Wolfgang DGPS 3.0 amount to use

[TLC Auto Detail]

It's a metallic silver, not as dark as a gunmetal gray, but not as light as say a Honda Civic silver.



I set the speed to 3. Though I wondered if I should set it lower when I switched to the 4" pads...

Nope speed 3 is still fine, you aren't going to really see a sealant that well especially on a light colored vehicle. Thin coats are key for bonding, and removal purposes.

Thanks for the quick replied everyone! Sounds like if anything I might have used too much product, as I continued to apply an "X" on the pad for each large panel on the car. Sounds like at first this would be ok, but after the pad soaks up some of the product, I can back off on adding any.

Mike, a video showing a thin coat would be outstanding! I'm looking forward to it.

I use 5.5 pads, but it should apply the same for 4 inche pads. I do one big x on the pad for the drivers side hood (where I start), that x on a midsize car will easily get me all the way down that side of the car and over the trunk lid. Then I go to the passenger side of the hood, apply a smaller x to the pad and that usually is plenty to knock out the rest of the vehicle.

another way to do it is start eith a small x on the pad, and add a few dots of sealant if you feel you are running low at any point on the vehicle. This will help you from over applying product.

I pretty much apply all my sealants and waxes by machine now. I find I can easily control the amount of product I lay down and it seems to just do a much nicer overall job plus it's allot faster.

For sealants and waxes I dial down the polisher's speed to 3 and it always works really well.

For pads I like the red CCS or blue flat pads, both do the job nicely!

I used to use CCS but I feel like they absorb alot of product. I currently use black uber pads from detailers domain (made by buff and shine) and they are still plenty soft but seem to hold more product on the face of the pad without absorbing it.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Mike so you changed your recommended technique on us?

Any speed "can" work, and for years when I was at Meguiar's I posted on MOL and taught in the Meguiar's classes to use the 3.0 setting for applying finishing waxes and sealants and the 5.0 Speed Setting for removing defects, but that was Meguiar's protocol at that time, things change.

Here at Autogeek I'm able to freestyle quite a bit more... but seriously, for me the 3.0 speed setting on a Porter Cable style is a little slow and the pad will move better over the surface at the 4.0 setting.

Anyone reading this, next time you're machine applying a wax or paint sealant, try both speed settings on a horizontal panel and see if you can feel the drag characteristic of the pad over the surface at the slower setting as compared to the higher setting and then use what works best for you.

Somewhere, I remember you commenting that the head didn't need to spin,

When applying a finishing wax or sealant since you're not trying to remove defects, or in other words remove a little paint, then technically the pad does not need to rotate. It doesn't hurt if it rotates but with tools with free floating spindle assemblies, when applying a finishing wax or paint sealant, the goal is to apply, work-in to whatever level possible a thin coating. Rotating or a combination of just jiggling and sporadic rotating works just fine for this.

but I keep the pad spinning to maximize contact between sealant on the pad and the paint. Is this the recommended technique?

Oh I don't think maintaining maximum contact between the sealant on the pad and the paint is hard to do at any speed with most pads sizes as long as you're holding the polisher in a way that the pad will be flat to the surface.

But keeping the pad spinning can't hurt anything... as long as it's clean and soft.

Personal preference...

[WestEnd]

Sounds like if anything I might have used too much product, as I continued to apply an "X" on the pad for each large panel on the car.

I am giggling here at myself thinking about my first time applying sealant by DA, sometimes I still feel like you. I too thought the same things about not being able to see the sealant on a white car. So I added more product, then more and more.

The funny part is that I thought it was not enough throughout the process until I removed the pad from the backing plate. I could hardly get it free it was so slimy. There was so much product in the pad that when it folded coming off of the plate it oozed sealant all over the place. I should have collected it and reused it later there was so much.

Now (thx to this forum) I do a quick swipe test as mentioned if I think its not applying. I have also done a quick swipe on the pad to see if my finger comes up wet, it just makes me feel better for some reason.

[Mike Phillips]

I remember someone coming up with the idea to tint white waxes to make them easier to see on white and light colored cars...

Another suggestion I've heard in the past is a color changing wax or sealant, it goes on one color and then after it's ready to wipe off it will have changed to a different color.

Thinking outside the box or the wax bottle...

[indianaryan]

That sounds like too much to me. How was it to remove?

Did you pay attention to how many ounces you used? I used about half a 2oz. sample that got me two coats on my GTI (same size as your 3) plus I put a coat on our shower. Once I primed the pad, I put a small pea sized drop on my 4" pad. for each panel.

I probably used 2-3 oz. Way too much, I know. It actually wasn't too hard to remove.

I am giggling here at myself thinking about my first time applying sealant by DA, sometimes I still feel like you. I too thought the same things about not being able to see the sealant on a white car. So I added more product, then more and more.

The funny part is that I thought it was not enough throughout the process until I removed the pad from the backing plate. I could hardly get it free it was so slimy. There was so much product in the pad that when it folded coming off of the plate it oozed sealant all over the place. I should have collected it and reused it later there was so much.

Now (thx to this forum) I do a quick swipe test as mentioned if I think its not applying. I have also done a quick swipe on the pad to see if my finger comes up wet, it just makes me feel better for some reason.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! The pad was actually soaked through to the backing plate with sealant.

Do you just let the pad air dry, then reuse it?

I remember someone coming up with the idea to tint white waxes to make them easier to see on white and light colored cars...

Another suggestion I've heard in the past is a color changing wax or sealant, it goes on one color and then after it's ready to wipe off it will have changed to a different color.

Thinking outside the box or the wax bottle...

I'm surprised that hasn't been done yet. That would be really helpful for people with lighter colored cars.

[Shawn T.]

I only use about an ounce or less when applying by machine or by hand. Thin, thin, thin, thin, thin is key.

[WestEnd]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! The pad was actually soaked through to the backing plate with sealant.

Do you just let the pad air dry, then reuse it?

haha Yup, I can relate!

I clean mine, then when dry store it and reuse with the same sealant. As Mike mentioned, it is tougher to clean due to the nature of the product but mine seem to come out ok.

Now that first one soaked throughout? Yeah, that took wash after wash to clean. LOL

[fj610]

At the end of the day, is there any real difference in performance between applying LSP by machine or by hand?

[Kurt_s]

The machine tends to make it easier to apply a thin, even coat without missing spots. If you can apply thin even coats by hand and enjoy the pleasure of using a fine paste wax, all will be good!