Novice asks how to start

[padgett]

I've been wrenching and advising for many years on Technical matters but never really learned "pretty" beyond "wax on/wax off".

Was down in Stuart so bought the Porter Cable Kit which included the Mike Phillips book & have been absorbing a lot of data but having a hard time deciding which of all the bottle to use first. Or best to wash and clay bar first ?

My first project is going to be a 1988 Buick Reatta that was resprayed Sapphire Blue Firemist (original color) in 2010 and has had little except washing and waxing since. It is garaged in Orlando so never gets below freezing.

Where would you suggest I start and in what order please. Am somwhat ignorant about detailing but that is curable.

[Mike Phillips]

I'd start by reading my book from cover to cover, it walks you through the order of steps.

Besides that, start by washing the car really well and then after drying the car do the baggie test to the paint. The baggie test is in the book.

My guess is she needs to be clayed badly.

Then the next step is doing some testing to see which combination of products will be needed to remove the defects to your satisfaction before waxing. This could be machine polishing and then waxing or if the paint defects are deep or severe then you many need to compound, then polish and the wax.

Testing should tell you what you need to use to get to the results you want. And this is all in the book.

Pretty color.

Here's a tip... if this is your first time machine polishing after washing and claying the car just start by tackling one body panel, like the trunk lid or the hood.

The reason why is because even if you tackle just a single panel, by the time you do all the prep steps, (polishing or compounding and polishing), and then machine wax and wipe off, this plus the washing, drying, claying and testing is going to take you 4-5 hours. A good wash job takes an hour.

So by tackling just one panel from start to finish after doing the washing, drying, claying and testing you'll have a GREAT looking panel and you'll also have a ton of experience plus a good idea of how long it will take you to do the entire car.

Then the next day or the next weekend, either dive in and do the rest of the car or tackle the car in bites. I go over both of these approaches in "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine".


The best tool you have besides your brain is this forum, glad to see you posting questions.

[padgett]

Thank you. I had been through the book once but is a little overwhelming the amount of information in there. Your comments put it in perspective.

It is a little strange, am usually the one answering questions about who built what and when.

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

The PC is a great machine safe and effective, however I would stay away from meguiars m105 as a professional it can become a pain to work with. Especially in the humid Orlando weather.

Why I tell newbies to stay away is the product dries up and flashes to fast and the poor newbie continues to polish not knowing he's doing nothing that the cycle is over. And does not get good results.

M105 is a good product however for the price range there is better easier stuff to use. (The only good thing is that m105 is readily available over the counter)

A great starter product can be found at any automotive supply store. Meguiars ultimate compound its so easy to work good cut and easy wipe on wipe off.

And its cheap. If your going to order compounds online you cant go wrong with menzerna, Wolfgang, or HD products.

HD is very user friendly no dusting easy wipe on wipe off.
And they even have a product called HD speed witch is a polish and sealant all in one.

Menzerna fg400(my go to) is an amazing product its a compound that finishes down like a polish because of its diminishing abrasive technology. However it does dust some and the weather can alter the way this polish acts.

So I would go with these products below for you

Menzerna fg400 (compound)
Menzerna sf4000 (polish)
HD cut (compound)
Hd polish (polish)
Hd speed (all in one)
Meguiars ultimate compound
Meguiars ultimate polish
M205

[roguerobot]

The choices of products is really overwhelming, and I suspect, in general, you can't go wrong with any of them. I took the approach of starting with something simple, so that I could learn and see what I needed. Then I could better seek out the product that solved problems I had seen in my earlier attempts.

I usually advise to go with the readily available, very effective and reasonably inexpensive Meguir's 'Ultimate' line: start with the Ultimate Compound, using the white pad first, then the orange pad if you don't get the scratch/swirl removal you want. Then switch to the white pad and Ultimate Polish. Follow that up by using the red pads and applying Ultimate Liquid Wax.

After this experience you will know a few things:
-How easy or hard it is the remove scratches and swirls with the pad and Ultimate Compound...maybe you need something that cuts better or faster.
-Perhaps you found the the Polish really didn't make a difference and you wonder why you are doing 3 steps, when perhaps one will do...maybe an All-in-one?
-Or maybe you aren't too happy with how long Ultimate Polish lasts, and you would like something that last longer or has deeper shine...

Anyway, I think you only really know what you need after you have done it a few times. Go with the Ultimate line and you will get good results, in a foolproof product that is a great start. Plus, you can get it at your local auto parts shop, if you are not patient enough to order it from AG.

[Kamakaz1961]

Take Mike Phillips advice. Get his book and you will learn quite a bit. I have his old book the Art of Detailing and I use it as my bible when it comes to detailing. I may be an experienced detailer, however, it is a great reference book.