PTMathMan
07-18-2009, 03:12 PM
Hello all - Short time lurker, first time poster.
I'd been itching to get my hands on an electric buffer because I was never fully satisfied with results doing things by hand. So this week I received in the mail the following:
PC 7424XP
LC Yellow, Orange, and White pads w/ spray
M105
M205
Mequiar's NXT Tech Wax
The guinea pig was my gf's 2006 BMW X3 in dark blue. She love cars, but doesn't really take care of hers. It also spends 3/4 of the year in Washington with snow, sand, and salt. Strong swirling and scratching, but no oxidation that I could tell.
I began by spraying and wiping down the engine bay, attacking the bugs on the front bumper, and cleaning the tires/wheels. That was followed by a washing and claying.
I'm in Phx, AZ (extremely hot and sunny), so I washed at night an let it sit 'til morning.
In the morning, I applied M105 with the yellow pad, M205 with the orange, and wax with the white. All residue was removed by hand with microfiber towels. This was all done in the garage.
1) Seemed like it took forever. I probably spent about 4+ hours polishing and waxing, including water breaks. What's normal for a 3 step process on a small SUV?
2) I have no after pics - I was too drained to think about it. How do you determine % correction? I feel like I may have gotten about 65-75%, but who knows. Some scratching may have been too deep, but I also know my technique could have been better.
3) Should I use a different pad combo next time? Gray for wax? What speed should I use on the PC for wax?
4) I thought I was somewhat of a perfectionist, but I don't know how you pros/semi pros can stay focused on one car for so long and detail every square inch. It makes a lot more sense now that a detailer can charge so much for a complete job, and I've got a ton more respect for them!
Anyway - please reply with answers/comments. Any tips for improvement would be great.
Next up will be my car - 2006 Honda Civic Si in white. Any tips for white? I'll wait until the weather is much cooler, and hopefully the second try will be an improvement.
Thanks in advance!
Joshua
I'd been itching to get my hands on an electric buffer because I was never fully satisfied with results doing things by hand. So this week I received in the mail the following:
PC 7424XP
LC Yellow, Orange, and White pads w/ spray
M105
M205
Mequiar's NXT Tech Wax
The guinea pig was my gf's 2006 BMW X3 in dark blue. She love cars, but doesn't really take care of hers. It also spends 3/4 of the year in Washington with snow, sand, and salt. Strong swirling and scratching, but no oxidation that I could tell.
I began by spraying and wiping down the engine bay, attacking the bugs on the front bumper, and cleaning the tires/wheels. That was followed by a washing and claying.
I'm in Phx, AZ (extremely hot and sunny), so I washed at night an let it sit 'til morning.
In the morning, I applied M105 with the yellow pad, M205 with the orange, and wax with the white. All residue was removed by hand with microfiber towels. This was all done in the garage.
1) Seemed like it took forever. I probably spent about 4+ hours polishing and waxing, including water breaks. What's normal for a 3 step process on a small SUV?
2) I have no after pics - I was too drained to think about it. How do you determine % correction? I feel like I may have gotten about 65-75%, but who knows. Some scratching may have been too deep, but I also know my technique could have been better.
3) Should I use a different pad combo next time? Gray for wax? What speed should I use on the PC for wax?
4) I thought I was somewhat of a perfectionist, but I don't know how you pros/semi pros can stay focused on one car for so long and detail every square inch. It makes a lot more sense now that a detailer can charge so much for a complete job, and I've got a ton more respect for them!
Anyway - please reply with answers/comments. Any tips for improvement would be great.
Next up will be my car - 2006 Honda Civic Si in white. Any tips for white? I'll wait until the weather is much cooler, and hopefully the second try will be an improvement.
Thanks in advance!
Joshua