New into detailing, looking for some product recommendations

9

99MPower

New member
Well, last year I was stationed out in Pearl Harbor, HI with the US Navy, and when I left I sold all my car wash equipment. It was all pretty basic, autozone stuff. I am getting ready to come home from Iraq, and looking to get into detailing as a hobby/side job.



I'm looking for recommendations for a "basic" starting list of things I should be looking for. I have done some random orbital stuff before, but looking to progress pretty quickly to a better orbital.



I had a GREAT detail clinic from a pro detailer out in hawaii before I left, and have picked up some great tips and advice from him, but need some product to get started.



Washes?

Brushes?

Towels?

Polishes?

Waxes?

Random Orbital or Orbital suggestions as well would be greatly appreciated



I currently own a Alpine White 1999 BMW M3, and hang around with the Euro crowd quite a bit, and do a lot of high performance track events.



Glad to be on this board and the wealth of knowledge here.



:spot
 
How much are you looking to spend?



Is you clear coat hard or soft?



Does the car need a lot of paint correction or is the paint in relatively good condition?



Is this going to be a once a month type of deal or are you looking to spend time weekly to keep the car looking tip top?



These are all questions that would help in the decision making process; but to give you a quick answer..........



I would personally go with a Makita Rotary Polisher if the car needs heavy correction and a porter Cable if the car needs light correction.



I like grout sponges from Lowes (Proline) to wash my car, but I see alot of success with microfiber wash mitts, and it seems like the older guys like good quality wool wash mitts.



I don't have a suggestion on a good shampoo because I am still looking for one myeself.



Stay away from "paint brushes" if you can help it. Invest in some microfiber towels instead.



For a bmw I would suggest taking a look the at the Menzerna line, P21s line, or the Zaino line...



I got started with a Zaino kit, and a few add ons. I think I paid like $150 for it. It was the best investment I ever made. It was a good place to start, they supplied me with everything I needed, and I got fantastic results which is probably what got me hell bent on buying products like mad.



Good luck



DG
 
DG.. thanks



Not sure if the clear coat is hard or soft.. how can I tell?



Paint is relatively good condition, but it does get beat up with all the track driving I do



I'm looking to spend some time on it, and get it "right" and then maintain it, but I'm also looking to start doing more cars than just mine.



I LOVE working on cars, racing cars, auto-x'ing my car, hanging with the guys working on the cars, and this just seems like a great extension of that, and possibly making a little money on the side.



I'm not worried about dropping $200-$300 on products PLUS a random orbital or orbital for GOOD products that I know I will use until they are gone
 
Our clear is hard.



Seriously, Cal, Menzerna Super Intensive polish with a orange lake country pad and Menzerna Nano 106ff (or fa) and a white pad will do the job.



I've done an AW before and that was the best combination.



I would not suggest a rotary unless you're really looking to remove everything.



Go with an Ultimate Detailing Machine and 5.5 pads or 6.5 pads.



My favorite wax for white cars is Lusso Oro, even on darker colored cars it looks amazing.



For brushes, especially wheels go with the EZ Detail brush and one Swissvax wheel brush.



AM318.jpg


AM3130.jpg


AM3136.jpg
 
thanks for the heads up Josh... Im sure I'll be hitting you up via PM on M3F for some more advice...



any other suggestions for everything else?
 
well.. I've read all 24 chapters on the intro stuff, and put together a list of stuff to start my kit out. Let me know what you guys think.



1" Round detail brushes

Sonus Der Wunder Applicators

Genuine Wool Mitt

4 n 1 Microfiber Mitt

Der Wunder MF trio

Sonus Detailing Towels

Sonus Trim & Motor Kote

Sonus Tire and Bumper Dressing Gel

Plexus

Sonus Glass Polish & Chrome Cleaner

Ultimate Detailing Machine

Swisswax Wheel Brush

Lusso Oro

3/4' Masking Tape

Gilmour Foaming Gun

Grit Guard Dual Bucket

Menzerna Intensive Polish PO91E

Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA

Adams Car Wash Concentrate

Adams Clay Bar and Detail Spray
 
Oh yeah.. I forgot to add the pads in there.. but a orange LCC pad and a white LCC for the menzerna polishes
 
I'm trying Don.... couple changes need to be made, but once I get a "good" list together, I will get it out to you, and the websites to get everything at
 
Your going to get a lot of opinions on what to buy and what not to buy. I personally not impressed with Menzerna on a hard finish, but seeing as how other M3 guys are having great success with it, I have no ground to stand on. On my GM hard CC Intensive Polish is good for finishing and the 106FF I bought is useless.



I would pickup the pads as mentioned. I don't quite understand what the fear of Rotary polishers is, I've never used a random orbital polisher, except for removing paint (repaint). Generally you will be able to correct more (supposedly) with a Rotary, but a PC is going to give you the lowest margin of error. Just go slow, and pay attention, you'll be OK with either.



Again, I would have to suggest, rather then purchasing this "detailing set" part by part, you opt for a system (like Zaino, Pinnacle, P21s, what ever floats you boat) to get you started. And then once you are familiar with that line, and you are achieving fantastic results you can get, picky-choosy with the products you intend on purchasing.



Just my $0.02



DG
 
thanks DG... I've got the list pretty much sorted out, and have got some help from some other personal friends/detailers...



Hoping to post up some threads when i get back with my fantastic results :clap:
 
I have painted and wet sanded and buffed several vehicles. So I am not afraid of a rotary buffer. I have a Makita with variable rpm settings.



Is a Random orbital polisher better for detailing than a straight rotary buffer/polisher for detailing?
 
99MPower- Welcome to Autopia! Thanks for your service to our country.



I have a '97 M3 that I bought in, uhm..."used" condition so I know a bit about detailing Bimmers of that vintage. The clear is *HARD*. I agree with the others that you need to choose your polishes carefully as too-mild stuff will be an exercise in frustration.



I'd get Meguiar's M105 for the aggressive product (most anything oughta work for the follow-up as the M105 finishes out very well). The other stuff I tried on mine wasn't remotely efficient and I was spending hours on it even with my rotaries and aggressive pads. The M105 just works *right* on that paint, and in a timely manner.



daddinans3 said:
Is a Random orbital polisher better for detailing than a straight rotary buffer/polisher for detailing?
Click to expand...



It's not that the RO is "better" or "worse", it's just different with a much lower probablility of an "oops" and a much higher probability of good final end-results. And some of us find it impossible to finish-polish with a rotary without leaving faint "holograms", which a RO will *not* cause. It's easy to do the initial correction via rotary, and a serious "oops" is primarily (IMO) a matter of concentration and mindset. But getting the *final* polishing to work out via rotary isn't so easy and that's where a RO can fit the bill perfectly.



With products like M105 now available, even some *serious* pros (e.g, TH0001) are finding that they no longer need/want to use the rotaries for jobs which previously would have required them. My M3 is a perfect example: before trying M105 via the Porter Cable and Flex 3401 polishers, I simply *had* to use my rotaris (including a Makita) with old-school aggressive compounds. I'm now doing better work, faster and easier, with the M105/RO approach.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top