Noob da detailer questions

[the fan]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I'm trying to compile a list of products to start doing some serious detailing on my car. It's a 2015 wrx in world rally blue that I've had since May 2015. I use to have an 05' s2000 which I sold after 10 years of ownership. When I sold it, I realized how crappy the paint got on it and I'm trying to do everything I can to avoid that with this semi-new car. I ended up picking up the harbor freight da which seems to be a perfect choice for a new user like me. I've been using the 2 bucket method since I bought the car and I've hand waxed it a couple times. I'm thinking I'm going to have to switch to some waterless method being that I live in Ca and in an apt complex. The death stares are real... On bright sunny days I can see quite a few swirls in the paint. Being that the car is somewhat still new, idk how aggressive or conservative of a product I should use to detail. This thread is only for paint. Once I have that down I'll move to interior, tires, etc. So here's my current list and need some help filling in the blanks:

Ultima ww--towel type and size suggestions plz
Meguiars clay--from retail store (came with qd) alt suggestions?

swirl remover? I'm lost here. I have griots complete compound and turtle wax rubbing compound. I haven't tried either yet. I dont have a dedicated swirl remover product. Idk the right pads to go with it or if they're too abrasive for the light swirls

Griots one step sealant
mothers california gold liquid wax
Griots and Meguiars qd
Griots spray wax
invisible glass spray(not a fan)

I think I'll be going Lake Country for all the pads and backing plate.

5" hook n loop flexible backing plate
I'm kinda torn between the flat or ccs but decided on 5.5" standard flat pads. Gonna start with the 6 pack:
2 orange
2 white
1 black
1 blue

for towels I'm going with the gold plus jr and the supreme 530. I'm still not certain on when to use what towels. I've looked at all the different resources on this forum and on the ag website and all it does is make my head hurt. Should I get dedicated glass towels?


I'm not loyal to any brand so any suggestions/additions to my list would be much appreciated!!! Let me know if I'm leaving out anything crucial.

[dlc95]

Is that Turtle Wax Rubbing compound the kind in a plastic tub, or in a bottle?

If it's the stuff in the tub, take it back. It's a relic of a product, designed for single stage paint. It's basically sand in paste form, and will scratch the daylights out of a clear coat.

I'd pick up Meguiar's Ultimate compound, and ultimate polish.

Try the polish on the white pad.
Try the compound on the orange pad if the white/polish isn't working.

I like to have at least four each cutting and polishing pads. Eight lately.

[the fan]

Is that Turtle Wax Rubbing compound the kind in a plastic tub, or in a bottle?


Luckily it's the one in the bottle. So meguiars ultimate compound for the swirls won't be too abrasive? I don't think I have many swirls and I hear Subaru is notorious for thin cheap paint.

[DaveT435]

I've never done a Suburu so maybe some others will correct me if I'm wrong. I read so much about how soft Suburu pain i.e.
S you might want to go one orange pad, two white, two black, and one blue if your only getting six pads.

[ski2]

Using 2 pads each for your cutting and polishing steps usually leads to less than stellar results. Here's an article by Mike Phillips regarding the number of pads you need per step: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/88109-how-many-pads-do-i-need-buff-out-my-car.html

[Desertnate]

The HF DA is a good choice for the occasional detailer. I really like mine and it has served me well.

Like others have said, stock up on pads. I only have a couple white, and find my self constantly cleaning and rotating them as I work on my cars. Ideally, I need around four. Something I'll fix this winter.

Meguiars Ultimate Compound and Polish work well on Subie paint. My first machine polishing was on my daughter's neglected (by previous owner) Pearl Blue Outback. UC finished down to LSP ready, and UP really made it shine.

On a new WRX I'd test out a spot with UP, you may not need UC. However, it's always good to have on hand just in case for trouble spots.

[dlc95]

Luckily it's the one in the bottle. So meguiars ultimate compound for the swirls won't be too abrasive? I don't think I have many swirls and I hear Subaru is notorious for thin cheap paint.

You might be able to get away with the Ultimate Polish and a white pad. I've gotten exceptional results with Ultimate Polish on a blue buff and shine polishing pad.

Give that Turtle Wax product a try. It's actually a decent product. Don't put too much on the pad though. Maybe three drops around the perimeter of either the white (for less cutting), or orange (for more cutting), and do your section on speed 5.

[RFrommann]

m105 and m205 can be purchased at harbor freight and can pretty much accomplish anything you want it to do.
ultimate compound and ultimate polish are also good choices, but m105/m205 have more cut ability to them.

i'd suggest getting 12 pads: 4 orange, 4 white, 2 black, 2 blue
when you are cut/polishing make sure you change your pads after every section to prevent product build up, and check mike's "how to clean pads on the fly" thread, as it's VERY useful

[Kamakaz1961]

Welcome to AGO and you will get great advice from everyone here!!

[usmcpab]

I own a subie, an 03 bugeye. I've also worked on countless subies and newer models tend to have cheaper paint. And I can assure you that it has very soft paint. I've had great result removing swirls with m205 as well as ultimate polish on a white pad. Unless you have deep deep rids, I really don't see the need for a cutting compound.

[the fan]

Thanks everyone for the info, I'm definitely going to start with the polish on a white pad to see if that will remove the swirls. If not, would the next step be to stay with the white pad and use compound or stay with the polish and use an orange pad? I'm so afraid of this "soft" paint.

[the fan]

Any recommendations for sealant?

[808_detail_nut]

Yea Subaru paint is soft and you should be able to do a lot with just Meg's ultimate polish. I have done a few and I got a lot of correction with just 205, Meg's thin da polish pad, and a PC. The easiest sealant I have used when I first started out was Poorboys exp. easy on and really easy to remove. I also liked it because you can use it in direct sunlight so if you can't get shade it's not a problem. If it is a problem for you to get shade then look into their line of products. When I started I used mostly all of their line because that was a issue for me. Good luck and welcome.


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[the fan]

Yea Subaru paint is soft and you should be able to do a lot with just Meg's ultimate polish. I have done a few and I got a lot of correction with just 205, Meg's thin da polish pad, and a PC. The easiest sealant I have used when I first started out was Poorboys exp. easy on and really easy to remove. I also liked it because you can use it in direct sunlight so if you can't get shade it's not a problem. If it is a problem for you to get shade then look into their line of products. When I started I used mostly all of their line because that was a issue for me. Good luck and welcome.


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Thanks for the suggestion and shade is not an issue for me. So I went with 1 orange just in case, 3 white, 1 black, 1 blue. I'll start with the m205 with one pad for each side and one for the top, hood, trunk. I know that's stretching pads thin but I'll take my time and clean them. Then sealant with the black and carnuba with the blue then top it off with spray wax. Not sure if the spray wax is needed but application is easy. The real question is: after I do this whole process how long should this last me if I wash with ultima ww weekly using the proper toweling methods and spray wax. I'm on the roads maybe 2 hours a day in sd, ca and garaged nightly. I also try to autox monthly

[dlc95]

Any recommendations for sealant?

I like Duragloss 111, Meguiar's Ultimate Wax, and M21.