Detailing Newbie !

[cubano]

If you're scared of the PC, check out this thread and watch Junkman's videos on the subject: Can You Damage Your Paint with the PC-7424XP? It will take some experience to become comfortable with your technique, but you aren't going to hurt anything while learning. The PC is very novice-friendly.

 

Boy that's good to know, cause let me tell you; If anyone can do some damage that'd be this cuban right here. I will check out that video...thanks.

[cubano]

Welcome Cubano. I am new to posting but have been reading the forum for a while. If you get the chance try Adams Car Wash, it is amazing. I have the gallon size like you show and just use it on the wheels and tires. Another suggestion if you didn't do it, is spray the car with the Detail Spray (DS) before you dry it, and you will be amazed. It makes the drying so much easier and it will look fresh waxed. You will probally order the wash and DS in the gallon size.

 

I actually bought the Adams Wash but I didn't want to waste it on this test area. I have heard that it is awesome. I'm already seeing that the DS is used very often. I'll probably be buying several gallons of it. My neighbors were wondering what I was doing in the garage and several came by to see the happenings. I did half the trunk and the other half I left jacked up in it's original state. They were impressed. I can't say I represented well just yet but give me a few more hours at it and I'll feel alot better about myself holding a in my hands.

 

GO ADAMS.

[cubano]

I think I'm going to stick with the SHRemover 3 Passes @ 5000, then FMP 2 Passes @ 5000. I did notice after the first round of SHRemover that the swirls were gone for the most part, so they may not be too deep. I'd hate to use the SSRemover if they are polishing out this easy. I'll be happy if I can get the polish not to leave a haze after I'm done with it, because the swirls are definitely gone. You guys saw the before pics, horrendous.

[ouarkie]

I actually bought the Adams Wash but I didn't want to waste it on this test area. I have heard that it is awesome. I'm already seeing that the DS is used very often. I'll probably be buying several gallons of it. My neighbors were wondering what I was doing in the garage and several came by to see the happenings. I did half the trunk and the other half I left jacked up in it's original state. They were impressed. I can't say I represented well just yet but give me a few more hours at it and I'll feel alot better about myself holding a in my hands.

 

GO ADAMS.

Good call on the wash, but for the full wash, I suggest the Adams. Use the other for the wheels and tires. Also try the window cleaner and the towels, they clean great with no streaks,and actually makes the windows easier to clean in the future. Actually everything Adams has is great!! Especially the customer service.

[gencoupe3dot8]

One point to remember. Before polish you want to touch the paint only as much as you have to, and here is the suggested rotation:

 

1) Rinse (all nasty, heavy, stuck on with a good jet stream

2) Foam (Gilmour is good, or you can get powerwasher lances)

3) Use two bucket system, one mitt/pad for top of car down to the "crease" line or half way down your doors, the other mitt for the lower half (and not your tires or pipes) grit guard is good idea, always make sure pad goes into rinse bucket first, wring, then back into suds bucket.... you want that dirst to stay off the paint (stay suspended in the suds) as much as possible

(jump to step 9) for wheels

3) rinse, use sheeting method, then blow dry (leaf blower, compressed air, or metrovac ma$terbla$ter (save your pennies for this!)

4) Almost all the water should be off the car, use detail spray and the great white waffle MF to dry.. and leave the DS on the car.. this helps prep for correction

5) Inspect paint, start with a test area (as you have) but remember not all panels are equal. Probably best to start with SHR (orange pad), then FMP (white pad).. then wipe with single or double soft to check your progress. For each pass start the PC on three to spread the area you are working, then move to five, make sure to keep the PC moving back and forth, up and down to insure full coverage, push down hard enough that the PC is not "jumping" or vibrating too much but that you can still see the backing plate spin, and make sure you didn't forget to move the speed to 5. Make sure the PC is moving when you stop it or you will dump product on one spot that can help cause hazing.... use DS and an Adam's MF to take it off.

For bad swirling or scratches you should make three or four passes with SHR and FMP, then move up to SSR, SHR and FMP.... then and only then (if and whn you feel comfortable and brave... get focus pads and drill).

6) Pick you finish... BG then Americana or MSW.... if MSW let cure for 30 min then wipe, then let sit for 24 hours, then wipe again...

8) final wipe with DS and a doublesoft to catch any left over wax...

 

9) Wheels should get a rinse, then a wash with the adam's wheel brush and turbo stick, scrub the tires good with the fender and tire brush and some diluted APC to get any old tire shine product off... use the adam's fender and tire brush on wheel wells

10) rinse

11) blow dry

12) dry with MF (and a little DS)

12) use your choice of Adams wax to finish, or metal polish if you have unpainted/no clear wheels

13) use SVRT on Tires, may take two passes

14) use undercarriage spray..

 

....Then the outside trim and rubber with SVRT, then engine bay with a quick diluted APC wipe down, then in and out and SVRT

 

and then the inside... another saga... I do glass as final (touching glass when cleaning inside)... Adam's glass cleaner and towels ROCK.... streak free...

[cubano]

Prepping to hit the TL this Saturday Morning with 5 step process. Lord help us all. LOL

 

Entire Car

1.) Swirl & Haze Remover - 3 passes @ 5000 opm

2.) FMP - 3 passes @ 5000 opm

3.) MSW - 1 pass @ 2000 opm (45 min. Time Out to Cure) then Wipe

4.) Brilliant Glaze (BG) - Hand application, DoubleSoft MicroFiber (2xSMF) removal

5.) Americana - Hand Application 2xSMF removal.

 

What do you guys think about that? Obviously, I will clay the entire car first because it desperately needs it. By the way, anyone getting pink coloration on there MF towels from the DS.

[Bill-V8V]

Prepping to hit the TL this Saturday Morning with 5 step process. Lord help us all. LOL

 

Entire Car

1.) Swirl & Haze Remover - 3 passes @ 5000 opm

2.) FMP - 3 passes @ 5000 opm

3.) MSW - 1 pass @ 2000 opm (45 min. Time Out to Cure) then Wipe

4.) Brilliant Glaze (BG) - Hand application, DoubleSoft MicroFiber (2xSMF) removal

5.) Americana - Hand Application 2xSMF removal.

 

What do you guys think about that? Obviously, I will clay the entire car first because it desperately needs it. By the way, anyone getting pink coloration on there MF towels from the DS.

 

Looks like a good plan, just one note: between step 3 and 4 wait 12 to 24 hours. MSW needs time to fully cure. After that time has passed wipe the finish down again then move to step 4

[gencoupe3dot8]

Prepping to hit the TL this Saturday Morning with 5 step process. Lord help us all. LOL

 

What do you guys think about that? Obviously, I will clay the entire car first because it desperately needs it. By the way, anyone getting pink coloration on there MF towels from the DS.

 

DS will leave coloration. Should come out in wash. Make sure to wash your MF separately from other household stuff and cheap MFs.

 

Tip on Americana.. Can remove with doublesoft wrapped on top of gray pc pad. Just figure a way to hold onto one edge to keep it on pad. Can speed up your polish time.

[cubano]

Awesome suggestions, will do both. Thanks again guys.

[cubano]

What do the products look like when they actually flash? Also, How quick do your pads actually "spin" when working the products? I was noticing yesterday that mine was rotating @ about 1 revolution per second sometimes a bit faster. Is this OK? Going to use the marker on the backing plate trick for better visual.

[cubano]

OK, where do I begin. I almost boxed everything up and took Adam up on his 110% guarantee. Here's what happened.

 

Started out with the SHR on the hood after all the cleaning, claying, etc ...

Because I had already proved my process (without halogen lamps) before, I thought this was ok. Began SHR/Orange Pad on the entire hood and the rest of the car. After getting about half way through the vehicle I decided to go back and look at the progress (@11pm). I literally felt sick. There was scratching and swirls everywhere. I went back over the hood 2 more times with SHR/Orage Pad no difference. I went back as had been previously posted with the SSR/Green Pad and jumped back on the hood. I decided to take the hood all the way through the process (GREEN, ORANGE & WHITE). Then and only then did I see a change. SSR did not remove swirls in their entirety, it make them smaller. SHR did not remove swirls in their entirety, it made them even finer. Fine machine polish REMOVED ALL remaining swirl marks. I was a tad frustrated with the PC's abilities. I can see using this device on vehicles with minor scratches and swirls but I had to work my culo off to correct the paint on my car. I guess it is better than giving a newbie a device that can tear up their vehicle in hind sight. At the end of it all, Adams came through. My cousin came over the house and the neighbor and they couldn't believe how amazing it looked. I told them I wasn't even done yet. They freaked, "what else can you possibly do to the car?", they asked. I found that patience can go a long way when working on things like this. I'm glad I was warned not to set a time limit on this job. Ultimately, the wife was thrilled. After I completed the initial phase with the MSW, I still noticed some scratches on the spoiler. I will have to get those with some FOCUS work. I will be getting those shortly.

 

On to product rating. By far the product that impressed me the most was the VRT ! Man, that stuff is amazing. If I could put that on my paint I would. LOL. To be honest, I don't know if anyone else has tried this but I actually used the WATERLESS WASH. After polishing, you always get polish and stuff on trim. Well, the front of the TL and the back have some Chrome and painted plastics that got dirty during this whole deal. I used the WATERLESS WASH to clean that up and it worked GREAT ! I never thought I would use that. Detail Spray (Is that sold in 100Gal drums), there's really not a lot to say about it, it . By the way, is the UNDERCARRIAGE dressing drinkable? LOL. The Glass cleaner was amazing as well. All in all, I was VERY SATISFIED with the way the products performed. I did not realize how bad the paint was on this car until I put the HALOGEN LAMPS on it. I'm waiting on the MSW to cure so I can finish with the BG and AMERICANA PASTE. I will post pics as soon as I finish that up. Maybe tonight. The car hasn't left the garage in 3 days. LOL

[gencoupe3dot8]

OK, where do I begin. I almost boxed everything up and took Adam up on his 110% guarantee. Here's what happened.

 

Started out with the SHR on the hood after all the cleaning, claying, etc ...

Because I had already proved my process (without halogen lamps) before, I thought this was ok. Began SHR/Orange Pad on the entire hood and the rest of the car. After getting about half way through the vehicle I decided to go back and look at the progress (@11pm). I literally felt sick. There was scratching and swirls everywhere. I went back over the hood 2 more times with SHR/Orage Pad no difference. I went back as had been previously posted with the SSR/Green Pad and jumped back on the hood. I decided to take the hood all the way through the process (GREEN, ORANGE & WHITE). Then and only then did I see a change. SSR did not remove swirls in their entirety, it make them smaller. SHR did not remove swirls in their entirety, it made them even finer. Fine machine polish REMOVED ALL remaining swirl marks. I was a tad frustrated with the PC's abilities. I can see using this device on vehicles with minor scratches and swirls but I had to work my culo off to correct the paint on my car. I guess it is better than giving a newbie a device that can tear up their vehicle in hind sight. At the end of it all, Adams came through. My cousin came over the house and the neighbor and they couldn't believe how amazing it looked. I told them I wasn't even done yet. They freaked, "what else can you possibly do to the car?", they asked. I found that patience can go a long way when working on things like this. I'm glad I was warned not to set a time limit on this job. Ultimately, the wife was thrilled. After I completed the initial phase with the MSW, I still noticed some scratches on the spoiler. I will have to get those with some FOCUS work. I will be getting those shortly.

 

On to product rating. By far the product that impressed me the most was the VRT ! Man, that stuff is amazing. If I could put that on my paint I would. LOL. To be honest, I don't know if anyone else has tried this but I actually used the WATERLESS WASH. After polishing, you always get polish and stuff on trim. Well, the front of the TL and the back have some Chrome and painted plastics that got dirty during this whole deal. I used the WATERLESS WASH to clean that up and it worked GREAT ! I never thought I would use that. Detail Spray (Is that sold in 100Gal drums), there's really not a lot to say about it, it . By the way, is the UNDERCARRIAGE dressing drinkable? LOL. The Glass cleaner was amazing as well. All in all, I was VERY SATISFIED with the way the products performed. I did not realize how bad the paint was on this car until I put the HALOGEN LAMPS on it. I'm waiting on the MSW to cure so I can finish with the BG and AMERICANA PASTE. I will post pics as soon as I finish that up. Maybe tonight. The car hasn't left the garage in 3 days. LOL

 

David,

Just to be clear, you need to make sure you follow the whole process through (as you found out)... and of course make sure the products are flashing in each step.

 

1) SHR > FMP, wipe and check out progress on TEST area of panel.

2) Repeat step 1 at least 2-3 times.

3) THEN step up to SSR >SHR> FMP.. the wipe and look.

4) You hit the nail on the head, you are going from more abrasive to less abrasive product.. so you need to go through the process to see the results... don't stop in the middle and look...

4) This is a PER panel process, as the paint across the car will not be the same. Get a decent light (halogens are great for this) to look at paint (or look in sunlight)

 

And YES, the PC will require more work then the Flex, likely to require two or more passes to the Flex's one... but the Flex is less forgiving for a novice on paint burning (esp on edges, crests, etc where paint is thinner)

 

and of course.... more before and afters... maybe even during showing what you saw as your progressed... would be awesome!

[Doug123]

You will know when the product flashes. It goes from a milky look to a clear look, kind of like it was a very thin vaseline layer. It is important to get it to flash, as that is the indication that the product has been worked enough. Speed 3 is only for spreading the polish out. When you get it spread around quickly, go right up to speed 5 and get down to business with those swirls. This time spent at 3 may be why things are taking long and the results less than what you have hoped.

 

I put the product on the pad of the PC, then press it down here and there over my 2x2 area, spread it around quickly on speed 3(like 15 seconds or so to spread it out), then go right to 5 and continue working the area on 5. (speed 3 is only for spreading product, not doing correction) When you are on 5, you move the pad very slowly across the finish with enough pressure on the pc to slow the pad rotation down to less than one rotation per second. You need 'not too much, not too little' on the pressure so that everything is working at it's best.

 

The first application of product on a fresh pad is the biggest amount of product you will ever apply. After that, it is only a squirt of Detail spray and 3 pea sized drops on the pad for each new 2x2 area. It really doesn't take much, and also the pad does some of the work, so if you use too much product, it clogs the pad and Slows Down the correction process. Also, don't do too large an area- 2x2 is good, 3x3 is too large. I really have to watch so that my work area doesn't get too large.

 

Regarding removing the polish to check your results, not a problem there. This is part art with a good bit of technique and it is good to check your work. Sounds like you are doing well so far - now to hone your technique a little more. The light reflections from a properly polished finish should have very clear edges and no 'haze or fog' around the reflection.

[cubano]

Waiting for a sunny day so that I can get after pics. The before pics are already posted. Its kind of hard to see a full car before and after I think. I'll put up some anyway though. The after pics will have to wait for some sun. I will be glazing and Americana'ing (is that a word?) tonight hopefully. The wife is about to go nuts without her ride.

 

Thank you guys so much for the posts, they really helped me along through this process. Next I'll be doing my 02 RED Trailblazer. I think I will get better results 2nd time around. I think even a little more patience than the first time will reap greater rewards.

 

Thanks AGAIN

[RedexInLA]

Welcome to AF David.

Here you will learn many things in correcting and how to maintain your car.

Check "Junkman2000 on youtube, the guy has some great vids to help you get started.

Also watch all of Adam's vids, very helpful.

 

Let's see those pics.

[gencoupe3dot8]

David,

Even some after pics under some halogens would be good... but yeah, some "beauty" sun shots would be cool too!

[cubano]

OK guys here they are, I took them this morning and the sun wasn't completely over my house yet so I had to put it almost in the street. I can't say it's "perfect" yet unfortunately but ... I learned a ton doing this and my truck is next. I think I'll be able to get it perfect. Then I'll probably redo the wife's again.

[cubano]

My camera sucks guys but I'll post them anyway. I have a lady that works with me who's got a much better camera I will repost after better camera and more SUN.

[cubano]

Before and after ...

[SIDetailing]

Nice job. Huge difference.