Need Advice for New Car Finish

[WVHEMIS]

Hey Mike, I posted my question today in the Detailing 101 section and from all the responses I received I was not on the correct path to create a long lasting finish for my new car. So I am now asking for your product recommendations for my new car. The car sat on the lot for 4 months out side but after clay baring the finish actually looks pretty good. (Pitch Black- Dodge Hellcat) So if you can tell me what you would use from start to finish, what you would use, I will get it ordered. I have a Griot DA in 6" and 3". I have already ordered 2 ea pads in Orange, Red and Black. I want to use a true wax. I have Maguiar's Black Wax but I will take your recommendation on that as well.
Thank You, Bruce

[Mike Phillips]

Hey Mike,

I posted my question today in the Detailing 101 section and from all the responses I received I was not on the correct path to create a long lasting finish for my new car. So I am now asking for your product recommendations for my new car.




Thank you for your trust, I'll see what I can do to help.





The car sat on the lot for 4 months out side but after clay baring the finish actually looks pretty good. (Pitch Black- Dodge Hellcat)



Lucky you. Congratulations on the very cool car. :dlbthumb2:





So if you can tell me what you would use from start to finish, what you would use, I will get it ordered.

I have a Griot DA in 6" and 3".

I have already ordered 2 ea pads in Orange, Red and Black.

I want to use a true wax.

I have Maguiar's Black Wax but I will take your recommendation on that as well.
Thank You, Bruce




I like and prefer to keep things REAL SIMPLE. Because you want to use a wax, it's real simple. Order a quart of this,


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3551/1971_ChevelleRestoRod_028.JPG


Don't get the 16 ounce bottle, get the quart. First it's a much better deal. Second - you're going to LOVE this product so might as well get enough to last you for the next year or so. Once you use it one time you'll likely use it on all your cars because it works so GREAT and it's so easy to use and also super easy to wipe off.

And after you use it - top it off with the Meguair's Black Wax. Done. Show Car.


See my review here, and that Chevelle before and after is the REAL DEAL.

Review: BLACKFIRE One-Step Cleaner/Wax by Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/redirect-to/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fyb7ew7o8)

I only used the BF One Step on it and it was a MESS when it came to Autogeek.


:)

[WVHEMIS]

Got the 32 OZ on order today. I have three of the Griot Pads I ordered from Auto Geek Orange, Red and Black would one of the colors work with the BF One Step?

[Mike Phillips]

Got the 32 OZ on order today. I have three of the Griot Pads I ordered from Auto Geek Orange, Red and Black would one of the colors work with the BF One Step?




Any pad will work with the BF One Step. You match the "type" or "cut" of the pad with what you're trying to accomplish.

Which brand or style of pads did you get? The color coding isn't uniform across brands.


:)

[WVHEMIS]

Any pad will work with the BF One Step. You match the "type" or "cut" of the pad with what you're trying to accomplish.

Which brand or style of pads did you get? The color coding isn't uniform across brands.


:)
Griot's pads... I ordered them from Auto Geek... Red, Orange, Black you technical online help suggested these with what I was going to use before talking to you.

[Mike Phillips]

Griot's pads... I ordered them from Auto Geek... Red, Orange, Black

you technical online help suggested these with what I was going to use before talking to you.






I have a Griot DA in 6" and 3".



I'm assuming that you bought the 6.5" and 3" Griot's foam pads.

If so, the color code in order of the most aggressive to the least aggressive means,


Orange = Correcting - this is a "polishing" pad.

Black = Finishing

Red = Waxing


The black and red are very soft. The black foam pad will be a good choice if the paint on your car ends up being SUPER SOFT. But my guess is it will be in the medium to hard side of the paint spectrum.


So you're going to want to do your TEST SPOT using the orange pad.


Watch this video - it will show you EVERYTHING you need to know and then everything you'll want to do and I make it easy to understand and follow in the video.


How to do a Test Spot and then buff out your car! Video Explanation by Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions-/125930-how-do-test-spot-then-buff-out-your-car-video-explanation-mike-phillips.html)


This is my opinion is one of the best videos Yancy and I have ever made together and also one of the easiest to follow, understand and then implement the techniques video on the topic.


https://youtu.be/ulWXODgg8V4



:)

[Mike Phillips]

Here's an old 2-door Plymouth I buffed out using the Griot's 6" Random Orbital Polisher.

Not how many pads I show for this project.


How to use Griot's Garage to detail your car - A detail job Richard Griot would be proud of! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/106445-how-use-griots-garage-detail-your-car-detail-job-richard-griot-would-proud.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3252/Cuda_Detail_053.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3252/Cuda_Detail_038.jpg



Now granted - this was a multiple-step or "Show Car Detail", not a one-step detail, but the BIG PICTURE is,

More pads are better


When doing a one-step process, in my detailing classes I teach this as,

Production Detailing


Although you can get show car results when doing production detailing. And the thing is this, each time you apply some product to the face of your buffing pad then place the face of the pad against the paint, some of the product GOES INTO THE PAD.

The VIOLENT action of the tool, plus time, plus downward pressure also fills the pad with the product you're using.

After a panel - that pad is going to be WET or saturated with product and it's going to make the foam SOFT.

So a polishing pad becomes a finishing pad and this means it will take you LONGER to remove swirls and scratches.


The remedy is to switch out to a clean, DRY pad often.

For most 2-door cars, using a simple one-step cleaner/wax like the BLACKFIRE One Step, I would want at least 6 pads for my major tool, in your case your major tool is the Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher.


Look how many pads I used on the Chevelle when I buffed it out with the Griot's 6" DA and BF One Step. I count 8 pads.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3551/1971_ChevelleRestoRod_028.JPG







Look how I went absolute NUTZ when I buffed out the old 2-door Chevy,

Review: 3D Paint Coating and 3D One Cutting Compound and Finishing Polish (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews-by-mike-phillips/126024-review-3d-paint-coating-3d-one-cutting-compound-finishing-polish.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/4000/3D_Ceramic_Paint_Coating_002.JPG


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/4000/3D_Ceramic_Paint_Coating_014.JPG





There's a balance somewhere between these two write-ups I shared but one thing for sure, you cannot do a proper machine polishing process with only 1, 2 or 3 pads. 4 pads will be pushing it.


Hope this helps? I think I have an article on this topic somewhere?



:)

[Mike Phillips]

Also, do this,

How to Monitor Pad Rotation? Mark Your Buffing Pads (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/122544-how-monitor-pad-rotation-mark-your-buffing-pads.html)


Anytime you're using a free spinning orbital polisher there is the chance that the buffing pad can slow down and if stall out to the point where there's simple no pad rotation. When this happens you are no longer removing paint defects at an effective rate, if at all. Paint defects like swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation are removed best, fastest and most effectively when the pad is both rotating and oscillating against the surface.

It used to be you could simply place a mark on the back of the backing plate and by doing this your eyes could easily monitor pad rotation by looking at the backing plate. Now days a lot of tools have dark or black backing plate making it hard to mark and hard to see. Some backing plates are very thin or exact fit and there's simply very little backing plate surface area to mark and thus monitor. And some tools have a protective cover or shroud over the top of the backing plate covering up the majority of the backing plate blocking your view.

Here's a very simple fix - mark your buffing pads


Use a combination of Sharpie Markers, both Black and Silver and also touch-up paint can be used.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3812/Mark-your-pads_001.JPG





:)

[WVHEMIS]

Thank you so much Mike!! Your guidance is the best! This place rocks !!!

[Mike Phillips]

Thank you so much Mike!! Your guidance is the best! This place rocks !!!




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I know Facebook Groups are popular and I get it - easy to use phone interface, but nothing comes close to the display interface of a real forum.



:)