Here I go!

imported_jayhkr

New member
Hello everyone, here’s another one of those “my first big order” thread. Now I have only ordered from autogeek one time, for a small order of a foam gun and a few accessories. Now that was over a year ago and have decided to get "serious" about making my truck shine like I've never seen it before. In fact, just today some guy came to my door to ask me what color my truck was as he has noticed it several times driving by and just had to stop and comment to me just how clean and shinny it was! (of course that just made me want to buy more now :LOL: ) She's a '06 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with a young 50k on her! Since I've had her for just over a year the paint has never really "popped" at me. I've spent countless hours, by hand, trying to polish this gem in the rough. Obviously with such a large vehicle by the time I'm done washing, clay baring, drying, doing the wheels/tires, windows then trying to put some polish and wax on her, I'm so damn tired I sleep for 2 days! :sosad So part of my reason to get serious is to:

1) Save some time (the above takes about 10-12 hours with, IMO, poor results)

2) I want to see how good my truck can look after it gets a real detail :buffing:

3) I love hobbies and this will probably last me the rest of my life! (maybe even help my friends out and get a few bucks out of them) :LOLOL



So anyway, before I put my first big order in I wanted to get everyone's opinion on my shopping cart and if I need to add anything important. First let me tell you a little of what I already have. I use the 2 bucket method with Megs Gold Class shampoo, a MF sponge and everything you see here: Detailing pictures by jayhkr - Photobucket plus a small 2.5 gallon wet/dry vac. Here is what I want to order from AG:



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This is about the amount I want to stay within since this IS just a hobby. Don't want to get to crazy to fast! :LOLOL (unless they put the GG pad washer on Father’s Day sale! *Hint hint)



Then I'm going to order some towels from a different vendor:



towel.jpg


I already have a decent amount of towels, but since I'm starting "fresh" I thought these would be good for the paint and my old ones used for non-paint. So I'm thinking of 12 of these, maybe 24 but I want to keep cost down initially.



Then 2 of these for drying: (Or should I just do one of the big towels and up to 24 of the smaller towels. I typically use a blower to get 75% of the water off anyway?)

towel2.jpg


towelscart.jpg






So all in all what is everyone's consensus? I will be adding as time goes on, but for the initial purchase to get me going for a while I thought this was a good starting off point. Kind of hoping to make this last for a year as I'm already planning Holiday gifts. :2thumbs: Hopefully this post won't get lost in cyberspace. Thanks to everyone in advance! Oh BTW this is what the truck looks like after that 10 hour ordeall though: (swirl marks still present, just not visible at 15')

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My advice is to take the Brinkman off the order and get something else. For the average Joe detailer you don't need it.

I'd get a paint sealant like BFWD or MPL to go under the Nattys.
 
I'm not a big fan of the duo-spur. At least not for foam.



Also just go ahead and get yourself some ONR. If you want to save time it's the only way to wash.



That's a lot of orange and white pads. I'd consider going 3 of each and also swapping out the finishing pads. Maybe downsize 2 of each finishing and get something heavier than orange (yellow).



Does the new PCXP need a counterweight? I'm a PC noob so I'm not sure.



Skip the sheepskin mitt and head to Lowes and get some grout sponges.



Also get a grit guard and just buy a bucket at Lowes.



You can skip the pad cleaner if you want and buy some Dawn PowerDissolve at Wally World.



I bought the Brinkmann and barely use it. I'd save your money and buy a good Halogen set for Lowes or Home Depot. These are pretty much mandatory for correction work.
 
some other vendors have 15% off right now, if you are interested in maximizing your savings. (Or ask AG to match the promotion)



That vendor with the blue and gold towels is presently out of stock on them.. unless they have an exact looking 'sister site'.
 
I'd suggest looking into Hydro Tech Pads. I didn't like the flat pads that much, the hydro tech pads were much better in my opinion.
 
I switched the PC got the Griots random Orbital. It's only $4 more and from what I hear a much better polisher.



I just got mine in the mail yesterday, so i can't tell you from personal experience yet.



EDIT: Here's what I got. Along with a lot of great info from this thread. I also had to get a 5" backing plate, Daytona Speed Wheel Brush, and a gallon of Megs APC that's not listed here.



http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine-polishing/130238-couple-questions-about-pc-polishing.html





Griot's Garage 6 inch Random Orbital Polisher [remove]



* Choose a model : Standard



$129.99 Yes $129.99



Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5.5 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads 3 Pack - Your Choice! [remove]



* Option 1 : Cyan

* Option 2 : Cyan

* Option 3 : Cyan



$29.99 Yes $29.99



Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5.5 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads 3 Pack - Your Choice! [remove]



* Option 1 : Tangerine

* Option 2 : Tangerine

* Option 3 : Tangerine



$29.99 Yes $29.99



Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5.5 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads 3 Pack - Your Choice! [remove]



* Option 1 : Cyan

* Option 2 : Tangerine

* Option 3 : Cyan



$29.99 Yes $29.99



Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Rechargeable Swirl Finder Spotlight [remove]



$27.99 Yes $27.99



Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing Polish 32 oz. [remove]



$29.99 Yes $29.99



Meguiars Mirror Glaze #105 Ultra-Cut Compound 32 oz. New D.A. Version [remove]



$27.99 Yes $27.99



Mothers California Gold Showtime Instant Detailer 24 oz. [remove]



$6.99 Yes $6.99



New! Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Crimson Finishing Foam Pad [remove]

$11.99 Yes $11.99



Subtotal: $324.91

Total: $324.91
 
Oh, and if you decide to go with a tripod halogen set-up, Sears.com has a 1000w Craftsman set-up with a free handheld treble light for $25 + $10 S&H. Got it in the mail last night and it seems, at first glance/assembly, like a pretty decent set-up.
 
How does the Girots Garage polisher stack up as far as:

1) user friendly

2) likeliness of ruining paint

3) amount of speed controls

The obvious reason I chose the PC was from the millions of reviews and videos out there for it.



I'll have to look into the Hydro Tech pads, why do you like them so much? Do they hold product better, clean up better, cut better?



I'll have to contact the super friendly staff at AG to see if I can get them to match other vendors discount. Yeah, 15% would save me enough for . . . . . endless possibilites!!



I would had added some ONR, however I already have 2 full jugs of Megs Gold Class so that would be a waste untill I use up the rest. Maybe a product I'll try out next year though! Grout sponges over a sheepskin mitt? I can see using them for lower body scrubing but not for the entire paint. What would the advantage be of a grout sponge over a sheepskin mitt, besides cost?



BFWD? MPL? Remember I'm an average joe so I don't know what these stand for. You're right the brinkmann light was just a "toy" I thought I would have fun with, but now that I think of it, I don't have a garage so I guess I really don't need it to spot corrrections.



Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. I'm going to make my order this Friday so if there are any more suggestions I sure would love to hear them! I'll let you all know what I came up with!
 
The pad washer is on sale ;) We can match anyone's Father's Day sale. Just include a link to their promotion in the shipping comments of your order, and the price will be adjusted before your card is charged. Or, just call me to place the order at 1-800-869-3011 x213 and I'll take care of you. :xyxthumbs:
 
Matt, I just may call you sir. I have more questions and have been getting a little confused over things. Thank you for chimming in to help!
 
I did change my pads out for the HydroTech ones. I did 6 Cyan and 3 each of Tangerine and Crimson. I'll have to see what else I need now. Thanks again everyone!
 
jayhkr said:
I did change my pads out for the HydroTech ones. I did 6 Cyan and 3 each of Tangerine and Crimson. I'll have to see what else I need now. Thanks again everyone!



Remember, a competitor (same one running 15% off with Free Ship over 49.00) has hydrotech's for about ~$3.00 less per '3 pack' than AG. They'll match that too. Saving money is fun.



:lol
 
jayhkr said:
How does the Girots Garage polisher stack up as far as:

1) user friendly

2) likeliness of ruining paint

3) amount of speed controls

The obvious reason I chose the PC was from the millions of reviews and videos out there for it.

BFWD?



The things you listed here will be the same, speed control ect, except you get a little more power and a little larger orbit. (as in random orbit 5/16" > 1/4") And your video instruction will still apply the same.



Not any more dangerous, just a little more power. BFWD is BlackFire Wet Diamond. From what I have read, it's similar in depth, shine and durability as much more expensive polishes except it's cheaper and available over the counter.



I know it seems a bit overwhelming because it did for me as recent as last week. For me it was the unknown more than the known. The good new is everyone here is pretty patient (so far lol) and with what you're delving into, you can't do too much irreversible damage.



Just start with basics, polisher, pads, Megs, and a couple instructional videos on Youtube, then work your way up to more involved processes. At least that's what I am doing. I still have yet to touch paint with polish, so I can definately relate to where you are.
 
You can't compare ONR to Megs Gold Class Wash. One is rinseless the other is traditional.



Get the ONR. It's more important than anything else in your cart right now. It's THAT good.



You said "save time" in your original post. If you really want to save time ONR and maybe some Opti-Seal. ONR + OOS is the fastest combo you can get for maintanence. And you can use OOS on your rims, trim, windows, etc.
 
Well I may just look into that. So many people have recommended ONR that I'll do some hard time consideration of it. I'll read up more on the opti-seal. Never did and research on it so I'll give it a through once-over. Thanks for your help.
 
Matt@Autogeek said:
The pad washer is on sale ;) We can match anyone's Father's Day sale. Just include a link to their promotion in the shipping comments of your order, and the price will be adjusted before your card is charged. Or, just call me to place the order at 1-800-869-3011 x213 and I'll take care of you. :xyxthumbs:



Matt, tried to give you a call a few times this afternoon. Each time it went to your voice mail. As I wasn't sticking around a phone this afternoon I didn't leave any info to have you call me back. Then I tried calling around 6pm cst and found out that I can't do est to cst very well! LOL So with that being said I will give you a holler when I get off work Thursday. Get ready for lots of questions! :work:
 
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