Polishes

I

imported_n1976jmk

New member
I was surfing the forum this morning and was reading scottwax's latest post and it showed his mazda when he first recieved it and what it looks like now and what a differnce!!! I have been an avid detailer for about 12 years plus and do detail cars between the spring, summer, and fall on the side for money. But I just bought my first black car. Its an 03' Acura CL Type S and its Nighthawk Black Pearl. It has the usual RIDS and spider webs with a few scrathes that seem to only be in the clearcoat. My finish looks kinda like Scottwax's when he started with his.



My dilemma is since I now own a black car that I have been waiting to do the last 6 years, I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am not sure where exactly to start with the car. I know I am to clay the entire car. Also, let me mention that I am huge Meguiar's fan and that product takes up 90% of my arsenol of detailing products. I do own a Port Cable too along microfibers. I am not sure to start with 83 and red or yellow pad and then 80 with a yellow pad followed by 81 then maybe 26, 16 or NXT.????



Also, I read by what Scottwax and other say about all these different polishes they use on the blacks, do these hide swirls?? do they get applied by hand or machine?? Also, the color seems to have a little metalic flake in it and when you look at it in the direct sunlight you can see the metalic and the color looks like a super dark blue.



Then, I was thinking maybe I should pay someone to do the initial detail on the car and I go from there with the polishes on my own??? I know it takes time to get the car really, really looking good and I have put in the time on my other cars and plan to do it to this one too. It does kill me though with the car looking the way it does now, and the funny thing is people tell how nice it looks now and I am telling myself you haven't seen nothing yet compare to what I can do when I have time here and it gets warmer out in NJ.





I just think its a little different when its your own car, especially it being my first black car that I owned.



Some input would be appreciated.
 
A polish's job should be to reduce the swirls by rubbing them out (or cutting). That is the effect of a somewhat abrasive cleaning (but not too abrasive by rubbing out the clearcoat surface). A finer polish (sometimes its called a glaze, other times its even termed as a sealant) will clean up the haze and blemishes on the paint, leaving it smooth and shiny. Depending on how much work your paint will need, you may require a one step cleaning or polishing like aio, or a more varied approach such as separate cleaners and polishes to get the paint ready for the last step product.



After the paint has been prepped and cleaned up, then you put on your finisher (lsp), which you will either choose from a carnauba or a synthetic "sealant".
 
Well, I think that #83 with a yellow pad (or red), followed by #80 with a yellow pad, followed by #81 by hand, and then any of the LSP's you mentioned will work great. Of course, you may only need #80 depending on the condition of the paint. You will need to be the judge of that after trying.



Yes, there are polishes, especially glazes (like Meguiar's) that will "hide" swirls due to the oils and fillers in the product. Unfortunately, "hiding" swirls is only temporary. To be honest, it's always best to "remove" swirls. Of course, that's sometimes easier said than done (epecially on black), but it can be done.



Hope this answers some of your questions.
 
Having alot of Megs products you'll get some great results when using DACP and a yellow pad followed by #80 and a finishing pad. Using #81 after the #80 is probably going to be a waste of time as #80 leaves a great finish ready for an LSP. Follow the #80 up with two coats of #16 and you are good to go, just dont forget to clay the car initially, there is no mention of that so far and it is a pivitol step.
 
Like White_F150 said, you have to be the judge of whether you start with Meg's #80 or #83. It never hurts to start out with a less abrasive polish if you're not sure.



By "red and yellow" pads, are you referring to Meg's pads? If so I don't think I'd use the red pad initially, many users get marring from using that pad with a PC that they have trouble removing (some don't, but I just wanted to warn you). The yellow Meg's pad is a polish pad, so you may want to pick up an LC, Propel, or Sonus DAS orange pad (light cut/polish)..... it's a nice pad to step up with in aggressiveness w/o causing too much marring. You may also want to pick up a Propel yellow (medium cut) pad "just in case" you need it. Here is a link where you can find the pads:



Orange pads:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/sondas.html



Orange & yellow pads:

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29307&recview=11
 
If the paint contains light to moderate swirls, I would attempt to remove them with #80 and a polishing pad and if that doesn't work, #80 with a cutting pad. For heavier swirls, do with #83 with a light cutting and if unsuccessful, a heavier cutting pad.



Just remember to always start with the least aggressive combo for the job and don't be hesistant about getting aggressive with the PC. It's almost foolproof if you know the basics of aggressive products and their appropriate use.



In addition, DACP, 80, Poorboy's SSR line, and the SFX-1,2,3, etc. remove swirls. Glazes, however, fill in swirls with their heavy oil content that ultimately fades away.



Hope this helps
 
I would stay away from the red pad also and 83. Unless you are prepared to do 83 stepping down a couple times to remove the marring.
 
With my black I'll do #83 with a white pad to see if that will do it .. I shy away from the yellow pad and DACP cuz VW clear is very hard and its a chore to get the DACP hazing out after .. You Acura clear, if like the MDX I did, is a lot softer and should be an easier go.



Be patient and start least aggressive first.



In most cases #80 and a white pad does the trick for me .. I usually follow up with Menzerna FP to burnish it a bit when my next step is Zaino.
 
Most of the colors you see discussed refer to the Lake Country pads sold by several on-line sites (properautocare, Top of the Line, etc.). Other pad manufacturers have similar but slightly different color schemes.
 
n1976jmk said:
what company makes the white pad???
Click to expand...

As Mike said, the white polish pad is made by Lake Country.



Other polish pads are the Meg's yellow (8006), Sonus DAS (from Autopia) green, and the Propel (from Excel Detail) green.
 
I just purchased some ssr 2.5 and a t-shirt from poorboy's website!! cant wait till it comes... now i have to find out who sells the propel pads for the pc 7424 and i want to get a whole kit
 
pads are now on order and now im off to megs internet store to try some nxt insane tire shine and order some #26 and a couple microfiber clothes,./.. also should i stick with the lambswool washmitt or go to a microfiber washmitt??
 
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