Sealing and waxing Questions

[SlvrDragon50]

Hi everyone,

Just placed a big order from Autogeek today for some wax + sealant + pads. I am going to try and apply sealant and wax my car in maybe a couple weeks since I've got some free time. I have some questions that I want to clear up first.

My proposed plan is:

1) wash car
2) nanoskin the car w/ Mother's Instant Detailer as lube, ONRWW if I run out
3) water/IPA spray down?
4) M205 on white pad
5) DG601/DG105 1:4 dots on LC black pad
6) Wait 3 hours for cure time
7) Apply Collinite 845 on LC blue pad

So my questions are:
1) I have touch up paint on my rear bumper and front fender. Should I pretty much avoid these areas w/ M205 unless there's serious scratching? I think I messed up my clear since there's a weird blemish (can see pics if you see my other thread).
2) Do I need to worry about the touch up paint messing with the DG601/105 or Collinite or can I just freely apply the two over the areas?
3) My car is about a year old. While there are some scratches and water spots on the top of the car, should I only spot polish with M205 or should I do the whole car?
4) I read over on Autopia that polishing should only take 30 seconds for each section. That seems rather fast to me? I've only used my GG6 for about 10 minutes trying to repair some scratches so my technique still needs a lot of practice. I'll take all the guidance I can get.

Thanks!

[Don M]

Hi everyone,

Just placed a big order from Autogeek today for some wax + sealant + pads. I am going to try and apply sealant and wax my car in maybe a couple weeks since I've got some free time. I have some questions that I want to clear up first.

My proposed plan is:

1) wash car
2) nanoskin the car w/ Mother's Instant Detailer as lube, ONRWW if I run out
3) water/IPA spray down?
4) M205 on white pad
5) DG601/DG105 1:4 dots on LC black pad
6) Wait 3 hours for cure time
7) Apply Collinite 845 on LC blue pad

So my questions are:
1) I have touch up paint on my rear bumper and front fender. Should I pretty much avoid these areas w/ M205 unless there's serious scratching? I think I messed up my clear since there's a weird blemish (can see pics if you see my other thread).
2) Do I need to worry about the touch up paint messing with the DG601/105 or Collinite or can I just freely apply the two over the areas?
3) My car is about a year old. While there are some scratches and water spots on the top of the car, should I only spot polish with M205 or should I do the whole car?
4) I read over on Autopia that polishing should only take 30 seconds for each section. That seems rather fast to me? I've only used my GG6 for about 10 minutes trying to repair some scratches so my technique still needs a lot of practice. I'll take all the guidance I can get.
Thanks!


1) As long as the touch up paint has cured, then it's safe to buff over.

2) No, go ahead and apply the DG 601/105 combo and the Collinite it will be fine.

3) Do the whole car, it's extra work, but well worth it.

4) APPLYING A WAX might only take 30 seconds a section, but I guarantee you compounding and polishing take a lot longer (if you're doing it right).

Another reason to polish the entire car ... practice and experience.

[trekkeruss]

4) I read over on Autopia that polishing should only take 30 seconds for each section. That seems rather fast to me?

What you probably read is that it might take 30 seconds for each section pass. You're going to do six to eight passes for each section ... so a few minutes for each two-foot square section. But there are lots of factors that will affect the time: temperature, pads, product, machine, technique, etc.

[SlvrDragon50]

Hmm. I'm not sure. 30 seconds per section pass makes more sense to me, but I'm not one to question Todd.


“Shorten your work time considerably”

As opposed to many finishing polishes, you will achieve a better result when using a short work time with Meguiar's M205 Ultra Finishing Polish.

Why? When using most traditional finishing polishes (which have abrasives that break down) you have to work the polish for a while to get the best possible result. Aluminum oxide (commonly used) abrasives are like a bushel of grapes stuck together, known as abrasive clusters. As you polish friction causes these grapes separate (the abrasive diminishes). Once the abrasive cluster has fully broken down (all of the grapes are separated) the polish cannot become any finer. These grapes are called the 'primary crystal abrasive'. A common misconception is that if you keep polishing you can reduce the abrasive to almost nothing, but this isn't the case. Aluminum Oxide is a 9 (diamond is a 10) on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. You can break them apart but you cannot eliminate them.

Meguiar's M205 Ultra Finishing Polish uses a non-diminishing abrasive, which means it is made of primary crystals instead of clustered primary crystals. Working it longer will not improve the surface quality because you are already starting with a fully diminished polish. There is no benefit in working the polish longer, in fact it is detrimental.

This is because as you polish paint (even with micro-fine abrasives) you are removing a small amount of paint from the surface. This abraded paint contaminate the abrasives and act like an adhesive that temporarily binds the abrasives together (the opposite of diminishing) which will reduce the quality of the finish.

Since Meguiar's M205 is fully broken down and abraded paint will reduce the quality of finish, you will generally get best results from using a short work time. Polish until the desired result is achieved then stop, generally 20-30 seconds per section.


I think I will M205 the whole car then! Should I do the water/IPA wipedown after the M205 also then?

[mwoolfso]

Hi everyone,

Just placed a big order from Autogeek today for some wax + sealant + pads. I am going to try and apply sealant and wax my car in maybe a couple weeks since I've got some free time. I have some questions that I want to clear up first.

My proposed plan is:

1) wash car
2) nanoskin the car w/ Mother's Instant Detailer as lube, ONRWW if I run out
4) M205 on white pad (transpose these steps and you are golden on the process)
3) water/IPA spray down?
5) DG601/DG105 1:4 dots on LC black pad
6) Wait 3 hours for cure time
7) Apply Collinite 845 on LC blue pad

So my questions are:
1) I have touch up paint on my rear bumper and front fender. Should I pretty much avoid these areas w/ M205 unless there's serious scratching? I think I messed up my clear since there's a weird blemish (can see pics if you see my other thread). If the touch-up paint is layered you should be more than fine.
2) Do I need to worry about the touch up paint messing with the DG601/105 or Collinite or can I just freely apply the two over the areas? If the touchup paint is dry, I'd say after about a day you should be able to apply some by hand to the area.
3) My car is about a year old. While there are some scratches and water spots on the top of the car, should I only spot polish with M205 or should I do the whole car? I typically use a cleaner-wax on the top of my vehicles just to save some time; and will polish the top maybe once every 2-3 years. If I feel like 100% quality I will use a polish.
4) I read over on Autopia that polishing should only take 30 seconds for each section. That seems rather fast to me? I've only used my GG6 for about 10 minutes trying to repair some scratches so my technique still needs a lot of practice. I'll take all the guidance I can get. There are a number of factors related to how long you may spend on a panel (condition, tool, product, technique, etc...). With a rotary you can get away with 30-seconds on a panel already in good condition but I'd think you would have to be extremely good with the polisher. Generally speaking I will do 4-6 section passes. As an example, my daughter's Hyundai Elantra was on the dealer lot for about 9 months and the water spots were unreal. Last year, I tried D151 with my Flex. No matter that pad I used nothing happened. This year, I pulled out a yellow pad and Wolfgang TSR and then White w/FG then Black with FG. The hood alone took 45+ minutes with both products and passes.

Thanks!

....

[SlvrDragon50]

With water spots on the roof of the car, will cleaner wax be able to remove that? Or does that need M205?

My car is parked outdoors 24/7 so unfortunately the roof is just covered in them.

After sanding through my clear, I'm really spooked about burning through my clear w/ excessive polishing.

[808_detail_nut]

Are they etched in? If they are then you will have to polish. If they are not then use a waterspot remover. I deal with waterspots constantly and that usually is my approach. What cleaner wax are you thinking of using?

[SlvrDragon50]

DG105 has some cleaning ability I believe doesn't it?

I honestly don't know if it's etching or just water spots... I've wiped at them with my ONRWW and a microfiber, and they don't go away. I know the water here is quite hard so I wouldn't be surprised if it's just hard rain water depositing minerals.

[808_detail_nut]

I have hard water also and most cases I run into. I would try a waterspot remover. Carpro spotless maybe but it is a little weak. I use something that is pretty strong but is safe for paint. AG doesn't sell it so I won't say the name. If that don't work then polishing may be in order I think.


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[SlvrDragon50]

I just looked up the water spots guide, and I see I have type 2 water spots.

So I'm guessing this means the wax layer on the roof is pretty much gone? Got wax spots on the plastic chrome pieces too :(

[808_detail_nut]

Never ending battle my friend. Good luck.

[SlvrDragon50]

Okay guys, getting ready to do the polish/wax job next weekend!

Final questions:

1) Do I need to prime my pads for the DG105 and the C845? Or is priming only needed for the polishes.

2) Rinsing off the nanoskin: is it necessary to dunk it in a tub of water against a grit guard or can I simply just spray water liberally over the surface to get the debris off?

[SlvrDragon50]

Bump, anyone?

[glfnaz]

I always prime my pads. i don't want any dry object going across my paint.

I just rinse my nanoskin (I use the sponge) in water. It cleans very easily. If you drop it, rinse it.

[SlvrDragon50]

How much do I need to prime the pad because I've read horror stories with using too much Collinite with a lot of ghosting.