imcrazy

Unless you're really strapped for cash: get the polisher... Stay away from the Porter Cable if you can fit the Swirl Killer into your budget but, if push comes to shove the PC is a good machine and you can get get good results with it, I have one and once I can set aside some $$ for a SK I will be making the PC a dedicated 4" pad machine.

So they drew a wiener on the hood of your car and it scratched the paint in the process?

Can the detail shop do anything you can't to correct the said issue that they'll be paying for? If the fix is within your skill set I would just DIY it and move on...

Nice work across the board! The post with the Nova and then the Nissan: what a stark contrast of what cars used to be and what they have become.... I prefer the Nova hands down no questions asked.....

I am just taking care of my two vehicles that I have owned since new and take very meticulous care of... I rarely use more than one of each color pad - If I need serious correction and I dip into orange correcting polish and use an orange pad I will only need one orange pad for the session, assuming I finish the detailing project in one day, move onto a finishing polish and a white pad, I'll only use one, etc and so on... I probably go through 5-8 single soft towels.... That all assumes I do all my polishing in one day, that I don't drop or have a pad fail mid detail, that I don't drop pads or towels etc and that I am working on my two 2016 Chevy's that don't really need much work anyways... If I am working on an older / rougher shape car, I might go through 2x correcting pads but, doubt that any of the other pad usage would increase.... If you're going to spread your detailing over back to back days and plan on doing polishing two days in a row you're going to need more pads no doubt.. I am no doubt a major amateur but, I try to follow the advice of people who know more than I do and not assume that I know it all by any means... Bare minimum for a newer decent shape car, I would want to have two of each color pad, and 10 clean single soft towels at my disposal... Ideally I would like to have 3x of each color pad and 20x clean single soft towels on hand... I probably do have 20x towels I have two sets of pads and I will probably get a third set of at least white & orange foam pads this summer...

A good all purpose cleaner does the trick....

Looks good! Why don't you drive in the rain though? I've never understood that.. I can see no snow/winter time when salt is on the road but, what does rain do to harm a vehicle?

Interesting... If it happens again we will try that...

This is my Brothers 2018 Grand Cherokee: he parks in a parking garage as he lives downtown; he was out of town for work and left his SUV in the garage for about a week, I am thinking it's some type of crap that leaked from the garage; maybe some kinda rust? I didn't have anything more aggressive than simple green and that did not knock it out, I didn't think to try the bug & tar remover I have... I wound up using an orange foam pad & correcting polish and a few really quick passes took the crud off....Forgot to get an after pic lol!

As hot as calipers get, will the coating even last?

I have used both... My Dad likes to use the touch less car wash so I am not sure it's worth the effort of LPS because the harsh chemicals will eat the LPS off so quickly... W/that said I use the touch less every week during the winter but, I apply LPS to my truck once the weather breaks in the spring then I try to hand wash at least 3 out of the 4 weeks of the month...

H20 Guard and Gloss is what I use...

Thanks for the input guys... I am going to go after it with a white pad and finishing polish in a test section and see how it goes.... No doubt I will put some sealant on, probably LPS but, maybe just H20 G&G I am going to give that to my Dad to use instead of the Turtle Wax ICE he's used over the years...

Okay guys: My Dad has a 2007 Accord that's pretty neglected certainly needs some correction and oxidation removal 136k miles on that one, he just bought it as a second car for him & my Mom.. Their main car is a 2011 CRV which looks like it has been pretty well cared for: they've had it for a year or two now... It has 100k ish miles on it - some light swirls but, I think finishing polish will suffice for this one... Any general advice on working with Honda paint? I think I've heard that the clear coat is pretty soft? Should I avoid the Microfiber pad? Would I be OK to use an orange foam pad orange correcting polish with my Porter Cable DA? My experience with correction is limited to a few late model GM's and a 2003 Ford Crown Vic... Thanks! Aaron...

At the time the Porter Cable was the only polisher that fit my budget when I got into detailing about 4 years ago. If I was to buy a polisher now I'd get a swirl killer of some type I'd imagine... The PC is clunky and chunky combined with it's not so good vibrations it wears out my now 33 year old hands... If I was 23 years old I might not be as sensitive but...

Cool! I didn't know about washing before LPS? Is that necessary?

Yeah man you gotta use detail spay....Lots of detail spray.

Was the car warm or cool in the sections you had that black transfer? Were you using lots of detail spray? I've had this happen to me with the autoscrub which is very similar, my panel was too hot and I wasn't using enough detail spray. I like to put a hit of detail spray on the clay mit/disc before I get after the panel too.

They should have a way to keep the meter running at a reduced rate for bucket washers when you're not running the water, everybody wins....I am fortunate that we have an acceptable setup for washing at my house but, when the weather turns cold it would be nice to be able to hit up a heated wash bay for my car care needs.

Thanks! I took the pics in my backyard. It is Tungsten Metallic or as GMC calls it Iridium Metallic... It has a lot of variation based on the lighting conditions, the wife and I both really like it. I got her Malibu in Nightfall Grey, it's more grey than the Silverado but, very similar.

I've been using a competitors disc shaped product for a few years, next time I need to buy one I'll give the mitt a shot... It's the only way to go IMO for daily drivers.... If I was doing a show car I'd probably go to the trouble of using traditional clay....

I wipe down the door jambs with whatever I am drying the truck or car with, either H20 guard and gloss or detail spray... I like to use liquid paint sealant about 2x a year and about once every 2 months use the H20 on my vehicles.

2016 Silverado LT Car shampoo, autoscrub prep pad, VRT, a little correcting polish here and there, finishing polish all over topped off by Liquid Paint Sealant and a little h20 Guard and Gloss for the tough to seal areas. Used the ole porter cable DA polisher to apply the products. 2016 Malibu LT 1.5 Turbo Just a quick Car Shampoo, autoscrub, then h20 guard and gloss... Came out pretty darn nice.

Washed, clayed, VRT'd and polished my 2016 Tungsten colored Silverado... Tomorrow morning, liquid paint sealant... Maybe I'll wash the wife's 2016 Malibu in Cyber Grey....

Get dionized water.... I'm in a similar situation BUT, at my house I can spray the truck down in the drive and then pull it into the garage at least...