Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

[cctaylor88]

I own a 2004 Infiniti G35, black. Since I have purchased the car I have not done any serious "detailing" to the exterior and as you can imagine when I clean the car, even by hand, there are an incredible amount of swirls and small scratches etc that show especially well in the sun.

I want to do something about these swirls/scratches...but on the cheap as I don't want to drop $125 on a professional DA buffer/polisher, then have to buy the pads, and then the wax/polish itself. You get the idea.

First of all can you briefly explain to me the difference between buffing/polishing/waxing and in what order they should be completed? On top of being lost with all of these terms.. I keep reading about "clay" and "clay bars" What are these?

If I want to do this by hand...how would I go about it.

Thanks

[mavin]

It sounds like you might just be better off finding any paying someone locally to do this for you. You need to invest a minimum of ~$150 in a DA, pads, materials. And that is with a harbor freight DA, easily $200+ if you go with a griots garage or porter cable. Not to mention your time in reading/learning and actually doing the job.

If you dont have the interesting in learning/investing in some gear/materials, just hire someone to do it for you. Removal scratches/swirls in a car by hand sounds like painful endeavor, and only if your time is worthless would you make it up by not buying a DA.

[bmwgeek]

Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides (http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html)

[Evan.J]

Welcome to AG I know that all this information here can be overwhelming so here are some articles for you to read that will surely answer your questions

Difference between Compound Polish and waxes article
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/39020-word-definitions-compounds-polishes-glazes-paint-cleaners-waxes.html

How to remove swirls and scratches with a Dual action Polisher
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/20021-definitive-how-article-removing-swirls-scratches-water-spots-using-porter-cable-7424xp-g110v2-griot-s-garage-polisher.html

Claying Article
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/27969-3-primary-benefits-using-detailing-clay-clay-paint.html

Video on Claying
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-videos/24319-show-car-garage-video-how-detailing-clay-works-how-use-detailing-clay-remove-above-surface-bonded-contaminants.html

[cctaylor88]

It sounds like you might just be better off finding any paying someone locally to do this for you. You need to invest a minimum of ~$150 in a DA, pads, materials. And that is with a harbor freight DA, easily $200+ if you go with a griots garage or porter cable. Not to mention your time in reading/learning and actually doing the job.

If you dont have the interesting in learning/investing in some gear/materials, just hire someone to do it for you. Removal scratches/swirls in a car by hand sounds like painful endeavor, and only if your time is worthless would you make it up by not buying a DA.

Yeah you might be right, I mean my car looks clean when I wash it but when you really look you can see the swirls etc..> i just really want to go about removing these but w/o a giant investment. You are basically saying that unless I purchase a DA I really should pay someone else?

[capnp72]

Clay is used to remove contaminants from the paint. There are alternatives to using actual clay such as the speedy prep towel or nanoskin autoscrub wash mitt. Buffing is using a machine to polish the paint. There are generally three different types of product that you use with a buffer/polisher: compound, polish and wax/sealant (also referred to lsp or last stage product). Compound is used to remove defects from your paint such as swirls and scratches. Polish used to improve appearance/gloss in the paint. Wax/sealant is used to protect your paint. You can find all of the products you need to detail your car here in the autogeek store should you decide to make that investment and do it yourself or you can find a good detailer in your area to do the work for you. I decided to invest in the products necessary to do the work myself because it was about the same cost or only slightly more than what a professional detailer would have charged me to do the work.

[mavin]

Yeah you might be right, I mean my car looks clean when I wash it but when you really look you can see the swirls etc..> i just really want to go about removing these but w/o a giant investment. You are basically saying that unless I purchase a DA I really should pay someone else?

Im a complete newbie so I will let others advise you. That said, you can pick up a DA at harbor freight for $45 after coupon. Not a huge investment. Pads will add-up though, and you will need another $20 backing plate.

[Bamafire]

Find a local detailer that would work with you and show you how to properly correct your car. After correction proper washing will help minimize the amount of swirls you will have in your paint.

[Mike Phillips]

I own a 2004 Infiniti G35, black.




I don't know what year Infiniti introduced their "Self-Healing" paint, but the first thing I would do is try to find out if this is the type of paint your car has. From the majority of accounts posted to forums on this type of paint it's a nitemare to work on.


See this article...


Swirls on '08 Infiniti G37s - Self-Healing Paint ? (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/26609-swirls-08-infiniti-g37s-self-healing-paint.html)



If you decide you want to take care of your car's detailing needs, by all means get at least a DA Polisehr like the Porter Cable type. It's faster and a lot easier and you get a lot better results working by hand versus workign by machine.

I've been detailing cars all my life and teaching classes on it since 1988 and I've lost count of how many times I've heard or read someone say after purchasing a DA polisher,

I should have done this years ago...


Also, read through this...

It's not that hard... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/55512-s-not-hard.html)



And then this one,

How To Detail Your Brand New Car by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/54451-how-detail-your-brand-new-car-mike-phillips.html)



:)

[hernandez.art13]

Just trying to word this as simple as possible...

Claying/clay car/ clay = removes micro dirt

Buff/compound = sands clear coat

Polish = removes scratches from buffing

Wax= adds shine and a protective layer been the world and your car

And like stated previously you will need to invest in a machine or pay for someone to do it.