CarefulCleaner
11-01-2016, 08:01 PM
Hi all,
Yesterday was literally my first day of "detailing," and I had a ton of fun! I regret that for the past several years, all I've ever done was a soapy water hand wash...
I went to the local supermarket and bought these products without doing much research (my line of reasoning was that I might as well stick with a cheap product line, until I'm more serious with this newfound hobby):
- Turtle Wax Ice Wash and Wax
- Turtle Wax Ice Spray Detailer
- Turtle Wax Polishing Compound
- Four microfiber cloths
- Four applicator pads
I discovered that the polishing compound did a wonderful job removing a lot of scratches and restoring the car's paint, which was badly oxidized (I don't get a lot of covering where I park). So I spent a few hours just polishing the car. Then I used the Wash and Wax to finish the job. Looking closely at the white paint, there are innumerable stones, black dots, and whatnot, so I ordered a clay bar online to take care of those.
Below are some questions that I have right now:
I'm taking my 2004 Honda CR-V to the dealer for maintenance in a few days. Are they able to fix/touch-up any of these (photo album) (http://imgur.com/a/G9I0n) scratches? If not, what do you recommend me to do?
The polishing compound I got is branded for light scratches. Would I need a more abrasive compound for deeper scratches? (Not sure if I'll have the budget for a polisher, so sticking with elbow grease for now...) Also, this car hasn't been maintained for years. How would I know if there's still clear coat on the car? Or, how do I know when to stop polishing/compounding because I'm doing too much damage to the paint?
From reading this forum and watching videos, the impression I get (and forgive me if I'm missing something -- complete novice here) is that the steps for car restoration is: paint restoration (claying -> compounding -> polishing) -> paint sealant -> wax. Is that correct? Currently, I still need to polish up a couple of panels on the car. But after I'm done, would it be correct to apply a layer of sealant, and then a layer of wax? I'm guessing I would need to buy a sealant and a wax, then? I think I made a mistake with the wash and wax and spray detailer -- both are for regular maintenance, correct?
A while back, I had a problem with bee poop, because I was parking next to beekeepers. Apparently I didn't clean two droppings, and now they've gone through the paint (I think) and left two black spots, with rust around the edges. Can I fix these? Can my dealer fix them? What do you recommend?
Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to learning from everyone.
-CC
Yesterday was literally my first day of "detailing," and I had a ton of fun! I regret that for the past several years, all I've ever done was a soapy water hand wash...
I went to the local supermarket and bought these products without doing much research (my line of reasoning was that I might as well stick with a cheap product line, until I'm more serious with this newfound hobby):
- Turtle Wax Ice Wash and Wax
- Turtle Wax Ice Spray Detailer
- Turtle Wax Polishing Compound
- Four microfiber cloths
- Four applicator pads
I discovered that the polishing compound did a wonderful job removing a lot of scratches and restoring the car's paint, which was badly oxidized (I don't get a lot of covering where I park). So I spent a few hours just polishing the car. Then I used the Wash and Wax to finish the job. Looking closely at the white paint, there are innumerable stones, black dots, and whatnot, so I ordered a clay bar online to take care of those.
Below are some questions that I have right now:
I'm taking my 2004 Honda CR-V to the dealer for maintenance in a few days. Are they able to fix/touch-up any of these (photo album) (http://imgur.com/a/G9I0n) scratches? If not, what do you recommend me to do?
The polishing compound I got is branded for light scratches. Would I need a more abrasive compound for deeper scratches? (Not sure if I'll have the budget for a polisher, so sticking with elbow grease for now...) Also, this car hasn't been maintained for years. How would I know if there's still clear coat on the car? Or, how do I know when to stop polishing/compounding because I'm doing too much damage to the paint?
From reading this forum and watching videos, the impression I get (and forgive me if I'm missing something -- complete novice here) is that the steps for car restoration is: paint restoration (claying -> compounding -> polishing) -> paint sealant -> wax. Is that correct? Currently, I still need to polish up a couple of panels on the car. But after I'm done, would it be correct to apply a layer of sealant, and then a layer of wax? I'm guessing I would need to buy a sealant and a wax, then? I think I made a mistake with the wash and wax and spray detailer -- both are for regular maintenance, correct?
A while back, I had a problem with bee poop, because I was parking next to beekeepers. Apparently I didn't clean two droppings, and now they've gone through the paint (I think) and left two black spots, with rust around the edges. Can I fix these? Can my dealer fix them? What do you recommend?
Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to learning from everyone.
-CC