Newbie Detailing Questions.

[Dav22Mccu]

Okay, now that the MF towel question is clearing up, I have some more detailing questions. Please take it easy on me, I'm new at this.



My car is a 1997 BMW 328is. It's Madeira Violet, which is basically very dark purple (almost black). I purchased the car this summer. It's been a daily driver, but it's in almost perfect condition. It seems to have been washed pretty regularly, but I don't think it's ever been thoroughly detailed (e.g., clay bar, glaze, polish, wax, etc).



After I wash the car, I can feel some superficial roughness in the paint. Additionally, there are some swirl marks on the hood that appear to have been left by someone's ill-fated attempt to polish a blemish in the clearcoat. I want to get rid of the roughness and the swirl marks in the paint and put a coat of good quality wax on the car.



I've been reading some online articles on "another car care website" by an author who strongly advocates not to use clay bar unless there is a real reason. He says to start with 3M IHG and only use something stronger if IHG doesn't work. In offline correspondence, he said start with IHG, then use P21S GEPC, then finish with P21S Carnuba Wax. For the swirl marks, he said to use 3M IHG as a carrier for P21S MFSR.



I would like to hear views on whether I should try and smooth the paint with IHG first, or to use clay bar. As I've never used either product before, I don't want to mess up the paint. Also, is it redundant to use IHG and GEPC?



I'm inclined to use IHG and GEPC because they are supposed to be gentle on the paint. I like the idea of P21S wax because I don't want to stain the black trim.



I would appreciate pointers on whether those products are the right ones to use and also how to use them.



Are there temperature constraints? I live in Vancouver, BC. This time of year it's rainy and a few degrees above freezing. Should I wait until the weather warms up?



Thanks in advance.

 

[shaf]

Am I right in guessing that "another car care website" is Car Care Specialties? I think there are quite a few people here that take exception to his view on automotive detailing, as this has come up before.



Claying will probably remove the surface roughness you feel, and is almost universally accepted here as pretty safe to do if done properly, especially if you're polishing afterwards anyway. Polishes don't and probably shouldn't be used to do clay's job of shearing off real dirt contamination.



I haven't used either IHG or GEPC, but I'm pretty sure that they're both too mild to remove any swirls by hand. Hopefully someone will comment on this or you can try searching for this.



P21S wax is probably a great product to use in the current climate because you don't have to wait for it to dry or haze. Polishes might be less sensitive to temperature and humidity because you're just working them in and wiping them off, but I haven't tried myself. I know these factors can play havoc with QD sessions though. Oh by the way, the P21S wax definitely qualifies as a good wax - it's one of the best out there.



Have you tried out DavidB's eBook? The 1st 8 chapters are free, but a purchase directly funds this site (ie, David's pocketbook ). It covers all areas of detailing, and at the very least makes for a great knowledge primer. In combination with this, the search engine is also a great tool to use and will give you access to a huge amount of extra or supplemental info from members new and old.

 

[Dav22Mccu]

Thanks for the excellent response. I asked the questions not to slag the other "car care website", but rather because I wanted to hear some other opinions. (BTW, you guessed right, although the question was a bit of a gift. ;-)



Regarding the use of clay bar to remove the surface roughness, it makes sense that there is a justification for using clay bar rather than trying to take off the surface roughness by rubbing with a polish.



Is there any difference between the various types of clay bar on the market such as Meguiars and Pinnacle?



What about the clay bar lubricant? Mequiars recommends to use QD, but Pinnacle has a specific lubricant.



Regarding the swirl marks, I'd appreciate a recommendation. What about 3M SMR, since I can get it pretty easily here in Vancouver?



I think I'll take you up on the suggestion to check out the eBook.



Thanks.

 

[iceman]

Is there any difference between the various types of clay bar on the market such as Meguiars and Pinnacle?



What about the clay bar lubricant? Mequiars recommends to use QD, but Pinnacle has a specific lubricant.

Check out the Reviews section for a general guide. We are limited in type of clay bars available to us here. Of locally available ones, Meguiar's is not one that seems to be favoured by Autopians. I forgot the reason but I think it left too much residue or something like that. Instead, try Mother's clay bar. It is readily available at Canadian Tire for 24.99 and includes an 80g bar, Showtime Quick Detailer for lubrication, and Cleaner wax. It works well but may be a bit tough to knead. I would personally save the Quick Detailer for quick detailing and use a car wash solution as lubrication instead. This is waaaay cheaper and is what I do. If you want to use some other wax/sealant, then give the cleaner wax away as a gift.



Pinnacle Polyclay is highly rated but is not available except by ordering from the US and is pricey. I personally use the Zaino Z18 claybar. It is expensive also but available through mail order from the Canadian distributor in Ontario at www.zaino.ca or www.car-fanatic.com so you don't get hit with duty from Canada Customs. You still have to pay GST but not PST. I found it to be quite good but also a bit tough to knead.



The other top-rated claybar is Clay Magic. It is also expensive and not readily available either. I read somewhere here that one of the local car detail businesses, Bashir's in Richmond, would be willing to sell some though.

 

[Myles]

Welcome to the world of Autopia !!!!



This is unquestionably the No.1 in car detailing.



Since I live in Australia we dont have some of the stuff (all of it good) that the US has. I use Meguiars clay bar, and have used Mothers clay bar. The Mothers was the first clay bar i bought. I have been hooked on car since. I was just so amazed at how smooth the paint felt. I then looked around for the Mothers clay bar is expensive.



I have settled on the meguiars bar. It seems to be bigger and is cheaper than mothers. Yes Meguiars does leave residue, but i always clay before I do my big every season detail.



I clay after i wash, or somtimes i do a second was in a small bucket if it is cool or i need to save time and i clay with a new bucket and super sudsy water for lube.



I mostly though use Meguiars QD to clay though.



I then get out my hitachi dual action and attach my polishing pad and put on a dab of 3m (tip give the surface you are about to polish and the pad a quick mist of water, allows the polish to spread better and prevents pad heat)



When i use my polishes it gets rid off the clay residue so i am happy.



Then when it has dried wipe off with microfibre.



I use 3M finesse it, Meguiars Show Car Glaze, Ultra Gloss (sealant) and Meguiars Yellow wax.



I only use this because my car is in very good condition. If your paint is worse read up on the website or even better buy Daves Autopia E-Book (first 8 chapters free) and its on special.



Stay with us and there is nothing you think you wont know.



Ciao,



Myles

 

[shaf]

Regarding the swirl marks, I'd appreciate a recommendation. What about 3M SMR, since I can get it pretty easily here in Vancouver?

That's the only swirl remover I've ever used, but I understand it's harder to use by hand compared to Meguiar's #9 version 2.0, which I haven't seen up here yet (but haven't looked really hard for it). It gets to be tough going as it starts drying since it gets "grippy", but by hand it will really only be effective on lighter swirls, depending on how long you work at it.



An alternative might be Meguiar's Body Shop Pro (abbreviated BSP here) Swirl Free Polish. The BSP line is pretty economical from what I've seen and most people that have used BSP stuff generally like it. The Swirl Free is equivalent to other swirl removers, and if you want something stronger get DACP. Canadian Body Shop Supplies in Burnaby sold me a quart of DACP for cheaper than what I paid for 3M SMR at NAPA months earlier! They also carry 3M stuff so you can check their pricing on that too.

 

[Accumulator]

Daryl Morse- Welcome to Autopia. In addition to the other (excellent) advice you've received, let me comment on IHG. I use it on freshly painted cars. It is SO mild that I cannot imagine it removing ANY kind of imperfection. Its oils and fillers WILL cover up some minor marring, but that's about it. If you have some flaws that just won't come out, you might try it (or another glaze) under your wax to minimize how noticeable they are.