutting ability.



Francis

 

[chrisguga]

That's true, Barry.



One heavy compounding set with polish will remove more clear than sanding with 1500, 2000, and 3000 combined in my experience and the experiences of others I have read about.

 

[Accumulator]

Got a friend to look at my lighting while we were doing some work on the car. He agreed the 500W halogen lights were not bright enough to see imperfections since he owned the 1000W version of the same lights...

It's not just about brightness; a big part of it is *contrast*. The whole "inspection lighting" subject can get complicated.

The next step is to hunt for inexpensive lighting I can use outdoor. Saw some reviews of detailers owning $300 set of lights but that would be overkill for me. Anyone have a good suggestion?

I'd be less concerned about overkilling it and more concerned about finding something that'll work for you. But heh heh, it's easy for me to spend your money No idea what to use outdoors as I do all my work inside :nixweiss

 

[Accumulator]

On the subject of wetsanding, I too will often do some *very gentle* wetsanding instead of very aggressive compounding. Trouble is, people botch it up. I've lost count of the threads here that go "I was wetsanding and everything was fine right up until....". And too often, people think everything's OK as long as they don't go *through* the clear, which isn't the case at all. Eh, it seems that it's just too easy for people to overdo it.



OTOH, when using a DA/RO polisher, IMO most newbies are more likely to give up before they attain full correction than they are to go too far. Though stuff like M101, or even M105 might make overdoing it a bit more likely than it would be with milder products.

 

[Zelfiris]

Hi everyone I gave it my second attempt today and I want to give a big thanks to everyone especially Accumulator for all the advices



My results were pleasing to me although not perfect but substantial correction.



This is what I changed

1. Purchased IPA @99% + distilled water for polish wipe down

2. Stepped up from 500W halogen lights to 1000W

3. No more ONR QD spritz in between sections, only extra product

4. Washed down the nozzle and tube for OHC.. couldn't spritz before but now its not an issue



I have attached sample photos below.. didn't get to finish the car, got the passenger front/back fender done, side mirror and the beam over the door and it already took me 4 hours into the night



Before:

In progress:

Left section was 4 up/down passes with OHC, middle is no correction and right section was 3 up/down passes.. I found the 3 up/down passes was better finish

Fender completed with OHC:

(I guess the deep scratch will required wet sanding.. :wall)



Completed with M205 polish:

I guess my next step will be to learn how to wet sand and finish up the polish properly for a better shine.. and ultimately jewel effect

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Awesome work!

 

[Accumulator]

kouyo- Glad things are going better, and yeah that looks good :xyxthumbs



Regarding that scratch, I would recommend that you *NOT* wetsand it. I'd live with it and do a little more compounding of that area each time you do a full detail on the car (which I hope won't be more than once every year or two...or four ). By the time you realize you overdid it (the metallic aspect of the blue will look "lighter, whiter, and brighter") it'll be too late. Don't fall into the "Curse of Autopia" where you think every car can/oughta come out perfect. Once you get the whole car done, isolated issues like that won't be readily apparent; all people will see will be a "really shiny car".

 

[Zelfiris]

kouyo- Glad things are going better, and yeah that looks good :xyxthumbs



Regarding that scratch, I would recommend that you *NOT* wetsand it. I'd live with it and do a little more compounding of that area each time you do a full detail on the car (which I hope won't be more than once every year or two...or four ). By the time you realize you overdid it (the metallic aspect of the blue will look "lighter, whiter, and brighter") it'll be too late. Don't fall into the "Curse of Autopia" where you think every car can/oughta come out perfect. Once you get the whole car done, isolated issues like that won't be readily apparent; all people will see will be a "really shiny car".

Thanks Accumulator =) I'll keep it in mind not to polish it more than once a year.. I was concerned how much cutting the compound did to the clearcoat too



Going to purchase some optimum car wax and I should be returning to regular hand wash for this year (after I polish the other panels of course)

 

[Zelfiris]

I want to give an update with my progress. I have completed the rest of the car earlier this month and I love the results, the car never looked better!



1. I switched to a new backplate (3.5") with 4" Lake CSS foam pads and the results are much improved over the 6.5" pads I have. When I think about it, I really only need the 6.5" pads for the hood, part of the door, and the roof. The 4" pads are enough for the rest of the car.



2. I switched from paste wax (poor's boy natty blue) to OCW and I can say I'm never going back. Applying OCW is amazingly fast. Got lazy with chemical's guy wheel guard and used OCW on the rims, and what do you think you know, just as shiny haha



3. When I add up the hours polishing from evening to night looking like a crazy person in the driveway, I spent about 27 hours of 2 step polishing this summer. I imagine I would not need to compound for next year but 1 step with a polish may not be enough to get rid of new swirls. Anyone have a recommendation for which pad and polish to use for light swirls?



4. Winter is coming and weather can drop down to -4 Fahrenheit here for 4-6 months. What product with a long durability can I use to protect my finish?



I really appreciate this community with amazing feedback and dedicate testers on new products for beginners like myself to learn from. Thanks again

 

[Accumulator]

I want to give an update with my progress. I have completed the rest of the car earlier this month and I love the results, the car never looked better!

That's great! Glad to hear it. And yeah, it's very satisfying when one's advice helps somebody out, so "you're welcome!".

1. I switched to a new backplate (3.5") with 4" Lake CSS foam pads and the results are much improved over the 6.5" pads I have. When I think about it, I really only need the 6.5" pads for the hood, part of the door, and the roof. The 4" pads are enough for the rest of the car.

Yeah, for most RO correction the smaller pads work a whole lot faster. Sometimes they even make for a net time savings on those big panels like the hood...smaller areas being worked but the correction happening faster = time saved overall.

2. I switched from paste wax (poor's boy natty blue) to OCW and I can say I'm never going back.

Well, you might want to rethink that when it comes to durable winter-use LSPs

3. When I add up the hours polishing from evening to night looking like a crazy person in the driveway, I spent about 27 hours of 2 step polishing this summer. I imagine I would not need to compound for next year but 1 step with a polish may not be enough to get rid of new swirls. Anyone have a recommendation for which pad and polish to use for light swirls?

Yeah, the intitial (well, I *hope* it's only gonna be that first, one-time big job!) detail can sure take a while. IMO 27 hours isn't bad at all.



For the redo, it just depends how bad the marring is and how hard the clear is. I'm figuring your clear isn't all that hard (based on the previous posts), so *maybe* M205, on the right pad, will do it. You'll find out when you do it.

4. Winter is coming and weather can drop down to -4 Fahrenheit here for 4-6 months. What product with a long durability can I use to protect my finish?

Since you're doing the OCW now, I'd kinda lean towards using Collinite wax, even though I've pretty much switched over to FK1000P (eh, one car still has Collinite on it, another wears M16). Despite your aversion to paste wax, a tin of 476S would probably be my choice. Their sorta-liquid 845 Insulator Wax isn't bad, but it doesn't last like 476S (not too many products do).

 

[Zelfiris]

Since you're doing the OCW now, I'd kinda lean towards using Collinite wax, even though I've pretty much switched over to FK1000P (eh, one car still has Collinite on it, another wears M16). Despite your aversion to paste wax, a tin of 476S would probably be my choice. Their sorta-liquid 845 Insulator Wax isn't bad, but it doesn't last like 476S (not too many products do).

Hi Accumulator!



I have been looking into collinite for a long time and I just can't seem to understand the difference between each one. For a beginner such as myself, what would you recommend for me to get that is easy to apply and has good durability? I won't be hand washing the car in winter anymore and I think touchless wash a month will be my plan.



This link is basically all the products I have access to locally: Waxes & Sealants (476s, 845, FK1000P)

 

[Accumulator]

Kouyo- I'm not 100% certain whether the FK1000P will play nice with what you have on there now, otherwise I really like that stuff. If going with the Collinite, I'd just get the 476S, which is their most durable product. The 915 might look a bit better, and the 845 looks a little "brighter/more reflective" and is more user/trim-friendly. But the 476S is easy enough (keep it off trim, or at lest buff it off before it dries) and it lasts a long time.