Wolfgang DGPS 3.0 amount to use

[indianaryan]

I detailed my car using a Griot's ROP for the first time over the weekend. This is my first experience using a machine to detail my car. For applying the wax, I used the red LC CCS pad. I've read the how-to on how much product to apply to the pad, which I followed, but I'm not sure if that's the right amount to use in the case of this sealant.

When I've applied the sealant before by hand, it was a bit more simple. It was easy to see the product on the surface as I applied it (maybe I was applying it too thick). By machine, it was tough to see where I had gone over. I could barely see the product on the surface as I made my passes. It seems like the pad is absorbing too much product, and not applying it to the surface of the car.

Then again, maybe I did everything right. When I did the swipe test to see if the sealant was ready to be removed, I could clearly see the layer of sealant I had applied.

I guess I'm asking this:

1. Am I using the right pad?
2. Am I using the right amount?
3. Do I need to apply more pressure?
4. How thin of a coat is too thin?

[Mike Phillips]

This is my first experience using a machine to detail my car. For applying the wax, I used the red LC CCS pad. I've read the how-to on how much product to apply to the pad, which I followed, but I'm not sure if that's the right amount to use in the case of this sealant.

I could barely see the product on the surface as I made my passes. It seems like the pad is absorbing too much product, and not applying it to the surface of the car.

Then again, maybe I did everything right. When I did the swipe test to see if the sealant was ready to be removed, I could clearly see the layer of sealant I had applied.

By machine, it was tough to see where I had gone over.

Sounds right to me...

Are you working on a white or light colored car?

The goal is to work in and over a thin coating. Some product will go inside the pad, that's just how it goes... save that pad for future applications in a clean place where it won't get dirt or dust on the surface.

You can try to clean it but you'll find that waxes and paint sealants don't wash out of any pad easily because they're not water soluble.

They're not supposed to wash off your car so they're not going to wash out of a pad.

I guess I'm asking this:

1. Am I using the right pad?
2. Am I using the right amount?
3. Do I need to apply more pressure?
4. How thin of a coat is too thin?

Great questions...

1. Yes
2. Guess so... I just made a video that includes showing how to prime a pad when applying a paint sealant and explain why.
3. You only need to apply light pressure, just enough to maintain the pad flat against the paint. The exception to this rule is if you machine applying a cleaner/wax to neglected paint, then you apply pressure like you were using a compound or polish to correct paint.
4. You should be able to see a continuous film on the surface, I have some testing to do this week, some details and some videos, I'll try to capture a picture of a "thin coating".

[TLC Auto Detail]

Thinner is better, sounds like you did it perfectly to me! BTW what speed were you using? When I apply sealant via machine I usually use speed 2 or 3.

[Kurt_s]

I detailed my car using a Griot's ROP for the first time over the weekend. This is my first experience using a machine to detail my car. For applying the wax, I used the red LC CCS pad. I've read the how-to on how much product to apply to the pad, which I followed, but I'm not sure if that's the right amount to use in the case of this sealant.

When I've applied the sealant before by hand, it was a bit more simple. It was easy to see the product on the surface as I applied it (maybe I was applying it too thick). By machine, it was tough to see where I had gone over. I could barely see the product on the surface as I made my passes. It seems like the pad is absorbing too much product, and not applying it to the surface of the car.

Then again, maybe I did everything right. When I did the swipe test to see if the sealant was ready to be removed, I could clearly see the layer of sealant I had applied.




I guess I'm asking this:

1. Am I using the right pad?
2. Am I using the right amount?
3. Do I need to apply more pressure?
4. How thin of a coat is too thin?

1. Red is fine. What size did you use?
a. I find that a 4" red flat pad works well for me, however it takes longer than using a 5.5" or 6.5" pad. I was thinking that I should have used the 5.5" last night.
b. I felt that I was wasting product with a 6.5" pad and I can use the 4" pad to apply manually to spots too tight for the DA.

2. Should be fine.
a. I like to see a very light haze when applying.
b. I used maybe 4-6 applications (thin X) to a 4" red flat pad to seal my wife's car yesterday, and probably didn't need that much. Maybe 1/4-1/2 ounce total.
c. Applying a thin X two times to the clean pad for the hood will normally prime the pad pretty well and you won't need to add much for for the rest of the vehicle.

3. No. Weight of the DA is fine. I try to keep the pad spinning (2-3 speed) but I read one of Mike P's comments that it wasn't necessary some time ago.
a. I apply 1x horizontal and 1x vertical passes per panel while overlapping each pass to assure complete coverage. I'm not sure that one needs to do both, but I feel safer with that procedure.
b. The double pass technique seems to spread a thinner and more even coat over the surface but that's only a guess. It wipes off very easily so I'm happy.

4. When none is applied.. You don't need much. You are probably better off applying 2 thin coats versus 1 thick coat but you need to wait 12 hours for the second coat. I'm planning to apply a coat of Fuzion so one coat is fine for me.

The nice think about WG DGPS is the ease to buff off the hazed sealant if you apply too much. Again, you don't need to overapply to get good coverage.

[Mike Phillips]

When I apply sealant via machine I usually use speed 2 or 3.

I used to use and recommend the 3.0 setting all the time but now days for a finishing wax or sealant it's the 4.5 setting.

On the 3 or lower setting, it always feels like finishing pads are lagging behind the movement of the tool. I think this is because they are soft and pliable and on a low speed setting have so much thorough contact with the paint.

Bump the speed setting up to the 4 or 5 setting, (depending upon size of pad), and you should notice the polisher and pad move easier over the surface.

Just an observation and a personal practice, completely personal preference when it comes to applying a finishing product except the 6.0 and even 5.5 speed setting is just too fast for the task at hand.

[indianaryan]

Are you working on a white or light colored car?

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

Thinner is better, sounds like you did it perfectly to me! BTW what speed were you using? When I apply sealant via machine I usually use speed 2 or 3.

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

[indianaryan]

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.

[BobbyG]

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...

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!

[Kurt_s]

I used to use and recommend the 3.0 setting all the time but now days for a finishing wax or sealant it's the 4.5 setting.

On the 3 or lower setting, it always feels like finishing pads are lagging behind the movement of the tool. I think this is because they are soft and pliable and on a low speed setting have so much thorough contact with the paint.

Bump the speed setting up to the 4 or 5 setting, (depending upon size of pad), and you should notice the polisher and pad move easier over the surface.

Just an observation and a personal practice, completely personal preference when it comes to applying a finishing product except the 6.0 and even 5.5 speed setting is just too fast for the task at hand.

Hi Mike so you changed your recommended technique on us?

I normally use a 4" pad so the 2-3 speed seems to keep the pad spinning. Somewhere, I remember you commenting that the head didn't need to spin, but I keep the pad spinning to maximize contact between sealant on the pad and the paint. Is this the recommended technique?

[TornadoRed]

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.

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.