Please critique my method

[Autogk]

I will be doing a full detail soon, and want the final step to be a "coating" instead of the sealant I usually use. Can someone please critique my process (the following products are what I already own, with the exception of Carpro Eraser and Pinnacle Coating)?

-I currently only have Meg's wash with wax (can't use this bc I need to strip the surface), and pepboys soap- will this cheap soap strip off my sealant?
-Clay
-Meg's Ult Compound with my DA for swirl removal
-Carpro eraser to prep surface
-Piinacle Black Label Surface Coating

Would I need to use a polish in between Ult Compound and Carpro eraser? I hear sometimes the paint dulls after using compound.

Thanks!

[wompasaurus]

It will vary from car to car ive finished with ultimate compound before all depends on the paint pad choice speed. No way to know for sure until you do a test spot

[swanicyouth]

If it was me, I'd have a few polishes on hand and polishing pads, as you won't know if UC will leave your paint LSP ready or not until you try.

I'd also consider looking into the Pinnacle Coating Prep polish. Eraser may be OK, but without testing who really knows? I'd want to do it once and do it right. You have already invested your time and money in the correction and coating product/process - so maybe look into the designed prep product?

[Evan.J]

If it was me, I'd have a few polishes on hand and polishing pads, as you won't know if UC will leave your paint LSP ready or not until you try.

I'd also consider looking into the Pinnacle Coating Prep polish. Eraser may be OK, but without testing who really knows? I'd want to do it once and do it right. You have already invested your time and money in the correction and coating product/process - so maybe look into the designed prep product?

What year make and model vehicle?

I have used the PBL and you will want to use the prep polish (its easy to use)

At least get yourself the Ultimate polish. You will want the paint to look its best and you won't want to leave any hazing behind either.

[cardaddy]

OP,

Until you do your test spots, that is SPOTS, as in more than one... you are just not going to know when the paint is LSP ready.

Micromarring is easily done, with the wrong pad, wrong speed, on the wrong paint. Even if you have the right product! Not enough correction is another matter you'll need to address. Again... that's in the test spots.

Do your testing for how you want to get the compounding done. Do NOT finish them all down right away, just work on the compounding stage. Tape the hood off into say 6 areas. Do 3, something like: white pad - speed 5 - UC - 4 passes - medium arm pressure - medium arm speed. Then orange pad - speed 5 - UC - 4 passes - medium arm pressure - medium arm speed. Then say, orange pad - speed 5.5 - 4 passes - heavy pressure - medium speed. So on and so on. The trick (in the beginning) is to only do the same amount of passes, just changing up your compounding product, or your pad, or your speed. Because you WANT TO KNOW what just that amount of passes will do on JUST THAT PAINT. You can always go back and do more passes!

Once you get the compounding done where you like it, THEN you start polishing. Take the next 3 spots, compound them all the same (the process you worked out in the first spots you did) then experiment on how the polishing process works for you.

I agree to get the paint cleansing polish, but KEEP the Eraser! PBL cleansing polish works, but is a royal pain to remove completely if you let it dry just a little bit. Wipe it with one hand and remove it with the other!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough!!! When we're doing it as a team, one will apply and the other will be right there removing it. Let it dry and it'll stick like cement! If it doesn't want to come off, put more on, wipe it GENTLY or you're going to end up with RIDS. Use Eraser to clean it up a bit if you need it.


Personally.... I can't stand to, and WILL NOT apply a coating with a round foam applicator. One, it soaks up TONS of product. Two it'll then apply product unevenly. Three, see One and Two.

Get the suede applicator cloths from Car Pro. Nothing applies coatings like those things do, NOTHING! Use um' and throw um' away. One note, they'll sell you a 10 pack of 4"x4" ones for $12.99 but you can buy 10 16"x16" ones for $19.99 then take some pinking shears (they cut a zig zag pattern) and cut ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY 4" cloths from that package. Cut some down to 8" squares and use them for glass, cut more down to 4" square for coatings.

Coatings are tricky to install, although not impossible. But the real trick is the prep. If I were new at polishing paint.... I'd get that down right. Put some sealant on it and it'll last months. Then you can always go back and polish it more, have fun with it, seal it again.
Polish it again, and again for that matter to where it's 100% ready for a coating.

[Autogk]

OP,

Until you do your test spots, that is SPOTS, as in more than one... you are just not going to know when the paint is LSP ready.

Micromarring is easily done, with the wrong pad, wrong speed, on the wrong paint. Even if you have the right product! Not enough correction is another matter you'll need to address. Again... that's in the test spots.

Do your testing for how you want to get the compounding done. Do NOT finish them all down right away, just work on the compounding stage. Tape the hood off into say 6 areas. Do 3, something like: white pad - speed 5 - UC - 4 passes - medium arm pressure - medium arm speed. Then orange pad - speed 5 - UC - 4 passes - medium arm pressure - medium arm speed. Then say, orange pad - speed 5.5 - 4 passes - heavy pressure - medium speed. So on and so on. The trick (in the beginning) is to only do the same amount of passes, just changing up your compounding product, or your pad, or your speed. Because you WANT TO KNOW what just that amount of passes will do on JUST THAT PAINT. You can always go back and do more passes!

Once you get the compounding done where you like it, THEN you start polishing. Take the next 3 spots, compound them all the same (the process you worked out in the first spots you did) then experiment on how the polishing process works for you.

I agree to get the paint cleansing polish, but KEEP the Eraser! PBL cleansing polish works, but is a royal pain to remove completely if you let it dry just a little bit. Wipe it with one hand and remove it with the other!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough!!! When we're doing it as a team, one will apply and the other will be right there removing it. Let it dry and it'll stick like cement! If it doesn't want to come off, put more on, wipe it GENTLY or you're going to end up with RIDS. Use Eraser to clean it up a bit if you need it.


Personally.... I can't stand to, and WILL NOT apply a coating with a round foam applicator. One, it soaks up TONS of product. Two it'll then apply product unevenly. Three, see One and Two.

Get the suede applicator cloths from Car Pro. Nothing applies coatings like those things do, NOTHING! Use um' and throw um' away. One note, they'll sell you a 10 pack of 4"x4" ones for $12.99 but you can buy 10 16"x16" ones for $19.99 then take some pinking shears (they cut a zig zag pattern) and cut ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY 4" cloths from that package. Cut some down to 8" squares and use them for glass, cut more down to 4" square for coatings.

Coatings are tricky to install, although not impossible. But the real trick is the prep. If I were new at polishing paint.... I'd get that down right. Put some sealant on it and it'll last months. Then you can always go back and polish it more, have fun with it, seal it again.
Polish it again, and again for that matter to where it's 100% ready for a coating.

Thanks!
I've been doing more research and reading all the helpful comments here.
Can I wash and do a paint correction without claying first? Reason I ask is this: I have limited use to a friends garage. So I want to experiment with the paint correction as stated above, and when I get it to where I want.....I would pick a day where all I would have to do is wash, clay, LSP/coating prep polish, apply coating (leaning towars OptiCoat 2.0 now).

[cardaddy]

Thanks!
I've been doing more research and reading all the helpful comments here.
Can I wash and do a paint correction without claying first? Reason I ask is this: I have limited use to a friends garage. So I want to experiment with the paint correction as stated above, and when I get it to where I want.....I would pick a day where all I would have to do is wash, clay, LSP/coating prep polish, apply coating (leaning towars OptiCoat 2.0 now).

NO!

You'll need to clay. Just think of all the embedded contaminates that are in the paint, dirt, gunk, grime, even rail dust. Not removing that first means you're just spinning it around in your paint with your pads (and product).

What you can do is the wash, clay say the hood and front fenders and do all your testing then. Once you get your test done, figure out the process, work it from start to finish. Do the compounding, then the polishing, then the LSP.

It's fine to do part of a vehicle at a time, Mike Phillips has talked about this method as well. Either way you'll be working to perfect your process.

[Autogk]

NO!

You'll need to clay. Just think of all the embedded contaminates that are in the paint, dirt, gunk, grime, even rail dust. Not removing that first means you're just spinning it around in your paint with your pads (and product).

What you can do is the wash, clay say the hood and front fenders and do all your testing then. Once you get your test done, figure out the process, work it from start to finish. Do the compounding, then the polishing, then the LSP.

It's fine to do part of a vehicle at a time, Mike Phillips has talked about this method as well. Either way you'll be working to perfect your process.

Makes sense. I think I'll do that, especially since I have a full size truck. It'll allow me to perfect my coating applying skills too. If I don't like the way a panel came out, I know what to do on the next panel and won't have to compound the entire vehicle covered in Opticoat, just one panel.
Think it's safe to do this outdoors? I kind of want to knock out 1 panel every other day when I get home from work.

[cardaddy]

Makes sense. I think I'll do that, especially since I have a full size truck. It'll allow me to perfect my coating applying skills too. If I don't like the way a panel came out, I know what to do on the next panel and won't have to compound the entire vehicle covered in Opticoat, just one panel.
Think it's safe to do this outdoors? I kind of want to knock out 1 panel every other day when I get home from work.

I don't see why not.

Be careful its not windy and you don't get any dust blowing up on it.

We're getting away from pollen season now so at least it's getting safer to do it outside.

I'll work in the garage whenever I can, but even then you'll end up with the doors open some days. OTOH, when its 95° in the shade, I'll keep the garage closed, crank up the AC and open the door to the kitchen using floor fans to pump cool air out there. So far CarMomma hasn't killed me for thst one. (Besides, we take "office use of the home" on the taxes so it pays off in the end.)




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[Autogk]

I don't see why not.

Be careful its not windy and you don't get any dust blowing up on it.

We're getting away from pollen season now so at least it's getting safer to do it outside.

I'll work in the garage whenever I can, but even then you'll end up with the doors open some days. OTOH, when its 95° in the shade, I'll keep the garage closed, crank up the AC and open the door to the kitchen using floor fans to pump cool air out there. So far CarMomma hasn't killed me for thst one. (Besides, we take "office use of the home" on the taxes so it pays off in the end.)




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Nothing wrong with "office use."
So I refined my method, here goes:
-Clean 1 panel with ONR wash and shine.
-Clay with ONR
-Meg's ult liquid compound with my Meg's DAPS (really want a PC, but he DAPS seems capable enough). I'll try a yellow pad first and if not enough correction, I'll go to the purple pad.
-when I'm satisfied I will polish with Detailers coating prep polish
-apply OC 2.0!