pics arent that great....my first time with the udm, i washed and clayed together, i started with an orange pad and pinnacle advanced swirl remover on the hood and bumper skin...then i did the whole car with black pad and pinnacle advanced finishing polish...final step was megs nxt...i think it turned out good, my paint was in pretty good shape to start with, so about the biggest difference i noticed was a really smooth feeling surface...

the pics dont do the kbp any justice at all...my camera must suck or the lighting conditions did...

 

Looks great .. I'm like you .. can't take a good pix and I have a Canon SLR.

If you want to try something different .. drop the NXT and go to Meguiars #21 .. put on 3 layers then top it with a carnuba like P21S for depth.

 

thats cool, where can i get #21...its a synthetic, no??...i have to say, i am not a big fan of the nxt, but since i have it, i am using it...

 

thing looks mint man, great job

 

It looks to me like:
"Those who dont have a UDM, you should probably reconsider getting one"......
Last I checked, there were more available......
This just goes to show those who may not believe that it takes very little to make a decent car look even better, and if its in not so decent condition, the results can simply be astonishing.....
Im curious as to how the grey pad with the polish performed for you? Usually light pads and polishes dont go to well together. But being as the TL paint (IMO) is somewhat soft, maybe its "ok".....

 

the gray pad worked great on the finishing polish, broke it right down....i dont believe it would have worked on anything heavier than that...i used the orange pad for swirl remover polish which i could tell wouldnt have been easy to break down with the gray pad....

 

WOW, okay, I'm sold on the UDM

 

yep, you totally need one...if anything just to keep the new car looking new...dont forget the detail clay as well...

 

very nice, love the BLUUUUUUUUUUUU and I used the NXT on my car with a PC its great stuff but after hearing all the UPP talk, i'm going to try that this spring.

 

Cannot go wrong with the small investment in a UDM and a 3 pack of polishing pads from ExcelDetail. A pad density for every stage of the cleaning and poilshing!

Everyone has personal preferance of products- anything Patrick has is going to work well or it would not be for sale. I tried the Optimum line and think its very good for noobs- easy to use and good working time. Excellent results with minimal effort. Better efforts keep improving the end result- its a learning curve that progresses quickly.

Enterprising types can bring out the new car look on all the neighbors and friends cars~
clearing clouded headlight$....use your imagination
Neighbors will notice, and think you got a new car or painted the old one!!

 

What exactly is UDM? It is not listed in the acronyms thread.

 

ultimate detailing machine....

 

got it.

Thanks! I've started reading about them, but I shouldn't need to do a wax for at least another 3 or 4 months.

 

its not the waxing you need the udm for, its the polishing...and the polishing is what makes your paint really POP...the wax is just to protect your work...

 

Ditto........"No prep, no pride".....

 

There are new products available so I guess I should try and update the list.

 

What do you guys think is the best DIY guide to using a UDM? I found one on Autopia that's pretty decent (it's for a PC, but close enough)

I'm still a bit confused about how to avoid hurting the paint though. Also, are you supposed to wash between polishing and waxing? I'd assume you'd have some micro-debris on the car's surface correct?

 

using the pc is no different than using the udm....i was a first timer, you really cant hurt the paint, unless you were really trying to, and even then, i dont feel like i could really do any damage....i didnt wash inbetween polish and sealant, but i did use micro fiber clothes to wipe down each panel as i polished...then i wiped down the car again before i used the wax/sealant....i dont believe washing is necessary.....do some research before selecting the correct pad/polish combos...

 

Washing between coats is not necessary; just make sure the panels are thoroughly cleaned with a MF...

Great work vinnier6, the effort really shows.

 

I don't wash between polishing & sealant/waxing .. I may use Optimum Poli-Seal to clean things up or a wipedown with 50/50 IPA & water after the polishing.

 

IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol? Or is that an acronym for a name brand product?

 

You can check the vids here. Don't remember if they're the same ones as Autopia.
You really have to induce some type of action on the to mess up. And washing is not really needed, a wipe down is all you need. Yes, IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol . . .

 

And thats not even needed...........