Constructive Criticism Wanted: Process

Tomorrow I will be using my GG DA polisher for the first time! I'll be using a lot of new products, so I wanted to make sure I'm using them appropriately. Apologies in advance for any weird phrasing/typos my job is melting my brain at the moment.

Any advice or suggestions to speed up the process would be greatly appreciated.

CARS: All DD's.
(A) 2006 Honda Accord Grey (Two Stage Paint).
(B) 2018 RAV4 Metallic Grey
(C) 2018 Subaru Forester Green
(D) 2018 Porsche Macan White

[1]
Wheel Decontamination: A,B,C,D (all)
1. Pinnacle Black Label Tire Gel
2. CG All Clean APC (or HondaBrite)
3. Wash (Mixture of CG HoneyDew + RainX car wash at high concentration for maximum lube)
3.a) Short & Long Handle Wheel Brush - Tire & Wheel Brushes
3.b) Famous Detailing Brush for Lugs - Famous Detailing Brush
4. CarPro IronX
4. Clay Rims
5. CG Synthetic QD
end;

Question 1 : What is the best way to clean the barrel without a wheel woolie?

[2]
Paint Decontamination: A,B,C,D (all)
1. Cheap Garden Pump Foam Sprayer (CG HoneyDew)
2. Hand Wash ( CG Glossworkz + ONR )
3. Dry Me a River + Platinum Pluffle
4. CarPro IronX
5. GG Synthetic Clay + GG Speedshine on Paint
end;

Question 2 : How much ONR should I add to each bucket?

[3]
Wheels & Windows: A, B, C, D (all)
1. Collinite #845 on rims
2. Clay Windows
3. Spray Away Window Cleaner
4. Clay Headlights (? - Would this be appropriate?)
end;

Question 3 : Should I apply Wax or SG to the windshield? I've heard Klasse AIO can be used for glass as well.

[4]
Paint Correction: A
GG DA 6 inch w/6.5, 5, & 3.5 in backings.
1. BF Compound for trouble spots w/LC CCS 5.5 Orange pad x1 (n=3)
2. GG BOSS Perfecting Cream w/LC CCS 6.5 White pads x2 (n=2) or 6.5 Green pads x3 (n=3)
3. Klasse AIO w/LC CCS 5.5 Blue Smart pads original style x6 (n=6)
4. Klasse SG by Hand w/Pinnacle Crystal Mist QD (Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze (KSG) Guide and Review | Ask a Pro Blog)
5. Klasse SG second coat same process as step 4.
end;

Question 4: This is the step I am most concerned about. Especially because I only have 3 orange correcting pads, 2 white polishing pads, and 3 green polishing/finishing pads. The vehicle is garage kept but has not been washed in over 10 years.

[5]
Waxing_1: B, C
1. Collinite #845 w/ GG 6.5 Red Pad (n=1) & Hybrid Power Finish Black (n=6)

Waxing_2: D
1. Pinnacle Souveran Paste w/ Hybrid Power Finish Red (n=6)
end;



Misc Products on hand but not discussed:
GG Best of Show Wax
CG Leather Cleaner
CG Leather Conditioner
Turtle Wax Dash & Glass (lol - maybe the Subaru will get this...)
GG Interior Cleaner (n=3)
GG Interior Detailer (n=1)
Autozone Quality Microfiber Towels (n=24)
Home depot Quality Glass Diamond Weave Towels (n=4)
EAGLE EDGELESS 500 16 X 16 MICROFIBER TOWEL (n=5)
DIAMOND 16 X 16 MICROFIBER GLASS TOWEL (n=1)
PREMIUM KOREAN 3 X 5 EAGLE MICROFIBER DETAILING APPLICATOR SPONGE PAD (n=2)
SPECTRUM 420 16 X 16 DUAL-PILE MICROFIBER TOWEL (n=5)
Generic microfiber circular blue pad applicators (n=12)
Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber (n=2)
Poly Foam Wax Applicator Pad (n=1)
Microfiber All Purpose & Wheel Detailing Towel, 16 x 27 inches (n=2)

MISC: Eventually the Porsche will get a polishing, I'm just trying to decide if I want to do Menzerna then Klasse twins or what, the Porsche is mine so it gets special treatment - aka, I have more research to do on the subject. The RAV4 will eventually get Klasse Twins topped with #845 once I figure out the clear coat on it. It looks like there something layered over the clear coat, or that the clear coat doesn't extend to the edges of the body panels.

I would do FK1000p on the rims.


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Lordy!!!! That is a lot of info for me to process, let alone to assist you!

I'm gonna be short and simple.

First thing, Your cars are daily drivers. With that in mind, do fewer steps than if you are doing a show car.

Wash wheels/tires: Done! Get woolies or speed master brushes for deep barrel cleaning. Get those at another time.

Exterior paint:

1. First: Spray on Iron-x onto dirty car.
2. After dwell time, hose off and then wash.
3. After washing, hose off.
4. Clay car.
5. Dry

Polish:

1. Do one step or AIO polish.

You're done!

If you're anal, then go ahead put on sealant or wax if you want longer protection!

Then you are really done!

Don't over think it. Keep is simple the first time around.

As time goes by and the experiences increases, you'll find your fav stuff and also be using less and less of the products listed above. Plus you'll be reading other people's detail results on forum.

I have done over 150 cars to-date and I'm finding myself using less and less of the products I have on hand!!!

Summary---

Clean wheels
Clean paint
Polish paint (one time around car) (AIO)
Seal paint

Read the forum often...that's where I get all my info from.

Tom

I agree with Tom. Also. The more pads the better. Orange and white. Perhaps a microfiber or 2. The products are ok. The more you dabble the more you will see there are better products to use for polishing or abrading the surface.

The fever can get ya quick. Such a fun hobby for some and a good living for others. And as Mike says, Keep It Simple Simon.

Good luck.

Ryan


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I would recommend that you have at least six 5.5" cutting (not polishing, strictly cutting, like your orange ones) pads total. It sounds like you may be doing a couple two-steps, or more, and having enough pads is important. Trying to get by on too few pads leads to pad/polish oversaturation, pad stalling, over heating, less cutting, etc. You may even want to consider a couple 5.5" microfiber, or foamed-wool cutting pads for the stubborn areas. They cut better than foam cutting pads, but leave marring and need followed-up with a polishing pad. The smaller 5.5" will cut better than the 6".
For the barrels, get a Speed Master brush. It will last year's, and you can use it on other areas of the car, like the engine bay.
Also, the ONR will have dillution instructions on the bottle.

What Tom said. Done

Thanks for the advice.

My car is in the shop, so based on y'alls feedback I decided to cut it down to just two cars: the Rav4 and the Accord. Things did not go as planned, as vehicles were late, two additional SUVs were thrown into rotation, and the Accord needed substantially more work than anticipated and I was not prepared to do the corrections it required: i.e., wet sanding and repainting in several areas. I was able to compound and polish some of the serious problem areas and minimize the appearance of the serious defects that need to be dealt with. However, due to time constraints after working on just a handful of the problem areas I opted to do the entire car with Klasse AIO followed by a single coat of SG. The car looks substantially better, but I simply didn't have the time or products necessary to do anything more to that car.

All in all, the Rav4 got a coat of #845, the Accord Klasse twins, the Subaru GG BoS wax, and a Honda pilot that got just a scrub (owner didn't want anything more done).

It was a valuable learning process. Real MVP was the detailing brush with CG Wheel cleaner gel, took 10 years of buildup off in seconds.

ERP, another truck if no wheel woolie or thin, long handled brush. Before inner wheel brushes came along, I used to use a paint stick and a rag to reach inside wheels.