First detailing experience + questions for next one)

[xirurg]

Hey guys,

Wanted to share my first detailing experience with you and gather some wisdom for next one. Would appreciate your comments)

Few observations:



1) I polished my fathers 4 year old black ML, with tons of scratches. I think the paint was pretty hard, because it took me a pass with meguaire's hard foam + ultimate compound, plus a pass with yellow+sonax perfect finish to get 90-95% of scratches off.
2) It took me about 16 hours to 2 bucket wash->clay->tape->compound/polish->touch-less wash-> remove oils-> apply sonax paint protect. I guess not bad for first time? But I still have to do the windows/rubber/chrome.
3) I now think very highly of professional detailers. Kudos to you guys)
4) I went with nano sealant, as car is parked outside and is exposed to all sorts of crap. Also, local car washes are not careful with paint at all, so I wanted "hardest" protection.
5) 40 mf towels are not enough




Now I want to do the same to my Camry, also black but in much better condition(only 4 month old). Please share your wisdom with me so I can do a better/faster job this time))

1. Do you remove the polish residue immediately after polishing 1 part? or you keep it on car and remove everything together at the end?
2. What do you use to remove that residue?
3. Should I use highest GSM microfiber for this, or anything above 400 is good?
4. Should I wash the car after polishing to remove the remaining residue? I am very afraid of scratching the car as I think toyota's paint is much softer.
5. I guess I made a mistake of not using sonax 04-06 instead of perfect finish with dual action polisher(I have a basic porter cable)? I have also tried ultimate compound+ultimate polish combo, but I did not like the results.
6. How often should I clean the pad?
7. Any experience with Ammo reflex+skin vs CQuartz/Sonax paint protect? It looks like it is much easier to apply, but I want the maximal protection agains environment and car washes? I am not even sure about sonax paint protect's hardness, but it was the only coating available locally.

Thanks again!

[srpurdy]

Hey guys,

Wanted to share my first detailing experience with you and gather some wisdom for next one. Would appreciate your comments)

Few observations:



1) I polished my fathers 4 year old black ML, with tons of scratches. I think the paint was pretty hard, because it took me a pass with meguaire's hard foam + ultimate compound, plus a pass with yellow+sonax perfect finish to get 90-95% of scratches off.
2) It took me about 16 hours to 2 bucket wash->clay->tape->compound/polish->touch-less wash-> remove oils-> apply sonax paint protect. I guess not bad for first time? But I still have to do the windows/rubber/chrome.
3) I now think very highly of professional detailers. Kudos to you guys)
4) I went with nano sealant, as car is parked outside and is exposed to all sorts of crap. Also, local car washes are not careful with paint at all, so I wanted "hardest" protection.
5) 40 mf towels are not enough




Now I want to do the same to my Camry, also black but in much better condition(only 4 month old). Please share your wisdom with me so I can do a better/faster job this time))

1. Do you remove the polish residue immediately after polishing 1 part? or you keep it on car and remove everything together at the end?
2. What do you use to remove that residue?
3. Should I use highest GSM microfiber for this, or anything above 400 is good?
4. Should I wash the car after polishing to remove the remaining residue? I am very afraid of scratching the car as I think toyota's paint is much softer.
5. I guess I made a mistake of not using sonax 04-06 instead of perfect finish with dual action polisher(I have a basic porter cable)? I have also tried ultimate compound+ultimate polish combo, but I did not like the results.
6. How often should I clean the pad?
7. Any experience with Ammo reflex+skin vs CQuartz/Sonax paint protect? It looks like it is much easier to apply, but I want the maximal protection agains environment and car washes? I am not even sure about sonax paint protect's hardness, but it was the only coating available locally.

Thanks again!

1. Remove it right away.
2. IPA
3. 400 + is good. I like the 500GSM ones for removing waxes and polishes though they work really well for that. (not really for preventing scratches just for the fact they function really amazing)
4. You should do a full IPA wipe down. Personally I don't think a regular wash will always be needed, and most soaps will have oils in them that you don't want on there when adding protection. So you'll have to do another IPA wipe down to remove them. So better to just do an IPA wipe down. If you have A ton of dusting then you may need to wash. It depends. However if you control the dusting as you're going, you can clean up after yourself as you polish. There is no right or wrong anwser here.
5. ?
6. This depends on the compound/polish. I find normally I can do a couple panels 2-3 sometimes 4 before I need to clean the pad, or change to a clean one, but not all paint is the same. Some will clogg your pads faster. So if you pad looks clogged, and it's not cutting well. Replace it.
7. Nope, but I'd like to try the ammo products one day.

[WillSports3]

1. Removing the residue right away so you can see if the panel needs more work. In fact, wipe it down with IPA or a paint prep liquid. I prefer CarPro Eraser
2. IPA or something like CarPro Eraser
3. Use the highest GSM that works, no need to use the super crazy expensive ones for polish removal. As long as the towel doesn't scratch you can use it.
4. No need to re-wash, just give it a thorough wipe down with IPA or Eraser.
5. Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish works great, a lot of it for your first detail might just be technique.
6. Cleaning the pad after each panel is the best idea generally, but it's really upto you and what seems to work for you.
7. I've never used Ammo but I do love using CQuartz coatings. I think it's fantastic but it depends on your taste.

[emmjay]

1. Remove after each section you work. Polish can dry. Use IPA to wipe or a paint prep product.
2. IPA or paint prep product
3. I personally use a short nap towel like Meguiars Supreme shine towels. Dont wipe, take short bites like removing a wax.
4. No need to wash the car again, unless the compound you used had plenty of dust, or if working outdoors.
5. Ultimate compound (UC) and Ultimate polish (UP) are amazing products. Maybe you did not like it becuase your paint is new...you don't even need UC. UP with a FINISHING pad should be enough for soft toyota paint. I did the same the first time with my Honda. They are SMAT products compared to Sonax which is DAT. You have to work Sonax till it breaks down, with meguiars you don't. Just use the polish till you get the results you want Number of passes do not affect cut - unless the product is drying.
6. I personally clean after 2 sections....so half a door or so. Clean on the fly. But, if you have plenty of pads, use a new pad as it will give you the best results. Both methods work perfectly fine.
7. Never used Ammo personally.

[OCDetails]

Now I want to do the same to my Camry, also black but in much better condition(only 4 month old). Please share your wisdom with me so I can do a better/faster job this time))

1. Do you remove the polish residue immediately after polishing 1 part? or you keep it on car and remove everything together at the end?
2. What do you use to remove that residue?
3. Should I use highest GSM microfiber for this, or anything above 400 is good?
4. Should I wash the car after polishing to remove the remaining residue? I am very afraid of scratching the car as I think toyota's paint is much softer.
5. I guess I made a mistake of not using sonax 04-06 instead of perfect finish with dual action polisher(I have a basic porter cable)? I have also tried ultimate compound+ultimate polish combo, but I did not like the results.
6. How often should I clean the pad?
7. Any experience with Ammo reflex+skin vs CQuartz/Sonax paint protect? It looks like it is much easier to apply, but I want the maximal protection agains environment and car washes? I am not even sure about sonax paint protect's hardness, but it was the only coating available locally.

Thanks again!

You've already gotten some good advice, but I figure I'll throw in my $.02 as well.

1. You can do it however you want. I always remove it from the first panel just to make sure I'm getting the work done. Nothing sucks worse than polishing the whole car and then finding out you didn't really make a dent in the swirls. I don't remove it off the whole panel, but wiping down some of it just to make sure you are getting results is a good thing to do along the way around the car.
2. You can just use a microfiber towel to remove the polish residue. Use a machine to apply product and then remove it by hand with a microfiber towel.
3. I must have missed an episode and don't know what GSM is. Sorry. Any microfiber that is soft should work though. It doesn't have to be a $7 towel to be safe. Just remove any tags and use a clean towel and you should be fine.
4. You don't need to wash the car after polishing. The paint is soft, but it isn't going to fall off or anything. In fact, if you are concerned about swirls then you should know that most of the swirls you see are caused by washing and drying the car. The fewer times you can do that, the better off you are. I'm not saying don't ever wash your car or anything, but don't wash it if it isn't necessary if you are concerned about introducing new swirls to the paint.
5. You can get results just fine with a Porter Cable. It is all about the right combination of pad and product. You could have been using too soft a pad or too low a speed. Or you may not have let it work on the panel for as long as necessary. This is why I always work on one panel first to get an idea of the right process to get the results I want. I can change up the pad or product or speed or whatever on that test panel and then basically 'rinse and repeat' on the rest of the car.
6. You should clean the pad as often as it needs it. It really depends on what kind of product you are using and how long you are working with it on the paint. I can usually do a car with only cleaning the pad once or maybe twice. That's for polishing, though. When I'm sealant or waxing the car I don't have to clean it in the middle of the job typically. Of course, sealants and waxes are different animals, so that makes sense. It also depends on the size of the vehicle. I would maybe get through half the car and then stop to clean the pad and see how that works for you. The pad will start to lose effectiveness if it gets full of polish, so if you aren't getting the results you want then it could be partly due to a pad full of product.
7. Can't help much on that one. I don't generally get too exotic these days. I'm more of a Wolfgang and Pinnacle guy. Durability isn't my primary concern since I know I'll be polishing the paint every four or five months anyway. I want it to look good and be protected, but I don't care if the protection I polish off still has 6 months left in it. I'm polishing it off anyway.

[AuroraDetailing]

If you don't already have a pad cleaning brush, you should get one. I put my porter cable on about speed 3, turn it upside down, and brush the dried polish off the pad, going light enough to try to let it spin. You have to move the brush around on a non-forced rotation DA or it'll just vibrate in place and not clean anything off. I brush the pad after every section before applying more product.

[xirurg]

Thanks for responses guys, appreciate it! Too bad no one has used Ammo))

5. Ultimate compound (UC) and Ultimate polish (UP) are amazing products. Maybe you did not like it becuase your paint is new...you don't even need UC. UP with a FINISHING pad should be enough for soft toyota paint. I did the same the first time with my Honda. They are SMAT products compared to Sonax which is DAT. You have to work Sonax till it breaks down, with meguiars you don't. Just use the polish till you get the results you want Number of passes do not affect cut - unless the product is drying.

Any good links I can use to read on this? The only reason I prefer sonax is that we have local store and I can get their stuff very quick and cheap. everything else I order from US, which takes 2-3 weeks ))

P.S. I went to local shop to check if they have 04-06. they did, but the girl tried to sell me perfect finish. I was like- yeah, but my machine is DA, not rotary, and she kept staring at me having no idea of the difference

[WillSports3]

Sonax has a great finishing polish and if I remember right, working it in on the harder German paints is a match made in heaven. I think you probably just needed a few more passes with your polisher but you did a great job. Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish are great for otc products. With your Camry, Sonax perfect finish with a polishing pad and then with a finishing pad maybe all you need. Just make sure to work the polish down thoroughly and wipe off. I don't like using IPA because it's not lubricated so on super soft paint, you run the risk of remarring your paint. I also use a Porter Cable and I have to say when it comes to correcting defects, I use speed 6 more often than not.

[xirurg]

Sonax has a great finishing polish and if I remember right, working it in on the harder German paints is a match made in heaven. I think you probably just needed a few more passes with your polisher but you did a great job. Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish are great for otc products. With your Camry, Sonax perfect finish with a polishing pad and then with a finishing pad maybe all you need. Just make sure to work the polish down thoroughly and wipe off. I don't like using IPA because it's not lubricated so on super soft paint, you run the risk of remarring your paint. I also use a Porter Cable and I have to say when it comes to correcting defects, I use speed 6 more often than not.

Thanks! So you would suggest perfect finish over 04-06?

And I use this instead of IPA, would it be enough for lubrication?

SONAX ProfiLine Paint Prepare - Clean Your Car

[emmjay]

Meguiars SMAT - http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-products.html

I'm not so sure of DAT becuase I never went too deep into it. But I did read this thread - http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...at-vs-dat.html

Don't get me wrong though, Sonax apparently makes brilliant stuff, but I just don't like the idea that I have to work a polish until it fully breaks down.

Sometimes when I work, I notice a scratch in the section I was working, after I am done with the section. Then I just go over that scratch area a couple more times as I know the polish will still work...With DAT I would not be able to do that. Moreover, SMAT products do cut down polish time in my personal opinion as you don't have to wait for the polish to completely break down.

WIth my own car, when doing a maintenance polish, Ill do 3-4 passes max with M205 and then move on.