Full Proper Exterior Detail Without A Polisher or Buffer ???

RyansAutoDetail

Weekend Warrior
currently I am just using the following steps in washing a car and is pretty basic.

Zip Wax Turtle Wax Car Wash
Kleen Flo APC on door jambs
Dry with a few passes of a chamois
with some water still remaining i use a MFC with my Eagle One wax as you dry

so basically drying the car 90% and then using the spray wax to enhance the wash and wax combo .

eventually going to be possibly veering away from wash/wax combo and getting either NXT or GC car wash with NXT 2.0 wax and mothers clay with showtime QD spray .

my question is the above a foolproof way without buying a polishing machine and still saving some money as for now I can only use hands on methods of detailing .

so i would go this route
-Megs wash
-chamois dry 95%
-clay with QD spray
-NXT 2.0 hand waxing, MFC dry off.
 
The only full proof way to not to have to use a machine would be to by a car park it in a dust free environment and never drive it. Now there is nothing wrong with your process however you may find marring when you clay the car, and there is always that chance while you are washing and drying to put in cobwebbing effects.

Now you don't need a polisher per say, but if you plan on polishing by hand I do see how you could get similar reults and you are going to tire yourself out.

Since you are only going to wash then add an LSP you may want to add a glaze inbetween the wash and the wax. the glaze will fill some of the light swirl marks that will show during drying and give the paint that extra pop.
 
ok cool sounds good until i can get a polishing machine i think i will go this route .
Assuming you are going to pursue this hobby with any enthusiasm I would recommend making the purchase of a polisher (Porter Cable or equivalent) much sooner than later. It isn't worth the frustration and don't look at one of the $30 orbital polishers. They are everywhere but won't serve you well.
 
I agree with Gearhead. If you are going to try to take this from a liking to an obsession like alot of use have then you are going to need to invest in a Buffer. The PC is a fantastic tool and relatively inexpensive. Trust me, it cuts your time in half and produces a result that by hand cannot duplicate, especially with correction needs.

Also the amount of stress you will save your hands and wrists from the repative motion is well worth it.
 
My detailing went to another level when I first started using the Porter Cable (Dual Action Polisher). Before the PC it was either my rotary or a big heavy orbital which wasn't bad on top surfaces but wasn't fun on the sides (especially boats and planes). Besides being heavy, it wasn't good for smaller areas and it just didn't have the same polishing ability.

I always saw the need for a machine and I was very glad to switch to the PC. That orbital has a whole lot of dust on it now.
 
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