Order List for Newbie

[GrantLagasse]

I am new to "detailing" and have been reading and watching articles and videos from Mike Phillips on using the PC7424xp. I think it's time to buy one. My problem is I don't know what other products I need to do a touch up on my paint. I have a black 2007 nbs Chevy Silverado with some serious swirls and light scratches. I want the best of all products you guys recommend to carry out this task. Here's my wishlist so far.

1. Good soap for this process? Already have megs gold class, CG citrus wash and gloss, CG honey dew snow foam, and CG gloss works

2. Iron-x lemon scent
CarPro Iron X Lemon Scent, auto iron remover (http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-iron-x-lemon-scent.html)

3. Nanoskin? Or clay?

4. The Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit
Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit, buffing pads, foam pads, Porter Cable dual action polisher (http://www.autogeek.net/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html)
Comes with the pc, 5" flexible backing plate, 3 of each orange white and blue pads, some mfs, pad cleaner and conditioner, and a pad brush

5. Compound? Swirl remover? Difference? Recommendations on a good product please

6. Polish? Glaze? Difference? So many options. Need recommendations on this

7. Wax? Sealant? Coating? Differences? Don't know where to start on this one either

8. Cleanup. Is there anything I need to cleanup the residues or anything when I'm done?

9. Microfibers for removing polish and wax?
6 Pack Forrest Green Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloths (http://www.autogeek.net/mf-green-6.html)
Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels 12 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/gold-plush-jr-towel-12.html)
Need something that's good for removing residues


Let me know what you all think of my wishlist so far and what you would change. Also some ideas on products I haven't decided on. Thanks

[VISITOR]

pick up a GG6 (more torque/power, better ergonomics, lifetime warranty) instead, trust me you'll be glad you did...

Griots Garage 6 Inch Random Orbital Polisher (http://www.autogeek.net/new-griots-polisher.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2269_27859469

Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-5-inch-vented-plate.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ay/autogeek/griots-garage-5-inch-vented-orbital-backing-plate-1.gif

as far as pads go, it's personal preference and here are a few great choices...

Griots Garage 5.5" BOSS Foam & Microfiber Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-boss-5-inch-pads-6-pack.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ay/autogeek/griots-garage-5-5-inch-boss-foam-and-microfiber-pads-1.gif

Buff & Shine 5.5" Flat Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/buff-and-shine-5-in-6-pk.html)

Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-thinpro-5-inch.html)

[rookiez]

Can't agree more with what VISITOR said. Buff & Shine pads combined with GG6 :)

[njain2686]

I am new to "detailing" and have been reading and watching articles and videos from Mike Phillips on using the PC7424xp. I think it's time to buy one. My problem is I don't know what other products I need to do a touch up on my paint. I have a black 2007 nbs Chevy Silverado with some serious swirls and light scratches. I want the best of all products you guys recommend to carry out this task. Here's my wishlist so far.

1. Good soap for this process? Already have megs gold class, CG citrus wash and gloss, CG honey dew snow foam, and CG gloss works

2. Iron-x lemon scent
CarPro Iron X Lemon Scent, auto iron remover (http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-iron-x-lemon-scent.html)

3. Nanoskin? Or clay?

4. The Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit
Porter Cable 5.5 x 7/8 Inch CCS Foam Pad Kit, buffing pads, foam pads, Porter Cable dual action polisher (http://www.autogeek.net/pc7424-low-profile-pad-kit.html)
Comes with the pc, 5" flexible backing plate, 3 of each orange white and blue pads, some mfs, pad cleaner and conditioner, and a pad brush

5. Compound? Swirl remover? Difference? Recommendations on a good product please

6. Polish? Glaze? Difference? So many options. Need recommendations on this

7. Wax? Sealant? Coating? Differences? Don't know where to start on this one either

8. Cleanup. Is there anything I need to cleanup the residues or anything when I'm done?

9. Microfibers for removing polish and wax?
6 Pack Forrest Green Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloths (http://www.autogeek.net/mf-green-6.html)
Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels 12 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/gold-plush-jr-towel-12.html)
Need something that's good for removing residues


Let me know what you all think of my wishlist so far and what you would change. Also some ideas on products I haven't decided on. Thanks

Like above go with Griots 6, Instead of PC , Lifetime Warranty ant more power plus equally safe.

1) More than enough.

2) Good.

3)Nano skin.

4) 5" Backing plate, Boss Pad, or Lake country Fat pads.
4 Cutting, 4 Polishing, 2 Finishing, 2 Waxing Pad Minimum.

5)basically same with different cut. Menzerna Heavy Cut 400 Megs M105

6)Polish = removes light swirls, compound haze, water spots.
Glaze : Fills the light scratches temporarily.
Menzerna SF 3500 or Megs M205. Stick with a System.

7)Wax : Natural Carnauba Like Collinite 845 ( Last typically less than Sealant)
Sealant : Man made polymer paint protection like Menzerna Powerlock, Fk1000p( Protects longer than Wax but less than Coating)
Coating : Man Made Nano or silica based paint protection like Carpro Cquartz, Mckee's Paint Coating etc( Protects Longest like 2-3 years)

8) Polish/ Compound Cleanup : Carpro Eraser.

9)Car Care Microfiber Towels, Microfiber dusters and microfiber Detailing tools (http://www.autogeek.net/mictow.html)
BLACKFIRE Midnight Wax Removal Towel, 16 x 16 inches

[zx10r Elle]

Mr GrantLagasse,


1) The soaps you have are good until you run out, after that I would suggest looking into Optimum Car Wash, or No Rinse as many use.

2) Along with Iron-X I would suggest adding Tar-X, many others like Tarminator, Tar-X is just my personal favorite, either way they are superb decontaminates.

3) Clay or Nanoskin your call, some like clay, some like nanoskin and arguments made on both sides have merit, its your choice.

4) PC is a good starter polisher, GG a better starter, Flex and Rupes 'luxury'.

5) Compounds are heavily aggressive abrasives compared to 'swirl removers' or medium to light abrasives, meaning a compound levels 'peaks' quicker and more drastically than a swirl remover is capable of typically. Technically they are all swirl removers, but for simplicity's sake these can be divided into 3 categories; heavy, medium, and light polishes.

A 'good' product? There are lots, many like Menzerna, many like 3D, Meguiars has an exhaustive line of polishes, I personally use Optimum polishes but im not in a production setting. There really are no 'bad' products in Autogeeks' lineups.

6) A Pure Polish levels the paint imperfections so the surface is uniformly smooth. Glazes fill in the 'valleys' which constitute 'swirls' thus providing temporarily smooth surface so a nice gloss is exhibited for the duration of the glaze.

7) There are no established definitive terminologies pertaining to waxes/sealants/coatings and as such they tend to get used intermixedly.

For purposes of simplicity i'll state that 'Waxes' in this context refer to naturally occurring organic compounds. Whether blended or not is irrelevant as long as the ingredients remain 'organic'. These typically have shorter surface life than a 'sealant'.

'Sealants' in this context rather than referring to paint system protection as a whole encompass pure synthetic or synthetically blended man-made/engineered compounds. The longevity of these far exceed natural waxes but typically do not provide as 'pleasing' visual appearance.

'Coating' refers to purely chemically engineered compounds typically suspended within a resin which aids adherence, longevity and smooth surface attributes once 'cured'. These typically outlast 'sealants', have enhanced attributes of protection but can require an increased level of competency to install properly.

Optimum Gloss-Coat is a good starting point for research.

8) Chemical cleanup? Most product lines have a paint cleaner ie Eraser. Or any All Purpose Cleaner if you meant just general cleaning.

9) As many microfibers as you can stomach. As a starting point I would recommend the 'thirds', that is 33% plush/premium, 33% general/removal and 33% grunt.

Your cleanest towels remain on the cleanest part of the paint system until they become too soiled then get downgraded to general, general to grunt with fresh new towels added into premium/plush to maintain and protect all your hard work. With overly soiled grunt towels being discarded as even a grease caked microfiber isnt worth using on brake calipers or wheel wells.

Even so properly maintained microfibers last a great deal of time.

Welcome to the obsession.


Steve

[mwemaxxowner]

If I may tag along, I'm new to this too. I haven't heard of a nanoskin. Can I see some discussion on it vs clay bars?

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

[JeffM]

FWIW IronX is the most horrible smelling product ive ever used. I would also lean towards unhealthy. 3D BDX is effective and a fair bit less caustic smelling although care should still be taken in its use.

[GrantLagasse]

All great info. I think I'm sold on the gg6. Will have to make a new list for approval. Couple more questions though. Is it okay to use any of the 3 soaps I mentioned if they have "wax" in them? And I'm sold on the nanoskin but a little confused on how to use it. The nanoskin product page on the ag store says to use their "bubble bath" but the Mike Phillips how to article on the aggressive approach to washing a car shows just refoaming the car. Can I just use my foam cannon and soap? Thanks a lot for all the informative responses so far 👍🏼

[Hoytman]

With all due respect you would be better served if you took the time to review many of Mike's articles so that you can make your own informed decision.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/23722-car-detailing-articles-mike-phillips.html

Take the time to read (not scan) the articles that you may think covers your above questions...because Mike has mostly answered them all there for you. Who's input do you trust most, faceless names, or Mike?

One tip...

Any product you do decide to buy I'd recommend buying in small quantities of 8 ounces. Some can even be bought in sample sizes; think trying many lsp's. You may find yourself wanting to try many different products. Hey! It's fun. However, if you're not going to detail daily, then you'll find that you'll have lots of large quantities sitting around not being used. Sure they cost more this way, but really they don't if you catch them on sale and consider they entice you to buy slightly larger so they can get just a little more of your money.

It's more fun when starting out if you can have a lot of product brands at your disposal in small quantities rather than just a few brands with large quantities that will take you forever and a day to use.

[Paul A.]

With regard to using the nanoskin, i simply refoam sections at a time using my foam gun and wash soap used for the initial cleaning. I then use my nanoskin mitt. This gives me lubricity for the nano to glide along the paint surface and i get great results.

[GrantLagasse]

So after some reading I've decided to give menzerna a try. I'll order FG400 as a compound and power lock as a sealant. Confused on which polish I want though... I see they have 2 "final polishes" a "nano polish" and a glaze. Any recommendations on a good polish? The truck is black with bad swirl marks. My process so far goes: iron-x, foam cannon and wash mitt, refoam and nanoskin, dry with cobra guzzlers, menzernas FG400, someone's recommendation on a polish?, and power lock sealant. Any corrections or advice would be greatly appreciated 👍🏼

[Hoytman]

Again, read Mike's articles and you'll see that a good quality polish... (why not one from Menzerna for some synergistic compatibility with the products you already chose) ... is much better than a glaze that hides and fills. Why hide and fill if your first step is compounding? FG400 can finish down nicely, and even better if you switch to a polishing pad after your compounding pad. You only need one product then. It's all about your choice, really. What you have in mind (the steps) should do just fine.

[GrantLagasse]

Again, read Mike's articles and you'll see that a good quality polish... (why not one from Menzerna for some synergistic compatibility with the products you already chose) ... is much better than a glaze that hides and fills. Why hide and fill if your first step is compounding? FG400 can finish down nicely, and even better if you switch to a polishing pad after your compounding pad. You only need one product then. It's all about your choice, really. What you have in mind (the steps) should do just fine.

I don't plan on using a glaze. I was wondering the differences between menzernas polishes and which would work best in my case

[AZpolisher15]

The new Menzerna SF3500 is the polish I was advised to use. It's the newer technology and prob the best Menz choice for general purpose last step polishing.
Menzerna Nano Polish PO 106 FA, Menzerna Final Polish, Nano abrasives, finishing polish, professional polish (http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-super-nano-polish.htm)

You'll see it referred to as SF4000 in older posts. It was recently changed to SF3500.

[Hoytman]

... Confused on which polish I want though... I see they have 2 "final polishes" a "nano polish" and a glaze...


I don't plan on using a glaze. I was wondering the differences between menzernas polishes and which would work best in my case
You said you was confused on which polish you want and then you included a glaze which led be to believe you were considering a glaze.

Read about the differences between the two polishes and decide for your self. I'm sure either would work fine, and as I said in another post staying on the Menzerna line is good and anything you choose should work just fine.