Old Pirate
AMG Classic Car Detailing
Yes, take care of your wife's car first and enjoy your flight out on the freedom bird.
Newb intro, and getting started
- Thread starter Michael H
- Start date
flamed03vert
New member
I finally have returned stateside and am ready to get the cars back into shape.
ancing Dot: I know you have probably been busy with the new site (looks great BTW)., but was wondering if you had a chance to look over my list and offer any suggestions. Thanks again!imported_TLMitchell
New member
Greetings,
Welcome home! :clap:
Nothing wrong with anything on your list. However, when starting out you may want to take smaller steps or at least wait until there's a big sale. That's a pretty good chunk of change when you add it all up.
FWIW, after trying everything under the sun I find the Meg's MF Correction kit to obsolete a lot of other products. You can vary the cut of the compound by varying pressure and working time rather than switching products and every color pad under the sun. A pro needs to have products available for any eventuality. An enthusiast primarily working on his own vehicles can benefit by getting the most versatile products and those that can do double duty when possible.
ONR & OPC are two very versatile products. CGCW works well if you want to strip a finish as well as for maintenance washes at higher dilutions.
D103 is APC+, dunno what number the APC is. I favor 103 as the cleaning power is comparable but it foams less on the occasion I use it to spot treat carpets. You may not need a dedicated wheel cleaner unless your wheels accumulate heavy brake dust and you don't clean them regularly.
I've been using Bleche White for 30+ years and find it works as good as anything on whitewalls and RWLs. Diluted 50:50 it cleans wheels wells superbly. I even use it 1:1 on my electrostatic furnace filters. You have to be careful around uncoated aluminum because it's caustic and will stain and etch. If you're going with OPC you can probably live without Westley's.
The EZ Detail or Daytona Speedmaster brushes are sweet for wheels and engine bays. If you see a kit with both the large and small included grab 'em both. Very handy to have around. Various sized paint brushes from your local hardware store are handy and cheap and you can cut the bristles back if you need to.
Paying for buckets & shipping can be a little pricey. Anyplace with a large bakery gets glaze in 5 gallon buckets with lids. I had a few saved at the local Wal Mart bakery. A local Paint & Wallpaper place had some empty buckets that comes with 50 lbs of drywall mud in 'em... probably around 3 1/2 or 4 gallons. I prefer 'em as they're lighter to move around than a fuller bucket. YMMV.
I blow dry initially using the removable blower on my Shop Vac. With a good LSP there isn't much residue left to mop up and it gets the water out of nooks and crannies. I have a few of the Little Blues that PAC sells and they're as good or better than anything I've ever used. They're about the only thing that doesn't leave marks in a problematic, soft black finish on one of my bikes. They're attractively priced if you don't need a larger towel. If you're going to use a towel to totally dry a vehicle I'd recommend the Big Blue. Might even want to check out the combos that PAC sells. You can't have too many WW drying towels!
I'm not too fussy about clay. Frequently when I run low I grab something locally. Clay Magic blue works well, is reasonably priced and available many places. I've used Mother's and Meg's and find them a bit milder. ONR is a great choice for lube... one of those multiple duty products I spoke of. I keep a spray bottle filled with it at QD strength and use it for lube, spot cleaning as well as QDing. I also use it on rubber floor mats if they're not overly filthy. Leaves a nice clean non-slippery finish.
Although 105 has excellent cut and finishes pretty nice it dusts like crazy and dries quick resulting in less working time. After using D301 with the Meg's MF kit I use it instead of 105. You may need to work it longer or use a bit more aggressive pad to get results comparable to 105 but it works a long time and wipe-off is a breeze. If you're going with 85RD you can probably skip 205 as well. IMO, 85RD on a white polishing pad clears up haze and glosses the finish as well as 205 and it's primo for jeweling for that last bit of extra gloss with a finishing pad.
That's a good pad selection, I prefer and recommend 5.5". I've got no earthly idea why most starter kits seem to come with 6.5" pads. Many vendors will substitute smaller pads if you ask. PAC's constant pressure flat pads are very nice. For any tough correcting I find having a few PFW pads useful in a couple of sizes. They correct better than LC yellow without marring, IMO.
AFAIK, PCs don't come with backing plates, I'd personally recommend going with a 5" BP and 5.5" pads. 4" pads are real usefull for spot work or tighter spots. If you go with the Meg's MF kits including BPs they will also be useable with foam pads. The GG comes with a 6" BP, that polisher is a bit stouter than the PC, IMO. Plus GG offers a Lifetime warranty on their polishers. You'd still need the smaller BPs if you decide to go in that direction.
I've used BFWD sealant and like it. Personally, I'm a fan or 845IW, especially on lighter colors. It's high gloss and lasts a loooong time and it beads like crazy, I use it on wheels instead of a dedicated wheel wax. It doesn't stain trim and works well on shiney black trim. Best bang-for-the-buck LSP out there for my money.
AFA tire dressing, everybody has their own personal preferences. I prefer a spray as I have RWL & WOL tires, much easier than dealing with the small, narrow spots by hand. I use Stoner's More Shine and give it a light wipe after it starts to set up for a more matte finish. I also like a foam product call No Touch that's available in most Auto Parts stores. I wipe it down before it dries for a matte finish and it's also handy on wheels wells.
PAC has some gray utility towels that are priced well and they're excellent quality. The corners are reportedly cut a bit rough and it was suggested you may not want to use them on paint. I fold the corners in and use 'em on paint with no ill effects when they're fairly new. When washed multiple times the corners and edges tend to fray a bit and when I think they're no longer suitable for paint they get demoted to underhood and door jamb duty etc.
Many hardware stores like True Value or Ace have decent priced spray bottles.
303 is a good all-around versatile product. On carpets requiring light cleaning I use D103 10:1 and extract with a Shop Vac. Frequently I spray a clear water rinse and re-extract to remove any residue. For spot cleaning most household foaming carpet cleaners work fine. On tough spots I have a bottle of Folex from Lowe's or Home Depot.
For vacs I always recommend one with a removeable blower. In addition to blow-drying vehicles they're handy for blowing off the garage floor and other tasks. I've had my 12 gallon Shop Vac for 20+ years... the only thing I'd do different is get a lower profile one. The high center of gravity on mine allows it to tip easily when you yank it around by the hose.
Leather treatment depends on the condition of your leather. If you keep it fairly clean some use OTC Lexol products. For finer leather you may want to use Leather Master products or for the top-of-the-line leather Leatherique seems to be a consensus product.
TL
Welcome home! :clap:
Nothing wrong with anything on your list. However, when starting out you may want to take smaller steps or at least wait until there's a big sale. That's a pretty good chunk of change when you add it all up.
FWIW, after trying everything under the sun I find the Meg's MF Correction kit to obsolete a lot of other products. You can vary the cut of the compound by varying pressure and working time rather than switching products and every color pad under the sun. A pro needs to have products available for any eventuality. An enthusiast primarily working on his own vehicles can benefit by getting the most versatile products and those that can do double duty when possible.
ONR & OPC are two very versatile products. CGCW works well if you want to strip a finish as well as for maintenance washes at higher dilutions.
D103 is APC+, dunno what number the APC is. I favor 103 as the cleaning power is comparable but it foams less on the occasion I use it to spot treat carpets. You may not need a dedicated wheel cleaner unless your wheels accumulate heavy brake dust and you don't clean them regularly.
I've been using Bleche White for 30+ years and find it works as good as anything on whitewalls and RWLs. Diluted 50:50 it cleans wheels wells superbly. I even use it 1:1 on my electrostatic furnace filters. You have to be careful around uncoated aluminum because it's caustic and will stain and etch. If you're going with OPC you can probably live without Westley's.
The EZ Detail or Daytona Speedmaster brushes are sweet for wheels and engine bays. If you see a kit with both the large and small included grab 'em both. Very handy to have around. Various sized paint brushes from your local hardware store are handy and cheap and you can cut the bristles back if you need to.
Paying for buckets & shipping can be a little pricey. Anyplace with a large bakery gets glaze in 5 gallon buckets with lids. I had a few saved at the local Wal Mart bakery. A local Paint & Wallpaper place had some empty buckets that comes with 50 lbs of drywall mud in 'em... probably around 3 1/2 or 4 gallons. I prefer 'em as they're lighter to move around than a fuller bucket. YMMV.
I blow dry initially using the removable blower on my Shop Vac. With a good LSP there isn't much residue left to mop up and it gets the water out of nooks and crannies. I have a few of the Little Blues that PAC sells and they're as good or better than anything I've ever used. They're about the only thing that doesn't leave marks in a problematic, soft black finish on one of my bikes. They're attractively priced if you don't need a larger towel. If you're going to use a towel to totally dry a vehicle I'd recommend the Big Blue. Might even want to check out the combos that PAC sells. You can't have too many WW drying towels!
I'm not too fussy about clay. Frequently when I run low I grab something locally. Clay Magic blue works well, is reasonably priced and available many places. I've used Mother's and Meg's and find them a bit milder. ONR is a great choice for lube... one of those multiple duty products I spoke of. I keep a spray bottle filled with it at QD strength and use it for lube, spot cleaning as well as QDing. I also use it on rubber floor mats if they're not overly filthy. Leaves a nice clean non-slippery finish.
Although 105 has excellent cut and finishes pretty nice it dusts like crazy and dries quick resulting in less working time. After using D301 with the Meg's MF kit I use it instead of 105. You may need to work it longer or use a bit more aggressive pad to get results comparable to 105 but it works a long time and wipe-off is a breeze. If you're going with 85RD you can probably skip 205 as well. IMO, 85RD on a white polishing pad clears up haze and glosses the finish as well as 205 and it's primo for jeweling for that last bit of extra gloss with a finishing pad.
That's a good pad selection, I prefer and recommend 5.5". I've got no earthly idea why most starter kits seem to come with 6.5" pads. Many vendors will substitute smaller pads if you ask. PAC's constant pressure flat pads are very nice. For any tough correcting I find having a few PFW pads useful in a couple of sizes. They correct better than LC yellow without marring, IMO.
AFAIK, PCs don't come with backing plates, I'd personally recommend going with a 5" BP and 5.5" pads. 4" pads are real usefull for spot work or tighter spots. If you go with the Meg's MF kits including BPs they will also be useable with foam pads. The GG comes with a 6" BP, that polisher is a bit stouter than the PC, IMO. Plus GG offers a Lifetime warranty on their polishers. You'd still need the smaller BPs if you decide to go in that direction.
I've used BFWD sealant and like it. Personally, I'm a fan or 845IW, especially on lighter colors. It's high gloss and lasts a loooong time and it beads like crazy, I use it on wheels instead of a dedicated wheel wax. It doesn't stain trim and works well on shiney black trim. Best bang-for-the-buck LSP out there for my money.
AFA tire dressing, everybody has their own personal preferences. I prefer a spray as I have RWL & WOL tires, much easier than dealing with the small, narrow spots by hand. I use Stoner's More Shine and give it a light wipe after it starts to set up for a more matte finish. I also like a foam product call No Touch that's available in most Auto Parts stores. I wipe it down before it dries for a matte finish and it's also handy on wheels wells.
PAC has some gray utility towels that are priced well and they're excellent quality. The corners are reportedly cut a bit rough and it was suggested you may not want to use them on paint. I fold the corners in and use 'em on paint with no ill effects when they're fairly new. When washed multiple times the corners and edges tend to fray a bit and when I think they're no longer suitable for paint they get demoted to underhood and door jamb duty etc.
Many hardware stores like True Value or Ace have decent priced spray bottles.
303 is a good all-around versatile product. On carpets requiring light cleaning I use D103 10:1 and extract with a Shop Vac. Frequently I spray a clear water rinse and re-extract to remove any residue. For spot cleaning most household foaming carpet cleaners work fine. On tough spots I have a bottle of Folex from Lowe's or Home Depot.
For vacs I always recommend one with a removeable blower. In addition to blow-drying vehicles they're handy for blowing off the garage floor and other tasks. I've had my 12 gallon Shop Vac for 20+ years... the only thing I'd do different is get a lower profile one. The high center of gravity on mine allows it to tip easily when you yank it around by the hose.
Leather treatment depends on the condition of your leather. If you keep it fairly clean some use OTC Lexol products. For finer leather you may want to use Leather Master products or for the top-of-the-line leather Leatherique seems to be a consensus product.
TL
Todd@RUPES
Just a regular guy
Since Mr. Mitchell basically hit a grand slam with his answer I will simply say welcome to Truth and Thank You for your service.
Todd
Todd
imported_TLMitchell
New member
Even a blind acorn gets a squirrel once in a while. :huh:
"Mr. Mitchell" would be my Father. :biggrin:
TL
flamed03vert
New member
Thank you so much for the informative, well thought out and detailed reply. One reason why I love this site. Now to git 'r' done and post up some pics!