hangbok

I want to wax/polish my car but i'm not sure what steps to take. I want to know what order of different types of products goes on the car, i.e. polish-->wax. I dont' really know anything about waxing cars. Can we use one of those buffing machines that you can buy at like walmart? or will it leave swirls?

Can you guys recommend how I should go and detail my car. Mines a black tl.. with some slight scratches.. and i want it to look SHINY!!

danx.. plz help...

TeknoKing

well, im assuming your car is not older than 3 years, so your paint shoud be still pretty good, so all you need is a liquid wax, and nothing else.

I like Mother's products, I use it, and my car stays nicely clean even thru rain and snow.

Also, using the buffer for your first time, you must be very careful not to add any wrong pressure or motion to it, or you will leave more than just swirls (read the direction that come with a buffer)

Do a section of a car at the time, dont rush.
You will need an applicator cloth (terry or whatever you prefer), another softer cloth (terry or polish cloth) to remove the wax, and third cloth, i have this furry cloth, it removes the swirls.
Repeat if you want.

you will get all the detail on waxing on the back of the wax product anywayz.

good luck...

someone else on this forum will fill in the rest, Im sure

hangbok

[QUOTE]Originally posted by teknoking
[B]You will need an applicator cloth (terry or whatever you prefer), another softer cloth (terry or polish cloth) to remove the wax, and third cloth, i have this furry cloth, it removes the swirls.
Repeat if you want.
QUOTE]

So when applying and removing wax, its okae to use the buffer? Just want to make sure.. cuz I sure dont' want any nast swirl marks.

Black Car + Swirls = NASTY

=)

TeknoKing

i have a black car, you have use little wax, you can apply the wax with the buffer, remove if you wany by hand (circular steady motion), and polish with a buffer.

SK2003TypeS

Here is a general idea of different stages.

1) Wash the car - Meguiar's Gold Class is a cheap good car wash shampoo.
2) Clay the car - This will "exfoliate" the paint, help pull out any grit embedded in the paint, knock out some spots, oxidation, etc. Mother's Clay bar is a good kit.
3) Wash the car again - This is to get rid of any clay residue and clay lube used during the clay process.
4) Dry the car - Make sure to dry fully and not leave any water spots.
5) Polish the car - Depending on the condition of the paint, this will get rid of the scratches, swirls, etc. It will also bring out the shine of the paint depending on what products you use.
6) Seal or Wax - Sealants are known to last longer, offer greater durability. Waxes will give you a deeper "wetter" look. This stage is to protect and add pop to the paint.
7) Final Detail/buff - This is done to enhance the shine. Products like Meguiar's Final detail are sprayed on and wiped off.

Of course, this topic can go on and on. Depends on how deep you want to get into it.

Avoiding swirls - Anytime you move some kind of media across the paint, there is a chance that swirl marks/scratches can appear. So taking your time and the techniques used are extremly important. An experienced detailer will yield better results with cheap off the shelf products compared to a novice with the best of products.
Black is a very challenging color to keep clean and swirl free because little marks will show up really easily. However, when done correctly, it's one of the nicest colors to see shine.

Advice on "must have" tools:
A good quality Wash Mitt (I use sheepskin). I avoid sponges.
A good drying towel (Micro Fiber Waffle weave). The Absorber from Target is pretty good too, and cheap. 100% cotton towels are good too. Just watch the quality.

Buffers are safe if used correctly. Most buffers at Walmart, Target are realtively safe. I use a Porter Cable 7424 which will cost more, but is very effective.

Here's a few of my toyz. Hope this helps a little.

hangbok

danx guys... ur input helped a lot?

and thats a lot of tools u got there SK2003TypeS =)

anywayz.. one more question?? how many layers of polish and wax do you guys use and the time interval inbetween applying the wax or polish?

TeknoKing

yep, everything SK2003 has there is used for a superb job.

about layers: well, im sure SK2003 will agree with me, after one, you'll be pretty beat

but only use wax and no other material for the 2nd waxing job
(or just do it the first time really good)

u should take off the wax as soon as you see haze on the paint. (it will specify on the wax container)

SK2003TypeS

umm,...yeah, I have to cut down on my spending there. Scary thing is, that's not all of it.

With polishing and layering. I've seen no real benefit doing more than 2 layers. The second layer seems to cover everything in case I miss something on the first pass. If you go with something like Klasse AIO and SG, doing 2 "layers" of AIO might bring out the shine a little more. Keep in mind you're buffing it out after each layer too. As far as the wait, the same day should be fine.

With Sealants, you can layer until you pass out. In early Sept., I got up to about 6 or 8 coats of Zaino. After the 3rd, I didn't really see any visual benefits. I was just doing it for the "added" protection, if there is any, to gear up for the winter.
With Sealants, I believe you should wait a 24 hour period for it to really "cure". I noticed during this year (summer) that if I waited a day or so between 2 coats of Zaino, that it looked better than if I did 3 coats in 1 day. I've done multiple coats of wax within the same day.

I schedule my longer sessions whenever possible. My session in September was about 20 hours (spread over a few days).
So read the instructions on the products you choose and take your time.
I've ordered from this place quite a few times and they have some good instructions here too on car care in general. Also, do a search on guyz like NSXNEXT and groebuck1, they're detail junkies also .
Hope this helps.
www.properautocare.com

hangbok

Yea.. it helped a lot.. danx u guys!