Hello from Miami, FL!

[WCharles]

Hello everyone!

My name is Charles, I hail from South Florida, I'm a broke college student and I'm a bit of a newb when it comes to detailing. Lol.

I own a Nighthawk Black Pearl 2008 Accord Coupe and although I love the black finish, I despise its affinity for swirls and blemishes. :mad1: So about 3 months ago I decided to take action and do some DIY detailing.

I have scoured through a myriad of detailing tips/methods online and tried numerous OTC products (Mostly Meguiar's products).

Here's the sequence that I did recently:

Wash --> Meguiar's Clay --> Meguiar's Ultimate Compound --> Meguiar's Ultimate Polish --> Meguiar's Gold Class Carnuba Wax

However, I still don't see much improvement on my car's finish. I still see a lot of swirls (Well, it feels much smoother now because of the clay. Haha)

I know it's probably because i've only used OTC products and elbow grease (Please don't judge me. Lol). I would love to purchase better detailing products and tools, but since I'm still new to all this and have barely any exprience, I feel like I would just be wasting money. Also, I'm afraid of messing up my car's finish. Lol.

So yeah, that's my detailing history so far.



Currently, I am thinking of going to a detailing pro and see how it's really done.

I tried Google-ing for professional detailers here in Miami and I haven't had any luck.

Then yesterday, a buddy of mine told me about this site and he said that one member here is the best detailer in Florida. Anyone know how I can contact him/her? Thanks, y'all!

 

[Ben@3D]

You should look up David Fermani if he is in your area. You can send him a PM and he is sure to get it.



I wouldnt call him the best detailer in Florida though, it would just go to his head. :bounce:



Oh and welcome to our forums. :wave:

 

[moderator]

Welcome to Autopia Charles. Good luck with your search. You might want to throw a post in the Regional subforum for a qualified person in your area.

 

[WCharles]

You should look up David Fermani if he is in your area. You can send him a PM and he is sure to get it.



I wouldnt call him the best detailer in Florida though, it would just go to his head. :bounce:



Oh and welcome to our forums. :wave:

Thank you so much! I'm gonna go PM him right now.

Welcome to Autopia Charles. Good luck with your search. You might want to throw a post in the Regional subforum for a qualified person in your area.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm already starting to like it here. Seems like there are a lot of friendly members.

 

[Brad B]

Welcome! Soon you will be doing it all yourself. The experts here will help!

 

[WCharles]

Welcome! Soon you will be doing it all yourself. The experts here will help!

Thanks, Brad! I'm really hoping that I learn the art of detailing soon. Lol. The sheer number of experts here is really giving me encouragement.

 

[Junebug]

Welcome Charles, a few years ago I couldn't spell detailer, now I is one! You'll catch on in no time and Fermani is a great guy to learn from.

 

[Bill D]

Welcome Charles!



My daily driver is a '10 Accord Coupe. Still the same body style. It's beyond babied so I can't really exchange notes with you regarding paint correction but whatever products I use on my vehicles in general, I'd be sure to share with you. Since you're already familiar with Meg's products, I'd recommend you get the M105 compound and the M205 polish. The paint ought to gloss up real well. In the meantime this is a great addiction to get hooked on . Enjoy your stay here. :wavey

 

[WCharles]

Welcome Charles, a few years ago I couldn't spell detailer, now I is one! You'll catch on in no time and Fermani is a great guy to learn from.

Thanks, man! It's really encouraging to see former total newbs, such as me, who are now experts!

I sent a PM to David Fermani and I'm currently waiting for his reply.

Welcome Charles!



My daily driver is a '10 Accord Coupe. Still the same body style. It's beyond babied so I can't really exchange notes with you regarding paint correction but whatever products I use on my vehicles in general, I'd be sure to share with you. Since you're already familiar with Meg's products, I'd recommend you get the M105 compound and the M205 polish. The paint ought to gloss up real well. In the meantime this is a great addiction to get hooked on . Enjoy your stay here. :wavey

Thanks, Bill! Another Accord Coupe owner! Haha. Do you happen to be a member of an 8th gen Accord forum? I'm a member of m8g.

BTW, can I use M105 and M205 without a power tool? I'm a bit apprehensive about using an orbital buffer/polisher since I haven't had any experience with them. I'm also afraid of practicing on my own car and messing up! Currently, I am detailing manually. Lol

 

[Bill D]

Hi Charles,



I'm aware of the Accord forums but all my spare time is spent on detailing and detailing forums.



You could use the M twins by hand but I very highly suggest you get a polisher from Porter Cable , the Meg's G110, or the Griot's Garage model. It's pretty hard to mess up with a DA polisher. Just keep on reading and learning from everything here and you'll develop the confidence.

 

[David Fermani]

Hello everyone!

My name is Charles, I hail from South Florida, I'm a broke college student and I'm a bit of a newb when it comes to detailing. Lol.

Currently, I am thinking of going to a detailing pro and see how it's really done.

I tried Google-ing for professional detailers here in Miami and I haven't had any luck.

Then yesterday, a buddy of mine told me about this site and he said that one member here is the best detailer in Florida. Anyone know how I can contact him/her? Thanks, y'all!

Hey there Charles. I got your e-mail and will get back to you asap. Welcome to the forum.

 

[WCharles]

Hi Charles,



I'm aware of the Accord forums but all my spare time is spent on detailing and detailing forums.



You could use the M twins by hand but I very highly suggest you get a polisher from Porter Cable , the Meg's G110, or the Griot's Garage model. It's pretty hard to mess up with a DA polisher. Just keep on reading and learning from everything here and you'll develop the confidence.

I see. Thanks for the heads up. I think I might go for PC since a lot of people seem to swear by that brand. Also Flex seems to be popular.

Hey there Charles. I got your e-mail and will get back to you asap. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks David! I've heard A LOT of great things about your work. I'm really looking forward to seeing the best detailer in South FL in action.

 

[Bill D]

I'd go with the Flex, since once you get the hang of it, you can use it for more intense correction right away, that you might not be able to do as easily with the PC without 4" pads, etc.



You're also quite privileged to have David in your area.