also to go along with the DA thing and learning experience, menzerna polsihes uses abrasives that diminish

 

Good point, the Wolfgang waxes/compounds do the same.


What he means about the abrasives diminish is that as you are buffing away, the product will turn clear (wolfgang does) so you know when the product has lost it's cutting/buffing properties, at that point you know to wipe it off and inspect the paint. Repeat process as needed.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I really really appreciate it.

As far as what I do know, I use 2 buckets when washing my car, I use my rinse bucket for when I wash my wheels (which I always do first) I use a thick sponge and start from the top of the car and work my way down, rinsing each section after I have washed it. Drying I use a chamois. For protection I use mothers wax. That's about it.

 

Ahhhhh, ok. I was going to ask that next lol.

 

to dry after a wash, i just use my leaf blower, but a chamois works well too, haha.

 

A leaf blower?! Lmao. Wouldn't that blow a lot of sand/dirt back on the car?

 

Only thing i can see wrong with that is using your rinse bucket to wash your wheels first, brake dust is nasty **** on paint and rinsing your sponge in dirty water isn't the best thing. Personally I do my wheels last, powdercoat on a wheel is a lot stronger and more durable then paint.

I've actually thought about getting the Micro Blaster (maybe right?) car dryer. In theory it should be better for you paint as you are taking another element of something touching your paint out (even chamois' get dirty)

 

If you can get us a few pictures of your car HungryGreen we can give you a couple options for waxes/pads. If you can, try to get a few different angles up close so we can see oxidation, swirl marks, micro scratches etc.

 

blow in a downward direction. its good to get the water out of the cracks and crevices.

 

Lake country pads are good. I have a few somewhere around here. Personally, I use a combination of Griots pads, and Meguiars. I pick them solely because I can get them locally.
<-- Extremely impatient, waiting for things to ship drives me nuts.


In that case I would recommend against the rotary until you have some experience under your belt, and then if you need/want to try the rotary.

You can pick up a DA used for cheap, or new they aren't too bad if you catch them on sale.
they are much more friendly to new users, and can still achieve great results!

 

Ok guys so I think I'm going to be getting the meg 105 and 205 what pads pads from lake country should I purchase also I lost the backing plate for my harbor freight rotary would anybody know what plate to get that will work with the lake country pads

 

Lake Country CCS pads, start with an Orange, green and blue. All of these colors are 1 stage down (aggressiveness) then what I use. The reason I would recommend them to you is they will be a little more forgiving to you but still aggressive enough to handle 90% of paint correction/maintenance.

Most Lake County pads use a hook & loop (really strong velcro) style backing. You can purchase a new backing plate at the same time you pick up your pads.

Go to Autogeek.net for your pads/waxes etc. Great customer service, super fast shipping and everything you could possible ever need.

 

Autogeek is great!

 

I would try M205 on a orange if just minor swirls.

Autogeek gets a I just wish they weren't in Florida.

 

You could probably use green with the M205 for someone not too familiar with cutting/buffing. Might take a little longer to get the swirls/scratches out but less of a chance to burn through the paint.

Most of my orders from Autogeek I get in 3 days.

 

That would probably do it. From what it sounds like it's just minor swirls and no really deep scratches.

my last order took 5. Granted I literally am on the other side of the country.

 

This is true, you do live in BFE.

I always prefer to get people into softer/less aggressive pads when they are starting out.

 

I clean the bucket out before I was the car tho. I rinse out all the dirt from the wheels then reuse it as my rinse bucket when I start on the car itself.

 

I'll try and get some this weekend. I'll borrow my neighbors DSLR.

That's a good point. I hate when I go drive, even after letting the car sit for a while and water sprays out from the cracks.

I am also super impatient lol. Autogeek isn't far from where I live. I could always drive up to there shop and pick up everything I need in one shot. And I'll start looking for a DA as well.

 

hey hey, you watch your mouth about the PNW.

I am very jealous of you right now. I have a few auto body shops supply near me, but the only one that has what I want is 1.5-2 hours away.

Check out the Meguiars Microfiber pads + D300 compound.

 

yeah im in oregon and it takes about 5 days to get an order from autogeek.

the other thing that sucks is now that jegs offers free S&H on everything, their shipping went from about 2-3 days to 5-6 days. that has really affected our shop...but i'll take the free shipping.

 

Ok guys I placed my order this morning I got the orange green and blue pad along with the backing plate and got the megs105 and 205. I wanted to ask you guys what king of wax are you guys using and also should I do the 105 or just the 205 for my car since it only has swirls and very small scratches in some places . Also could someone explain what these pads it got are meant for . Thanks guys and sorry for all the questions just trying I get as much info as I can before I start on the car

 

id start with 205 and green pad. remember work in an area 18" x 18". spray the pad with detailer or at least water to prime it before applying the product to it. each color pad does not have a specific use. it all depends on the finish of the car. sometimes ill finish with white pad it it'll be just fine. sometimes you have to finish with a black pad and a very fine polish to get all the blemishes out.

as for waxes, i like to put a layer of klass all in one polish, then finish it off with a layer of carnuba paste wax.

 

and dont apologize for asking questions, haha. just post pics of the progress.

one thing that i have not seen mentioned is the taping process. get some blue tape and you can use this to tape up emblems (which will tear up a foam pad if ran across with the da or rotary) and tape up moldings. also i sometimes tape "boundary lines" on a big panel.

 

Ok good, I thought you kept the dirty wheel water in there.

Or what Matt? What are you going to do tough guy? Seattle is on the list of possible places to move with the GF. :highfive:


Pretty much what Redboost said below is accurate.

The difference in colors means firmness of the foam, the more firm the foam the more aggressive it is. Lake Country should have a chart that comes with the pads (giving info on what application to use what color) Like Boost said, spray your pads with quick detailer spray (2 sprays) before you use the pads, it will add a little moisture to the pads so the pads aren't taking the moisture from the waxes/polishes


We all have difference preferences on what waxes we use, either because of ease of application, taught on a certain brand/product, or cost of product.

Personally I don't have a problem spending a little bit more money to get a good product, you can spend A LOT of money on detailing products, I probably have $300-400 just in wax alone, that's not including swirl remover, pre-cleaner wax, polish etc. Since you are starting out, I would stay with the Meg 105/205, maybe get the 300 like 98civdx suggested for finishing work.

Carnauba wax is your final step, after you've gotten the swirls/scratches out and sealed it. Carnauba is going to give you that rich deep shine all of us want