Mother of all detailing threads...

[eddynguyen924]

i wish the pics still works but its fine, thanks for the DIY, will definitely do this soon.!

[fawkinxd]

can anyone repost the pictures please ;D

[jokie rsx]

^yeah that

[blacknikes22]

This is a very useful forum, never knew there was so many different ways

[08FIJIBLUE]

Guys with the black SI need to try Turtle wax black box. Works great! covers up light swirls and scratches pretty well. Its time consuming.

[stallion07]

^^did that. too much hassle. will never use again.

[Johnold]

heard blackfire wet diamond is great stuff for black cars.

[heanshi]

^They're great on all metallic paint, excellent durability too.

[BigM]

First time poster in here, long time detailer of my own and firends cars. Great thread with good info!!!

Today was a slow day so i went ahead and washed the car with Chemical guys Citrus wash, double bucket always. Then went on to the Chemical guys extreme glaze, using my PC. To finish off the quick detail i used the Chemical guys all in one which i LOVE, waxes just dont stay shiny long enough and the sealants are just so much better these days that i hardly wax anymore.
My PC and the All in one

[mmrlightning]

I was told not to compound whole car but to only compound the spots that need it. Would you recommend that? and what grade sand paper do you use to take out fine scratches?

[newbielife5]

Wow this looks incredibly sharp! I gotta get out there and do this!

[ExMachina]

Just figure I'd throw these into the detailing thread...so glad winter is gone. Results of my Porter Cable, Orange Lake County pad and Z-PC followed up with a fresh layer of Zaino from a couple of weeks ago.

[ProtoPMR10]

Cleaned up my buddies wrx, washed it, clayed it, washed it again, then used meguires ultimate compound with an orange pad, meguires 205 polish with a white pad, after that, I washed it again, I used chemical guys blac with a black pad after everything using it like a glaze, afterwards I sealed it with poorboys ex sealant, and waxed it with poorboys nattys wax.





Before close up of the paint with all the swirls


After close up, so clean you can see the metallic pearl color.



I don't have any full pics of this car but its a 2012 civic si, the good was so clean afterwards that it literally looked like a mirror, same process as above just took longer, a shop attempted a detail and swirled the paint really bad, and no wax was ever put on the car.

[runtohell121]

questions on steps to detailing... getting a griot's garage polisher soon (summer)

1) Wash car with dishwashing/dawn soap (to strip off waxes and anything else)
2) Clay bar the entire car (using Meguiar's Clay Bar kit)
3) Use yellow cutting pad to remove some scratches using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and then orange pad with Meguiar's UC to entire car. (5 or 6 speed setting)
4) Use orange pad using Meguiar's Ultimate Polish to entire car (3 or 4 speed setting)
5) Use green or black pad or by hand to apply Meguiar's NXT wax or Blackfire Total Polish & Seal

Am I missing any steps? Any recommendations to the steps I listed? Plan on doing this on 3 cars during summer (1999 Honda CR-V Nighthawk Black, 2002 Acura TL-S Aegean Blue Pearl, 2010 Honda Insight Atomic Blue). The Insight have light swirls and a few scratches. The TL-S have a lot of oxidized paint all over the car and scratches. The CR-V have a lot of water spot from what I can tell (just got the car not long ago).

[ProtoPMR10]

Originally Posted by runtohell121

questions on steps to detailing... getting a griot's garage polisher soon (summer)

1) Wash car with dishwashing/dawn soap (to strip off waxes and anything else)
2) Clay bar the entire car (using Meguiar's Clay Bar kit)
3) Use yellow cutting pad to remove some scratches using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and then orange pad with Meguiar's UC to entire car. (5 or 6 speed setting)
4) Use orange pad using Meguiar's Ultimate Polish to entire car (3 or 4 speed setting)
5) Use green or black pad or by hand to apply Meguiar's NXT wax or Blackfire Total Polish & Seal

Am I missing any steps? Any recommendations to the steps I listed? Plan on doing this on 3 cars during summer (1999 Honda CR-V Nighthawk Black, 2002 Acura TL-S Aegean Blue Pearl, 2010 Honda Insight Atomic Blue). The Insight have light swirls and a few scratches. The TL-S have a lot of oxidized paint all over the car and scratches. The CR-V have a lot of water spot from what I can tell (just got the car not long ago).

Wash after clay barring and after your final polish, you don't want any bits of clay getting caught in your pad and you don't want any polish caught under your sealant, also I'd recommend the porter cable 7424 over the griots. Also if you can find or order it use meguires 205 polish as the final polish, it's hands down the best I have used. Meguires nxt wax isn't all that great, I have used poorboys nattys wax which works fantastic but collinite 476 has been recommended to me by a top detailer so I will be switching, the collonite is under $20 so it's very cheap and from what I have read lasts for a year and can be layered for more shine and protectivity.

[runtohell121]

Originally Posted by ProtoPMR10

Wash after clay barring and after your final polish, you don't want any bits of clay getting caught in your pad and you don't want any polish caught under your sealant, also I'd recommend the porter cable 7424 over the griots. Also if you can find or order it use meguires 205 polish as the final polish, it's hands down the best I have used. Meguires nxt wax isn't all that great, I have used poorboys nattys wax which works fantastic but collinite 476 has been recommended to me by a top detailer so I will be switching, the collonite is under $20 so it's very cheap and from what I have read lasts for a year and can be layered for more shine and protectivity.

Is it possible to just use a waterless/no rinse car/spray-on wash after clay barring and polish? Going to take forever to dry the car with my limited supply of towels.

I was recommended optimum polish ii and compound ii on another forum but still looking for more recommendations. But what I currently have at home, I have Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, Polish, Wax, NXT wax, Nu Polish, and some other over the counter products that I bought or received.

The reason why I'm going for Griot's is that it's a kit from detailersdomain that comes with backing plate and pads (not too sure on what pads to get, thinking about 2 yellow, 6 orange, 1 green, and 1 black).

[black_ex]

Originally Posted by runtohell121

Is it possible to just use a waterless/no rinse car/spray-on wash after clay barring and polish? Going to take forever to dry the car with my limited supply of towels.

I was recommended optimum polish ii and compound ii on another forum but still looking for more recommendations. But what I currently have at home, I have Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, Polish, Wax, NXT wax, Nu Polish, and some other over the counter products that I bought or received.

The reason why I'm going for Griot's is that it's a kit from detailersdomain that comes with backing plate and pads (not too sure on what pads to get, thinking about 2 yellow, 6 orange, 1 green, and 1 black).

Ill step in since other user is off line at the moment. I also detail with my own business and studied under a great detailer who does amazing cars and work. So know that this is what I do and how I was taught by experts, however find what works for you and stick to it. That said lets get to your questions.

You don't HAVE to wash after wax and after polish. Is it good measure? Yes. But not absolutely necessary. For clay lube I use meguiars last touch, which is essentially a quick detailer, this will get rid of any clay residue on the car and you should not have any problems of clay being left behind. As far as washing after polishing, again not always necessary. Some products dust a lot and will have me want to wash again but if you notice little dusting you should be fine. Or if you are outside, you can use a quick detailer or waterless washing product (which would be safer) and go over the car before waxing.

M205 as recommended is a great product that I fully endorse as well. If your car isnt to bad than even 205 itself may be enough. Always remember to start with the least aggressive combination first and step up aggressiveness until you get the desired result. No need to start with heavy cutting if the paint doesnt need it. I am partial to meguairs polishes to be honest. I use it more than anything else (especially the microfiber pads and related forumla) and also use some menzerna. Get a decent assortment of finishing polish, heavy cutting polish, and maybe an inbetween. If you are getting foam pads, for just your car M105 and M205 would be what you need as 105 will finish down perfectly if you work it correctly and 205 is great as well. Or get yourself the amazing microfiber system from meguiars and the 300 and 301 polishes along with it. The system is amazing and I use it on 98% of the details I do. It works on pretty much every paint soft and hard.

Since you already have some polishing components, go ahead and work with them, see if you get a desired result on a test spot. If so, no need to spend more for new products unless you are a detailing junkie like me .

As far as package products, ill plug as site that I love. I buy nearly everything I use from two sites. Autodetailingsolutions and Buffdaddy. You can find combination deals here as well. Like with polishes, you want an assortment of pads as well so that you can try out a combination of different cutting strengths.

BTW, if money is not an issue and you see yourself doing more polishing in the future (more as in more than just your car every so often) get yourself the Rupes polisher! It is amazing! These have a longer throw to them which allows you to correct much quicker than with a traditional DA like the PC or griots. I have had a PC7424xp for a long time now and its going to collect dust now that I have the Rupes, its worth it if you can dish out the money.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if anything wasnt clear enough.

[runtohell121]

Originally Posted by black_ex

Ill step in since other user is off line at the moment. I also detail with my own business and studied under a great detailer who does amazing cars and work. So know that this is what I do and how I was taught by experts, however find what works for you and stick to it. That said lets get to your questions.

You don't HAVE to wash after wax and after polish. Is it good measure? Yes. But not absolutely necessary. For clay lube I use meguiars last touch, which is essentially a quick detailer, this will get rid of any clay residue on the car and you should not have any problems of clay being left behind. As far as washing after polishing, again not always necessary. Some products dust a lot and will have me want to wash again but if you notice little dusting you should be fine. Or if you are outside, you can use a quick detailer or waterless washing product (which would be safer) and go over the car before waxing.

M205 as recommended is a great product that I fully endorse as well. If your car isnt to bad than even 205 itself may be enough. Always remember to start with the least aggressive combination first and step up aggressiveness until you get the desired result. No need to start with heavy cutting if the paint doesnt need it. I am partial to meguairs polishes to be honest. I use it more than anything else (especially the microfiber pads and related forumla) and also use some menzerna. Get a decent assortment of finishing polish, heavy cutting polish, and maybe an inbetween. If you are getting foam pads, for just your car M105 and M205 would be what you need as 105 will finish down perfectly if you work it correctly and 205 is great as well. Or get yourself the amazing microfiber system from meguiars and the 300 and 301 polishes along with it. The system is amazing and I use it on 98% of the details I do. It works on pretty much every paint soft and hard.

Since you already have some polishing components, go ahead and work with them, see if you get a desired result on a test spot. If so, no need to spend more for new products unless you are a detailing junkie like me .

As far as package products, ill plug as site that I love. I buy nearly everything I use from two sites. Autodetailingsolutions and Buffdaddy. You can find combination deals here as well. Like with polishes, you want an assortment of pads as well so that you can try out a combination of different cutting strengths.

BTW, if money is not an issue and you see yourself doing more polishing in the future (more as in more than just your car every so often) get yourself the Rupes polisher! It is amazing! These have a longer throw to them which allows you to correct much quicker than with a traditional DA like the PC or griots. I have had a PC7424xp for a long time now and its going to collect dust now that I have the Rupes, its worth it if you can dish out the money.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if anything wasnt clear enough.

Thanks, I'll probably use GG spray on car wash or quick detailer to clean it after clay and polish.

I'll look into those compounds/polishes though since I don't think I would have enough compound/polish for 3 cars. I'll be getting foam pads most likely but any recommendation on what color foam pad when buying a kit which usually have 5-10 pads for an order?

I rather not spend too much money as I would only detail my car once or twice every year.

Thanks for other sites, will look into it. I'm just trying to find the cheapest kit with coupon(s). Detailersdomain have 15% off coupon at this moment that applies to the whole cart whereas autogeek 10% coupon doesn't work on PC polisher.

Money is an issue for me. I'm only looking to spend $200 max at this moment which should be able to get me a GG or PC polisher w/ 5-10 pads + some compounds/polishes/sealants or that's what I'm hoping for at this moment.

What wax or sealant do you recommend? I've been looking at optimum poli-seal, blackfire total polish & seal, and duragloss 105 as sealants. Wax, I'll probably just use up what I have at home (Meguiar's NXT and Ultimate Quik Wax) but would be open to recommendations .

[black_ex]

Originally Posted by runtohell121

Thanks, I'll probably use GG spray on car wash or quick detailer to clean it after clay and polish.

I'll look into those compounds/polishes though since I don't think I would have enough compound/polish for 3 cars. I'll be getting foam pads most likely but any recommendation on what color foam pad when buying a kit which usually have 5-10 pads for an order?

I rather not spend too much money as I would only detail my car once or twice every year.

Thanks for other sites, will look into it. I'm just trying to find the cheapest kit with coupon(s). Detailersdomain have 15% off coupon at this moment that applies to the whole cart whereas autogeek 10% coupon doesn't work on PC polisher.

Money is an issue for me. I'm only looking to spend $200 max at this moment which should be able to get me a GG or PC polisher w/ 5-10 pads + some compounds/polishes/sealants or that's what I'm hoping for at this moment.

What wax or sealant do you recommend? I've been looking at optimum poli-seal, blackfire total polish & seal, and duragloss 105 as sealants. Wax, I'll probably just use up what I have at home (Meguiar's NXT and Ultimate Quik Wax) but would be open to recommendations .

Alright that in mind Ill link you some options and why I would choose them.

First I like this one at buff daddy: Microfiber combo kit
-Here you get the Meguiars DA G110v2 which is a great little DA polisher and you also get the meguiars microfiber pads and polishing liquids either 105/205 would work great or the 300/301 (Questions about that specific package Kevin could help you get the prefect selection down). (Also great description of everything included there). BuffDaddy is aka Kevin Brown who, if you didnt know, if a detailing wizard and helped meguiars develop the microfiber pads for years before they were revealed. He knows more about DA polishing than anyone else I know.

Here is another good kit Autogeek
-This kit is the PC742xp which I used for a long time with great results. Comes with pad cleaners, bonus of getting some finishing wax pads for a limited time, and a good variety of pads to choose from. Mike Phillips works over at Autogeek and is another great detailer who has an immense amount of detailing knowledge. He is another great guy who if you see a package there or arent sure combinations you would need to reach out to and would be able to get you exactly what you need.

Here is one at Autodetailingsolutions
-This one gives the most pads so that you would be able to get the most variety.

The griots combo you linked, I would get as its. Two pads in each should be enough. You should be able to make a full round of a car using two pads for each step if you keep them clean (a car the size of our 8th gens as a basis), either using a pad brush, compressed air, towels, etc.

I would go with the microfiber pads personally. You can correct the widest array of defects with it and it will finish down amazing. I use two pads to work around a car each step and I know Kevin would back the awesomeness that is the microfiber pads. As for pad combinations, you mentioned that you would be doing about 3 cars. What are the conditions of the paint? Get a variety for them. I would say you need something for heavy cutting if you have heavy swirling/hard paint, a few medium cutting, and atleast one or two finishing pads with one for wax if you want to apply it with a DA.

For sealant/waxes. I absolutely love Blackfire Wet diamond. It is a good price and in a detailing class I helped put on with Mike Phillips and the man I worked under Nick Chapman we put it side by side with Wolfgang Fuzion and while they are super close a chunk of us thought blackfire was slicker. What you have been recommended is all good stuff though. Cant really go wrong in that department. I have a lot that I have gotten and used but I use blackfire the most. The waxes you list are also good, done some fun things with quick wax, and same thing here you cant really go wrong. Lately Ive used some Lusso Orro, M16, Blackfire midnight sun, wolfgang fuzion, Dodo juice, P21s, and really want to try the blackfireice. I have lots and use them all. I dont really use one over the other, just depends on what I feel like using on the car.

Its not totally necessary but on my personal car, when I actually have time to wash it, Ill usually put some blackfire wet diamond on it and IF i feel like I want to add something on top after letting the wet diamond cure Ill throw some kind of wax over top. However, honestly, its not really needed. Its more to ensure even coverage more than adding anything to your work. With most cars if I only put sealant on one panel and sealant with one of the above waxes over it you would be hard pressed to know I did anything different without me telling you.

Dont get caught up in doing 20 steps when in reality you only needed to do 10. You will often times see people take a bunch of extra steps that arent needed when the same result can be achieved quicker and in a more simple manner. KISS method applies here perfectly.

[ProtoPMR10]

Originally Posted by black_ex

Ill step in since other user is off line at the moment. I also detail with my own business and studied under a great detailer who does amazing cars and work. So know that this is what I do and how I was taught by experts, however find what works for you and stick to it. That said lets get to your questions.

You don't HAVE to wash after wax and after polish. Is it good measure? Yes. But not absolutely necessary. For clay lube I use meguiars last touch, which is essentially a quick detailer, this will get rid of any clay residue on the car and you should not have any problems of clay being left behind. As far as washing after polishing, again not always necessary. Some products dust a lot and will have me want to wash again but if you notice little dusting you should be fine. Or if you are outside, you can use a quick detailer or waterless washing product (which would be safer) and go over the car before waxing.

M205 as recommended is a great product that I fully endorse as well. If your car isnt to bad than even 205 itself may be enough. Always remember to start with the least aggressive combination first and step up aggressiveness until you get the desired result. No need to start with heavy cutting if the paint doesnt need it. I am partial to meguairs polishes to be honest. I use it more than anything else (especially the microfiber pads and related forumla) and also use some menzerna. Get a decent assortment of finishing polish, heavy cutting polish, and maybe an inbetween. If you are getting foam pads, for just your car M105 and M205 would be what you need as 105 will finish down perfectly if you work it correctly and 205 is great as well. Or get yourself the amazing microfiber system from meguiars and the 300 and 301 polishes along with it. The system is amazing and I use it on 98% of the details I do. It works on pretty much every paint soft and hard.

Since you already have some polishing components, go ahead and work with them, see if you get a desired result on a test spot. If so, no need to spend more for new products unless you are a detailing junkie like me .

As far as package products, ill plug as site that I love. I buy nearly everything I use from two sites. Autodetailingsolutions and Buffdaddy. You can find combination deals here as well. Like with polishes, you want an assortment of pads as well so that you can try out a combination of different cutting strengths.

BTW, if money is not an issue and you see yourself doing more polishing in the future (more as in more than just your car every so often) get yourself the Rupes polisher! It is amazing! These have a longer throw to them which allows you to correct much quicker than with a traditional DA like the PC or griots. I have had a PC7424xp for a long time now and its going to collect dust now that I have the Rupes, its worth it if you can dish out the money.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if anything wasnt clear enough.

^ perfect advice, this guy knows his stuff, I wash for good measure as a majority of my work is outside as I do mobile detailing for now.