First time detail Please Help!

C

carter840

New member
OK so i have been browsing this great forum for the past 24 hours and have been usig the search feature aswell as that great online guide you guys have posted. I have found some amazing information.

Here is my situation i have a 2006 Dark Navy Blue (buckingham blue) This is really my parents car i am only 18, but i get to drive it 95% of the time (i am very lucky). Anyqay i live in NYC so the cars bumpers are all dinged up (but i don't car i'm not looking for perfection). I also have those really small "micro" scrathes in the clear coat. I have had this car for about 18 months. I just orderd this http://www.topoftheline.com/menzerna-polish-car-care-kit.html



Here is my plan

Wash car with Menzerna wash

Use clay (gonna pick some up still) i have never done clay before!

I was then gonna use the polish but i am worried about messing up the car, which is not an option. I belive that kit comes with to types of polish (the 2nd one is a glaze) should i use one both niether? Also any polishing will be DONE BY HAND. I am worried about messing things up with a PC and don't want to spend the money. Should i just skip polishing.

Then I was gonna do the FMJ

Should i follow up with some carnauba wax?



the main thing is the polish and glaze. i know it would look better if i used them should i maybe just use the glaze (remember i am doing this by hand) And i can't afford to mess this car up. Also do i ned to wash after i clay?



Also what are you recomendations about drying i always seems to get thse water marks on the car and then seem to be rerally hard to get rid of like i have to rub them really hard.





Here are some pictures of the car as is now, which is really dirty since it is parked under a tree (pollen) i has rain spots and is covered in dirt. I would love to hear what you guys think and any advice you guys have. Please keep in mind that am new to this i will not unerstand all of the product names and or lingo.

thanks again and great forum!

Pictures













 
It looks like you have some pretty bad water spots etched into the clear coat there. Probably from parking under a tree. Essentially you have tiny holes etched into your paint that trap tiny amounts of water. That is why you have so much trouble drying. I'm also willing to bet that no matter how hard you rub, you can still see those spots a little bit, all the time.



You need an abrasive polish to level your finish. And it really should be applied by machine. Depending on how deep they are, a PC might not even get the job done.



I would not recommend using the polish. Since 1) Menzerna FPII is probably not an aggressive enough polish to get those stains out and 2) Even if it was strong enough, it would be virtually impossible to get any results by hand.



Try doing a search on things like "water spots" "water etching" "etched spots" etc and you may find some good advice.
 
I don't think that hand polishing will yield any amazing results, and in order to fix that kind of marring/etching, you probably need a PC. So, since you don't have a PC, I would recommend either you buy one, or just skip the polishing and focus on protecting the paint.



Regarding drying, try to work under the shade where there isn't a lot of sun. If you are working under the sun, you have to try to keep the paint wet until you dry it with your towel. This way, there won't be water marks.
 
My original pictures may have been misleading as of now the SUV is unwashed hence the watermarks (they are not in the clear coat). I have take new pictures with a small section washed so you can understand. As of now my primary question is should i apply the menzerna glaze by hand or not (and i either do it by hand or i don't do it). Lets assume that this time i skip the polish i don't even really need it, but what about the glaze?



Also just picked up some clay from carquest (the only place near me that sells anythig like that) the clay is made by Mothers and also has a bottle of instant detailer (this is what will be my lube for the clay) there is also another bottle of "carnauba cleaner wax". Is this a good wax to use after the Menzerna to give more depth to my shine or is this the wrong stuff?



New Pictures













the last picture is a close up of the cleaned area.





Thanks
 
Also i got a Mr. Clean Auto car wash kit! Now don't worry i only got it so i can use it to filter the water comming fom my hose. I will not be using any of their cleaning products. Also is the clay i got good or will it scratch my clear coat.



thanks
 
Mother's Clay is fine. The cleaner wax that it comes with is pretty good too, though the sample in the clay kit is not nearly enough to do a car this size. Use it in door jambs and on painted wheels.



And as for the water spots, if you can see them when you drying the car, then they are etched into the clear coat. You should get a more aggressive polish and a PC for that.



Simply put, it doesn't matter which glaze you use or how you apply it. 99% of the shine comes from surface prep. If you have etched water spots, it is not going to look as good, no matter which product you use.



On to the good news. The glaze will probably mask some of those imperfections if they are not too deep. Most glazes recommend machine application because it helps ensure a thin even coat. So if you're going to do it by hand make sure you use very little product, spread it thin, and do two coats.



Also, I don't know much about Menzerna Glaze. Is it also a sealant? If not you will need to top it with a pure carnauba (NO CLEANERS!) for protection. Sealants provide adequate protection, but some of us like to top them with a pure carnauba anyway for a little more glow.
 
No what i am trying to say is that the water marks ARE NOT eteched into the paint. They are just in the first pictures becuase the car wash unwashed and it was rained on. Sorry if my post was confussing. In my 2nd set of pictures you can see that the water marks go away with washing. Overall the car is in good shape and for the most part there are no BIG scratches in the clear coat. You can see on the recent picture what the finish looks like when clean. So with this new information should i glaze or not? What does the Glaze do and how is it different frm a polish?

thanks

also i got an extra can of the mthers wax so i'll have enough.
 
A glaze usually has fillers that fill in the swirl marks, whereas most polishes have abrasives to remove swirl marks (and the swirled clear/paint), both get you the same end result though.
 
You really should not be so stubborn and refuse to try a PC, remember, about 95% of the look is prep, wax is really just to add a bit of depth and protect the finish.



If your finish is not perfect, why would you want to seal that look in? I was once the same way as you, I thought I did not need a machine, and I was wrong. After I got good with the machine, I started doing it for money, and I have to say wether its your own car or someone else's, a machine is the most important part.



How about you find out if there are any autopians in your area that can show you what your paint can look like, just have them do half your hood with a pc, most people here will not charge you for that, we are nice guys :).
 
carter840- Welcome to Autopia!



If you want to do some effective polishing by hand, look into 1Z polishes (available here: Welcome to Exceldetail.com! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories ). Their Paint Polish and Metallic Polish (which is *much* milder, probably too mild) are both user-friendly and effective, even by hand. Top with a decent wax and it'll look great. 1Z polishes are my absolute, hands-down recommendation for anybody just getting started with this stuff (and they're good for experts too ;) ).



On the PC, I know people with *zero* experience, no coaching, nothing but their common sense, who've done great with one. They really are that simple to use. But if you get the 1Z stuff and put in some elbow grease, you can do good work by hand too.



The cleaner wax isn't really that great. NO way will you need the second can (a can of wax oughta last for dozens of wax jobs, even on the biggest vehicles) and to be honest I'd much rather see you use Collinite brand wax. It's user-friendly, cheap, and lasts an incredibly long time. And it doesn't contain cleaners which would mess with the wax/glaze/etc. stuff that the 1Z polish leaves behind.



What I'd do is wash and clay (yeah, the Mother's stuff is good, if a bit mild) and apply the cleaner wax. Order the 1Z Paint Polish. After a few washes the cleaner wax will be dead, and at that point you can do the 1Z/Collinite combo. Then just reapply the Collinite every six weeks or so; no need to repolish unless you see some scratches or want to try for a nicer finish.



Repeating about the need for a lot of wax: if you can clearly see the wax on the paint before you buff it off, you probably used way too much. I do a lot of waxing and a can of wax lasts me for many years. Most people use a *zillion* times more wax than they need and then have to struggle to buff off all the excess. Note that the dried wax you see on the paint before you buff it off is excess; the wax that sticks to the paint and provides the protection/looks is so minimal that you don't see it.
 
I bought virtually the same kit with a PC and a clay kit. First off I didn't like the Menzerna wash at all. It seemed to have no lubricity. I got an amazing amount of gunk out with the clay. The FPII is not very aggressive. I left a lot of scratches and swirls, but the paint did shine up really nice. The glaze didn't hide much, but the FMJ really made the finish shine. However all were applied by PC. As far as the kit goes... I liked the FPII and the FMJ. The glaze was OK at best, and I thought the shampoo was junk. Just my opinion.
 
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