A Few Questions For Tired Paint

[GH05T]

Hey all, looking for some more info on basic paint restoration/ cleanup.

I'm gonna spend a bit of time on one of my cars which has grey paint.

the paint is ok but its a bit tired, their are some parts resprayed, most is original, and almost all is lightly scratched and swirled with age, so i wanna bring it back up.

the front bar has recently been resprayed which has left the whole car covered in light fallout.

i do have a claybar which i gave a shot on part of the bonnet which works a treat.

my question is whats a good product to use with the claybar for lube? (off the shelf products)

also what polish is good, again off the shelf stuff, by polish i mean a cutting compound with no protectants in it at all.

also what pad should i use for an orbital polisher, remembering i know nothing about them...

which order do i go in relation to claybar then polish or polish they claybar?

and after they are done whats a good paint sealant, do i just get a good wax?

thanks for any help guys

[iwanta34gtr]

Hey all, looking for some more info on basic paint restoration/ cleanup.

I'm gonna spend a bit of time on one of my cars which has grey paint.

the paint is ok but its a bit tired, their are some parts resprayed, most is original, and almost all is lightly scratched and swirled with age, so i wanna bring it back up.

the front bar has recently been resprayed which has left the whole car covered in light fallout.

i do have a claybar which i gave a shot on part of the bonnet which works a treat.

my question is whats a good product to use with the claybar for lube? (off the shelf products)

also what polish is good, again off the shelf stuff, by polish i mean a cutting compound with no protectants in it at all.

also what pad should i use for an orbital polisher, remembering i know nothing about them...

which order do i go in relation to claybar then polish or polish they claybar?

and after they are done whats a good paint sealant, do i just get a good wax?

thanks for any help guys

Hello,

In regards to claybar lube - if your looking for an off the shelf product, i use either mothers showtime or meguiars quick detailer.

Off the shelf polishing product with a cutting compound - I recommend Meguiars Ultimate compound, or if you need something tougher - go to Meguiars M105. Either way, follow this with Meguiars Ultimate Polish and then Meguiars Ultimate Wax. (Or if you want to save a few bucks, Meguiars Deep Crystal pure polish and Meguiars NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0 will also do the trick).

I'd also recommend the Menzerna cutting products, they seem to have a longer working time and dont dust as hard as some of the Meguiars products.

The pads will differ depending on what you are trying to achieve. I use Lake Country pads - used to use meguiars soft buff 2.0 ones but i find the LC pads to be much better quality. If I were you, i'd get a LC white wool, LC purple foam/wool, LC yellow, LC orange, LC black, LC white and LC blue. That would be a good start and you'll definately end up using them eventually.

Regardless, apply with the pads and remove with microfibre towels.

Im no pro, just sharing what works for me - hopefully it helps.

Cheers.

Edited March 27, 2012 by iwanta34gtr

[iwanta34gtr]

And by the way - its wash, clay, wash, compound, wash, polish, wash, wax.

[75coupe]

can you use a small amount of car wash in water as a clay bar lube??

is off the shelf lube really a necessity, is there anything else you can suggest a clay lube?

[iwanta34gtr]

I've never tried it, but heard the car wash and water is also an option.

I believe some clays are sensitive to soap though, it may break them up or weaken them?

Lets see what some of the pro's say - im interested. I've actually saved a spray bottle so if its okay, i'll give it a go next time and save some $.

[GH05T]

Very interested also, thanks for the input btw

[immacreflections]

And by the way - its wash, clay, wash, compound, wash, polish, wash, wax.

SO SO Wrong.

you dont have to wash after clay you can use water and wipe with a micrfibre or just rinse. Why would you wash after compounding when you are going to polish anyway? it makes no sense and there is no advantage to it at all. Why would you wash after polishing and compounding? unless you didnt tape up properly or dont have a blower to blow dust away (hairdryer). I use an IPA mix prior to sealant or wax application to ensure there are no oils left but that is it.

As for a clay in theory you cna use soap and water but its not good as it doenst always provide sufficient lubrication and also deteriorates the clay bar.

[immacreflections]

Hello,

In regards to claybar lube - if your looking for an off the shelf product, i use either mothers showtime or meguiars quick detailer.

Off the shelf polishing product with a cutting compound - I recommend Meguiars Ultimate compound, or if you need something tougher - go to Meguiars M105. Either way, follow this with Meguiars Ultimate Polish and then Meguiars Ultimate Wax. (Or if you want to save a few bucks, Meguiars Deep Crystal pure polish and Meguiars NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0 will also do the trick).

I'd also recommend the Menzerna cutting products, they seem to have a longer working time and dont dust as hard as some of the Meguiars products.

The pads will differ depending on what you are trying to achieve. I use Lake Country pads - used to use meguiars soft buff 2.0 ones but i find the LC pads to be much better quality. If I were you, i'd get a LC white wool, LC purple foam/wool, LC yellow, LC orange, LC black, LC white and LC blue. That would be a good start and you'll definately end up using them eventually.

Regardless, apply with the pads and remove with microfibre towels.

Im no pro, just sharing what works for me - hopefully it helps.

Cheers.

get poorboys SSR2 SSR1 and Professional Polish from waxit.com.au along with an LC orange LC white and LC black all of those times 2. that is all you will need

[iwanta34gtr]

SO SO Wrong.

you dont have to wash after clay you can use water and wipe with a micrfibre or just rinse. Why would you wash after compounding when you are going to polish anyway? it makes no sense and there is no advantage to it at all. Why would you wash after polishing and compounding? unless you didnt tape up properly or dont have a blower to blow dust away (hairdryer). I use an IPA mix prior to sealant or wax application to ensure there are no oils left but that is it.

As for a clay in theory you cna use soap and water but its not good as it doenst always provide sufficient lubrication and also deteriorates the clay bar.

I still think this depends. Unfortunately I dont get paid to go through the massive detailing process all in one hit

I do the process bit by bit over a few day period in which I still need use of my car. Unless you are going to do it one step straight after the other, I'd still suggest a wash between them.

[immacreflections]

I still think this depends. Unfortunately I dont get paid to go through the massive detailing process all in one hit

I do the process bit by bit over a few day period in which I still need use of my car. Unless you are going to do it one step straight after the other, I'd still suggest a wash between them.

ok I see where your coming from.

[Jonno34]

I've only ever tried using clay with water twice, neither worked out well.

The first time i tried the wash solution was still too concentrated and this degraded the clay, it literally broke up in my hands. - this happened with clay magic blue, which I used at my workplace.

The second time it left some serious marring on the paint, which has never happened before when using lube. Not 100% sure but I'm assuming there wasnt enough lubricity in the water/wash solution mixture.

This happened with Final Inspection's extra fine grade clay - which is the most gentle version they make, and has never caused any form of marring on my cars before.

So I suggest going with Lube, its cheap anyway!

[iwanta34gtr]

I've only ever tried using clay with water twice, neither worked out well.

The first time i tried the wash solution was still too concentrated and this degraded the clay, it literally broke up in my hands. - this happened with clay magic blue, which I used at my workplace.

The second time it left some serious marring on the paint, which has never happened before when using lube. Not 100% sure but I'm assuming there wasnt enough lubricity in the water/wash solution mixture.

This happened with Final Inspection's extra fine grade clay - which is the most gentle version they make, and has never caused any form of marring on my cars before.

So I suggest going with Lube, its cheap anyway!

Thanks for the advice mate, will stick with the off the shelf lube.

[Jonno34]

^ you could try final inspection lube, its pretty cheap and the latest version works very well, you should be able to pick it up yourself since you're in sydney im quite sure they have a store there?

I think its cheaper than most stuff that can be used off the shelf as lube (usually quick detailers)