Did I over-apply to foam pad?

[DrMark]

Just purchased a bottle of Griots One-step Sealant and attempted my first car detailing with the GG-DA polisher. Generally speaking, how much sealant would be used on like a small Nissan Cube? (I know every vehicle is different). But, I think I may have over-applied the product to a GG orange foam pad. I used almost half a bottle over a 3 hr period. Using 1/2 bottle per vehicle seemed abit high. Any advice would be appreciated.

[tuscarora dave]

Welcome to AG. :welcome:

I have never used that particular sealant but with most sealants less than an ounce would surely do. I'd say you way over applied it. What matters is that it looks good now and you try using less next time.

I am just a bit confused about what you mean by "I used almost half a bottle over a 3 hr period", did you apply a bunch of coats over a 3 hour period? Most sealants should have a 12 hour curing time before applying an additional coat.

So how does it look now? are you happy with it? any pictures?

[SRTSean]

Wow, 1/2 bottle is way too much product. I just used that Griot's one-step the other night under my hood detailing around the engine bay and you really don't need much. You should only see a slightly buttery haze to the finish. It spreads pretty thin. I would think one 16 oz bottle would last at least a dozen cars, if not more.

[ShaunD]

I think using the orange polishing pad instead of the red wax/sealant pad may have something to do with it. The red pad probably wouldn't have absorbed as much sealant but left it on the surface to be thinly applied to the paint. Were you using the polisher to apply the sealant and at what speed? How hard were you pressing? Did you apply any by hand with another applicator besides the orange polishing pad?
If it looks good that's great, but if you apply too thick of a layer it will slow the curing and possibly not cross link into the paint properly. So less is more in those cases. If you did do more than one coat you should have waited the curing time before layering.:)

[DrMark]

I guess I did over do it then. Like the videos show, I added a small amount to the pad for every 2 x 2 foot section. That's what I thought I had to do! Hence...half of a bottle used. Next time I'll know better.

So, As long as the pad is mildly saturated I don't need to keep re-applying when I move from one section to another? Speed 5-6 and light pressure
Thanks for the quick replies!

[SRTSean]

I think you wanna slow the speed down to about 2-3 if I'm not mistaken.

[S2K]

What videos did you watch? Sounds like you were following videos for compounding or polishing and not applying a sealant/wax. Were you using pressure? How many section passes did you make?

[DrMark]

I watched the videos here on Autogeek and on the Griots Garage websites. I figured since I was using GG One-Step Sealant which according to their site is:

One-Step Sealant Is A Polish And Protectant In One
All the benefits of our ultra-durable Paint Sealant combined with a gentle polish to remove scratches, oxidation and swirl marks while leaving behind protection for your paint for up to one year. Think of it as Paint Sealant with Machine Polish 3 added for a true One-Step Sealant! The best way to apply it is with our Random Orbital and Orange Polish Pads. You'll achieve spectacular results, while you remove oxidation, scratches and swirls. Even when you use it by hand, the results are amazing. Color, depth and clarity plus long term protection in one easy step.

I was using a light to mild pressure, basically the weight of the DA Polisher on a speed of 5-6. Used an Orange Pad as stated in their description above. I figured I had to add fresh sealant to pad for each section as I assumed it was breaking down into smaller particles with each use.

Avg. of 6-8 passes per section. Hope this helps explain why I did what I did.

[S2K]

That explains it well and I was not familiar with that product and said what I did because other people sounded like they thought it was just a sealant. I just read about it and it is really an AIO which does need more speed and working time and will take a lot more than 1 oz to do a car, probably not 8 oz though. Sounds like you used it correctly just probably didn't need near as much. How does the car look? How about post a pic so we can all see your hard work.
This is how we learn, our best experience is hands on. The first time I used M105 I used way too much and it was a nightmare though I did get good results, the next time things went much better.
So just keep at it and every time will get better.

[DrMark]

Here's a link to picture. Was unsure how to post directly into forum replies.

First Attempt with DA Polisher on Wife's Nissan Cube - AutogeekOnline Gallery (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/33974)