First timer trying to properly detail the paint:

I'm looking to get rid of some swirls and imperfections in my '06 Redondo Red Pearl TL... I planned on purchasing pictured items below, then washing, claying, using Meguiars 105 & following up with 205 and perhaps some sort of wax. Does this look like everything I need / a good plan? Should I purchase a yellow pad too?


Thanks in advance.

 

i think the yellow would be the same as the orange light cutting pad.

and use a sealant!!!
waxes dont last as long!

4starUPP!

 

you can use a sealant first then a wax on top (redundant, but think of the wax as the sacrificial layer for the first two months, unless you use a spray wax between major details).

yellow pad is a courser more aggressive pad than the orange one.

OP- you have a good start so far. you need to figure out what your LSP is going to be once you've done all that paint correction. four UPP, collinite 845, klasse sealant glaze, blackfire sealant, zaino, poor boys, chemical guys, pinnacle, wolfgang....there is a whole mess of different products. how much you wanna spend?

 

Noob here as well but you have a 5" plate and 6.5" pads. I guess there is nothing wrong with that as long as the plate is bigger but might as well get the 5.5" pads.

 

i would get 5.5" pads over the 6". and get more than one of them. get them in a 3 pack. one pad will not get you through an entire car. 5.5" pads will fit easier onto most of the TLs body panels. they are also cheaper.

 

I just ordered a ton of shit from Chemical Guys

Pretty much what you ordered, I just need the PC now.

And I agree with trigirl, get more pads.

I ordered 2 orange and 2 white, and one black.

 

^^ You should pick up a blue one for sealant.

 

I got the black one for that, I'll see how it does.

 

the black one is firmer than the blue one. i like the black one better. the red pad is really soft and doesn't soak in all the product. good for LSP. i think it's all preference.

 

Thanks, I had read that the red pad actually sucked up a lot of product

Like you said, seems to be preference and probably depends on what product is used.

 

the red pad does soak product, but it actually disperses it really well. the "a little goes a long way" thing. i've used it with collinite 845 and a few dribbles of it on the pad will do a whole panel. the black pad is good for sealants and glazes. when and if it gets warmer, i'll experiement a little when i detail the MDX. she could use a light polish followed up with a a nice fresh coat of sealant.

 

I have the orange pads for M105, white for M205 and the black for my sealant (Jetseal 109).

 

2 orange is not enough. The cutting pad is the one you will need to replace more so than the finishing pad. I would get at least 4.

 

Hey OP,

I think you'd get a better deal here if you spend a few more bucks

http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-pad-kit.html

3 oranges, 2 whites, and 1 gray is what I would do. That should take care of one car as long as you keep the pads clean.

Good luck and Happy detailing.

 

I added the kit with three oranges and a white, however when I go to add an extra white and gray to my cart, the kit disappears. I tried to add the pads first and adding the kit would cause the pads to be removed from my cart. I don't really want to pay shipping twice.. anyone else experiencing this issue?

 

That happened to me on my last order with Autogeek.
Tried it a second time and it worked fine.

 

i would skip those pads and move on to microfiber pads.

 

Sorry screwed it up.

I was trying to link this kit.

http://www.autogeek.net/pc7424-5inch-pad-kit.html

It's about $30 more. Also use the coupon code "ago" for free shipping.

x2

 

Interestingly... I didn't find the paint on my TL all that soft as some have proclaimed. Meguiar's Swirl X wasn't able to get rid of some light scratches. I think it did alright on the swirls with the LC orange pads. I had to move up to Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and I would think the microfiber pads would have done a better job. I should have listened to JCharged and gotten the microfiber polishing pads.

 

I'm confused now... JC, you thumbs up'd potmilkz on the comment about microfiber pads. Should I not be ordering the Lake Country foam pads then, and order some microfiber pads? I was under the impression (from doing some reading) that Lake Country foam pads were "the bees knees".

 

Sorry for the confusion Alex,

I thumbsup-ed potmilkz because I love the MF pads. IME and opinion, they cut much more efficiently. I do however finish with a foam pad. There's nothing wrong with the foam pads. I was under the impression that you wanted a "kit".

C8N just recently picked up a $50 DA from HF and ordered a quality backing plate with pads and saved some $ for more products.

 

You're right, I wanted a kit to make sure I had all the proper tools because this will be my first rodeo. Whatever you guys suggest to me I'll purchase - I just want to be sure all the tools I'm buying will help me restore my car's paint - its got a fair share of clear coat scratches and swirl marks. When my tax money comes in I'll be buying the said tools, and you can expect a before and after thread - of course I'll credit anyone who has helped me in this thread!

 

I recommend foam pads for finishing because the microfiber pads will probably leave holograms on the soft Acura paint. My TL a panel that was repainted, it was so soft if you ran a mf towel over it you would marr the paint. Granted you car is all factory paint but nevertheless the TL's paint is very finicky so just take your time.

 

Fellow noob here and I am just putting down what I have read and will provide my limited experience here as well.

No one can really tell you what product and combination works best on your car unless they have worked on your car first hand. It all depends on how your paint reacts. From what I understand, the microfiber pads do have more cutting power than your LC orange pads. The LC pads you plan on ordering with the M105 compound will get the job done but it's a balance of how much pressure you apply and how many passed you do.

Now it seems like the general rule of thumb in the detailing world is if you do not know the paint system on your car, you do test spots with the least aggressive combo first then move up to the most aggressive. So, you are heading in the right direction. I own a 2012 TL CBP and I started out with the SwirlX with the LC orange pads with some pressure. It made the paint darker but did not do much for the scratches. Used a bit more elbow grease on another pass and it worked fine but for the stubborn scratches I had to move up to the Ultimate Compound with bit less pressure. As you can see... there were some trial and errors and luckily no hazing occurred for me.

The key with DA is that you have to make sure that it spins and when you apply too much pressure, the damn thing will stop spinning. This is not a flaw but a safety measure in most DAs ,that most noobs will appreciate, so that you do not burn the paint.

Most aggressive means less time and energy but can also lead to hazing which is correctable by applying lesser aggressive product. Least aggressive means more time and energy but you may not get the result you are looking for. You just have to find the balance that works on your car.

If you want to make 1 shipment of products and money being no object, get the microfiber pads but do not omit the LC orange pads. When you start working on your car, start with the orange pads and if you find your result not to your satisfaction, move up to the microfiber pads.

Hope this helps.

 

Oh...one more piece of advice... mark your backing plate with a marker so that you can tell whether or not the DA is spinning.

 

Found the following on the Meguiar's site posted by Michael Stoops

If you have just light swirls they should be fairly easy to remove with traditional foam pads and something like Ultimate Compound. Of course, if the paint is extremely hard even light swirls could be a challenge, and stepping up to something more aggressive might be called for. In that case, the microfiber pads and D300 are the next logical choice. You don't have to use both the cutting pads/D300 and finishing pads/D301, especially if you're a fan of M205 on a foam finishing pad for maximizing gloss and clarity. Since day one with this system we've recommended this "hybridization" of the system for higher end detailing.

What's important to remember is the differences in technique and process when using microfiber versus foam pads. You must prime the microfiber pad first, blow it out with compressed air or brush it out with a pad brush, and then use just 3 pea sized drops of product for each section you buff. And then it is critical that you either brush out or blow out the pad after every single section pass. Overusing product, or failing to clean the pad regularly, will greatly diminish results. You also want to move the pad more slowly across the paint and maybe even apply more pressure during the correction process. That doesn't mean you should go crazy with the pressure as that only leads to problems. It should also be noted that the microfiber on the face of the cutting and finishing pads is not the same. In fact, on the latest and greatest variations just now shipping, they are dramatically different.

Edit to add: Yikes, almost forgot a critical part of this - you must use the W67DA backing plate with the 5" microfiber pads on a DA. Matching the hook & loop material between plate and pad is critical as a mismatch can quickly lead to huge temperature spikes that can drastically compromise the life of the pad and even the backing plate.

Here is the link if you want to read the entire thread

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...rofiber-System