New Advice On Initial Purchase

T

The Critic

New member
Hey everyone,



This is such a great forum-- I have learned so much over the last few days by just searching and reading old posts.



I want to learn detailing as a new hobby. So, it's time for me to make that initial purchase and I am coming here to ask all of you for some advice.



Based on what I have read on this forum (and others), I plan to purchase the following items:



(1) Flex XC3401 VRG

(1) Flex Bag

(2) Lake Country CCS Orange Pads

(2) Lake Country CCS White Pads

(1) Lake Country CCS Yellow Pad

(1) Lake Country CCS Black Pad



+ few microfiber towels..



Package is $319 (From Auto Detailing Solutions, but autogeek says they will pricematch)



(1) Meguiar's M105-- 32oz-- $28

(1) Meguiar's M205-- 32oz-- $30

(1) Wolfgang's Deep Gloss Paint Sealant-- 16oz-- $30

(2) Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel 16X24-- $20 (BOGO)

(2) White/Yellow ShMITT Wash Mitt-- $22

(4) Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay-- $40 (BOGO)

(1) ONR-- 32 oz-- $16



Total for chemicals: $186 (from Autogeek)



So, all together it should be around $505.



I am still trying to decide between the Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant and less-expensive alternatives such as Poor Boy's EX-P and the Duragloss #105.



Also, how does my pad selection look? Should I get more pads? If so, what brand/model? Are the Hydroclear pads worth a look? What about the uber Flex pads? Remember, I only plan to detail my own car (Saturn sedan) and perhaps the family cars.



Thanks in advance!
 
Depending on what your spending ceiling is you could get more pads. I'm still building up my pad collection and i've only got 2xorange, 2xyellow, 2x white, 2xblack, 2xblue. I've read that the more often you change out pads the longer they'll last.



What color is your saturn? For dark colors I like Blackfire Wet Diamond sealant.
 
The Critic- Welcome to Autopia!



I would skip the Yellow LC pad. IMO if you can't do something with an Orange pad and M105 then you shouldn't try doing it (at least not at this point).



FWIW, I'm a *BIG* fan of the Griot's orange foam polishing pad (it's very different from other orange foam pads) via Flex. AFAIK the new LC Tangerine pad is supposedly very similar. This would be an alternate option for the polishing step. I can't quite recall the name of this pad line from LC, but it might be the "Hydroclear" that you mentioned.



I've never used the Wolfgang sealant, but I've used others that are probably quite similar (between Blackfire and 4-Star UPP, in all their versions, the Wolfgang probably fits in there somewhere). I can't help but recommend FK1000P, a paste sealant that performs very well, especially on daily drivers in the real world.



OR...if you only plan to apply one coat of LSP (Last Step Product, i.e., wax or sealant), it's hard to beat Collinite wax. IME a single coat of Collinite will give a single coat of *anything* a good run for its money, and the Collinite will often even be *better*. IMO the real durability/etc. advantages of sealants don't truly come into play until you get a few layers on there, and that's not always feasible.



Oh, and I can't help but wonder if that Pinnacle clay, even with the BOGO, isn't perhaps a pretty expensive way to get into claying :think: Wonder how much some ClayMagic Blue (good all-around clay) would cost. Wonder also how much some Sonus green Ultra-fine Clay would cost (more specialized, used to "clay the wax/sealant", it's very gentle).
 
Wolfgang Sealant 3.0, probably the best sealant money! Super durable, the looks last as long as the product protects and a good sheeting action....oh yeah looks amazing too! Amazing i mean, its looks genuine and creates no faux effect, good optics and jetting.



Personally i prefer the flat pads on the machine too, the CSS can hold to much product. Though the red CSS hand applicators are acutally great....!
 
Thanks guys.



or now, I have decided to skip the Flex purchase so that I can do more research on the various options. I want to do some research on that new Meguiar's DA before I pull the trigger. In the meantime, I still want to purchase some wash/clay/seal products, so here are the products that I just ordered. I wanted to get my order in so I can take advantage of the free gift from autogeek:



From Autogeek:



Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel-- $19.99 for two

Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay-- $39.99 for four bars

Package of 3 Pinnacle Foam Wax Applicators-- $4.99

Duragloss #105-- $21.98 for two 16oz bottles

Pinnacle XMT Speed Clay Lube-- $9.99 for two bottles



From Chemical Guys



Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss-- $18.95 for one gallon

3" Thick Microfiber Wash Mitt-- $6.95

Microfiber Super Towel, Slick Branded, 16X16-- $17.95 for 12 pack

209g Gray Clay Bar medium-duty + 16oz spray of LUBER-- $22.95
 
Man, I just ordered the Flex kit from Detailer's Domain...and the deal from Auto Detailing Solutions is much better.



Well, better luck next time.
 
the guy at my local detailing shop said he preferred the PC7424xp to the Meguiars DA in terms of product quality, but I believe he was referring to the first gen Meg's DA. don't know how the new one stands up to the porter cable.
 
If I was starting fresh... it would be the new v2.0 meguiars DA with meguiars pads and a bottle of M105 and M205. that can handle just about anything.
 
salpac said:
If I was starting fresh... it would be the new v2.0 meguiars DA with meguiars pads and a bottle of M105 and M205. that can handle just about anything.
Click to expand...



I would get the new Griot's Garage DA polisher with Lake Country hydro tech pads and the 105 and 205.
 
I'd rather have 3 orange pads and 3 green (not coarse green!) pads. I also think the 7.5" mushroom pads work very well with the Flex. FWIW, I prefer pads sold by properautocare because they have the constant pressure blue foam layer. If you want a good looking sealant that is easy to work with and durable, I'd suggest Duragloss 105. There are lots of other good sealant/wax options, but Duragloss is very easy to use. Most of the others I can think of have a learning curve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top