Full Detail for 3G TL NBP - First time using a PC for detailing
03-16-2013, 06:25 PM
#1
Stop Drop and Roll
Thread Starter
Full Detail for 3G TL NBP - First time using a PC for detailing
Haven't got around to posting these pics until now, but better late than never. Anyways, I ordered a Porter Cable a couple of months ago with some new product and pads and here are the results.
The process. Mothers wheel+tire cleaner, Wash with meguiars gold class shampoo, clay with meguiars clay and detail spray, Tape off trim, 2 step polish with Menzerna PF2500 and SF4500 with LC Orange and White, IPA wipe down, Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant with LC Blue, 303 for trim and moldings, Stoner on windows, Meguiars Hot Tire Shine. I think that was everything, trying to recall this after 5 weeks ago.
Didn't start till around 4 or 5pm, so there wasn't much sunlight to get some good before dirty pics and I couldn't really capture all the swirls with my weak flash light and poor camera operating skills
There was also some random scratches that I couldn't buff out with the orange pad and PF2500, slow arm movement, 3 vertical, 3 horizontal passes with pretty hard pressure on speed 5. Am I doing something wrong? Thoughts and suggestions?
10 hours and 2 days later, heres the finished product...
Really love how this pic captured the blue flakes
Clarity
Since then, I have also detailed wife's 07 4runner, friends 09 Bmw 335 coupe and a 06 kawasaki Vulcan 500cc, don't know if AZ would be interested in those pics. Let me know and I can start a new thread. Thanks for looking!
The process. Mothers wheel+tire cleaner, Wash with meguiars gold class shampoo, clay with meguiars clay and detail spray, Tape off trim, 2 step polish with Menzerna PF2500 and SF4500 with LC Orange and White, IPA wipe down, Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant with LC Blue, 303 for trim and moldings, Stoner on windows, Meguiars Hot Tire Shine. I think that was everything, trying to recall this after 5 weeks ago.
Didn't start till around 4 or 5pm, so there wasn't much sunlight to get some good before dirty pics and I couldn't really capture all the swirls with my weak flash light and poor camera operating skills
There was also some random scratches that I couldn't buff out with the orange pad and PF2500, slow arm movement, 3 vertical, 3 horizontal passes with pretty hard pressure on speed 5. Am I doing something wrong? Thoughts and suggestions?
10 hours and 2 days later, heres the finished product...
Really love how this pic captured the blue flakes
Clarity
Since then, I have also detailed wife's 07 4runner, friends 09 Bmw 335 coupe and a 06 kawasaki Vulcan 500cc, don't know if AZ would be interested in those pics. Let me know and I can start a new thread. Thanks for looking!
Last edited by jtsangAZ; 03-16-2013 at 06:31 PM.
03-17-2013, 11:31 AM
#6
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Wow, that looks really nice.
03-17-2013, 02:24 PM
#7
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nice job. addicting i see as you have moved onto to other people's rides. i know the feeling.
as far as some of the other scratches....usually once you remove the swirls, you end up finding "RIDS" = random isolated deep scratches. these can be rather annoying b/c you keep trying to polish it down, BUT keep in mind that some of these little buggers you can only make look less obvious since they are deep into the clear. the DA can only do so much to get rid of them safely. the key here is "safely". you would need to take it to a pro that has a orbital buffer and wetsanding skills to effectively get them out without burning your paint or thinning your clear coat. bottomline, make them look less obvious and learn to live with them while parking WAY out of the way and avoid brushing the car up against thorny bushes or branches. also wash with clean microfibers.
as far as some of the other scratches....usually once you remove the swirls, you end up finding "RIDS" = random isolated deep scratches. these can be rather annoying b/c you keep trying to polish it down, BUT keep in mind that some of these little buggers you can only make look less obvious since they are deep into the clear. the DA can only do so much to get rid of them safely. the key here is "safely". you would need to take it to a pro that has a orbital buffer and wetsanding skills to effectively get them out without burning your paint or thinning your clear coat. bottomline, make them look less obvious and learn to live with them while parking WAY out of the way and avoid brushing the car up against thorny bushes or branches. also wash with clean microfibers.
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03-17-2013, 08:15 PM
#8
Stop Drop and Roll
Thread Starter
Yes, super addicting that I want to try to start a part time business, but definitely need some more practice and I even got some coworkers and other friends that want me to work on their cars. And I have even placed a few more orders for products, pads and MF towels and cleaning tools.
I heard about RIDS, but yeah i guess i will have to live with them, or should i try using a more abrasive pad like yellow and a compound? I try my best to park far away, but somehow people always end up parking next to me anyways lol
Did the 2 bucket system with grit guards in each bucket, and probably went through like 10+ towels
I heard about RIDS, but yeah i guess i will have to live with them, or should i try using a more abrasive pad like yellow and a compound? I try my best to park far away, but somehow people always end up parking next to me anyways lol
Did the 2 bucket system with grit guards in each bucket, and probably went through like 10+ towels
nice job. addicting i see as you have moved onto to other people's rides. i know the feeling.
as far as some of the other scratches....usually once you remove the swirls, you end up finding "RIDS" = random isolated deep scratches. these can be rather annoying b/c you keep trying to polish it down, BUT keep in mind that some of these little buggers you can only make look less obvious since they are deep into the clear. the DA can only do so much to get rid of them safely. the key here is "safely". you would need to take it to a pro that has a orbital buffer and wetsanding skills to effectively get them out without burning your paint or thinning your clear coat. bottomline, make them look less obvious and learn to live with them while parking WAY out of the way and avoid brushing the car up against thorny bushes or branches. also wash with clean microfibers.
as far as some of the other scratches....usually once you remove the swirls, you end up finding "RIDS" = random isolated deep scratches. these can be rather annoying b/c you keep trying to polish it down, BUT keep in mind that some of these little buggers you can only make look less obvious since they are deep into the clear. the DA can only do so much to get rid of them safely. the key here is "safely". you would need to take it to a pro that has a orbital buffer and wetsanding skills to effectively get them out without burning your paint or thinning your clear coat. bottomline, make them look less obvious and learn to live with them while parking WAY out of the way and avoid brushing the car up against thorny bushes or branches. also wash with clean microfibers.
03-18-2013, 06:12 AM
#9
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you could try a yellow pad.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
03-18-2013, 07:23 AM
#10
Don't you just love clay?
How deep are those scratches? If you can feel them, they are probably too deep and as Tltrigirl said... you either repaint or learn to live with them. Possibly try applying some glaze and see if they can cover up the defect.
Just curious... was the PC spinning? When you apply too much pressure or if there is uneven pressure, the spinning action stops. Should mark your backing plate with a marker or some sort so that you can visually see the the PC spinning. Also, clean your pad or change your pad. Lot of the times, I find my pads soaked with product and it will lose its effectiveness. Just did a 7hr job on my car and I went thru 3 orange pads. For wax, 1 pad should be sufficient.
03-18-2013, 09:28 AM
#11
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you could try a yellow pad.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
To the OP, Good job. Do you have any pics of said RIDS? You don't want to go anymore aggressive as it may risk removing more paint.
03-18-2013, 12:06 PM
#12
Moderator
move on to mf pads, learn how to wet sand and you will get rid of those semi deep scratches that your basic foam pad cant get rid of.. light wetsand does the trick
Last edited by potmilkz; 03-18-2013 at 12:09 PM.
i need to get my MDX done this spring./OT
03-20-2013, 01:13 AM
#14
Stop Drop and Roll
Thread Starter
Orange pad with the PF2500, on the bottle it has it as a medium coarseness in their lineup. Also picked up a Megs Ultimate Compound, but I don't know how much cut that will have compared to the PF2500. Will try that with yellow or orange pad in the future and probably top with a glaze and sealant/wax. Any glazes you recommend?
Not that deep, don't feel it with a finger nail. PC was spinning from what I remember, but there were probably times when I might of zoned out haha. I did draw a line with a black sharpie on the backing plate, but thanks for the tip. Used a nylon brush I picked up from Autozone to clean the pad when they started caking up, I think I used about 4 orange pads, 4 white pads and 1 blue pad for the whole vehicle. Don't know if this matters but the pads I was using were the CCS ones with the dimples on them.
you could try a yellow pad.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
what did you use with the orange pad?
you said you used the mazerna products...i'm not familiar with those and how they scale up to the meg's products or optimum products. autogeek has a nice chart that does the comparos for all the products they carry (ie the product equivalents for the effect you are looking for). if it really bugs you you can always fill them with a glaze that has fillers, but that will wear off eventually.
Not that deep, don't feel it with a finger nail. PC was spinning from what I remember, but there were probably times when I might of zoned out haha. I did draw a line with a black sharpie on the backing plate, but thanks for the tip. Used a nylon brush I picked up from Autozone to clean the pad when they started caking up, I think I used about 4 orange pads, 4 white pads and 1 blue pad for the whole vehicle. Don't know if this matters but the pads I was using were the CCS ones with the dimples on them.
Awesome!
Don't you just love clay?
How deep are those scratches? If you can feel them, they are probably too deep and as Tltrigirl said... you either repaint or learn to live with them. Possibly try applying some glaze and see if they can cover up the defect.
Just curious... was the PC spinning? When you apply too much pressure or if there is uneven pressure, the spinning action stops. Should mark your backing plate with a marker or some sort so that you can visually see the the PC spinning. Also, clean your pad or change your pad. Lot of the times, I find my pads soaked with product and it will lose its effectiveness. Just did a 7hr job on my car and I went thru 3 orange pads. For wax, 1 pad should be sufficient.
Don't you just love clay?
How deep are those scratches? If you can feel them, they are probably too deep and as Tltrigirl said... you either repaint or learn to live with them. Possibly try applying some glaze and see if they can cover up the defect.
Just curious... was the PC spinning? When you apply too much pressure or if there is uneven pressure, the spinning action stops. Should mark your backing plate with a marker or some sort so that you can visually see the the PC spinning. Also, clean your pad or change your pad. Lot of the times, I find my pads soaked with product and it will lose its effectiveness. Just did a 7hr job on my car and I went thru 3 orange pads. For wax, 1 pad should be sufficient.
03-20-2013, 05:50 AM
#15
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http://www.auto-geek.net/charts/wax-chart.pdf
based on the chart in the linkie. PF2500 is the power finish product which doesn't have a ton of cutting ability (it's kind of a light to medium cut). meg's UC will be slightly less than the meg's 105 in cutting ability (both provide a medium to heavy cut depending on what pad you pair it with). the meg's UC will actually cut better than the mazerna's product you used which may eliminate the rest of the RIDS (or most of the them).
glazes...i'm going to try out the PB's glaze for dark colors on my MDX when i get around to it (if the weather ever warms up
).
based on the chart in the linkie. PF2500 is the power finish product which doesn't have a ton of cutting ability (it's kind of a light to medium cut). meg's UC will be slightly less than the meg's 105 in cutting ability (both provide a medium to heavy cut depending on what pad you pair it with). the meg's UC will actually cut better than the mazerna's product you used which may eliminate the rest of the RIDS (or most of the them).
glazes...i'm going to try out the PB's glaze for dark colors on my MDX when i get around to it (if the weather ever warms up
).
03-20-2013, 08:09 AM
#16
Off topic a bit but when I was working my 2012 TL, I noticed that more paint came off at the vertical panels compared to to the horizontal panels. Wondering if you guys noticed the same on your cars.
03-20-2013, 09:23 AM
#18
Well... used the same pad, same machine, same amount of passes and the same polish, Meg's Ultimate Polish btw. My car is black and I noticed the pad turned slightly black when working the side panels. Didn't see this when working on the horizontal panels. Of course the amount of pressure could have been different but if anything, I would imagine less pressure would be applied on the side panels just based on physics. But then again, just by knowing this, I might have psychologically applied more.
03-20-2013, 09:31 AM
#19
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you sure it wasn't just dirt?
we have a modern day clear coat on top of our base coat. way back in the olden days before clearcoats were the norm, you'd be able to rub off paint with compound. meg's UP doesn't have a lot of cutting ability.
i've used klasse AIO on a white pad on a bronze ish camry and the pad picked up residual yuckies (dirt and grime). i clayed the car, but i was not doing a paint correction i was applying product.
it's unlikely you took paint off...if you did...you're in trouble.
we have a modern day clear coat on top of our base coat. way back in the olden days before clearcoats were the norm, you'd be able to rub off paint with compound. meg's UP doesn't have a lot of cutting ability.
i've used klasse AIO on a white pad on a bronze ish camry and the pad picked up residual yuckies (dirt and grime). i clayed the car, but i was not doing a paint correction i was applying product.
it's unlikely you took paint off...if you did...you're in trouble.
03-20-2013, 04:24 PM
#21
Moderator
its possible that its just dirt that accumulated..
did your paint feel rough when you started polishing? did you do the plastic bag test?
did your paint feel rough when you started polishing? did you do the plastic bag test?
03-20-2013, 04:41 PM
#22
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great outcome for a first time user
03-21-2013, 07:33 AM
#23
I clayed the car before polishing so the paint was pretty clean... at least I would like to think. Not to mention, I used ONR as clay lube and did a wipe down prior polishing. I only used Meg's UP so I would like to think there is no possibility of eating thru the clear coat. However, it is quite possible that I had missed a spot or two. Not worried at all... just an observation I had made... an observation that showed I did a bad job at washing the car! lol
03-21-2013, 11:38 AM
#24
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the lower door panels tend to be the more filthy parts of the car along with the rear if the car sees regular baths.
if the car has NEVER had a clay treatment and lives outside...there is a lot more accumulation of crap on the horizontal surfaces vs the door panels.
if the car has NEVER had a clay treatment and lives outside...there is a lot more accumulation of crap on the horizontal surfaces vs the door panels.
03-22-2013, 01:02 AM
#25
Stop Drop and Roll
Thread Starter
I noticed that if your pad grazed some of the vinyl/rubber trim, it would turn the pad black and Im guessing thats what happened to you.
I clayed the car before polishing so the paint was pretty clean... at least I would like to think. Not to mention, I used ONR as clay lube and did a wipe down prior polishing. I only used Meg's UP so I would like to think there is no possibility of eating thru the clear coat. However, it is quite possible that I had missed a spot or two. Not worried at all... just an observation I had made... an observation that showed I did a bad job at washing the car! lol
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