Newbie - Start Me On The Right Path

[olfac87]

I have enjoyed cleaning/detailing for years and want to up my game. In the past I have done a clay bar and a polish, and rarely at that. That was a while ago, then I became lazy and turned into a wash/wax guy, and now I want to do more advanced detailing. I have 4 cars, all garaged:



2007 Volvo, black sapphire metallic, never been paint corrected
2011 BMW 328, navy blue metallic, professionally painted corrected once in 2015
1986 Lotus Turbo Esprit, gloss black, brand new single stage paint job in 2019
2021 Lotus Evora, Essex blue metallic clear coat (think the cool ink blue on Subaru WRXs), has PPF on the front


My aim is to “practice” on the daily drivers and then move to the two Lotus, realizing they need different levels of treatment from the Volvo/BMW. I have done a lot of reading on this forum and elsewhere and I was hoping you could critique my proposed process/tools to see if I am making any drastic mistakes anywhere, as most of this will be a new purchase for me.



Wash with a wax-removing soap, such as Dawn
Clay with traditional clay bar and detailing spray (own both already)
Compound: (Volvo/BMW only) Griots G9, 5” disk conversion, Lake Country CCS orange pad, Meguiars Ultimate Compound, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
Polish: Griots G9, LC CCS white pad, Meguiars Ultimate Polish, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901). Note: hand polish only on the PPF sections of the Evora. Note 2: I happen to own the polish already, open to other suggestions if this is the wrong way to go
Wax/Seal: Griots Ceramic 3-in-1 wax spray, spread with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)


A few notes:


I was going to go full ceramic coating versus the 3-in-1; I could still be convinced.
Even if I don’t go full ceramic, I am most uncertain about step 5. Should I choose a product I can apply with the G9 and a LC CCS black pad?
Iron remover. Necessary?
Wheel cleaner recommendation? (or point me to your favorite thread on the subject)
Glass recommendation? (or point me to your favorite thread on the subject)


This is a big purchase/upgrade for me and I know there are a ton of opinions so please, lay them on me so I can move out and really treat my cars.
Thank you.

[psnt1ol]

I have enjoyed cleaning/detailing for years and want to up my game. In the past I have done a clay bar and a polish, and rarely at that. That was a while ago, then I became lazy and turned into a wash/wax guy, and now I want to do more advanced detailing. I have 4 cars, all garaged:



2007 Volvo, black sapphire metallic, never been paint corrected
2011 BMW 328, navy blue metallic, professionally painted corrected once in 2015
1986 Lotus Turbo Esprit, gloss black, brand new single stage paint job in 2019
2021 Lotus Evora, Essex blue metallic clear coat (think the cool ink blue on Subaru WRXs), has PPF on the front


My aim is to “practice” on the daily drivers and then move to the two Lotus, realizing they need different levels of treatment from the Volvo/BMW. I have done a lot of reading on this forum and elsewhere and I was hoping you could critique my proposed process/tools to see if I am making any drastic mistakes anywhere, as most of this will be a new purchase for me.



Wash with a wax-removing soap, such as Dawn
Clay with traditional clay bar and detailing spray (own both already)
Compound: (Volvo/BMW only) Griots G9, 5” disk conversion, Lake Country CCS orange pad, Meguiars Ultimate Compound, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
Polish: Griots G9, LC CCS white pad, Meguiars Ultimate Polish, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901). Note: hand polish only on the PPF sections of the Evora. Note 2: I happen to own the polish already, open to other suggestions if this is the wrong way to go
Wax/Seal: Griots Ceramic 3-in-1 wax spray, spread with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)


A few notes:


I was going to go full ceramic coating versus the 3-in-1; I could still be convinced.
Even if I don’t go full ceramic, I am most uncertain about step 5. Should I choose a product I can apply with the G9 and a LC CCS black pad?
Iron remover. Necessary?
Wheel cleaner recommendation? (or point me to your favorite thread on the subject)
Glass recommendation? (or point me to your favorite thread on the subject)


This is a big purchase/upgrade for me and I know there are a ton of opinions so please, lay them on me so I can move out and really treat my cars.
Thank you.



Wash with a wax-removing soap, such as Dawn
I recommend using a dedicated car soap and leave the dawn for dishes. I prefer a car soap that has no gloss agent and rinse clear if I am to polish. Balckfire foam soap is on sale now on Autogeek and you should check it out. Have plenty of wash medias available and dedicate some just for the bottom panels during the wash.

An iron remover helps in removing contaminants and will make the following claying process easier.


Clay with traditional clay bar and detailing spray (own both already)
I prefer using a clay lube (CarPro Immulube) or car soap to clay. The point is to remove embedded particles. Most detail spray has gloss or wax (synthetic or natural) agent in it and I think it is kind of going backwards if you are to polish on the next step.


Compound: (Volvo/BMW only) Griots G9, 5” disk conversion, Lake Country CCS orange pad, Meguiars Ultimate Compound, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
I dont do much heavy compounding these days. The goal is to do the least aggressive approach to get the job done. The trend in clear coat preservation is to sort out the right combination of pad, correction liquid, and machine to get the job done in the least amount of steps. A Test Spot will help guide you in determining which combo is best. Very important... have plenty of pads available and dont try to do the entire vehicle with just 1- 2 pads.


Polish: Griots G9, LC CCS white pad, Meguiars Ultimate Polish, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901). Note: hand polish only on the PPF sections of the Evora. Note 2: I happen to own the polish already, open to other suggestions if this is the wrong way to go
PPF can be polish with a machine as well. There are products for that.


Wax/Seal: Griots Ceramic 3-in-1 wax spray, spread with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
As far as LSP goes..... Its all a personal choice. I literally dont remember the last time I used a wax. There are those who enjoy applying a layer of wax every other month but I am a sealant and coating guy.

[olfac87]

Wash with a wax-removing soap, such as Dawn
I recommend using a dedicated car soap and leave the dawn for dishes. I prefer a car soap that has no gloss agent and rinse clear if I am to polish. Balckfire foam soap is on sale now on Autogeek and you should check it out. Have plenty of wash medias available and dedicate some just for the bottom panels during the wash.

An iron remover helps in removing contaminants and will make the following claying process easier.
Clay with traditional clay bar and detailing spray (own both already)
I prefer using a clay lube (CarPro Immulube) or car soap to clay. The point is to remove embedded particles. Most detail spray has gloss or wax (synthetic or natural) agent in it and I think it is kind of going backwards if you are to polish on the next step.
Compound: (Volvo/BMW only) Griots G9, 5” disk conversion, Lake Country CCS orange pad, Meguiars Ultimate Compound, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
I dont do much heavy compounding these days. The goal is to do the least aggressive approach to get the job done. The trend in clear coat preservation is to sort out the right combination of pad, correction liquid, and machine to get the job done in the least amount of steps. A Test Spot will help guide you in determining which combo is best. Very important... have plenty of pads available and dont try to do the entire vehicle with just 1- 2 pads.
Polish: Griots G9, LC CCS white pad, Meguiars Ultimate Polish, removal with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901). Note: hand polish only on the PPF sections of the Evora. Note 2: I happen to own the polish already, open to other suggestions if this is the wrong way to go
PPF can be polish with a machine as well. There are products for that.
Wax/Seal: Griots Ceramic 3-in-1 wax spray, spread with Griots microfiber plush edgeless towels (14901)
As far as LSP goes..... Its all a personal choice. I literally dont remember the last time I used a wax. There are those who enjoy applying a layer of wax every other month but I am a sealant and coating guy.


Thanks for the fast reply. On the soap, the site says “BLACKFIRE Foam Soap will not remove or alter any existing coatings” I want to remove existing coatings to basically start from scratch, yes? I have dedicated car soaps for maintenance washes after that.

Good tip on the pads. I read at least four per stage, maybe more on my bigger wagon.

Any PPF polish recommendations? Glad to hear I can use the DA.

What sealant/coating do you use?

[psnt1ol]

Thanks for the fast reply. On the soap, the site says “BLACKFIRE Foam Soap will not remove or alter any existing coatings” I want to remove existing coatings to basically start from scratch, yes? I have dedicated car soaps for maintenance washes after that.

Good tip on the pads. I read at least four per stage, maybe more on my bigger wagon.

Any PPF polish recommendations? Glad to hear I can use the DA.

What sealant/coating do you use?

After the iron remover and claying.... whatever wax or sealant on the car will most likely be gone by then. I use Gyeon Renew but then I also have success using a light polish with a black pad in the past. It really depends on the condition of the PPF.

If you are as anal as I am... I wipe the vehicle down with a strong panel wipe prior to any correction to ensure I am working on bare paint.

[PaulMys]

After the iron remover and claying.... whatever wax or sealant on the car will most likely be gone by then. I use Gyeon Renew but then I also have success using a light polish with a black pad in the past. It really depends on the condition of the PPF.

And after that, the machine polishing will surely take care of any remaining LSP.

[psnt1ol]

What sealant/coating do you use?

Oh boy.... Here are just some I use frequently.

303 Graphene
CarPro Reload, Hydro2, CQUK, SIC
TeacSystem Moonlight
Powerlock
Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Coating

[psnt1ol]

And after that, the machine polishing will surely take care of any remaining LSP.

Absolutely...

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/60038828.jpg

[olfac87]

After the iron remover and claying.... whatever wax or sealant on the car will most likely be gone by then. I use Gyeon Renew but then I also have success using a light polish with a black pad in the past. It really depends on the condition of the PPF.

If you are as anal as I am... I wipe the vehicle down with a strong panel wipe prior to any correction to ensure I am working on bare paint.

The PPF is brand new, applied by the factory. I am not even sure what brand it is. It sounds like with careful masking to avoid product in the edges I can use the DA and a light polish. And thank you everyone for the help on removing the LSP (had to look up what that meant). Seems like I can use a regular car wash and let the subsequent stages like the iron remover and claybar remove the LSP before I start any correcting and polishing.

[olfac87]

Regarding this bit of info: "I dont do much heavy compounding these days. The goal is to do the least aggressive approach to get the job done. The trend in clear coat preservation is to sort out the right combination of pad, correction liquid, and machine to get the job done in the least amount of steps. A Test Spot will help guide you in determining which combo is best."

Does a polish count as a correction liquid? So, say for a paint job where I can't even find any swirls, going with a polish and light pad as the first test will be fine as far as being the least aggressive approach? Or is the assumption that least aggressive means testing to find the least aggressive compound/pad followed by a polish?

[Mike Phillips]

Does a polish count as a correction liquid?

So, say for a paint job where I can't even find any swirls, going with a polish and light pad as the first test will be fine as far as being the least aggressive approach?





Yes and yes.

Here's my experience, even for cars in really nice condition, if it's been a while since they were machine polished - then you will see a dramatic difference in gloss and shine simply by machine polishing.

I detail cars all the time where the average person when looking at the car thinks it looks great. Then after just doing basic steps, wash and dry, clay machine polish - the gloss is amped up by 10-fold.


Plus - now you know you have perfect paint and perfectly clean paint - ready for the sealing step.


:)

[olfac87]

Mike - that is good to hear. I would like to think the two newer Lotus paint jobs would benefit from a polish only (after doing a test to confirm) to avoid what I hear about in terms of removing paint and/or clear coat. And for the older, never-corrected Volvo wagon it sounds like I should still start with a polish and if I am not seeing happy results work my way into a compound. Hopefully I translated what you are saying correctly.

[olfac87]

And Mike - sealing!! Ohmygosh, a whole new world. A poster gave me some of his tips above. I still have no idea which direction to go. Wax, spray solution, ceramic coating, ceramic/wax spray. Seems like an endless world...

[dcjredline]

And Mike - sealing!! Ohmygosh, a whole new world. A poster gave me some of his tips above. I still have no idea which direction to go. Wax, spray solution, ceramic coating, ceramic/wax spray. Seems like an endless world...

This is why I was coming to the thread to warn you to RUN now before you get sucked into the rabbit hole!!!. If I were to help you get into the hole though I would say go with some kind of One Step with the DD cars. My 2 favorites are Meguiars D151 and HD Speed. I think you got to start there and see how that goes. THEN get into some research about what youll wanna do with the Lotus.

GOOD LUCK, Welcome

[Lance Mark]

And Mike - sealing!! Ohmygosh, a whole new world. A poster gave me some of his tips above. I still have no idea which direction to go. Wax, spray solution, ceramic coating, ceramic/wax spray. Seems like an endless world...

Hello my friend. Grats on the nice stable of cars. You must have won....not sure what, but you have won. :)

I am here to learn to better care for my Harley. Like you, I'm practicing on cars that I'm not as emotionally attached as I am my Harley.

As an LSP, if you are looking for an easy application, maybe consider CanCoat by Gyeon.

I did a quarter panel on my truck with BlackICE, a hybrid wax. I did the tail gate on the truck with Gyeon CanCoat. It was way easier to apply, it's supposed to be a far superior protector. It's considered a sealant, I think.

After properly cleaning, and polishing, I used Gyeon Prep and Gyeon CanCoat as the the LSP

I've not a lot of experience with LSPs but the smooth feeling after applying the CanCoat was absolutely amazing. It is slick and slippery. Supposed to last about 6 months or so.

[olfac87]

Thank you for the input on CanCoat. I will check it out.