So...for Christmas, my lovely gf did some research and actually bought me the right random orbit polisher I'd been wanting and let me choose a kit to accompany it.

I ended up with the Optimum kit.
Came with
Orange, White, Black Lake Country pads AND
32 Oz. of Optimum Compound II, Polish II, and Poli-seal.
I figured after all I'd read that would be a good start.

Since it was my first time and I didn't want to be in a rush, I figured I'd start off with just the hood area for today, to practice and figure out what worked best for me. I tried MANY different combinations of this pad with this product and this one with that one and figured out the pad mades the biggest difference with how aggressive it is. I was happy to learn that there is a HUGE room for error and for adding your own style and mix of product.

I washed JUST the hood area with DAWN, and clay barred it, and dried it.
After that I taped off a 1/4 section of it to practice on.

Well, actually, I practiced on an old side skirt of my old totalled SI first...and figured out A) it's not going to MAR or ruin anything that easily...and I could try different things for the best result...that it's not a miracle product that will COMPLETELY erase everything like deeper scratches and some surface imperfections (which is good to learn early on because it makes you more realistic about what to expect when you've reached a level of corretion you can live with. ...AND it's not too good to wedsand ver hard with 800 grit because even after a mild polish with the machine, it won't hide the scratches you put in the clear. Luckily, like I said, these early lessons were learned on a piece of Honda paint that doesn't belong on my actual car anymore.

This hobby DEF. can make you crazy with chasing after little tiny imperfections here and there and holograms and scratches. Like I mentioned before, be realistic about what you will and will not see...what you can live with and remember...you won't ever again be standing under a huge halogen light LOOKING for imperfections in your day to day life.

Anyway, after 3 coats or so of Compound II with the orange pad, I did 2 with Optimum Polish II with the white pad...then Poli-seal with the white pad, then finished up with Poliseal with the black pad.

Like I said, Trial and error here...overall VERY happy with how it came out. Next up, will be the rest of the car.

A few things I have questions on for you old school detail guys...
1. Am I supposed to clean the pads after I've used them, and if YES, how?
2. I used different product on different pads figuring that it was an applicator and most of doesn't end up IN the pad anyway. Is this correct.

Thank you,
Comments and criticism welcome. I can take it.
J.

Keep in mind I started while there was still daylight and then had to resort to artificial light and the compact fluo lights of my garage.
Before:


After:

 

Keep it up you will eventually get it but i don't have the patience for this so i just pay someone to do mine

 

Looks great!

To answer your questions.

1. Yes, you are supposed to clean the pads after every use. Snappy pad cleaner in a 5 gallon bucket, let them sit and soak for a while then rinse with water, and set them out to dry.

2. Never cross contaminate different polishes on the same pad, unless of course you're using a pad that's been cleaned. The pad does in fact hold product, and is not just an applicator. The pad plays as much as a role as the polish you're using.

Pads should ideally be changed every few panels. Keep at it, your results with the PC are looking great.

 

Thank you for the encouraging words and for answering my questions. I guess I will need to work on my cleaning process. As it stands, I plan to do 2 passes with the orange pad with optimum compound and 1 or 2 passes with the polish on the white pad and then seal it all up with the optiseal on the black pad. So far, that's done well...and no other surface on the car is as unforgiving or visually obvious as the hood!

PS...I know this sounds pretty crazy, but I had put some marks on our dining table...I was able to polish them out and make the dark wood look amazing and glossy with the PC. I can't BELIEVE I EVER THOUGHT OF POLISHING BY HAND! Seriously. This is the next level and I look forward to perfecting the art of detailing.

 

Results look very good! Sounds to me like you have the right attitude, which is very rare for beginners who think they will get every defect out and then come here to complain, blaming the product, machine, or one of us, etc. You'll almost never get it perfect, but you can get it very near close, especially to the naked eye.

I don't think you need 3 coats of OP II, that would take many many hours. One coat, possibly two, and a final polish should suffice. If you need three coats then you probably need something stronger and/or better technique (practice makes perfect.) Up the speed on the pc and apply greater pressure, work an area no larger than 18x18.

I use Menzerna Super IP with an orange pad (creates a bit of a haze in the paint), then follow with Menzerna final polish. I'm not familiar with the poli-seal...I recently used P21S paintwork cleanser for the 1st time after I was done with the polishing and liked the result...followed with megs 2.0 synthetic sealant.

I use dawn to clean the pads, apply about a quarter size drop and work it into the pad under warm/hot water. Keep doing this until when you squeeze the pad, the water runs nearly clear, set it out to dry (doesn't have to be perfect.)

 

Be sure to invest in the twins (Meguiar's M105 and M205). You wont regret it.

 

Thanks again for the encouraging words guys/gals! I appreciate it...
Ok...VERY happy to hear that I can just use dawn to clean up the pads...I have turbo shine and zaino z-6 to prep the pad and already have dawn too.

Hmmm...I guess I may have to give the Meguier's a try then too!

I DEF. need to work on my technique...today I stripped the entire car with dawn...clayed the entire car and proceeded to do 1 coat of OP Compound...1 of Polish and 1 of Poliseal. LONG DAY...
I THINK I improved the swirls but I swear after a while of staring at it I started having a breakdown thinking I'd done all this for nothing and there was no improvement. Of course, I pressed on since I didn't want to leave the car with NO protection, only to have to start over again. So I did...and overall, it looks great...probably something like 60% improvement in the swirls. I can live with that because:
A) Like you said, practice makes perfect
B) You WON'T see everything you see with the spotlight in day to day life AND
C) I was NOT doing 2 foot sections as I got frustrated and felt like it would never end and I rushed and did much bigger sections at a time.

For now, I can rest easy...I know now, when correction time comes, I will only plan to do parts of the car per day so I don't rush and I get it right.

I DID try different pressure and compound on orange pad and still wasn't able to get it near perfect so I MAY try something a little more brutal/aggressive for those areas of the car that are very visible (ie. hood and roof and trunk).

Thanks again to all,
Jeremy,.

PS...I also took the opporunity to wax my rims with meguires gold class...

IM POOPED...

 

nice work

 

Why thank you guys...
I have to say, upon inspecting in the sunlight today, my technique DEF. needs some work. I think I may have actually put some of the scratches in with the OP COMPOUND II...I'll have to give it another couple of passes with the OP POLISH, I guess.

Or give the Megs a shot at some point. I DEF. have not gotten the spiders webs out though. Is it normal to be that hard to take them out?

 

wow dude that came out really nice its too cold that i been so lazy to even do mine

how long will it last for?

 

I'm not too sure...
I'm actually reading up on some things now...I think (and thank you for the direction) I may give the Meguiar's #105 a try to cut...supposedly it's the bomb for a PC user at ridding yourself of swirls. I'll stick with the optimum polish to get rid of the haze and marring afterward (only because I already own 32 to 64 ounces of the stuff and some recommendations online say that in a warm climate they follow up the #105 with optimum polish rather than #205).

It's all about Trial and error!!! lol.

Question for all of you out there...
Is Optimum Poli-Seal a sealant? Judging by the name, it seems like it but I wanted to confirm. I read that I can go over that with a carnauba wax after to add gloss and depth. Maybe I'll do the last of my Zaino Z-2 onto it using the PC.

AND, if I go back and try and use Megs...can I just clean the surface and go right over the top, or do I have to re-DAWN it and clay to get back to the bare metal? Thank you in advance.

Also, how important is a foam gun? If I 2 bucket it...and use a sheepskin mit going straight front to back and down sides and dry using waffle weave OR silicone squeegee OR Mr. Clean Autodry...
I SHOULD be able to keep the swirls away, right?

 

if you plan on using a mit and 2 bucket method I suggest extra mits and a grit guard. I went ahead and invested in the boars hair brush and I'm never going back :P.

Foam gun may be a necessity with a NBP.

I don't always re-dawn when I plan on correcting again, if I'm lazy I just add in extra soap to the mix before I wash.

 

Ok...thank you! I'll look into the boars head...I LOVE using the brush on a pole...but I was afraid the one I have that I use for my GF's car too might be cheapy and leave swirls. I can def. get a gun and boars head brush then. I just don't wanna go on this mission only to swirl it back up in a few washes again. For that I would have just left it at Zaino and settle for the paint looking great out of direct sunlight.

 

You car is looking HOT!...Great Job!

I saw this pic you posted in another thread



We're almost twins



Although i think your drop is much better than mine and those fogs look GREAT!

If your ever really bored and looking for a fellow FL/NBP/Aziner to help install those fogs just let me know


PS---are those stock or Type-S tails?

 

Good work MAS. I like your attitude.

The NBP paint is so soft the Megs 105 is certainly overkill. I would start with the Megs 205 first. As a beginner, I would not worry about removing all defects the first go around. Perform 2-3 details over the next 12 months instead. When I first started I used a step wise approach to removing all of the defects on my car. This will take you longer but your technique will improve without getting too aggressive. This particular paint is not very forgiving if you get too aggressive.

 

`May I suggest

with a minimum of 10-15 lbs pressure. You can finish out OC II but it takes a little know how. Your better off finishing up with OPII.
Another thing, you can use similar products with the same pad, example: You try OPII and decide you need something a little heavier. You can add OC II to the pad and continue polishing. You just cant use the reverse technique. Too much polish is not a good thing. The abrasives cant roll out if there is too much lubrication. So be careful with the qty of polish you apply. Optimums polishes are very good, and a wise decision for a beginner. Shoot, Ive detailed 100's and still use it. Some things you just hate to change!
You'll get the hang of it, we all were in your shoes once before, now look at us!!


Theres a good group of people in here willing to help, so stay tuned to your thread!

 

MAS...thanks for the compliments man. And yeah, we're definitely closely related car-wise. Although I've recently made some changes...purchased some cleared out lights from a member and took the top of the grill back to silver to add some detail. Check it out.



About the fogs, I have already helped another member on here do it and we've become good friends. I wouldn't mind giving you some guidance or advice whether it be online or in person (if I can make the time). I will steer you to buy the OEM's though...heatseeker bought the ebay specials and he has a glare issue that is annoying him a lot. Read up all the threads on how to do it on AZ.

SweetJazz:
I'm not sure if it was because I was swirl city, or what...but I finally got the M105 and did 2 passes...one slow and one pretty fast...and just finished up with the Optimum Poliseal and WOW...THAT made a big difference...like, in the sun I can see where there are spiderweb/swirls and the 1/4 of the hood that I had done with the Megs. I figured I'd try the least abrasive that I had to remove swirl and hazing and what do you know...perfect finish with the poliseal. Love it. I'll hit the rest of the car this weekend.

Excel:
Thank you for the words of encouragement man. I'm sorry I didn't end up purchasing from you as it was out of my control since it was a gift. Don't think I forgot all the information etc you provided me last year when I was getting started with the Zaino by hand! Again, great pics of the before and after and great tips as always. I look forward to being able to learn and help on this area of the website.

J.

 

Sorry, waited too long to edit. I forgot to copy the 2nd link.

 

very clean...... i dont have all the right supplies right now but i hope to get the same professional look(as we all)

 

Thanks man...I have to say that to everyone else the car may be perfect and clean...but once you get into this...it's hard not to be super critical lol...every once in a while I'll look at it and be like "damn"...that looks amazing for a 6 year old car!

Good luck and as it's been stated, wealth of knowledge on here!

 

Ok...so I'm getting BETTER! Under the scrutiny of the lights I didn't see much of a difference...but seeing the pics now I realize that I made a BIG impact here!
I was polishing my emblem area as I was going to install this new amp'd emblem.
BEFORE

AFTER









And here is a comparison of my car on the right to a stock one that hasn't been loved in a while parked next to it.

 

just a little update:
I'm coming along...did 1 pass with meg's 105 on orange and 1 pass with OPII on white here. MUCH improved. Although under the lights it doesn't look like there's much improvement...the pictures show otherwise...

after

and here's an overall pic of my car next to a bone stock one that hasn't been cared for as much.

 

PS...meant to say...to anyone considering beginning polishing/compounding and detailing. IMO...if you have a dark colored car. Don't bother by hand. I know we don't all have the means to purchase the PC or rotary, but trust me...it ain't worth it. If I could have back all the hours I put in by hand and I'd be able to polish and seal the car, watch super bowl 3 times, do my 2008 and 09 taxes and go for a jog from here to Orlando in less time than I've spent to get mediocre results.

I was warned originally, but not discouraged...get a machine and learn how to use it! Your shoulders will thank you for it!

 

nice looks good!!

 

Thank you very much...practice makes perfect!

Question: I'm thinking (although I know it wastes some product I like the even coverage of the machine) of finishing off sometime soon with some zaino z-2. I love the long lasting protection. What pad would you all recommend to finish with this...something that doesn't absorb too much product and just applies but doesn't correct anymore. The Opt.Poliseal is good but I think the Z2 offered longer protection.

 

Ok...here's a REAL question!
PS...just read up on the "black css" pad I have and it does NO cutting so it's perfect to apply a sealant. Good stuff...

BUT...I was doing some Meg's 105 on the top portions of the car...the parts you'll normally see when the sun reflects off of it and it came apart! I guess I was putting too much pressure? Is that normal?

 

Ok...gave it another whirl today...as mentioned...but only got as far as doing the Meguiar's very aggressive 105 on orange pad on all the top surfaces...from the the door line up. Every surface the sun bounces off of basically. My backing plate took a dump from too much pressure (oops) before I got a chance to Optimum polish anything but the hood. Oh well...it'll have to sit for now. Looks amazing already though.

CHECK IT OUT!












Hi!

 

SWEET DEAL...the place I ordered from just told me that Porter Cable has a 3 month guarantee on products and they'll send me a new backing plate! YES. Sometime things work out!

 

PS...I don't know what went wrong, but I have light scratches going up and down on the hood, which I DID was carefully. Now, to figure out if it was the microfiber towel I used to take off the OPII, the silicone squeegee I used to dry, the waffleweave towel I used to finish dry, or the friggin fake lambswool sponge I used to wash (it came in a set from Honda...probalby not the best).

It never ends!

 

My bet would be the squeegee that caused the light scratches. Are these scratches only on the hood? Did you notice them before applying your LSP?

 

I basically gave up on having an absolutely swirl free car. Just learn to live with it.

Also, people say that if you wash your car right, you will never get swirls. I don't believe that at all. It can probably be done if done by perfection, but I don't think the average person can wash their car without leaving behind a hint of scratch/swirl, even when they follow procedure. To me, a DD car is never a swirl free car.

My car has scratches and swirls, but you would have to look for it to see it. I used to be hell bent when I see small scratches on my car. But I just tell myself, I haven't seen any car on the road that is as clean as mine.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement AND the tips!
I agree...honestly, this is part of the reason I was hesitant to get started with this to begin with as I knew it would take me to a whole new level of anal and not being satisfied. But as a whole, you're right...my car right now looks better than it did on the showroom in Dec. 03. And most people would think it looks amazing...but all i can do is harp on these fine scratches you can only see in CERTAIN LIGHT!

lol.

Actually...the problem here is that my backing plate completely shredded on me and came apart after doing the Meg's 105. My plan was to finish up with OPII and then seal it all up with Zaino Z-2. So without the machine, I left it at that.

So I'll have to nix the use of the squeegie then...I'll stick with the waffle weave!. I don't think they're only on the hood, but the hood was the only area I had already done OPII on before the backing plate took a crap. I guess I'll do another pass with OPII on the entire car before going for it with the Zaino or another type of synthetic sealant.

 

Sorry guys, I rearranged some things in my photobucket. Here are some of the original pics.

 

Above pics are to replace the ones from the first post that were moved and made a "broken link".

And here are my new efforts from this weekend,
ended up doing OCII, first on all surfaces above the doorline (ones that you actually end up seeing the sun reflect off of). OPII finally (now that the backing plate was replaced under warranty) and I finished it off by sealing with Zaino Z-2 (I LOVE the longevity of it) using the Porter Cable and black pad. Even though they don't recomment application with the machine, I used the same amount as I normally use by hand...1oz. And my shoulder was a LOT less tired. I'm happy with the results!
Went to a meet on Saturday and was told I had the cleanest 04 the person had ever seen. Made me proud!

 

I tried helping my friend detail his NBP and it was a very tough challenge to get the swirls outs. Major props to you for getting your car to look so nice!

 

Well thank you very much, man. It's been a tough challenge. And it's actually pretty funny, as I do it, I'm thinking...man, I haven't made a difference...but now...stepping back and looking at the pics and sun reflections...it looks pretty damn good. I know from a distance I used to be able to see haziness and swirls galore!

 

Hey I just got a NBP and im ready to start detailing! Im no stranger to the PC I have one myself but in the past I have been dissapointed with my polish. I found it to dust a lot and fill in all the tiny little rock chips and inperfections and once dry would turn white!!! So they were even more noticable. Do you guys notice that at all with the Meguiars M105 or M205?

 

Honestly...a little bit, yes...but then I would wash the car again and I finished off with the zaino and that turns everything back to black and barely noticeable. I think it must look worse before it can look better!
I was told M105 and M205 are the bomb...I just opted to 105 then finish with Optimum polish because I already had it. Then I sealed with Zaino Z-2 but I'll try the poliseal next time because it came with the kit.

 

M105 and M205 are excellent polishes. They do tend to dust a bit and I did have some caking w/ M105 because I let it sit on the paint while i answered an important phonecall, but using them this past weekend on my trashed NBP paint made me a believer. The M105 got rid of the heavy swirls/scratches and the M205 finished beautifully.

I highly recommend these 2.

 

I have the huge 32 oz OPII so it'll be a while before I buy the 205 but I've read nothing but great things about it!