I'm planning to get a PC, but theres soo many options...so many choices. What I need is a solution to get rid of these swirls all over my car....weather has done it no good and theres a good number of swirls everywhere.

Heres what i thought i wanted so far

PC
Pad Kit
Klasse AIO
Klasse Glaze
P21S - Wax

But i can't figure out which polishes to use, or which swirl removers...ahh!?! Its confusing the crap outta me.. Can someone provide a nice shopping list for me? Include where I can get some nice MF towels and application pads too...i think the ones I'm using are f'in up my paint....Thanks guys!

 

Well I dont think anyone is going to tell you what to get, but I am sure that you will get a lot of recommendations.

For your current list, if you want durability in your LSP (last step product), you might want to go with a sealant instead of a wax (or both,..sealant on first, topped with wax). You probably know that already, but I thought I would point that out just incase.

Anyway, a lot of ppl seem to like Poorboys SSR line of polishes (1, 2, 2.5, 3). Poorboys makes great stuff, and I use a lot of their products. I see Menzerna pop up a lot as well. I have FourStar USMR, but have not used it yet. I am about to order some Optimum Compound for the tough stuff. Im thinking about maybe trying the new Pinnacle XMT series of polishes too,...but dont think I will because I have too much other stuff to buy as it is. Plus I dont go through polish too quickly.

Most of the stuff you find online from places like autogeek and premiumautocare etc, will be good stuff. Any of those sites should sell good quality MF towels too. Poorboys, Pakshak, Cobra etc, all make good quality MF products. You should check out exceldetail.com as well.

When Hawyhen chimes in, he will bust out all sorts of links I'm sure,.....lol.

 

What color is your car? That's one of the first questions I always ask when picking a topcoat. You won't regret the items on your list, but there are literally dozens of excellent products on the market....some very similar. I almost always use a sealant for durability, but whether or not I top it depends on color. Dark colors and pearl finishes generally look best with a coat of wax on top - it adds wetness and reflection. Sealants alone bring out the pop in light colors and finishes with heavy metallic content.

Polishes? I always recommend Poorboys products to first-time detailers. It's very easy to see them break down, they can be applied in direct sunlight, and they offer really good results. Menzerna and Poorboys are my personal go-to products, but again...there are lots of options.

autopia.org
detailcity.org
autogeek.net

Just a few places to start. All three have stores and can sell you a starter kit. They also have good folks who will make recommendations to you based on some Q&A. Good luck!

 

Alright, a quick shopping list. Remember, this is all imo only - lots of other good products out there but I'll try to keep it all in one place. I'll assume you have nothing!

Sonus DAS polisher kit - $189.99 (PC, one of each DAS pad, backing plate, two bonnets)
Sonus Ultimate Wash Kit - $39.99 (Sonus Gloss Shampoo, three drying towels, one mitt)
Sonus Clay Sampler - $12.99 (clay and lubricant)
Sonus SFX-2, and 3 (and 1 if you think you'll need it) $9.99 each. 2 will take out up to moderate swirls, 3 is a great finisher. 1 is for really though work.
P21S - $32 (or go get S100 at a harley dealership)
Sonus Carnauba Spirtz - $10.99 a good carnauba based qd (I love it)
Sonus Total Eclipse - $12.99 - for dressing exterior trim, etc.
303 aerospace - $14.99 - interior trim, wheel wells.
P21S wheel cleaner - $21.99
Megs spoke brush - optional $5.99
Sonus leather cleaner/conditioner - $19.99
oxo wash bucket (id get two, $11.99 each)
yellow foam applicator x 3 = ~$5
blue perl buffing mf - 6 for 19.50

The only thing I think I'd add to this is a high durabilty sealant to go under the P21S.

 

Your "want" list looks good. For PC, check out Lowes for the 7336. At $109, you can't beat that. The Klasse Twins, love em. AIO is an excellent product. I use it more as a pre wax cleaner than polish and has basically the same attributes without abrasives as Pro Polish. SG is a great sealant but sometimes a bear to work with. IMO, there are a number of sealants that can produce the same results, maybe better; Four Star UPP, PB EX-P and Wolfgang DGPS. For a 'nuba, P21S is a grat choice.

As you mentioned, there are a number of polishes on the market and picking one can be a PITA. The severity of the swirls probably dictate the degree of the polish's abrasiveness. My choices for polish is PB SSR 2.5, Pro Polish, and Optimum Polish. Several resons; 1) easy to work with 2) highly satisfied with results 3) with the 2.5, you rarely have any hazing 4) inexpensive compared to other polishes of the same degree, but very effective 5) with Optimum, pad choice will determine cut & 6) OP has a longer working time than most polishes. Another inexpensive SMR you may wanna check out is Light Cut SR. Haven't tried it yer, but have had read some very favorable comments about it.

Do check out the detailing sites mentioned previously and do some comparing. Here are a couple more; Exceldetail, Top of the Line, Pak Shak, Danase

 

I wish PakShak didnt stop shipping outside the US,..........I never got to order any of their MF stuff .

 

fwiw, eshines mf is pretty good for those of us in Canada (http://eshine.ca/proddetail.php?prod=64), but it's kind of $$$.

 

I just spent $$$ at eshine. They get no more of my money. Not having to order from the US saves money,....so thats good. Chris at eshine is great too.

Thing is, I still have not ordered a bunch of other stuff yet that is coming from the states (exceldetail.com),.......OIY. By the time I am done, I think I will have spent close to $500.

I HATE DETAILING,........ITS LIKE CRACK OR SOMETHING.

 

Steve, you might have to go cold turkey! Ain't it fun though. The wifey kinda put the clamp down on my spending. Gotta use up what I have, but I may be able to sneak somethin' in now and then. We'll see.

 

I'm not the OP, but youre statement about pearl finishes looking best with wax as a topcoat caught my eye. My TSX is Deep Green Pearl, and the topcoat presently on it is Mothers Reflections. I understand that it's considered to be a sealant, not a wax. While it came out looking pretty darn good, I would prefer to have more of a wet look, so what specific wax would you guys recommned that I apply on top of it?

Also, any tips on application method would be appreciated. I have an "AutoBahnd" Clear Bra on the front end and was wondering whether its better to apply the wax by hand or by using my PC.

Thanks!

 

Deep green? Try Natty's blue if you're looking for more "wet", it's about the wettest wax I've ever used, and it's relatively cheap.

FWIW, I agree about pearls and wax, but think that flat metallics look better (normally) with sealants.

 

Haha, you can sneak in some stuff under her radar for sure.

 

I second Natty's Blue. That should give you a great result.

Oh, and I cant forget,........


I wanna see the green TSX looking nice and wet.

 

Just to be 100% sure of what I'm doing.....

Are you guys saying that it's OK to apply the Natty's Blue directly over the Mother's Reflections Car Wax (High Gloss Liquid Polymer) that's already on the car? ....and on both the actual car surfaces and over the Autobahnd Clear Bra? (The Mothers WAS applied on the clear bra with no problems).

If so, it'll be at least next weekend before applying the stuff, since I'd have to order it, so no pix until after then. (And I'll have to figure out how to post pics here.....)

One last question -- from what I've read about Natty's, it seems to be OK to apply it in direct sunlight? Is that true? I have no garage and very little shade in front of my house, so that would be great if it's really true,

Thanks again.

 

Polymer's usually have more durability and longevity than 'nubas. The nuba as Vroom mentioned will give it the a little more reflectivity and wetness. You'll hear it being referred to as a Last Step Product (LSP) and will act as a sacrificial layer to extend the longevity of the sealant. I've used Natty's in direct sunlight, usually in the mornings and not when it's hot. Have not had any problems doing it that way.

 

You should be fine with putting Natty's on top of the Mothers stuff if the Mothers stuff is indeed a polymer (ex a sealant - synthetic polymer).

I guess if the mothers is a nuba wax,.......you could put a wax on a different wax,......?????????????

Anyway, wax on a sealant is fine. I will be putting Natty's (wax) on top of FourStar UPP (sealant) soon. Depending on what products you use,...it may or may not make a difference. UPP + Natty's blue was recommended to me,.........Im going to find out soon how that looks (only used UPP until now).

Im also about to order some OSW (optiumum spray wax).

 

Wax over wax works too - 99% of the time the top layer just removes the bottom layer. So either way Natty's will be ok over what you've got on there. Just don't try to put a sealant over the natty's.

 

You may have seen pics of my car here or there in the past. UPP + NB maintained with OCW is the combo I most often use. It's still my go-to. Enjoy!

 

NICE

OCW = OSW,....haha ops.

 

I too love UPP topped with NB. Excellent combo...probably my favorite on my black truck. EX or EX-P are also good, but when I have the time (and the right conditions - i.e. no direct sunlight and at least 30 minutes setup time) UPP is my absolute favorite.

I don't have any decent lo-res closeups, but here's a shot of my SUV (pewter, or as I like to refer to it, "pewtrid" metallic) w/ a couple of coats of UPP...



...compared to my pickup, in this case with EX-P topped with P21S:



Generally, on any finish with a strong metallic content, I aim for pop...and almost exclusively use UPP as my LSP. Pearls and (again, generally) dark colors receive carnuba on top of the sealant.

 

whats UPP?? I have a black tsx so it should reflect nicely imn a month =D

 

UPP = Ultimate Paint Protection .... For more info on Four Star products, check it out here or here.

 

Nice pics VroomVroom .




Hmmm, Im going to be close to being out of UPP soon. I should prob get some more.

 

I wanted to add, if you want to get a PC, then you should get it because you want to use products can be applied with a PC. From your first post, the only one that is recommended to be applied by PC is AIO. SG should be applied by hand, while applying P21s by PC would be a waste of product. Too much will be wasted on the pad itself.

Edit: Saw you wanted suggestions for your shopping list. Here's what I use. Might give you some ideas.

Claybar
Clay Magic Blue OEM (bought it from some local shop. Label was in japanese)

Swirl removal
Poorboy's SSR2.5 (I like this, but it dusts quite a bit. So you have to cover up the nooks and crannies with masking take and newspaper/cloth)
Poorboy's SSR1 (good for hazing)

Glaze
Meg's #7 show car glaze (but you can use any glaze that you like)

Wax/sealant
Meg's #21 (It's like NXT but made to be applied by PC. It's more watery than NXT)
P21s (by hand only )

 

Oh and for a paint cleaner, I use Klasse AIO. Note that Klasse SG (sealant glaze) is not a glaze at all. It is an acryllic sealant.