New Users & PC 7424 Users Must Read!
I have decided to write on a topic I know a lot about; Detailing. I have been using the PC for a little over 2 years, and I have worked with several detailers in town, and two body shops. I did this to simply to gain experience and knowledge. I also attended a class taught by Mike Phillips at Meguiars. For those of you who don't know Mike, he is a world re-nound detailer. We learned everything from wet-sanding, to polishing, to rotary use, to chemical based discussions. Meanwhile, this was all hands-on. We all got to try a little bit of everything.
Now I have done this full-time during the last year, and started my second business (5-Star Auto Detailing) in my young career (I originally co-owned a landscaping business with a good friend) and because I'm still young (19, almost 20), my parents are moving and I am going along. So things have slowed down for me, and I'm just picking and choosing the work I do now.
Alright, without further a-do, I will get on topic.
I will be discussing two main topics; 5-Step Paint Care Cycle, and PC 7424 polishing.
1. Washing
2. Cleaning/Prepping
3. Polishing
4. Protection
5. Maintaining
The 5-step paint care cycle outlines the 5 basic but important procedures and the accompanying products that enable you to restore and maintain a show car shine on your car's finish.
Below is a chart with the step, product and procedure.
Washing removes loose surface dirt and loose contaminants that have not yet bonded to the surface. It is also important to find a good wash mitt and a Grit Guard The Grit GuardRed, Black, Yellow, Orange, Blue
Surface Prep includes both paint cleaning (not to be confused with the washing step), and claying the finish (with a clay bar).
Paint Cleaners:
This includes highly specialized Compounds and Paint Cleaners, which utilize both microscopic and macroscopic diminishing abrasive technology. But when you don't need such an aggressive cleaner like a compound, use Pinnacle's Paintwork Cleansing Lotion!
"A surface won't go clear until it comes clean"
Clay Bars:
Clay bar technology evolved as a natural reaction to the need that arose for a way to safely remove bonded contaminants from clear coat paints without resorting to traditional rubbing or polishing compounds and the resulting scratches caused by the sharp, hard abrasive typically used in these formulas.
Clay bars are non-abrasive bars of synthetic clay called Polyclay. They are somewhat like a high-tech version of Play-Doh. They work in three easy steps:
1) - First you mold the clay bar into a pancake-looking flat wafer.
2) - Second you lubricate the finish with a spray lubricant like Pinnacle Clay Lubricant.
3) - Third you then rub the clay bar back and forth across the paint. (somewhat like a bar of soap against your arm)
"Cleaner Polishes" or Polishes:
These are the polishes that do the correcting when repairing your paint.
"To make smooth and glossy by friction."
Polishes like Pinnacle's XMT line, are used from compounding (severe swirls) to light polishing (adding gloss to a polished surfaced). Pinnacle's XMT is a complete line, including the most intense compound, to the lightest polish.
Polishes/Compounds like XMT's #4 are used for severe swirls and oxidation. It is recommended that this product be used as a "last resort" product. XMT #4 is a true polishing compound with a high concentration of heavy grade abrasives. Concentrated abrasives increase the compound’s cutting power with minimal increase in compound haze. XMT Heavy Duty Swirl Remover eliminates your vehicle’s worst flaws to begin to restore the depth of color and gloss to even the most neglected paint finishes.
Polishes like XMT's #1 are used for ultra-light polishing. You don’t want to do any unnecessary compounding to remove the lightest paint flaws. This is where XMT #1 comes into play. The sheer number and minute size of the abrasive particles blend away fine flaws in the clear coat without leaving any trace of surface marring or haze.
Glazes and Finishing Polishes:
These are the polishes or now more commonly known as glazes, that add depth, gloss, reflectiveness and nurture the newly polished paint. Simply put, it's almost like applying Aloe after getting a sun tan.
XMT Carnabua Finishing Glaze is a sophisticated blend of gentle cleaners and rich carnauba wax. A glaze is unlike a finishing polish in the fact that glazes do not contain abrasives. They may contain cleaners, like this one, but primarily they serve as a moisturizer for the paint. Try Pinnacle XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze as the finale of your compounding process or, if your paint is already in great shape, use it after washing.
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish removes the haze and restores the gloss to perfection. It sloughs off the micro-thin outermost layer of dull, dead paint – the paint often left after using a swirl remover – and moisturizes the remaining paint, leaving it intensely shiny and smooth. The abrasives are designed to gradually break down as you polish. In this sense, the polish is self-refining. The abrasives polish away light imperfections and then melt into the shine-enhancing lotion.
The oils Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish uses are also important in maintaining the original condition of the paint by filling in the naturally occurring microscopic pores and surface imperfections thus preventing detrimental substances and elements as simple as water, or worse, acid-rain, from entering into these pores and microscopic surface imperfections thus causing oxidation and chemical etching. These oils act to replace the original resins as they wear away through natural processes.
Paint protection products (waxes like Pinnacle Souveran), whether they are based on natural ingredients or synthetic ingredients (sealants like Wolfgang's Deep Gloss Sealant) provide a protective film, or sacrificial barrier against Mother Nature and other detrimental or corrosive substances. Without this sacrificial barrier, your finish is susceptible to attack at any time, as harmful or corrosive substances come into direct contact with the surface.
Besides acting as sacrificial barriers to protect the underlying surface, Pinnacle's Souveran paste wax will also increase the visual appearance of a finish. Pinnacle waxes and Wolfgang Sealants will not only provide better protection than the competition, but will also:- Increase optical clarity and distinction of image
- Enhance and increase the reflective characteristics of medium to dark color finishes
- Add shine and slickness
- Create wet-looking gloss
- Provide the most UV protection available
- Offer water sheeting action, or water beading action (depending on the wax or sealant)
Remember, waxes, synthetic or otherwise, are meant to be Sacrificial Barriers with the intended purpose sealing the surface, while blocking those things that would attack your paint, from coming into direct contact with the paint.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/galler...aintaining.jpg
Maintenance products, like
Pinnacle's Souveran Liquid Spray Wax, and
Pinnacle Crystal Mist, allow you quickly clean your car and restore that just waxed look in just a matter of minutes... practically anywhere.
Pinnacle's Souveran Liquid Spray Wax quickly and easily boosts your already existing wax protection while turning your finish dramatically darker and increasing shine and gloss.
Pinnacle's Crystal Mist removes fresh contaminants before they have a chance to bond or etch into the surface.
This concludes the first part of this "NEW Users Guide". Stay tuned for the second part about using the PC 7424.
