BobbyC

DA = Dual Action polisher

here is my standard.

Wash

Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher

6in Backing Plate

6in Nanoskin Autoscrub (medium grade) instead of a Clay bar.
This thing is AMAZING.
it does what the clay bar does but a whole hell of a lot better and a LOT faster when used with my Porter Cable. be sure to break it in on the glass and use a lot of lube.

Lake Co Yellow Heavy cut pad (for marring and moderate scratches/swirls)
i use that with Poorboys SSR 3 Compound.

Then i follow up with
Lacke Co Orange or Cyan Pad. med/light cut pads. (gets rid of light swirls, scratches, marring from heavy cutting)

I either use Poor Boys SSR 2 (med cut compound)
or SSR 1 or Prima Swirl (Very light compound)

this leaves me with a very smooth finish.

Apply Sealant with a Lake Co. Black Finishing pad.

wipe sealant off.

Poorboys SSR Polishes are pretty cheap and extremely easy to work with.
they dont dry up fast like the M105/205

Sealant i use Prima Epic. its a very good sealant for its price.
leaves a pretty nice glossy finish and lasts a few months.

I follow that up with some do do juice purple haze wax to get a deep wet shine.
this stuff is a bit pricy but so worth it. just buy the little one and try it out.
goes on easy, comes off easy and it smells like grape kool aid.

all this, youre looking at around $250-$300 but youll get a flawless finish and you can keep it up.

paying a detailer to do this work would run you more than that.

id also suggest getting a variety of Microfiber towels

Acura_Dude

I just learned something new!

09TSXMT

6.5 hours of labor and i feel like I was hit by a truck but the car is done... Wolfgang products are amazing! I'll post some pics up soon.

hornyleprechaun

This is my wagon with 4*UPP.







This is my wagon with 4* UPP and Dodo Juice Purple Haze






If I get some time i have some other Dodo Juice wax I want to try. Very happy with the results of both products and how easy they were to work with.

gonzo08452

I've been using the same stuff for years. I have a black on black Trailblazer SS and I just usually wash it, dry it with a waffle-weave towel, then spray it with Griots Speedshine QD using Griots microfiber. Its been detailed once and the paint looks brand spanking new w/out swirls or maring. Now with the wagon, I just never let it get 'that' dirty and use the same method. Makes life a whole lot easier. Now I could overthink things and spend hundreds of dollars on cleaning products and hours on a weekend but just dont have the time. BTW, using a high quality microfiber makes all the difference in the world. The bulk mf towels from Costco will not work. Now I just use them for windows, wheels, and wiping down the interior.

odus

iTrader: (1)

anyone got any tips for water spot that seem permanent on the paint?

MC MiYoung3269

Have you tried claying it yet?

I found some random clay in the garage that my brother bought and did what I could with my trim. Grill and door handles were a piece of cake, but the window trim didnt bulge

Mercedes>BMW

Wow I thought that was a picture of just the house, it works great!

Mercedes>BMW

My water marks and spots just come right off.

odus

iTrader: (1)

i clayed the car and they were there i just need to pay someone to cut the paint on my car and start over fresh. I love the VBP but it has so many marks on it and the previous owner didn't take the best care of this car. this is the worst yet nice paint on one of my cars ever.

MC MiYoung3269

Probably just needs a good polish

Mercedes>BMW

Whats VPB? Violet blue pearl?

MC MiYoung3269

Vortex Blue Pearl

BobbyC

Just buy the stuff and do it yourself.
youll pay more than the cost of all the stuff for a solid detail.
paint correction is pretty easy to do for minor stuff.


p.s dodo juice is the shiznit

Acura_Dude

Great pics!

09TSXMT

wolfgang 3.0







Previous owner didn't take care of it at all. Going to do the three step again in a month or two

hornyleprechaun

Looks really good. I can't wait for warmer weather so I can wash my cars.

Mercedes>BMW

Same

gonzo08452

I actually found a professional detailer that does car washes by appointment for $25 bucks when I'm too lazy. He has a large indoor facility filled with expensive whips/exotics. He may not wax it but at least I know that the job will be done the right way and without swirls/scratches

Mercedes>BMW

I'm thinking about buying that Klasse Kit, the Super Size kit for $70 off autogeek. It looks like a good deal but would I still have to claybar?

damaged442

I was impressed with just using the Collinite 845. After some research on it, I found out it was made locally and I can get it from Advance Auto. What the hell, I'll support local business. They make good stuff! I thought it was pretty easy to apply and remove and it really looks great.

I'm looking to acquire an 7424XP and some swirl removers from Autogeek in the spring. Unfortunately, they use a lot of sand on the roads during the winter along the way to and from work. Any time it's above freezing, I try to spray off as much as I can first and try to gently wash it to keep from scratching, but there's only so much you can do. I could use twelve buckets to wash...still scratches. Damn sand!

Mercedes>BMW

wait sand or salt...? I didn't know they used sand for snow...

ttk5

Just bought this from detailedimage. Chemical Guys Petes 53 wax. Only used it once so can't really say anything about it. But I hate using cream colored waxes on my white cars. Its so hard to see later to buff out.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

yes. clay bar the car. getting the look and feel of buttery smooth and shiny as hell all the time...it's all in the prep work.

you can test the paint on multiple panels and clay bar as necessary. i use the klasse twins then add another sacrificial layer on top of that.

my TL has about 5 layers of klasse sealant glaze. ill add a carnuba/synthetic on top of that for added depth. the car is buttery smooth to touch and always looking freshly detailed. the other two "kids" in the house are th same way, but only one layer of klasse SG followed by two layers of collinite 845 for the winter. both cars are washed weekly all winter and still have a soft smooth to touch feel with a nice freshly detailed shine. i'm itching to get to spring detailing....

Husker Z

They do in extreme cold areas, where salt does not work. I know that Canada never uses salt, only sand. Under 20 degrees, salt doesn't work.

Husker Z

As far as detailing goes, I am a huge fan of Meguiars M205 paired with the MF Pads on a PC7424 (it's been updated since this, but that's the one I use). Then I'll use Blackfire products after it's polished. The fire over ice combo is tough to beat I think, plus the ease of use is fantastic.

damaged442

That's not a typo. They use sand. Lots of it, in fact. You can only imagine the beating my paint is taking. I put the color matched splash guards, which do help, but it's still pretty brutal. Not sure which swirl removers I will buy yet, but it'll definitely test how well they work.

potmilkz

bfwd

Mercedes>BMW

Anyone know which Clay-bar to order? I have no Idea, my neighbor picked up the Mothers Clay bar for himself at walmart.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

mother's, meg's either one is fine...get the little starter kit for like $20. comes with clay bar, detail spray and a microfiber. once you realize what is on your paint that you can't see... it's can be pretty gross.

Mercedes>BMW

Using Meguiars Clay Bar with the quick detail and I wasted 1/3 of the spray with just one car, is that normal? Lol

This stuff: http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.do?q=4579&promoCode=MEGFGS49WEBPAYP C&kw={keyword}&gclid=CPya0_S9_7UCFa9aMgodQxQAwA

opboarding

I used BobbyC's list to make my birthday gift list last night. I am going to have awesome paint in a few weeks!

Thanks BobbyC!

gonzo08452

My car will be a year old on May 23rd and as an early b-day present, I ponied up for a paint correction professional exterior detail and paint enhancement. Plus I had some stubborn hard water stains on certain spots I wanted to get rid of. The car looks amazing and better than new!! I just picked it up this afternoon and I dropped it off yesterday right when they opened. I chatted with him for about an hour as he worked on another car. He really had good things to say about ONR. I'm sure this isnt new to some of you but it's new to me. He says he prefers using ONR as a quick detailer as oppose to say a Griots SpeedShine which I've been using. He mixes a half ounce per 32ounce of water on a quality spray bottle. I'll give it a shot as a finishing touch to get rid of any streaks I may have missed on a wash. FYI.....

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^i can't say i like ONR as a clay lube. nice for spot treating bird bombs. i keep a bottle in each car with a MF. post wash i like meg's last touch detail spray 1:1 dilution ($20 for a gallon, when you dilute you get 2 gallons. beats spending the $10 for a 16oz (or even 32oz) bottle of QD . makes a good clay lube as well. it smells nice too. i'm looking forward to trying the ONRWW (the new formula with wax). won't have the versatility of the original ONR, but for washing....i've read a lot of good things about it.

gonzo08452

Thanks^^ quick question here and kinda off topic but will using a citrus based car wash soap strip off wax? Or is it even recommended to use on newer paint without a lot of contaminants?

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^yes...usually. fine to use on a new car...won't hurt it as far as i know.

Mercedes>BMW

Just bought some Nu Finish Polish which claims it's better than wax... So shall I wash, Dry, Clay, and then apply this stuff?

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

not a fan of OTC stuff like Nu finish. they also claim the durability lasts a year and you can go through a car wash without worrying about it's durability. i won't drink that kool-aid. if you want OTC, meg's stuff...but that will only last about 2-3 months. 3 pages on this thread with a lot of good info on different quality products and you have chosen nu finish? it is your car, so you may use whatever you want on it. many of us have pointed out there are better products on there. if you want to give it try and let us know how it goes, then have at it.

Harper

I have most of the same stuff BobbyC has, Porter cable, Lake Country orange/yellow/white pads + Poorboys World SSR 2 and SSR 1 compounds, with Wolfgang Deep Gloss 3.0 Sealant. The sealant goes on and comes off so easy which makes it easy. Although, does anyone know of anything that'll keep dust off the paint? The paint seems to attract a lot of dust even just sitting in the garage.

gonzo08452

BTW, I see nothing wrong w/ Nu Finish. My cheapo Jetta has been treated w/ Nu Finish since new and the paint still looks great. Rubber moldings are dry rotted now but the paint shines as it did the day I bought her 2/97.