Advice for a Newbie

[RippyD]

Finding pads will drive you crazy. Different colors mean different things from different pad makers. To make things easy and get good quality pads, I would start with Griot's pads. They make it very clear and have limited options. They of course work with the GG6, and can be used with practically any compounds or polishes. The Griot's ones are good as well and again, it makes it very for somebody starting out to know what color pad to use when. The basic Griot's pads are find. I would suggest spending a little more if you can for the BOSS pads. They cost more, but are very good and can be used with almost any machine you may upgrade to in the future.

Other pads are good or possibly better. It's a matter of how much time you want to spent reading about pads and different types of foam (and trying to remember if yellow or tangerine is the one you need for compound) vs. getting some good pads that get you correcting your paint with no confusion right now.

[rajon]

That is a very nice reply with great suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to chime in and share with this new members.

I'll bet your cars looks GREAT!

You might notice that I basically just regurgitated information from your book and all of the ridiculously detailed and well-written articles you publish. I don't post much because there is almost no question that hasn't been answered here already. :-) It is mind bogglingly easy to get a car looking better than 99% of the heaps on the road.

I washed my car BEFORE work because I got up 20 minutes early. Who does that? Autogeek customers, that's who. If I don't get crazy with the wheels (which is almost always) I can do a gentle wash in 15 minutes. My process (mind you that this is for a lightly soiled car - like as dirty as it would be if it went through an automated wash but with fewer swirls and much better wax)

1. Fill up the rinse bucket. (Double grit guard because why not? I am only using one bucket)
2. Hose the car off
3. Foam gun the horizontal panels.
4. Microfiber mitt only front to back strokes. Minimal strokes, frequent rinsing of the mitt.
5. Rinse
6. repeat process for driver side, rear, passenger, front.
7. Dry with leaf blower or McKee's shop vac dryer thingy.
8. Go over with a waffle weave micro fiber
9. "Stretch" the car (open the hood, doors, deckk lid) and attack them all with a pocket full of microfiber towels and detailer spray.
10. Done in less than 20 minutes.

I have been favoring McKee's 37 Power Wash lately and it rejuvenates the wax pretty well.

For winter I find Wolfgang Paint Protectant 3.0 to be amazing but The Ceramic coat to be better for obvious reasons. I have tried a ridiculous number of waxes and find that my preference changes with my mood more than reality.

[Rsurfer]

You might notice that I basically just regurgitated information from your book and all of the ridiculously detailed and well-written articles you publish. I don't post much because there is almost no question that hasn't been answered here already. :-) It is mind bogglingly easy to get a car looking better than 99% of the heaps on the road.

I washed my car BEFORE work because I got up 20 minutes early. Who does that? Autogeek customers, that's who. If I don't get crazy with the wheels (which is almost always) I can do a gentle wash in 15 minutes. My process (mind you that this is for a lightly soiled car - like as dirty as it would be if it went through an automated wash but with fewer swirls and much better wax)

1. Fill up the rinse bucket. (Double grit guard because why not? I am only using one bucket)
2. Hose the car off
3. Foam gun the horizontal panels.
4. Microfiber mitt only front to back strokes. Minimal strokes, frequent rinsing of the mitt.
5. Rinse
6. repeat process for driver side, rear, passenger, front.
7. Dry with leaf blower or McKee's shop vac dryer thingy.
8. Go over with a waffle weave micro fiber
9. "Stretch" the car (open the hood, doors, deckk lid) and attack them all with a pocket full of microfiber towels and detailer spray.
10. Done in less than 20 minutes.

I have been favoring McKee's 37 Power Wash lately and it rejuvenates the wax pretty well.

For winter I find Wolfgang Paint Protectant 3.0 to be amazing but The Ceramic coat to be better for obvious reasons. I have tried a ridiculous number of waxes and find that my preference changes with my mood more than reality.

Have you tried a Rinse less or waterless wash? For a lightly soiled car it beats dragging out the hose, foam gun, buckets, wash mitts and leaf blower. Plus your neighbors would think better of you.

[DaveT435]

You'll want to use Iron X or McKee's 37 iron remover, etc. to get all the iron particles out of the paint.

What part of Michigan? I was raised in the Kalamazoo area.

GO BLUE!!

[rajon]

Have you tried a Rinse less or waterless wash? For a lightly soiled car it beats dragging out the hose, foam gun, buckets, wash mitts and leaf blower. Plus your neighbors would think better of you.

I use a rinseless occasionally. I use the leaf blower rarely and rely on the electric dryer. I have all the stuff on hand and the hose is coiled right beside my driveway. It only takes 4-6 minutes to get set up. I am a software development engineer but I have been in the auto industry long enough that I have had a lifetime's worth of how to make a build process efficient training. I have spent years taking time out of washing my car to where it is now a trivial process. I will switch to rinseless or waterless when the temperatures creep closer to freezing.

I wash my neighbor's cars occasionally so I stay on very good terms with everyone.

[RippyD]

I am a software development engineer

(Secret developer handshake.) Don't code much any more, but can tcb when needed. Had to write some Javascript recently. Not a fan of that...

I will switch to rinseless or waterless when the temperatures creep closer to freezing.

I'm a fairly recent convert to waterless/rinseless. I use a combo - towel in a bucket of rinseless and still spray the car with waterless first. I have found that it's a better method for me for a couple of reasons:

1. Easy to do in the garage. The water that gets on the floor is easily dealt with or evaporates.
2. I take more care when doing a rinseless, so I think it's safer. If fine scratches are any indication, it seems to be much easier in my paint.

Obvious don't use it when there's heavy dirt. I'm either do a 2-bucket wash or more likely hit it with a hose or pressure washer. I also use a Big Red Sponge on lower areas pretty frequently to keep embedded grime out of my good rinseless towels.

[rajon]

(Secret developer handshake.) Don't code much any more, but can tcb when needed. Had to write some Javascript recently. Not a fan of that...

Hysterically awkward secret handshake returned. Java is for drinking, C (and begrudgingly C++ and Python) are for coding. The condescending UNIX user from the Dilbert comics is my career goal.

I'm a fairly recent convert to waterless/rinseless. I use a combo - towel in a bucket of rinseless and still spray the car with waterless first. I have found that it's a better method for me for a couple of reasons:

1. Easy to do in the garage. The water that gets on the floor is easily dealt with or evaporates.
2. I take more care when doing a rinseless, so I think it's safer. If fine scratches are any indication, it seems to be much easier in my paint.

Obvious don't use it when there's heavy dirt. I'm either do a 2-bucket wash or more likely hit it with a hose or pressure washer. I also use a Big Red Sponge on lower areas pretty frequently to keep embedded grime out of my good rinseless towels.

My collection of microfiber products is bordering on embarrassing. I have different colored wash mitts for horizontal, vertical high, and vertical low. I will play with the rinseless a little more but the foam gun is just so much fun.

[RippyD]

Hysterically awkward secret handshake returned. Java is for drinking, C (and begrudgingly C++ and Python) are for coding. The condescending UNIX user from the Dilbert comics is my career goal.

I'm embarrassed to say I've been that guy.

Product user to me: "The app blows up when I enter this data."
Me in response, and seeing the code in my head: "That's not possible."

It takes a special kind of arrogance to just flatly deny what people are telling you. Java I can tolerate. JS is just... I don't even know what it is.

My collection of microfiber products is bordering on embarrassing. I have different colored wash mitts for horizontal, vertical high, and vertical low. I will play with the rinseless a little more but the foam gun is just so much fun.

You clearly haven't spent enough time here. You're not doing it right until a spouse or other person close to you opens a cabinet or sees a huge, hidden collection of MF towels and suggests that maybe you have a problem. That's the indicator that you're getting close to having the right amount of MF.

Yeah, foam guys... a lot more fun than a rinseless wash in the garage.

[MiWolverine]

You'll want to use Iron X or McKee's 37 iron remover, etc. to get all the iron particles out of the paint.

What part of Michigan? I was raised in the Kalamazoo area.

GO BLUE!!

I've lived all over Michigan, but currently live in Jackson. Born in Saginaw, moved to Traverse City (where I lived most of my life), then Grand Rapids and finally settled in Jackson. Jackson is okay (short drive to The Big House), but I want to get back up north. Not to TC, but somewhere on the other side of the state. TC is a mess and, to me, isn't very inviting anymore. Though, I do love Benzie/Leelanau areas. Oh, and GO BLUE!

Thanks again, everyone. This site is quite awesome with all the info. I start getting into one video and have to start watching another right away. Same goes for articles. Much to learn.

[rajon]

I'm embarrassed to say I've been that guy.

Product user to me: "The app blows up when I enter this data."
Me in response, and seeing the code in my head: [s]"That's not possible."[/s]
"It's a feature."

You clearly haven't spent enough time here. You're not doing it right until a spouse or other person close to you opens a cabinet or sees a huge, hidden collection of MF towels and suggests that maybe you have a problem. That's the indicator that you're getting close to having the right amount of MF.

She doesn't ask about my "carwash stuff" and I don't ask about her clothing purchases. She accepts that washing the car makes me happy so off I am sent.

One time her eyes got really big when I pulled out "all" of my chemicals. (It wasn't even like a third of my stock, I was just setting up to do a mild correction)