N00b seaking help

C

ciph3r

New member
Since I was 16 I've always kept my car clean, washing, waxing, etc very often. Just up until recently have I started to use products that one couldn't just buy at a parts store. I like alot of you guys are curious to try out new products because I love to see good results from something new. I have a 1998 black Honda Civic which most of the paint is faily new, but it still suffers from swirls. In my quest to get rid of these peskey swirls I've tried just about every thing Wal-Mart had to offer and nothng worked so I just ordered a PC. Here are my questions:



I just ordered the PC kit from autogeek which comes with 1 Orange Light Cutting Pad, 2 White Polishing Pads, and 1 Black Finishing Pad. I also ordered some Optimum Compound and Polish. Please review the preplanned detailing steps and let me know if I'm doing something wrong or if i could improve anything...



1. Wash car down with Dawn (the blue stuff)

2. Clay

3. Orange pad on PC with Optimum Compound to remove swirls

4. White pad on PC with Optimim Polish to clean up any swirls caused by the compound

5. Here is where I'm kinda confused.. I have AIO and SG but should I use them after the OP or just leave them out?

6. Seal with Meg's #16



Should I apply the Megs by hand or with with the PC?

Are the LC pads that come with my PC any good?

Any help would be greatly appreciated guys!
 
Don't use the Dawn. Any polish or cleaner will remove any wax that is already on the car. There is no need to use dish soap, which usually does a crappy job of removing wax anyway.



Try the white pad with OP first to see if that can remove the swirls, before moving up to a pretty aggressive combo, OC/orange.



I would use AIO and SG after OP, yes.



"Seal with Meg's #16" - #16 isn't a sealant, so it really should be "Wax with Meg's #16" :)



You can apply #16 by hand or PC. I typically don't apply waxes and sealants by PC, since a lot of the product seems to be wasted by getting inside the pad.



I use Propel pads myself, so I can't comment much on LC pads.
 
Hey ciph3r...great product selections btw.



I bought the exact same pad kit from Autogeek. Excellent quality and performance, although slightly more expensive than competing brands. Looking through your steps, here are my recommendations.



1. Ditch the Dawn and use a good car shampoo (some OTC shampoos are equivalent or better than some boutique one in the performance arena) - I find Dawn has low lubricity and dries out rubber trim such as door seals and wiper blades (Yes...I have made the mistake of using Dawn on my old car). In addition, you could use the wash solution as the clay lubricant.



2. #16 is some really good stuff...I have to apply by hand; I can't seam to "smear" it on a PC pad in an even layer. :think:



3. AIO/SG would go after the Optimum twins and before #16 (It's your choice of course).



MCA
 
Right Wax is last step..I'm still learning all these new terms. Well it looks like I've got what I need eh? I'll wait till my PC comes in and post the results for you guys. Thanks for the help fellas!
 
As long as you've got some MF cloths to buff the excess products. Don't try to polish out the swirls and use an old bath towel to remove the excess polish!
 
White95Max said:
As long as you've got some MF cloths to buff the excess products. Don't try to polish out the swirls and use an old bath towel to remove the excess polish!
Click to expand...



O yeah man, I've got plenty of MF towels. My PC is going to come with 3 more of the autogeek MF towels which I find to a really good job of removing polish/wax.



I have another question if you guys dont mind. I ordered some MF bonnets for my PC. Will removing the product with the PC provide any advantage over doing it by hand?
 
I'm going to say you'll get better results by hand. Here's why:



When you're using a bonnet, you use the same area of fabric constantly. With a MF towel by hand, you can flip it over or use a different section for each panel, which ensures that you're using a clean section of MF all the time.



I don't think there will be any noticeable difference either way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top