My best unprofessional job

betterdan

betterdan

New member
Now I'm not a professional detailer and I don't have but an Advance Auto orbital buffer and some off the shelf products but I think the cars came out pretty good.
Last Sunday I used the following on both the 06 Malibu and the 97 Cougar

Meguiars Deep Crystal wash
dried with Absorber
Meguiars Ultimate Compound applied with orbital buffer and terry cloth pad/removed with buffer and microfiber pad
Meguiars NXT2.0 applied and removed with orbital buffer and microfiber pads
Meguiars Hot Shine tire spray
Stoners Invisible Glass

I then decided to try some of Meguiars new Ultimate Wax so I went down to Advance Auto and bought some. I came home and applied it via buffer and microfiber cloth. I went over the whole car then immediately buffed it off with the buffer and a microfiber pad. It wasn't coming off so good with the buffer (may have applied too much or maybe the 50 degree weather had something to do with it) so I sprayed some Mothers detail spray and wiped it off by hand with a microfiber towel, still a little hard to get off so I rewaxed the car a section at a time using the sponge applicator the Ultimate Wax came with then removed it by hand with a microfiber towel. This worked best.
It has rained since then but I went out yesterday and wiped the cars down with Mothers detail spray and snapped some pics this morning.

06 Malibu (needs some paint chips and a few scratches touched up)
IMG_1607.jpg

IMG_1608.jpg

IMG_1609.jpg


97 Cougar (was looking pretty bad when I bought it and it still doesn't look too great but much better than it did)
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Yeah, a PC or like machine will definitely help you achieve your desired results quicker and it will be easier on the body (your body) parts as well. Nice job though. Mother's Showtime Detail Spray....mmmmmm....that cinnamon scent activates those salivary glands. :drool:
 
Welcome to the site.

Nice work on your cars.

I started out on this site doing cars exactly as you have done yours and I was darned proud of my work but I kept on burning those little orbital polishers up. When I finally broke down and stepped up to a professional grade polisher, (my first was a Cyclo) it was like a paradigm shift in that with the help of the members here at DC I found an entirely different level of paint polishing that I didn't know existed.

I had no idea what the different color pads were for but came here and asked. I was pointed in the right direction and went out and did my first correction with my new machine and over the counter products. Both myself and the customer were floored by the results. Here's the link to my first ever paying paint correction job using my first real polisher.

http://www.detailcity.org/forums/detailers-showcase/25272-black-99-olds-alero-detailed-w-pics.html

Hang in there and consider the suggestion of getting into a Porter Cable or similar style polisher. It will improve your results 10 fold.
 
You will now try to get your vehicles one notch higher all the time.

:lol2:


If you'd like to feed this addiction let me know.
I can give you a list of products for you to get. :lol2:
 
Yea I joined up a few years back. I always did things by hand because I was scared of destroying the paint on our cars with a machine. I finally broke down a couple months ago and bought the oribital buffer and it is so easy I can't believe I never tried it before.

How much harder is a DA polisher to handle working on the paint? I guess I could always test it on my Cougar since it's not exactly the best looking anyways. I wouldn't dare try it on my wife's car until I get the hang of it and sure I won't burn up her paint. ;)

Ron, I'd appreciate the list of products. I have no idea what each pad is for or the colors either.
 
The pc or flex will do a 1000 x better job than the buffer you have and it'll take ya bout 45 seconds to get the hang of it. (you can also ck out some of the vids avail here and ag site)

before I give you a list, what is it you want to accomplish? be realistic and what kind of look(bright and blingy, or deep rich) and durability you want.
 
I'd like to diminish as many scratches and swirls as possible and a nice deep rich finish would be nice. Durability is good to me with the wax I use now so as long as it lasts as long as the NXT 2.0 I'm happy.
 
betterdan said:
I'd like to diminish as many scratches and swirls as possible and a nice deep rich finish would be nice. Durability is good to me with the wax I use now so as long as it lasts as long as the NXT 2.0 I'm happy.
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Durability is good to me with the wax I use now so as long as it lasts as long as the NXT 2.0 I'm happy.[/QUOTE] NXT is the poorest durability of all sealants. Any sealant will last longer than NXT.

Like other have suggested get a PC and learn to use it and your car will look MUCH better.
 
Since you've used a waxer type buffer before, the learning curve on something like the Porter Cable won't be big at all. The first thing you should understand is the technique. Technique with a Dual Action polisher isn't anything like a orbital waxer, especially when you're using abrasives.

Once you've got the technique down, the results will blow you away. With the help of this forum, you're sure to get an excellent pad/polish combo. My first suggestion would be to try the wolfgang duo on both cars. While on that note, take a look at this kit, as it will get you started in the right direction: Wolfgang Porter Cable 7424XP Swirl - Free Kit 3.0

You've got lots of good people on this forum, so use what's free for now and ask questions. When you're ready to pull the trigger and invest in something to maintain your vehicles for life, you know who to call:bigups
 
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