Hi all, so I got an 08 NBP TSX about a month ago and I'm looking to detail it. I'm going to be detailing by hand cause I don't have the money to spend on an orbital buffer right now. I plan on using something like this (http://www.autogeek.net/polishing-pal.html). Even though the car's new it's already got some light swirls on it that are visible from about a foot away in bright light. I want to use some sort of swirl remover to get rid of the swirls I have and use a sealant. I've heard a lot of great things about four star products so I was thinking of using their thing. So what I've got so far from reading the forums is to first wash the car, then clay it. I'm not quite sure what swirl remover is best to follow up with. I'm considering Four Star Ultimate Scratch and Swirl Remover or Four Star Ultimate Final Polish Spray. I don't know which one I should use. Is there a better swirl removing product for hand use? I plan on finishing with UPP. Am I missing any steps? Could you guys recommend me some good products to work with? Also, would washing/ using a swirl remover take off any remaining wax I have from the dealer car wash? I'm trying to keep cost down. I don't mind putting in the extra time and elbow grease. Also since I'm doing it by hand, I know I won't get perfect results, but I'm ok with that. Thanks!

 

dont forget exceldetail.com...he has all the 4star products....

all i can say is man your arms and hands are going to be tired...but hey, your young so you should be able to handle it....

 

Word up... I'm with the above... im on a tight budget and honestly... i luv my car clean but I'm not a die hard like some of you so I won't be using my PC or UDM very often. THanks for that link, I may follow suit and pick up the same thing.

I know this is a silly question but I read about all these pads on applying the wax, polish and what not....but do we just use a regular MF cloth to remove and buff it out?

 

yes, just a regular mf cloth....i use about 8-10 clean mf cloths everytime i wax my car...if i polish first, then wax/seal, its double give or take a few.....

 

Why so many?

 

I was reading the FAQ and I remember reading somewhere that it was suggested to use the 100% terry towel for applying wax and polish...does it leave lil hairs?
Should I just stick to the foam pads with that terry outer or use a towel?

 

What FAQs? Apply wax / sealants with a yellow foam applicator.

Polishes are not applied they are worked on the surface with foam pads be they hand ones or by PC etc.


Removal of the polish and waxes etc use microfiber towels.


And to answer the other above question on why he uses so many M/F towels is if they get filled with removed product it makes things harder to remove and increases the chances of marring ..

On the truck I did yesterday I used upwards of 25 towels.

 

http://www.exceldetail.com/einszettwaxpolish.html

Found it in exceldetails quick tips for polishing/waxing.

Thx for the detail on working the polish in... I thought it was put on like wax... WIll try to do this during the weekend.

 

Ok got me a little confused there because you were originally refering to an AutoGeek link for hand held foam polishing pads.


Remember a polish is abrasive and must be worked to remove anything ... thus the difficulty of doing it by hand.

 

Thus, a new idea was born. Im currently working on "something".........Been at it a couple weeks, hopefully another month or so and I will be able to reveal a new exceldetail exclusive........

 

Jim, thanks for posting the link. Michael at Einszett has put together some of the best information available on the web regarding car care........

 

Hey Jim, so you're gonna try polishing by hand this weekend? What products are you gonna use? Let me know how it goes cause I don't have time to try it for a couple weeks.

Also, Patrick, so will this work fine (all by hand): Wash, Clay, Polish with Four Star SMR, finish with UPP? Is the final polish spray necessary? Since my swirls aren't that bad should I just use that instead of SMR? Also does UPP cause water to bead off? My car always seems to get wet from sprinklers or something else, I was hoping if the water beaded off, it would stop the damn water spots that keep popping up on my car.

 

If anyone has any recommendations other than four star products, I'm down. I only mentioned four star cause the general consensus seems to be that they're fairly easy to work with. Basically I'm looking for anything that's easy to work with by hand. Thanks!

 

Meow, will let you know how it goes, but I still have to pick up some items. Since my car is WDP, I have alot less work than you darker color cars, so I won't be going all out on the products.

Probably going to get the Meguiar's NXT 2.0 wax, mother's clay kit from excel as well as some waffle weave MF towels, sheepskin mitt, some quick detailer spray and what not.

I'm expecting this to take like 3 hours to get done by hand.

 

Hmmmm, by hand eh? Although FS would be fine, the Duragloss trio may be slightly better for hand application, a little more affordable also. You could get the DG trio for the price of the FS UPP. UPP is tops however in protection.
Any Nuba or Sealant will help roll the water off, but if water is an issue, you should come up with a regimine to avoid this. (Such as QD'ing weekly with something like Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer, which offers about two weeks protection as a stand alone)
If it were me? DG Trio (DG SMR, DG Total Performance Polish, DG AquaWax), Optimum IG & GE. Use AquaWax after every wash, and Optimum ID & GE weekly. She'll be so slick, bird bombs will fall off......

 

any polishing by hand is going to be extremely difficult...results will vary, and you wont beable to achieve any good results do to the application by hand being so inconsistant with pressure...thats one of the reasons to use the machine, you can achieve a uniform pressure and work the polish in correctly...i just dont think you can do that by hand other than spot polishing to remove a swirl here and there, but not the whole car....

if it were me, and i was going about it by hand, i would use some meguiars cleaner wax or some other all in one product...

 

Thanks for the response Patrick. So DG products would be easier to work with by hand huh? Would I be able to replace the aqua wax with UPP? I really want the best protection and it is still within my budget. So I'm thinking DG SMR, DG Total Polish, UPP, and Optimum ID & GE once a week. Would a glaze help? If so where when would I put it in?

 

So I decided that I'm just going to go for the DG kit from excel detail plus Optimum IDGE. So just to make sure will Optimum IDGE take care of any water spots? Also I just read about Optimum no rinse and it sounds like a miracle product. Could I use this as my wash? I just want to make sure it won't interfere with any of the other products I plan on using. Also will I have to worry about any of the wax that may still be currently on my car? If so how do you recommend getting it off.

 

That should be on your website somewhere. I had a good laugh.

 

I just found a great thread over at autopia about polishing by hand. It has a bunch of products and how well they worked. I'm surprised at how well the glazes worked. Hope this helps other people who are detailing by hand. http://www.autopia.org/forum/detaili...oval-hand.html

 

The IDGE wont remove the spots, but the DG SMR will (if theyre not real severe). The IDGE will help water runoff, thus helping minimize the chances of spotting, all the while adding some protection atop the 111.
The NRWS is stellar, and in no way compromise your protection. It too, will add slickness. Your really in for a treat if you use the NRWS. Do a search, you will find many happy campers here at Azine........

 

As for those test results, take a quick wipe with IPA and then gauge your results. The applications of glazes is a misnomer. People often use glazes as part of there total detailing regimen. What most fail to realize is glazes fill, and then suddenly dissapear. Then guess what comes back, swirls.
Glazes are a temporary means of filling very light swirls...........temporarily. Even when topped with a Nuba, swirls will always reappear.
I dont care what you use, by hand, your results may not be satisfactory, average at best. Im not saying dont give it a shot. I just dont want you discrediting the products or the folks who recommend them, if your results arent satisfactory. Then again, I always set my sites high, but Im detailing with a machine also........ Theres just so much you can do by hand I guess is all im trying to say???

 

...... if you got something in the works to make polishing easier by hand, i'm SO there!

 

Thats what its all about ..................!

 

Meow, Just wnat to let you know that excel swayed me and I picked up the DG line... Will try to work on the car thsi weekend but may not have the time.

I picked up the DG #111 and DG#105 since I couldn't decide which one was really better.. i want the shiny look and the durability!! Also grabbed the Aquawax. I still have some Nu-finish left, but when I am done with that I will try the DG SMR. My friend purchased the four star SMR and I may have to steal some of that to try out as well.

Will keep you posted.

 

i'm there. my swirls and light scraches are SO light, i don't think it justifies a machine. having said that, because the previous owner didn't take care of the car at all, the swirls are all over the car. i don't mind doing a couple of panels at a time by hand; there's no way to do the entire car in one session... so i'm looking forward to what you have to offer!

 

Last I spoke with the manufacturer, i was to hopefully have the prototypes in hand Friday!

 

dibs on first batch of samples!

 

Ooh, Friday's tomorrow! So when can you shed some more light on this mystery product? I'm gonna hold off on ordering supplies until I find out what it is

 

2nd dibs.

 

I just finished this grueling 4 hour process....get a buffer.... this was not something I want to really do again by hand...lucky for me i have a WDP TL cause if I had black.... you would might have noticed uneveness or missed spots....

I washed the car twice, clay bar with Mothers, then applied nu-finish, DG 105 and finished off with aquawax.

First 2 hrs was ok... but when i was applying the 105, i started getting sloppy and just didn't take my time cause i was just getting too tired and lazy...

Will probably invest in a PC or UDM.... if I can find a cheap one...otherwise its just oging to be washes and aquawax....

 

Hehehe, I may need some testers. Depends on how many are sent though..........Oh, no show on Friday either......

 

remember, i got first dibs!!! i think my car is the best candidate for this hand-applied polisher since the scratches and swirls are pretty light. can't wait!

 

I call dibs also So when's the new ETA for the prototypes? I'm really curious as to what it is now. Is it some sort of applicator?

 

As Sgt Schultz would say, " I know nothing".........

 

SWEET!!! I dunno when I purchased AutoGlym SRP but I just found it in my garage 2 days ago. Plan to use it on an 03 Jetta this week that has light to moderate swirl marks and was gonna do it by hand as well. Thanks for the link; u r the cat's meow

 

Prototypes have arrived, but one sample short...........So...the wait is on again.

 

Aw more waiting. Oh well I'm sure it will wow us all!

 

Hey Ninja, glad I could help! Let me know how the detailing goes.

 

DOH!

i'm all primed and ready to do a side by side test of this prototype and scratch-x. can't wait!