[pruettfan]

About a year ago when I first got serious about detailing I bought a Porter Cable 7424 XP and had pretty decent results but removing moderate swirls and defects takes significant effort and time. As a result I have considered getting a rotary polisher to deal with these situations. I have recently been reading about the Flex XC 3401 VRG and it appears that this is the best compromise. My question is what your thoughts are? I enjoy detailing and several friends have been bringing their cars by for work which I am happy to do. Would the Flex be a worthwhile investment for a guy like me?

BTW, I buy all of my products from you and must say you have excellent customer service and great products.

[Mimmer]

i have some big rock chips and some visible scratches .... i mistakenly sanded it down with water and applied paint on it then let it set and put the clear coat. but what i noticed was that it had shown a dull mark around the area i was working on when sanding i tried using turtle wax product but the dullness from the sanding only comes back to show.. is there a way i can fix this or is this something out of my hands. i can provide pictures if its not clear in how im explaining it

thanks.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by pruettfan

About a year ago when I first got serious about detailing I bought a Porter Cable 7424 XP and had pretty decent results but removing moderate swirls and defects takes significant effort and time. As a result I have considered getting a rotary polisher to deal with these situations. I have recently been reading about the Flex XC 3401 VRG and it appears that this is the best compromise. My question is what your thoughts are? I enjoy detailing and several friends have been bringing their cars by for work which I am happy to do. Would the Flex be a worthwhile investment for a guy like me?

BTW, I buy all of my products from you and must say you have excellent customer service and great products.

Thanks for the kind words. The Flex XC3401VRG would be the next progression on a random orbital buffer. You'll notice around a 40% increase in power and it also is a dual action machine, meaning it rotates (up to 480 rpms) and oscillates. The downsides of the Flex are you don't have as many pad size options, but if you keep your PC, then you can use that for spot treating areas or tight spots with 4" pads and use either 5.5" or 6.5" pads on the Flex.

If you wanted to take the time to learn the rotary buffer, the Makita 9227C is a great option. This would take longer to learn how to use than the Flex and the risk of damaging the paint is significantly higher, but if you can master the rotary, that will give you the fastest correction with the best depth and gloss. The Flex can achieve ~90% of what the rotary can in a shorter period of time than the PC. The Flex is you best safest option to turn to.

Hope that helps with your decision.

Originally Posted by givemeam3

i have some big rock chips and some visible scratches .... i mistakenly sanded it down with water and applied paint on it then let it set and put the clear coat. but what i noticed was that it had shown a dull mark around the area i was working on when sanding i tried using turtle wax product but the dullness from the sanding only comes back to show.. is there a way i can fix this or is this something out of my hands. i can provide pictures if its not clear in how im explaining it

thanks.

Sounds like you didn't polish out the wet sanding marks. To do so properly, you should use a quality buffer, like the Porter Cable or Flex. If you want to do it by hand, I'd consider looking into some Meguiar's M105 and following this guide to polishing by hand.

Hope this helps clear things up for you.

[Mimmer]

when buffing it do i need to use any products with it or after ?

thanks.

[Castel]

Just placed another order George! 105, 205 polishes, orange, white and black pads and the velcro backing plate you recommended. Can't wait to get all the stuff to detail my wife's car (TiAG E46).

I have Klasse AIO + HGSG and the Chemical Guys 50/50 you recommended which I really like so I believe I have everything I need now. Thanks for all your help!

I want to ask you a couple of questions however. I have water spots on my car's hood (Space Grey E92). If I use a 50/50 solution of water+vinegar, does this "clean" or dissolve my sealant, do I need to do HGSG again or can I simply apply a wax layer. Is it safe?

Also the sealant is supposed to protect the paint from this, right? I guess it was wearing off?

Finally, I need to buy mobile lamp to be able to work in my garage with decent light. What kind of lamp/light do you recommend, any brands that are good enough and not too pricy?

Thanks a lot!

[topcat87]

I last had a full professional detail by zaino about a month ago. I have their membership and i send my car to them every month.
recently i came to know about ultima's products and their wowa products with are so easy to use i thought id get down and dirty groom the car myself for this month.

a few days back i gave the car a good wash and remove any contaminants using Ultima's elastrofoam and then 2 coats or PGP (24 hrs in between). there are barely any swirls as i believe the zaino coat is still there
although the paintwork (barbera red) now looks extremely glossy and has a mirror-like finish, BUT it lacks the "pop". it looks very sterile and artificial.. what happened?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by givemeam3

when buffing it do i need to use any products with it or after ? thanks.

Yes and Yes... By buffing I'm assuming you mean polishing? If so, you polish using a quality buffer, pads, and polish, that's applied with the buffer and removed by hand with microfiber towels. After polishing comes protecting, with either a sealant or wax.

I'd highly recommend reading over our auto detailing guide and our Ask-A-Pro section for more detailed information on each step. The more you know how to properly perform these steps, the better your results will be.

Originally Posted by Castel

Just placed another order George! 105, 205 polishes, orange, white and black pads and the velcro backing plate you recommended. Can't wait to get all the stuff to detail my wife's car (TiAG E46).

I have Klasse AIO + HGSG and the Chemical Guys 50/50 you recommended which I really like so I believe I have everything I need now. Thanks for all your help!

I want to ask you a couple of questions however. I have water spots on my car's hood (Space Grey E92). If I use a 50/50 solution of water+vinegar, does this "clean" or dissolve my sealant, do I need to do HGSG again or can I simply apply a wax layer. Is it safe?

Also the sealant is supposed to protect the paint from this, right? I guess it was wearing off?

Finally, I need to buy mobile lamp to be able to work in my garage with decent light. What kind of lamp/light do you recommend, any brands that are good enough and not too pricy?

Thanks a lot!

Thanks for your support Castel, always appreciated

You'll be all set post polish with Klasse and 50/50, should make for a very nice combination.

Yes, the vinegar will probably strip off or diminish a good portion of your protection, you'll want to follow up with both protective steps if you want to ensure complete protection.

Sometimes water spots or bird dropping is inevitable no matter how much protection you have on your paint. Can it help minimize it? Certainly. Is it a 100% protection, not close. The protection is designed to help protect against most of natures elements and make maintaining your vehicle significantly easier. It also can help enhance the finish to add more depth and gloss. What happens is sometimes water is sitting on your paint and the sun is beating down on it, it can potentially etch into your protection and eventually your clear coat. This requires polishing to remove. If the water spots simply evaporated and left behind some mineral deposits, then something like the water and vinegar mix should help remove the calcium and other minerals left behind. Either way, you'll want to reprotect the finish after correcting the spots.

We're getting in some nice light guns that are very portable, ones on rechargeable batteries and one uses regular batteries. Both are pretty cost effective, we should have them on our site in the next couple weeks. Another option is the dual halogen 500w light stands. Personally, I'd stick it out for the portable light sources, both are in a good price range too, less than most dual halogen setups.

Thanks again for your continued support. Keep us posted on how everything turns out.

Originally Posted by topcat87

I last had a full professional detail by zaino about a month ago. I have their membership and i send my car to them every month.
recently i came to know about ultima's products and their wowo products with are so easy to use i thought id get down and dirty groom the car myself for this month.

a few days back i gave the car a good wash and remove any contaminants using Ultima's elastrofoam and then 2 coats or PGP (24 hrs in between). there are barely any swirls as i believe the zaino coat is still there
although the paintwork (barbera red) now looks extremely glossy and has a mirror-like finish, BUT it lacks the "pop". it looks very sterile and artificial.. what happened?

Chances are you washed out some of the fillers that Zaino left behind. Z-5 is a sealant with fillers, which can hide some imperfections. To get the real pop your talking about, you'll need to properly polish your paint using quality abrasive polishes, not what Zaino calls "polishes", which aren't true polishes, except for the 1 they offer. Zaino typically leaves behind more of a plastic look to it, which is why many people don't like it.

Let us know what you end up doing and how things turn out. If you need a hand selecting anything, let me know.

George

[topcat87]

whats the purpose of a glaze?
so what final wax/sealant do you recommend for a warm finish and the elusive pop

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by topcat87

whats the purpose of a glaze?
so what final wax/sealant do you recommend for a warm finish and the elusive pop

A glaze primarily will help prep the paint for a sealant or wax as well as add a layer of depth and gloss. Certain glazes can help hide some minor imperfections but those are typically heavily filled with oils and do not work well with sealants.

What color car are you applying it to and what's your budget? Look into the Dodo Juice waxes for a nice combination of pop, durability and easy maintenance. They come in sample sizes so you can get 3 - 5 coats before purchasing a larger container. Chemical Guys 50/50 wax is a great bang for the buck wax with a nice finish as well as the Blackfire Midnight Sun and Pinnacle Souveran.

The real pop comes from properly polishing the paint though.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

George

[Dackz]

George,

Im going to be tackling my summer detail here in a couple weeks, looking at things to get. Im going to be detailing friends cars as well (recoup my cost on my tools at least, hehe) and was wondering your suggestions.

Im pretty sure I want this kit

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Pack...rter-Kit-P457/

Then, I was thinking of getting both Megs 105/205 (I only need 205 but my friends car will need something a bit more abrasive). That kid should have all the pads needed for this correct? I also just saw on the page this,

http://www.detailedimage.com/Blackfi...P203/16-oz-S1/

Which is easier for a first time user, and can I use 105 then use the BFWD over it if possible??

I also will need clay and a lube kit (that just sounds dirty ) as well. I have everything else (sealant stripper/wash, sealant, wax, mit, buckets, grates, etc.). I think I am well prepared at least.

Are my steps correct?

1. Wash with chemical guys citrus wash
2. dry car off, use clay and lube and clay entire car
--do I need to wash here again with citrus wash?
3. Polish with 105/205 as needed.
---Wash here again? citrus wash or something like opitmum car wash?
4. Apply sealant (blackfire wet diamond).

Also, for maintnence wash, suggest the blackfire or is the optimum car wash well?? I have the bfwd wax spray as well to put over the top of the sealant, how long should I wait for the sealant to cure before applying this?

Also, when polishing the clear bra, is it the same as when doing paint? I have a scuff or 2 I want to take out of it.

Thanks! Cant wait to do it!!

David

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Dackz

George,

Im going to be tackling my summer detail here in a couple weeks, looking at things to get. Im going to be detailing friends cars as well (recoup my cost on my tools at least, hehe) and was wondering your suggestions.

Im pretty sure I want this kit

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Pack...rter-Kit-P457/

Then, I was thinking of getting both Megs 105/205 (I only need 205 but my friends car will need something a bit more abrasive). That kid should have all the pads needed for this correct? I also just saw on the page this,

http://www.detailedimage.com/Blackfi...P203/16-oz-S1/

Which is easier for a first time user, and can I use 105 then use the BFWD over it if possible??

I also will need clay and a lube kit (that just sounds dirty ) as well. I have everything else (sealant stripper/wash, sealant, wax, mit, buckets, grates, etc.). I think I am well prepared at least.

Are my steps correct?

1. Wash with chemical guys citrus wash
2. dry car off, use clay and lube and clay entire car
--do I need to wash here again with citrus wash?
3. Polish with 105/205 as needed.
---Wash here again? citrus wash or something like opitmum car wash?
4. Apply sealant (blackfire wet diamond).

Also, for maintnence wash, suggest the blackfire or is the optimum car wash well?? I have the bfwd wax spray as well to put over the top of the sealant, how long should I wait for the sealant to cure before applying this?

Also, when polishing the clear bra, is it the same as when doing paint? I have a scuff or 2 I want to take out of it.

Thanks! Cant wait to do it!!

David

Hey David, looks like you're headed in the right direction with everything. If you're going to go the M105/M205 route, you'd probably be better off with this Meguiar's Polishing Kit than going the route you selected. You'll probably want to add more pads, but at least the Meg's kit will give you a couple of each of the colors you'd want to use for the polishes. I usually recommend and use 3 - 4 pads per coat when using 5.5" pads. You could get that Meg's kit then a 7x of pads, and I'd select the following for the pad kit:

1 additional orange and white pad so you have 3 of each, 2 blue pads for the BFWD, and you could add 2 black and one cyan if you wanted to add a finer finishing pad (black) for the M205 for added gloss or eventually if you add some Menzerna PO85RD and the 1 cyan for spot treating deeper imperfections than the orange pads can handle.

Be sure to read these couple articles before getting started for maximum results:
Meguiar's Polishing How-To
Choosing a pad with M105/M205

Your process looks pretty solid, those additional washes are optional, especially if you wipe the clay residue off after claying each surface. I would recommend the post-polish wash though, especially if you experience a bit of dusting. You want to ensure you have mastered the proper washing and drying technique and have quality wash products so you don't add swirls after just removing them.

For clay lube, I really enjoy Dodo Juice Born Slippy, it's one of the best I've used to date, really minimizes marring. I'd pair that up with a trigger spray bottle (so you can accurately dilute) and a fine grade clay bar and you'll be good to go there.

Our customer reviews show the Blackfire shampoo isn't a product they'd return to buying, I'd much rather steer you in the direction of the Optimum Car Wash as I know that is one of our highest quality maintenance shampoos.

I'd start with the Deep Gloss Spray with your first maintenance wash. Doing it directly after could hinder the BFWD's bonding process on the paint. Ideally, you want to wait at least 8 hours, I recommend 24 though as that's the normal time frame for most polymer sealants.

You can treat the clear bra the same as your paint, but it'll be softer. You'll want to take an even lesser aggressive approach, say start with M205 on black, then move to white, then M105 if needed... I'd highly recommend taping off the edge of the clear bra both when doing the paint and when doing the clear bra so you don't get product build up along the edges, which will take a lot of time and effort to remove.

Hopefully this helps with your decision. If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

Have a great holiday weekend!

George

[Dackz]

Thanks George!! Ill do a little more investigation and get my order in! That answered just about everthing I needed though, thanks again!

Edit...

I did have an issue where I had had to strip my sealer with alchohol wipes on a section of the hood earlier this month and use some scratch x 2.0 to get some swirls out and then i reapplied the BFWD with a just a regular yellow foam pad. I thought it went on pretty good. Does it work and absorb/bond better when applying it with the PC or does it just make it easier? I almost would prefer to do it by hand. Can you suggest a good hand applicator that may work better then just the little round foam yellow ones?

[d32169]

George, finally did the full detail, clay polish, glaze, sealant. Breathtaking. But after the BFWD sealant, I applied Dodo hard banana wax by hand, it seemed to dull the reflection of the finish. Triple hand-buffed it. Would the BF Midnight sun shine better and still last a long time? Other suggestions? Beige car.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Dackz

Thanks George!! Ill do a little more investigation and get my order in! That answered just about everthing I needed though, thanks again!

Edit...

I did have an issue where I had had to strip my sealer with alchohol wipes on a section of the hood earlier this month and use some scratch x 2.0 to get some swirls out and then i reapplied the BFWD with a just a regular yellow foam pad. I thought it went on pretty good. Does it work and absorb/bond better when applying it with the PC or does it just make it easier? I almost would prefer to do it by hand. Can you suggest a good hand applicator that may work better then just the little round foam yellow ones?

Applying a sealant by hand or by buffer is just a matter of preference, there's no added benefit one way or another. Personally, I usually apply my LSPs by hand, especially after polishing, I don't want to use the buffer any more.

Check out our Polishing Pal and pair that up with a black or blue 4" pad, best way to apply a glaze, sealant or wax by hand or if you need to polish by hand (just use a more aggressive pad).

Let us know how everything turns out for you.

Originally Posted by d32169

George, finally did the full detail, clay polish, glaze, sealant. Breathtaking. But after the BFWD sealant, I applied Dodo hard banana wax by hand, it seemed to dull the reflection of the finish. Triple hand-buffed it. Would the BF Midnight sun shine better and still last a long time? Other suggestions? Beige car.

That's the first I've heard of a Dodo Juice wax dulling the finish. Did you let the sealant cure for 24 hours before applying the wax? Also, you want to ensure you're applying the wax as thin as possible for optimal results.

I really do enjoy the BF Midnight Sun over Wet Diamond, it makes for a very glossy combo. Give the Dodo another shot though just to make sure. Try giving it a rebuff the next day after it's been able to sit in the sun, sometimes this can help increase the gloss.

Keep us posted.

[pc4400]

Maybe this is a stupid question but...

Wash water PH level; What should it be. Is PH level a good determinant of hard water?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by pc4400

Maybe this is a stupid question but...

Wash water PH level; What should it be. Is PH level a good determinant of hard water?

Definitely not a stupid question, but I honestly don't know the best answer to this. I don't think it's the best answer because I think you could have a balanced pH level but still have minerals in the water. The pH level determines how acidic or basic a substance is, not how much minerals are in the water necessarily.

Hope this helps a little.

[MAZINGER]

George,

I am planning to detail my car this week. Would you please review whether I am doing the correct procedures. My plan would be:

1) Wash the entire vehicle;
2) Clay;
3) re-wash;
4) Klasse (AIO) to polish with the DA (speed 2 or 3) and wipe off;
5) seal the paint with Menzerna Power Lock with the DA (speed 2 or 3) and wipe off after the application and let the sealant to cure for 24 hours;
6) apply the Collinite Insulator wax 845 (2 coats) one week after with DA (speed 2 or 3)

Thanks.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by MAZINGER

George,

I am planning to detail my car this week. Would you please review whether I am doing the correct procedures. My plan would be:

1) Wash the entire vehicle;
2) Clay;
3) re-wash;
4) Klasse (AIO) to polish with the DA (speed 2 or 3) and wipe off;
5) seal the paint with Menzerna Power Lock with the DA (speed 2 or 3) and wipe off after the application and let the sealant to cure for 24 hours;
6) apply the Collinite Insulator wax 845 (2 coats) one week after with DA (speed 2 or 3)

Thanks.

Looks solid, although you won't get much of the cleaning benefits of Klasse at those low speeds. You have the order and proper products all lined up, should be pleased with the results! Keep us posted how everything turns out for you.

[MAZINGER]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Looks solid, although you won't get much of the cleaning benefits of Klasse at those low speeds. You have the order and proper products all lined up, should be pleased with the results! Keep us posted how everything turns out for you.

George,

The guy who sold me the Power Lock told me that I would not need to apply the Collinite 845 after the Power Lock in summer. It would overkill the products of each other. Is this true?

He told me to apply Power Lock during summer period and Collinite during winter.

Can you advice?

Thanks.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by MAZINGER

George,

The guy who sold me the Power Lock told me that I would not need to apply the Collinite 845 after the Power Lock in summer. It would overkill the products of each other. Is this true?

He told me to apply Power Lock during summer period and Collinite during winter.

Can you advice?

Thanks.

Collinite is more of a durable / protector wax instead of a deep wet glossy looking wax that most people will top a sealant with. Adding the coat of 845 on top could help enhance the protection and perhaps look, although Power Look looks outstanding. You typically end up with the look of the final layer you apply, so if the Power Lock looks better than the 845 you could mute the finish a little. If you were looking for more depth and gloss, I would have chosen another wax...

[spdy330]

This question may be in the threads somewhere however looking through 53 pages will take forever.

How do you get rid of hard water spots on the windows and body of your car? Thank you!

[crazydrummer]

Quick question here. If i'm about to do a full detail and i don't completly stip all the old wax/ sealent off could this mess up anything? Or will i just come off when i start polishing anyways?