Setting out to detail car this weeekend

[nate010753]

I have a black 2000 accord. While I have never doen more than wax it every so often I feel the urge to really make it shine bofore the long cold winter. I just wanted to run a plan past you guys and get some opinions based on what I have read/searched on this forum.

Going to first wash the car problably twice to make sure I remove all the road dirt and debris!



Then I want to use a piant cleaner. Is this necesssry if I am going to polish and if so can someone suggest a good one?



The next thing I would think is to use a polish to take off the existing bad wax and oxidation I am thinking a #7 glaze.

Then a paint sealant I am thinking a #20 Polymer Sealant. Then a coat of S100 followed by a coat of Car brite weathershield that will protect the shine and paint throughout the winter.



How does this all sound? Is it overkill? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[imported_Paul Mitchell]

Hi,

Firstly, I would suggest downloading the E-Book here it is excellent and it answers a lot of your questions. The first 8 chapters are available free but I really recommend the whole book. Secondly, do some searching here, there is so much to read and learn.

You can wash twice if you feel the first wash is not sufficient. You may want to wash with Dawn the first time to rid your paint of old wax, silicones, grease etc.

There are many "paint cleaners" and this term is sometimes used interchangeably with the word "polish". A good paint cleaner will take off any old wax that Dawn did not remove but I would suggest claying the car before you use a paint cleaner. You also have to gauge the type(s) of paint cleaner you will use depending on the condition of your paint as well as what you want to achieve with it as far as scratch/swirl removal. You also have to decide if you are going to do this process by hand or by machine and if it is a machine, which one.

After polishing, you can use a glaze if you are not going to use a polymer system because a polymer might not properly bond over a glaze. You may also need to re-wash after polishing depending on the polymer you use because you may need to clean off the oils left from the polish.

#20 is a polymer but it has some cleaning ability so I am not sure it will properly bond over a glaze. Do a search here as it is possible that some people have done this.

You can top a polymer with S100 or any carnauba but a polymer cannot be applied over a carnauba.

My explanation is simplified plus I haven't mentioned specific products because I don't really know the condition of your paint is and what you are really looking to accomplish.



I don't know what Carbrite Weathershield is but if it is a polymer it will not bond over S100 and I question why you need this after having both a polymer and a carnauba on the car.

Your plan sounds valid but I think it just needs to be refined a bit. I am sure many people here can add to this and/or validate your plan. I really feel that searching a bit more for specifics will help, plus the E-Book will guide you in the right directions.

Good luck! Regards, Eric

 

[shaf]

The next thing I would think is to use a polish to take off the existing bad wax and oxidation I am thinking a #7 glaze.

Then a paint sealant I am thinking a #20 Polymer Sealant. Then a coat of S100 followed by a coat of Car brite weathershield that will protect the shine and paint throughout the winter.



How does this all sound? Is it overkill? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Actually, the paint cleaner would be the product that removes old wax and oxidation, and it will mildly polish the surface as well. I would skip the Dawn wash altogether if you're using this. Really work it into the paint the same way people have talked about using abrasive polishes like swirl removers. You could try some pre-wax cleaner product from Meguiar's or Mothers, which are typically what people call paint cleaners. Glaze won't do much cleaning or polishing. If you have more severe scratches or swirls you may need something stronger like a fine cut compound.



Paint cleaners have overlapping function with products properly called polishes (they contain abrasives), but beware that Meguiar's sometimes interchanges the terms "polish" and "glaze" when comparing products.



If you are planning to use #20 I would suggest a couple coats of it, and skip the #7 glaze. Just try to get the surface looking good with the cleaner or other polish. #20 alone should give you enough protection for the winter.



Regarding Weathershield (I don't know what this is either) you have to know:

1) Does it have cleaners or sound like it might? If it does it'll probably strip whatever protectant you have under it.

2) Is it a polymer-like product or a carnauba wax-like product? See EricGTI's post about this.



Knowing what each product is, what it does, and what it contains is the key towards being able to formulate a detailing plan!



HTH