Newbie with some questions

[coondog64]

Hi all! I am new to the forum. A few months ago I purchased a 2006 NBP TSX. I have been washing regularly, and unfortunately have let the dealership wash and wax my car a few times.

I have decided to take things into my own hands mainly because of the dealer installed swirls, and after reading the past few weeks on this board and others I am excited to start detailing on my own.

I have jsut a quick question: after claying is it enough to wipe dry with a quality MF, or should I rewash the car and dry all over again?

All feed back is appreciated! Look forward to posting more:righton:

[coondog64]

So can anyone please tell me if I need to wash the car after claying, or can I simply use a MF to wipe up the clay lubricant? I plan on putting a polish on after if that makes a differece.

Feed back please

[scottinflorida]

So can anyone please tell me if I need to wash the car after claying, or can I simply use a MF to wipe up the clay lubricant? I plan on putting a polish on after if that makes a differece.



Every post I see here regarding clay says you need to wash after clay.

Personally, I clay using lubricant, then wash, then dry with MF, then apply some Klasse AIO, then buff with a clean MF.

S>

[ScottB]

I wash before clay (I dont want my clay bar imbedded with lots of unnecessary dirt) and I rewash after it (too remove any contaminents dislodged but sitting in the lubrication). It might not be necessary but avoiding swirls now means less to repair later.

[coondog64]

Thanks! Thats what I figured, but just wanted to check.

I jsut made a huge purchase from AG, and will be doing my first detail this weekend. I plan to wash, caly, wash, polish with SSR1 (by hand with the polishin pal, well see how painful that is), seal with EX-P, and put a top layer of nattys blue on.

I'll post pictures after I get everything done :Picture:

[aceshigh73]

Welcome fellow brethren from the Northeast (NY'er here!)

Looks like you have the steps down.... I only caution about the polishin pal.. Thats a course I was going to go down.. but was talked out of it.... because of its difficulty..

After spenging alot of cash I didnt have a whole lot left for the Porter Cable/pads/polish kits....
So I bought it a step at a time.... With the recent sale I bought some pads and polish... next I will get the PC.. either locally by using a Lowes Movers coupon (they carry the 7336) or getting it from amazon....
There are ways to make great deals here at AG. Spend some time here and you will see how to do it..... (Waiting for sales, using Free shipping coupons, waiting for 10-15% off coupons, etc).... Most of the 10-15% coupons cancel out the savings of the free shipping offer (you can only use 1 coupon per order)....

If you purchase soley from pinnaclewax.com or wolfgangcarecare.com you get free shipping automatically at $75. combine that with a % off, and you got a very good deal in the works....

Good luck with the car

[coondog64]

I am concerned about the polishing pal as well. I beleive I read floridanative used this, and said it was a lot of work.

I am only using SSR1 , more as a pre wax c leaner and light swirl touch up, so I wont be going heavy duty (well see how long it takes for the SSR1 to break down by hand).

Hopefully all goes well!

[aceshigh73]

I am concerned about the polishing pal as well. I beleive I read floridanative used this, and said it was a lot of work.

I am only using SSR1 , more as a pre wax c leaner and light swirl touch up, so I wont be going heavy duty (well see how long it takes for the SSR1 to break down by hand).

Hopefully all goes well!

Right.... but it has to stop raining first..... and then we get remnants of Ernesto this weekend.... Ughhh!!!!

It went from super wet early summer to bone dry for most of July /Aug to SUPER wet again.... My grass was almost totally brown about a week ago... now its the greenest I've ever seen it...

[FloridaNative]

I'm curious to know what you were told about the polishing pal, Aceshigh?? I have one and used it before I got my PC and it was great!! It is alot more work to polish with the polishing pal instead of a PC, but so is anything when you have to do it all by hand. the polishing pal's shape is very ergonomic and comfortable for the hand. I couldn't have done the job I did by hand without the polishing pal. My fingers would have fallen off. But with the polishing pal it was more effective than using regular applicators since the foam is the same as the Lake Country pads for the DA, and the shape made me able to do the job without fatiguing my hands. It was my arms and shoulders that were aching! lol I don't recommend polishing an entire car by hand if a PC is in the near future as it is much more labor intensive and the results are not as good, but I have nothing but good things to say about the polishing pal. I'm the crazy one who chose to polish the entire car this way to see what the polishing pal could do and it exceeded my expectations. IMHO the polishing pal has a place among other tools in the detailing arsenal and is great for tight spaces or small areas. And you can even get the 3" backing plate and the adapter for the pc (it comes with the WG glass kit) and use your polishing pal pads as spot buffers! :)

If anyone is curious here is the detail I did with the polishing pal here is the thread, but again the pics will suck cause it's a 35mm camera. :( I know I know I'm saving for a digital! :)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1486&highlight=polishing+pal

[aceshigh73]

Jen...

I think I mis-typed the email.. I was saying it "meaning manual polishing without a PC" was difficult.... not the PP, I dont have one....
The few times I did ask about polishing, everyone said dont bother by hand....

[FloridaNative]

Thanks for clarifying the remark. :) I can see why people recommend not to polish by hand. It is very labor intensive and you cannot do any defect correction with the exception of removing oxidation and very minor swirls. The PC is the no brainer choice! But I did find the polishing pal valuable for it's size getting into places where the PC cannot and for use with the PC as spot buffers. :)

[coondog64]

Jen,

Is it ok to use SSR1 as a 'pre wax cleaner'. I have some swirl marks, but I am not nuts about working them all out by hand at the moment. So I bought SSR1 thinking I could kill two birds with one stone, pre wax clean and remove some swirls. My question is, is SSR1 safe/mild enough to use on the entire car? Or should I buy a seperate non abrasive cleaner to use on for example on the sides where the swirls are not noticible.

I plan to seal after with EX-P and then Natty blue.

[FloridaNative]

Jen,

Is it ok to use SSR1 as a 'pre was cleaner'. I have some swirl marks, but I am not nuts about working them all out by hand at the moment. So I bought SSR1 thinking I could kill two birds with one stone, pre wax clean and remove some swirls. My question is, is SSR1 safe/mild enough to use on the entire car? Or should I buy a seperate non abrasive cleaner to use on for example on the sides where the swirls are not noticible.

I plan to seal after with EX-P and then Natty blue.

SSR 1.0 is a mildly abrasive finishing polish. It will remove whatever products you have on your paint and get you LSP ready, but it may be too mild to remove the swirls that you have. :) I don't know the condition of your paint and how swirled it is, but the car that I worked on was in horribly neglected condition. It took 2.5 to remove the finer swirls and for the rest of them I filled in what I could with XMT finishing glaze and then finished it off with Souveran and that masked alot of the remaining defects. :)

[coondog64]

Hmm, ok. Well looks like I'll be getting the PC sooner than expected then. I just couldnt justify buying SSR2 or SSR2.5 and doing a polish for the first time by hand.

Most of the swirls are very minor, so hopefully with some luck (and maybe using the yellow pad that comes with the polishin pal) I will be able to get rid of most of them. EX -P and nattys should take care of the rest for now.

Cant wait to take some pictures! Hopefully it doesnt rain in upstate NY this weekend, at least enough time to get a wash and clay....

[FloridaNative]

Just use some pressure and a back and forth motion. Keep working the polish back and forth with the polishing pal until it starts drying up, then buff off the residue. :) I can't wait to see your pics. :) If they are mild you'll probably be fine. The poorboy's polishes are excellent! :)