Help me with my plunge into serious detailing

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danz24

New member
OK I think I have a grip on exactly what I should get to dive into the world of detailing. This is the end result of 2 weeks worth of research. Let me know what you think.



WASHING:

1 Sheepskin mitt

2 buckets

Meguiars Gold Class Soap



DRYING:

1 Dehydrator Towel

1 Microfiber towel



CLAYING:

Riccardo Clay

Riccardo Clay Lube

Microfiber Buffing Towel



POLISHING/CLEANING:

UDM Swirl Buster Kit w/ Orange, White and Blue Pads (I guess I will use the orange to remove swirls and polish with white after.

Microfiber Towel for buffing

ColourX





WAXING:

UDM Swirl Buster Kit w/ Orange, White and Blue Pads

Microfiber towel for buffing

S100 wax
 
You'll have lots of suggestions for waxes and polishes. What I recommend is *lots* of mf for removing them. When doing the family cars I use 6-8 on the polish/glaze step and at least 2 for sealants per car. Also don't forget products for interior, windows, tires/wheels, and exterior surfaces.
 
you're going to need a good polish. colorx is an aggressive cleaner wax so it's not going to do much for correction. as mentioned, have plenty of mf towels both for paint work and dirtier tasks (wheels, door jams, interior, etc)...
 
Ok it looks like people are telling me to get more microfiber so im i'll probably get these. Its the microfibers at canadiantire.

Canadian Tire

Are these good enough?



I also forgot the step to clean my tire

TIRES:

soap/water

dry

Meguiars Gold Class Endurance Tire gel



And BigAl3, is colourX seriously not a good polish/cleaner? I made a post before about it and people had good feedback on it, claiming it is similar to poli-seal.
 
danz24 said:
And BigAl3, is colourX seriously not a good polish/cleaner? I made a post before about it and people had good feedback on it, claiming it is similar to poli-seal.
Click to expand...



colorx is a great cleaner wax, but for the more serious defects, you'll have to step up to a more dedicated polish...
 
I would say add these:



Waffle Weave Towel

2-3 Grout Sponges for the lower body panels and tirewells/tires

More MF Towels (probably 10-15) ***DONT GET THE ONES FROM CRAPPY TIRE; THEY ARE CRAPPY; the difference between my eshine ones and Crappy Tire is huge

Grit Guard

Poor Boys SSR 2.5 -> compounding

Poor Boys SSR 1.0 -> finishing

Low profile orange pads (not sure if eshine carries these; well the 5.5 variety; makes compounding on the UDM much quicker)

Optimum No Rinse * not really necessary and probably shouldn't replace Gold Class but you can also use this as a no rinse car wash in winter, a clay lube (dump the Ricardo), an APC and a Quick Detailer; overall a very economical product for the price

Meguiars Tire Shine Endurance

Aerospace 303 Protectant



Halogen Lights (on sale at crappy tire)





One other thing to note is the durability from S100/P21S Concours is not that great; I would top it over a product like Klasse AIO or Klasse SG.
 
You can save a few bucks by using water with a few drops of your meguire's car wash in a spray bottle. Works for me...........that will leave you more money for MFs LOL.
 
I have read all the responses and will add more products to my arsenal, but first here is a link to my post with pics of my car

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-de...-his-first-post-now-judge-me.html#post1133074



What polish/cleaner would your recommend from the pics observed? Since im buying from eshine would the "Einszett Intensive Paste 'Pasta Intensiv" and "Einszett High Gloss Polish 'Hochglanz Politur'" be an excellent choice for my application for removing the swirls and polishing? If it were me I would stick to a cleaner/polisher in one but im still new so noob<experienced peoples opinion.



Also what 3 pads should I get for my UDM??? The pics of my car are from the link.^





And ASAD, why should I drop the riccardo clay? I asked eshine which clay to purchase and their response was that riccardo was the best they carry. I also wanted the S100 wax because I hear its a good product, im still considering if I should purchase a sealant to make it last longer but I already have so many steps in cleaning my car, it might turn into work not fun. And I dont get why you recommended the halogen lights, is this a joke?





Yes for sure i'll be buying more microfiber towels
 
danz24 said:
..

What polish/cleaner would your recommend from the pics observed? Since im buying from eshine would the "Einszett Intensive Paste 'Pasta Intensiv" and "Einszett High Gloss Polish 'Hochglanz Politur'" be an excellent choice for my application for removing the swirls and polishing? If it were me I would stick to a cleaner/polisher in one but im still new so noob<experienced peoples opinion...
Click to expand...



You have to be a little careful with the Pasta Intensiv and for your situation I don't think you'd reap all the potential benefits from the High Gloss.



While *I* love those two 1Z polishes, in your case I'd go with their Paint Polish and the Metallic Polish with Wax from the 1Z consumer line. These are effective and are absolutely as user-friendly as such products get.



I can honestly say that IMO "if you have to ask about polishes, you should use the 1Z consumer line". Period. While I use/like polishes and compounds from a whole lot of manufacturers, this 1Z recommendation is a complete no-brainer.
 
Think ASAD was referring to the Riccardo clay LUBE not the clay itself. ONR dilluted to clay lube strength will last you longer than the brand name lube and will save you money in the long run.
 
O ic, I was avoiding the ONR thing because Im a bit confused on what that is.



Accumulator why should I avoid the 1z products mentioned? I did a search and the only "caution" I found was to make sure I applied them at a low speed. Are these products not good enough for my car?



Im soo close to making my big purchase, hopefully I get everything right
 
More MF towels... 100% (can never have too many).



Clay is clay as far as I'm concerned (all things being equal). I happen to prefer "Clay Magic" not because I necessarily think it does a better job than anything else, but because I think it is the perfect marriage between size and maliability.



Also, don't be afraid to head over to good old Canadian Tire and get some OTC products. Last time I was in Canada I was VERY impressed by what I found (although the prices were really high).
 
It depends how serious you want to get... I like to have a variety of everything to cover all situations... A small sample of what we generally carry. You said "serious"



Wash Supplies...



Several quality car soaps (We carry Z7, ONR, 1Z Pearls, amognst others)

2 to 3 buckets with grit guards

Several lambs skin wash bits

Different boars hair brushes

CR Spotless Water De-Ionizer

Leaf Blower

High quality waffle weave and plush microfibers

Tire brush and quality tire cleaner (I like Emmin Fabrick Tire Cleaner)

Several Wheel Cleaners (P21s Wheel Gel, Megs Wheel Brightner)

Various wheel brushes (swissvax's, EZ Detail, others)

Various brushes for wheel arches etc

Quality APC's (I like Meguiars)

Bug Tar remover (Surf City)

High strength wash (P21s Total Body Wash)

Q-Tips

High Quality QD's (Z6, Z8, FK1 425, Meguiars UQD, Pinnacle Crystal Mist)

Tire Dressings (Optimum, Meguiars Hotshine, Cleak Kote, Z16)



Paint Correction.



Rotary (I prefer Makita's 9227)



Paint Gauge

Lots of Pads in both regular and small size with various backing plates...

Compounds (Meguiars M105, M95, M84; 3M Extra Cut; Presta Strada 1000)

Meduim Polishes (Meguiars M83, M80; Menzerna PO91, P083, 114E; Optimum Polish, 1Z Intesive)

Final Polishes (Meguiars M09; Menzerna PO85u, PO85rd, PO87mc, PO106ff/fa; Zaino Z-PC, 3M Ultra Fina-SE)

Glazes (Clear Kote RMG, Meguiars #07, Meguiars #03-HD Cleanse, XMT Finishing Glaze, DWG)

Also 3M 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers and Meguiars UniGrit 2500 and 3000 grit.



I'm tired of typing but it depends on how serious you are willing to get...
 
Ok I see how ambiguous the "Serious" term is. The purpose of this thread is to see my technique/products and see if I should change things around or if my order is good the way it is.



So far the changes I will make are order more Microfiber Towels, claybar, and either ONR or lube for the clay.



The only thing stopping me from finalizing everything is to find what I should get to fix swirls and polish which are the "Einszett Pasta Intensiv" and "Einszett High Gloss Polish 'Hochglanz Politur'". If I get swirl remover/polish products right I think I should be good to go. Im starting to get tired or researching...



The only canadiantire product I was thinking of getting atm was the microfiber towels, but I hear they are junk...
 
I'm not quite sure how "serious" you intend to get in all of this, but TH0001 put together a pretty good blue print for a profesional detailer.



I know guys what use FOUR pads for every product they use on their cars, thinking that one pad covers about 1/4 of the car and then becomes so saturated they need to move to a "fresh" one.



So, if you follow that methodology, you could find yourself with 16 pads per wash.



I don't do it that way, but if I did, it would look something like this:



4 - 8006 pads (for either DC paint cleaner or M80)



4 - 8006 pads for #7



4 - 9006 pads for NXT 2.0



1 - 7006 pads (with 4 MF bonnets for wax removal)



danz24 said:
The only canadiantire product I was thinking of getting atm was the microfiber towels, but I hear they are junk...
Click to expand...



Let me give you a bit of advice... try different products out and try them with an open mind. You might be (pleasantly) surprised that OTC products are equal to or better many of the fashionable brands. In some cases the opposite is true, but you won't know unless and until you give it a try.



I am fairly confident that if you view things objectively, you can find many things on the Canadian Tire shelf which are quite good.
 
Because it seems you are asking the right questions and searches can be daunting I'll hammer out this post on what I believe are the essentials to start serious car care without a dual action polisher:



Body wash:



2-5 gal buckets

3-quality sheepskin mitts (Why three? One for upper body. one for lower and a spare in case you drop one.)

2-grit guards (optional)

1-quantity of quality car wash

1-tar remover

1-bug sponge for body

1-long handled bug sponge for windshield



Body dry:



electric leaf blower (optional) w/ gfi

2-quality waffle weave microfiber towels (Why two? In case you drop one.)



Wheel/tire wash:



1-dedicated 5 gal. bucket

1-dedicated tire brush

2-dedicated mf utility towels

1-quantity of quality car wash



Wheel arch:

use the tire brush





Interior:



Windows:

2 or 3 dedicated window-type mfs

1-glass cleaner



Door panels/dash:

2 or 3 utility mfs

1-diluted all purpose cleaner

1-uv protectant



Door/trunk/hood jams:

1-diluted all purpose cleaner

2 utility mf

1-dressing for the rubber



Carpet/uphostelery (new car):

1-quality wet and dry vac w/ good asst. of tools



Little things like air vents:

look in the cosmetics section for brushes, etc.





These imho are the basics to keep your family cars clean.



Options:



Exterior:



Body:

1-clay and qd (which you've already mentioned)

1-(if not using a DA polisher and going by hand-use a) filling glaze:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/105719-best-filling-glaze.html

1-sealant or wax depending on glaze used

3-quality mf applicators if applying glaze and wax/sealant by hand

1-spray wax to use for booster

1-plastic dressing

2 or 3 foam applicators for dressing

10-15 quality polish mfs



Wheels/tires:

1-quality wax/sealant for wheels (I use the same as for body)

1-tire dressing (use diluted tire dressing in the arches)





Misc:

several pump sprayers using dilute solutions



Maintenance:

several utility mfs and qd in trunk to remove bird bombs immediately





This is just off the top of my head and I'm sure I forgot something but this list should get ya going.
 
danz24 said:
I have read all the responses and will add more products to my arsenal, but first here is a link to my post with pics of my car

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-de...-his-first-post-now-judge-me.html#post1133074



What polish/cleaner would your recommend from the pics observed? Since im buying from eshine would the "Einszett Intensive Paste 'Pasta Intensiv" and "Einszett High Gloss Polish 'Hochglanz Politur'" be an excellent choice for my application for removing the swirls and polishing? If it were me I would stick to a cleaner/polisher in one but im still new so noob<experienced peoples opinion.



Also what 3 pads should I get for my UDM??? The pics of my car are from the link.^





And ASAD, why should I drop the riccardo clay? I asked eshine which clay to purchase and their response was that riccardo was the best they carry. I also wanted the S100 wax because I hear its a good product, im still considering if I should purchase a sealant to make it last longer but I already have so many steps in cleaning my car, it might turn into work not fun. And I dont get why you recommended the halogen lights, is this a joke?





Yes for sure i'll be buying more microfiber towels
Click to expand...



Sorry should've clarified the Ricardo Clay Lube. Keep the clay (one of the best). I would say a white, black, and an orange. The orange 5.5' pad has more bite and makes the work quicker for compounding with the 5.5 backing plate on the UDM; but I don't believe eshine carries this (contact them to make sure); autogeek has them for $5 each.



S100 is a great wax; I love my P21S Concours. It is just not a wax that is very durable (well to a sealant); which is why most people TOP it (not replace) over a sealant like Klasse SG. I would buy both as for summer I like my waxes and for my summers I like my sealants but they both look good either time of year (in winter; sealant provides more protection against salt if you live in GTA). Applying something like Klasse AIO takes 30 minutes max with a UDM and a white pad. It doesn't add too much time to the job but provides better protection for the time you just spent polishing the car.



Ha no the halogen light is not a joke. You will not always have a sunny day (and sometimes you just can't work in a sunny day) or perfect lighting conditions to examine your work properly. You need to have a high powered lamp to show your defects; so most people use halogen lighting (cheapest in $$) and others use HID lamps but I think some work better in certain situation (ex. an overhead lamp might show more defects than a halogen lamp).



Also I think Accumulator suggested not using those polishes as they might be too aggressive; but I am not sure as I never used them before or have the infinite knowledge of Accumulator :(; haha.
 
danz24 said:
..The only thing stopping me from finalizing everything is to find what I should get to fix swirls and polish which are the "Einszett Pasta Intensiv" and "Einszett High Gloss Polish 'Hochglanz Politur'". If I get swirl remover/polish products right I think I should be good to go. ...
Click to expand...



I generally think that the 1Z consumer line polishes (Paint Polish and Metallic Polish with Wax) are better choices for people just starting to get serious. Even if you get the Pasta Intensiv and High Gloss later, you'll like having the consumer stuff around.



The Pasta Intensiv and High Gloss are *VERY* good products, among the best (and probably my faves), but they aren't as easy to use as the PP and MPwW (which are basically goof-proof, literally).



You won't go wrong with either choice, but be a bit careful with the Pasta Intensiv if you go that route. It's initial cut can be something else...liquid sandpaper.



On the lighting, IMO the halogens are the minimum in decent shop lighting. At least get those (hey, a good one is like $39 even if you splurge on one from Sears).
 
Thanks for all your help guys. K I think I got everything down except what to do after the clay part, thats when things get blurry for me. From what I gathered I think that the Im supposed to remove swirls and such which is the compounding stage. Then after I polish to create that high gloss which is most important. (Im actually confused about this stage as some products act as both a polisher and swirl remover). Then the I put sealant/glaze to protect my finish and make my wax last longer. And top it off with my wax.

I picked some products which seem to have work good and just wanted your opinions if I picked the right products, my steps are right, and which products to buy. BTW: I already have ColourX and NXT so if I can use them instead of buying another that would be good also.



Here are pics of my car again so you can see what level of polish I need. I dont really know how light/medium/heavy swirls look like so hopefully from these pics you can help me with my final choices. Then hopefully by today I can finish my order and I can finally start doing it instead of just reading about it. :xyxthumbs



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(The pads are the one that will come with the UDM swirl buster kit. My first priority in compounding is the pasta intensive as its on sale at eshine. Its also strong so I chose a weaker pad for it. I would also like to keep the red machine moose glaze as it seems like it looks great on black. The was might just be applied by hand as I will have to pads left. I will buff out the residue with MF towels.)





COMPOUNDING-

SSR 2.5 (Orange pad),

Pasta Intensive (White pad),

Optimum Compound (Orange pad), )

Menzerna 9091E (Orange pad



POLISH - (white pad)

KLASSE AIO

Menzerna Final Polish PO85U

Menzerna Micro Polish PO87MC

ColouX





GLAZE/SEALANT (black pad)

Red Moose Machine Glaze

Meguiars NXT



Wax (blue pad or by hand)

S100
 
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