Guitarist302008
New member
(This is copied and pasted from a thread I started on the 370z forums... I know most of you here know much more than I so just ignore most of the comments)
Well, as the thread says, this is a correction of my Fiancee's MS3... she, like I... had an Evo and went to the MS3 to have more room as well as a car she could have our dogs in and such. The car is white and has BEAUTIFUL flake... but it's BRIGHT white and hard to see much which is good and bad when it comes to scratches... you don't see them as much, but you also don't see the flake as much either.
Getting GOOD pictures of this color seem pretty much impossible, and only have I think 2 that show the condition of the paint, which at first, didn't seem to be to bad. I realized very quickly that this paint is a lot harder than I had thought it would be for a Japanese car.
Anyway, here are the only 2 pics I could get that show the damage of the paint.
You will sort of have to use your imagination with these pics... it's an 09, it's got about 30k on it and it's a car that dogs get in an out of. The car is only washed by me. I take care of all of the cars needs.
Products:
Rain-X car wash... yep the green stuff that's always on sale
The absorber chamios
Clay magic
wheels... rain-x car wash with a MF towel and my fingers
Flex DA polisher
PC DA polisher
Menzerna Intensive polish
Menzerna Super Finish
Uber Orange pad
Uber white pad
Duragloss 105 paint cleaner and sealant
Microfiber towels from Sam's club... yep, the big pack you see at wal-mart and everywhere else
The car is not yet even completed, but I thought I would show some of the pics... it is turning out very well and I would say that so far it's about a 95% correction.
I don't use many expensive products.. the only thing that I focus on when buying my products is how they fit my needs. IMO your polishes should be THE MOST important part of your product line remember... anyone can wash and wax a car, but if the paint has serious marring, then it's just going to be a little more shiny car with defects that will likely show up even more.
Menzerna is my polish of choice.. i've used about 4 or 5 different brands... some of them cut a little better or faster, but dry out quickly, others don't cut as well. The Menzerna line really lasts quite a while before it breaks down, and doesn't dry out nearly as fast as some other brands.
Menzerna: Intensive Polish with Uber Orange pad
Super Finish with Uber white pad
I really did think I would have to do a 3 stage correction, but the paint really didn't need it... honestly just after the Intensive polish I could have just sealed it, but I like a very polished look, and the flake REALLY popped... to bad i'm not as good with the camera, or you could see it better lol.
The flake shows a little bit better on this pic...
Towels: As I stated already.. I use the MF towels that you buy in bulk from Sam's club. I know that just about all detailers use these high priced towels and they are very nice, but let me tell you something... at the point of your fine polishing... just a slight hit from your PC cable and you will marr the paint and have to go over it again with a fine polish. I know I know, everyone has their opinion on these towels... I can tell you that i've never scratched a finish with one. I do one body panel with 1 towel and then put it in the bin to be washed, if it gets something in it... throw it out.. if it touches the floor or even just nicks the tire, it goes in the bin to be washed after inspection.
I learned a while ago when I worked at a guitar factory (PRS guitars) where they are more than picky that "less is indeed more sometimes" Using my Flex DA I set it on 4 (out of 6) and it cuts much better and actually faster. Faster speeds sometimes cause the polish to actually get to warm and start to crystalize... this does nothing for your paint.
During the fine polishing stage I up the speed to 5 since it doesn't need to cut down very much, but only to mostly produce a gloss.
The Flex vs. the PC. The Flex polisher is a lot more powerful than the PC... however the XP PC I do not have, and it is supposed to be a bit more powerful than the older PC that I have. The Flex is going to cut faster using the same product.. point blank. You can take the Flex, and while it's running, press down as hard as you want and it's still going to turn... the PC won't do that, at least not the one I have. I only use my PC for very small areas, or to apply waxes or sealants.
The sealant:
One of the MOST durable sealants is one that most people have no idea about... I actually was told about it from a very good detailer years ago... the funny part is that you can get it at most local auto stores and it's about 10-12.00. It's called Duragloss 105.
Some of the old school detailers only like carnauba waxes... they give a nice warm glow and that is what some people like. No wax however is pure carnauba... if it were, it would be as hard as a rock... literally... solovents have to be used to soften it, so no matter what you read... none are just carnauba.
Duragloss gives a candied apple almost look... I just personally love that look... on white it's hard to see, but it has a nice gloss. Like it's name, it is indeed durable. I like to layer whatever I use on a car, and while the 105 does have cleaners in it, you can notice a difference after several layers. It's consistancy is basically about skim milk... it's extremely thin... it glides on.. I leave it for about a half hour and then wipe it off. NOTE: If you do like to layer your wax or sealant, it's good to usually wait 24 hours.
These pictures were taken after an application of the Duragloss 105. The car has to come out of the garage for a few days which I HATE, but it's politics with roomates... the rest will be finished and posted in the sunlight. I hope you enjoy the pics and maybe I helped someone out as well.
Well, as the thread says, this is a correction of my Fiancee's MS3... she, like I... had an Evo and went to the MS3 to have more room as well as a car she could have our dogs in and such. The car is white and has BEAUTIFUL flake... but it's BRIGHT white and hard to see much which is good and bad when it comes to scratches... you don't see them as much, but you also don't see the flake as much either.
Getting GOOD pictures of this color seem pretty much impossible, and only have I think 2 that show the condition of the paint, which at first, didn't seem to be to bad. I realized very quickly that this paint is a lot harder than I had thought it would be for a Japanese car.
Anyway, here are the only 2 pics I could get that show the damage of the paint.
You will sort of have to use your imagination with these pics... it's an 09, it's got about 30k on it and it's a car that dogs get in an out of. The car is only washed by me. I take care of all of the cars needs.
Products:
Rain-X car wash... yep the green stuff that's always on sale
The absorber chamios
Clay magic
wheels... rain-x car wash with a MF towel and my fingers
Flex DA polisher
PC DA polisher
Menzerna Intensive polish
Menzerna Super Finish
Uber Orange pad
Uber white pad
Duragloss 105 paint cleaner and sealant
Microfiber towels from Sam's club... yep, the big pack you see at wal-mart and everywhere else
The car is not yet even completed, but I thought I would show some of the pics... it is turning out very well and I would say that so far it's about a 95% correction.
I don't use many expensive products.. the only thing that I focus on when buying my products is how they fit my needs. IMO your polishes should be THE MOST important part of your product line remember... anyone can wash and wax a car, but if the paint has serious marring, then it's just going to be a little more shiny car with defects that will likely show up even more.
Menzerna is my polish of choice.. i've used about 4 or 5 different brands... some of them cut a little better or faster, but dry out quickly, others don't cut as well. The Menzerna line really lasts quite a while before it breaks down, and doesn't dry out nearly as fast as some other brands.
Menzerna: Intensive Polish with Uber Orange pad
Super Finish with Uber white pad
I really did think I would have to do a 3 stage correction, but the paint really didn't need it... honestly just after the Intensive polish I could have just sealed it, but I like a very polished look, and the flake REALLY popped... to bad i'm not as good with the camera, or you could see it better lol.
The flake shows a little bit better on this pic...
Towels: As I stated already.. I use the MF towels that you buy in bulk from Sam's club. I know that just about all detailers use these high priced towels and they are very nice, but let me tell you something... at the point of your fine polishing... just a slight hit from your PC cable and you will marr the paint and have to go over it again with a fine polish. I know I know, everyone has their opinion on these towels... I can tell you that i've never scratched a finish with one. I do one body panel with 1 towel and then put it in the bin to be washed, if it gets something in it... throw it out.. if it touches the floor or even just nicks the tire, it goes in the bin to be washed after inspection.
I learned a while ago when I worked at a guitar factory (PRS guitars) where they are more than picky that "less is indeed more sometimes" Using my Flex DA I set it on 4 (out of 6) and it cuts much better and actually faster. Faster speeds sometimes cause the polish to actually get to warm and start to crystalize... this does nothing for your paint.
During the fine polishing stage I up the speed to 5 since it doesn't need to cut down very much, but only to mostly produce a gloss.
The Flex vs. the PC. The Flex polisher is a lot more powerful than the PC... however the XP PC I do not have, and it is supposed to be a bit more powerful than the older PC that I have. The Flex is going to cut faster using the same product.. point blank. You can take the Flex, and while it's running, press down as hard as you want and it's still going to turn... the PC won't do that, at least not the one I have. I only use my PC for very small areas, or to apply waxes or sealants.
The sealant:
One of the MOST durable sealants is one that most people have no idea about... I actually was told about it from a very good detailer years ago... the funny part is that you can get it at most local auto stores and it's about 10-12.00. It's called Duragloss 105.
Some of the old school detailers only like carnauba waxes... they give a nice warm glow and that is what some people like. No wax however is pure carnauba... if it were, it would be as hard as a rock... literally... solovents have to be used to soften it, so no matter what you read... none are just carnauba.
Duragloss gives a candied apple almost look... I just personally love that look... on white it's hard to see, but it has a nice gloss. Like it's name, it is indeed durable. I like to layer whatever I use on a car, and while the 105 does have cleaners in it, you can notice a difference after several layers. It's consistancy is basically about skim milk... it's extremely thin... it glides on.. I leave it for about a half hour and then wipe it off. NOTE: If you do like to layer your wax or sealant, it's good to usually wait 24 hours.
These pictures were taken after an application of the Duragloss 105. The car has to come out of the garage for a few days which I HATE, but it's politics with roomates... the rest will be finished and posted in the sunlight. I hope you enjoy the pics and maybe I helped someone out as well.
