First timmer THINGS TO BUY HELP

[hokis]

Just ordered the 6" Griots garage buffer from Autogeek and now I need to get some pads and some other things like wax, sealent, and compound.

Most of the vehicles I will be detailing are recently new (2007 on up) however I will be doing a 1997 Pontiac also. I can see that some of the newer vehicles do have light surface scratches on them so I would like to compound to get them out.

That being said, this is what i had in mind. Clay bar, Meguiars M105 or M101, NOT SURE ON A SEALANT, then maybe Meguiars Gold Carnuba liquid wax, or would the one in the can be better.

I was going to get all this stuff from autozone paired up with the Meguiars pads, the yellow, black and red.

any help is more then appreciated here guys

[DETAILED IMPRESSIONS]

Im a first timer also but I know you will need pads. I go through about 4 of orange pads and 4 white pads of the lake country ones on each car. Maybe it just me but I want to make sure I always have clean pads.

For sealant I love wolfgangs deep gloss 3.0 creates a great last step protectant. The only down side I don't like is the 12 hour cure time but in the end its well worth it. Invest in some quality microfiber towels. The ones at autozone are great for interior and door jams but for your freshly buffed car I would get better quality.

Now are you just worried about the outside and not the inside? Just asking cause I didn't see you say much about the interior.

Also not also sure what you want more help on cause you really didn't state what your looking for on in advice

Now there will be people chiming in that have way more experience then me and will most likely give better advice but hey I gave you advice on what I know and hopefully some will agree on.

[Evan.J]

My question is what are your goals on the paint correction? Do you want a swirl free finish?

With sealants mos take 12 hours to cure that's just the nature of them. Some guys will stop there and some prefer to then top the sealant with a pure carnuba wax after the sealant has cured.

Blackfire Wolfgang make great sealants and the wax they both offer are great to go with the sealant.

One thing that should be stressed as always is do a test spot. Once you dial in your process on the test spot then do that for the entire car. You make fine that 205 and a sealant maybe all you need to bring the condition of the paint back to life. Remember always start with the least aggressive method first

[mwoolfso]

Just ordered the 6" Griots garage buffer from Autogeek and now I need to get some pads and some other things like wax, sealent, and compound.

Most of the vehicles I will be detailing are recently new (2007 on up) however I will be doing a 1997 Pontiac also. I can see that some of the newer vehicles do have light surface scratches on them so I would like to compound to get them out.

That being said, this is what i had in mind. Clay bar, Meguiars M105 or M101, NOT SURE ON A SEALANT, then maybe Meguiars Gold Carnuba liquid wax, or would the one in the can be better.

I was going to get all this stuff from autozone paired up with the Meguiars pads, the yellow, black and red.

any help is more then appreciated here guys

M105 will be good for surface scratches; to which you should follow-up with M205 if you want the best gloss possible from a correction activity. You would only need M101 if you have dull and faded paint (little gloss). This goes with the least aggressive approach first mentality.

As for a sealant/wax, go to a local Marine shop and get Collinite 845. You will not be sorry. You won't need anything else besides some foam applicators. There is a Definitive Guide to 845 thread in this forum for you to refer to if you are interested.

Best of luck!

[TimmyG]

I personally tend to prefer the menzerna lineup. Long working times and very easy learning curve.

You're on the right track. DA buffer, pads (you'll need a bunch), and M105/101 are great. M205 is a must as well.

For a sealant, I'd suggest blackfire wet diamond.

[HardLineDetail]

If he has light swirls, isn't 105 overkill? Any light cutting polish would do the trick :O I wouldn't bother with 105 and skip it and go with 205.

[Evan.J]

If he has light swirls, isn't 105 overkill? Any light cutting polish would do the trick :O I wouldn't bother with 105 and skip it and go with 205.

It can be but it also has a learning curve to using it and can be difficult and frustrating for first time users. If the op wants to use a compound or get one just incase 101 or FG400 is a great choice. That's why a test spot is always a great idea and recommend.

[zmanjohn]

Me being a newbie also, these guys will give you great advice especially for high quality results. There are a couple of things I can say:
Determine your budget and listen to these guys to maximize what you will need. Having just gone through what your doing right now. I went to a local Advance Auto, asked for some help and they gave me some, found some things on sale and purchased them, tried them out with decent results.
Now I set my budget to about $300 and purchased the following items:

Chemical Guys (12) pack Micro Fibers, they are great...
(36) pack of Micro Fibers from Costco, very good for wheels, door jams and interior, not really soft enough for paint.
Eagle one wheel cleaner, on sale at AA, buy one get one.
Megs Ultimate Compound - worked great with buff pad to bring back shine and removed swirl marks but did not remove scratches, not a problem for me, as this is daily driver.
(6) pack of LC 6.5" Hydo buff pads, at this point, I just got 2 of each, I will see how things go and purchase more as needed.
M105 & M205 with Wolfgang 3.0 Sealant
I also plan to use Megs Carnuaba on top, plus want to order Megs APC.
I can't wait to get my order from AGO and start on my polishing quest.
Last thing I can say and it was said in another thread, would be to support the guys who are helping you. AGO has a price match, free shipping for orders over $95 as well as very knowledgeable people on staff. They can take the guess work out of it, plus everything will ship to your door, so you get the fun of opening things up and its like Christmas....
This was just my 2 cents, it is also great to post before and after photos, yet another way for encouragement.

I hope this helps,
Bill

[hokis]

Thanks a lot guys.


so this is what I think I should get
*clay bar (do the bag test first)
*M105 applied with the red foam pad (just worried that it might be too aggressive) and only apply this to the vehicles that have medium to heavy scratches and swirls.
*followed up with the m205 (apply with the yellow pad)
*then Collinite 845 ( applied with the balck pad)


would this be a good process. Not looking to spend a lot of money on this.

please let me know if I am doing anything unnecessary or covering the same step 2 times. Im new to all of this so please stay with me.


mwoolfso - would I use the 845 as a final coat on top on all the other stuff, so it would act as sealant and wax

[maximus20895]

What pads are you talking about.