Tell me why

zoomzoom mazda5 said:
Just wait till your down here for DF and see all the products before hand and then get the ones you want and have them ship home. Don't forget the great time you will have here and meeting many members from the forum also.
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I think I know what DF stands for and I don't get down to Florida till April 7th in the afternoon and leave the morning of the 14th.
 
It is just the pro in me - I apologize. However, I did read everything.

My point was: we never just rinse the car off and drive away. I think that is a very goal lesson to learn. At least I thought so when I first started out.

Remember the water spots once the sun starts inspecting it for you.
 
NO - the lesson is to NOT JUST HOSE OFF THE CAR:

Either you do a normal wash with car soap, clean mitt, 2 buckets etc... or you leave that paint dirty, until you can wash it properly.

Blacktruckowner said:
thanks now you are teaching me something, so no matter what I should dry my truck and not dry it on the highway.
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I enjoy personally the fact that I DONT CARE. I bought a Disco 2 to see what it can do. Bushes brush have at it, as long as it gets to the top of a trail I'm happy. I try to not let it get too bad. Fall on the roof not so good. If you see my vehicle you would never know what I do for a living. My vehicle is my release from always making everyone elses perfect. I can see trying to keep your DD as nice ad possible but it should not take away from the important things in life.

John.. Prepared to get slammed
 
Concours.John I agree with you to a point. I like my stuff to look as nice as I can possibly keep it but at the same time I don't want to be a slave to it either.
 
I think the key is to be realistic. If you drive a vehicle every day it's going to have imperfections. That's part of life. Use proper wash technique and you can minimize swirls and marring.

I like to keep my cars clean and I do what I can to keep the paint swirl free but it's going to happen regardless of all the precautions you take. I have 3 cars to keep up with and I won't spend every weekend trying to make them look perfect. I think I would lose the enjoyment I find in detailing if I tried to keep my daily drivers defect free
 
Many of the new 1-step products do a pretty nice job. The main objective I see is it meeting your goals in both time and personal satisfaction.

While most of these products perform to some level they in most cases will not equal the performance of a multistage correction. That said, if your car is properly maintained and cares for you might find yourself using one maybe twice annually and an occasional clay & wax to spruce things up a bit.


  • Understand where your finish is today
  • Set realistic expectations
  • Test a couple of products
  • Pull the trigger and begin..
 
Listen, I am not one to talk, but reading the OPs posts, he seems to want to drive a black car that looks very good. In THAT case at least, you DO NOT just rinse a car down and drive OR rinse and dry. If you don't car about the condition of the paint? By all means go ahead and trash the car. So if that is the case, why would he be on a detailing forum?

How my car looks in the winter here most of the time and I detail for a living

P1000088.jpg


Finally there was a day that wasn't rainy and wasn't too cold

P1000754.jpg



Concours.John said:
I enjoy personally the fact that I DONT CARE. I bought a Disco 2 to see what it can do. Bushes brush have at it, as long as it gets to the top of a trail I'm happy. I try to not let it get too bad. Fall on the roof not so good. If you see my vehicle you would never know what I do for a living. My vehicle is my release from always making everyone elses perfect. I can see trying to keep your DD as nice ad possible but it should not take away from the important things in life.

John.. Prepared to get slammed
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Rocket said:
I think the key is to be realistic. If you drive a vehicle every day it's going to have imperfections. That's part of life. Use proper wash technique and you can minimize swirls and marring.

I like to keep my cars clean and I do what I can to keep the paint swirl free but it's going to happen regardless of all the precautions you take. I have 3 cars to keep up with and I won't spend every weekend trying to make them look perfect. I think I would lose the enjoyment I find in detailing if I tried to keep my daily drivers defect free
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This sums up the way I feel. My garage queen stays in great shape for obvious reasons, but the other vehicles I keep up the best I can depending on conditions.
 
I think a lot of this makes sense, esp the part about accepting a DD is going to get some swirls and what have you. I think the true secret of keeping a car in great shape is not the wax, but the wash. I bought my DD 3 years ago this month and it looks as if it just came out of the showroom. I washed it by hand every week religiously - a real advantage to S fla...and it's never seen any mud, snow or grime. Believe it or not, it got a wax every 6 months with MARINE CLEANER WAX...nothing more. Now that I have discovered some other products, I have corrected the RID's and it's coated in UPGP. For the future, I'll orbital it every 6 mo with a finishing pad, D151 and more UPGP...aquawax or meg's quik wax after washing...

For me, it's all about the two bucket grit guard wash:
8fe04827.jpg
 
i still think it's best to initially correct the vehicle with a separate polishing step after the proper 2 bucket wash and claying. once the finish looks good, seal it, wax it, or both. afterwards it will be much easier to maintain with an AIO if you like. a good spray on wax or sealant after washes really helps to extend that original detail too.
 
Rocket said:
I think the key is to be realistic. If you drive a vehicle every day it's going to have imperfections. That's part of life. Use proper wash technique and you can minimize swirls and marring.

I like to keep my cars clean and I do what I can to keep the paint swirl free but it's going to happen regardless of all the precautions you take. I have 3 cars to keep up with and I won't spend every weekend trying to make them look perfect. I think I would lose the enjoyment I find in detailing if I tried to keep my daily drivers defect free
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agree. and i only do what i enjoy. all the info is here and you can pick and choose what you want to do and how meticulous you want to be.
 
I just need to make clear on my comment. The vehicle I purchased has defects that can not be removed. I bought it this way to enjoy a different hobby. (hence the dont care comment) I can make it shiny but thats about it. The OCD of washing and maintaining a vehicle including the bottom and suspension caused me to sell my toys. I respect anyone who wants the best ride. Its just not for me anymore personally.

I am fortunate and gratefull to detail and enjoy vehicles I could not afford so this was a perfect fit for me.

I was just commenting on the other end of the spectrum.

To the OP I respect your willingness to ask questions to learn.:bigups
 
mjlinane said:
XMT 360 is a good product but only corrects a little compared to standalone polishes and compounds. If that meets your needs, is a nice product.

I am on my own search for AIOs because I want to offer something to my customers between maintenance wash&wax and heroic 25hr efforts. I've tried XMT 360, Griots, Poli-Seal, KAIO already and next will be Megs 151. (Still have the CG AIO to try and maybe BF - but that is just a rumor.)
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Have you tried the poorboy's line???? I love polish with carunba
 
Rocket said:
I think the key is to be realistic. If you drive a vehicle every day it's going to have imperfections. That's part of life. Use proper wash technique and you can minimize swirls and marring.

I like to keep my cars clean and I do what I can to keep the paint swirl free but it's going to happen regardless of all the precautions you take. I have 3 cars to keep up with and I won't spend every weekend trying to make them look perfect. I think I would lose the enjoyment I find in detailing if I tried to keep my daily drivers defect free
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Well said!:bigups

I think that is a dream we all chase for a little while with our DDs. Then when it gets dinged in a parking lot you feel like shooting the person! In the grand scheme of things its pretty near impossible to keep a DD completely clean and free of defects. Im still happy that mine looks better then 95% of all other DDs though!
 
mwtaco said:
agree. and i only do what i enjoy. all the info is here and you can pick and choose what you want to do and how meticulous you want to be.
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Very true statement. It's about what makes you happy or fits your standard not someone elses.
 
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