Detailing Advice Needed

[25GTT]

Hi Guys,

Bare with me on this one...

I sold my skyline a few years back and purchase a black 2005 Ford Escape. Whilst over the last 3 years she has treated me so well, only once a year did i get my friend to give it a full detail, between that it was lucky to have maybe one/two washes per year. I had paint protection put on a while ago which kinda helps i guess.

I just had some holidays and won my footy tipping so I installed some nice speakers and gave her a really detailed wash and she came up beautiful. It kinda rekindled my love for the mid range SUV.

So now i am thinking of following in your footsteps, i dont want to go ALL out as lets admit it, its no GTR but a bit of TLC wouldnt go astray.

So i used to wash, polish wax. 3+ years ago with the skyline but now I am really confused..... there is soo many options.

Now i need your advice, I know that there are much better brands out there, however I am happy with justing Mothers and or Meguirs.

I have just put a wash and wax of mothers from Repco and now wanting to know what next.

I saw they a special on repco.com.au in their catalouge "Meguirs Paint Resoration Kit" for $44.99

Am i best taking back my wash and wax and getting this? It doesnt contain a polish though, it does contain a "compound" is that the same thing?

All i was really after was the wash, polish, wax but as mentioned I am now soo confused for what used to be a nice day buffing the car and making it look good.

So..... lead me in the right direction. Keep my budget under $50 if possible please.

P.S. i have lots and lots of wheels cleaners and interior trim stuff so yeah, just the paint products advice would be great!

I have read lots of the threads on here and have learnt a lot from all of you, clay bars being the main thing, would now love your thoughts on a good "general detail"

[25GTT]

Sorry guys,

Here is the link to the paint restoration kit. I guess just wanting to know if this is suitable for the old "wash, polish, wax" scenario.

Not looking for something over the top, just something thats going to polish up the paint and keep it in good nick:

http://www.meguiars.com.au/products/kits/paint-restoration-kit/

[GEZZA90]

I would suggest using meguiars ultimate compound. I have not used this personally on my car but will look forward to it this weekend. I have been told by a friend of mine that 'meguiars ultimate compound' eliminates very light circular scratches on the surface of the paint. He did one half of his bonnet and was surprised to see the difference it made. it was like brand new fresh paint all over again.

e.g. when you finish waxing your car, look at the reflection of a light on your paint. You will see tiny micro scratches.

Another detailing tip which most people don't seem to do is using protectant on plastic trims outside the car. I will try to get some before and after photos this weekend on my celica.

[25GTT]

Awesome, thanks mate

I did heaps or researching on the internet about the products etc, however most of the info comes from the Meguires forum, which is no doubt a bit "tainted" in its responses.

[GTR-34A]

the meguirs forums and info isnt too bad.

im no detailer but the basic steps are:

wash (ph balanced, the wash and wax stuff is no good if you have had your car properly waxed)

claybar

cut using a compund

polish

then seal with a wax

did this on my gfs car when we were selling it, came up great and sold the car within 24hrs ha..

[25GTT]

Cool, my last question is, how often can your paint handle being "Ultimate compounded" so to speak.

Should i do that process say once a year, then the other times just a wash then wax?

[Mavric]

Hey mate,

Just reading through your post. Just thought I would try and shoot over some advice.

What you are looking to do sounds like you have the right approach and your last post is the most important of all

You want to go through the above process which GTR -34A has noted these steps are correct, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

When you Polish or Compound your car you are cutting down the paint / clear which is on the car. You only need to do this is when you have scratches or swirl marks on the paint which need to be corrected. If your paint is in good condition then this step wouldn't be needed. This brings me to your last post.

How often should you compound your car. As little as possible. If you are applying a Wax and ideally a Sealant Often then you shouldn't have a need to correct your paint. I personally use AMMO and find it to be fantastic.

Also keep in mind that if you use Clay Bar on a car which has had a Wax and or Sealant Applied to the car then it will remove it as well as any other dirt which may have been sitting on top of it. Also if you are applying Wax and Sealant often then the need to Polish your car also shouldn't be needed either.

This of course is perfect conditions but you can reduce then need with good care while washing the car too.

I would suggest correct your paint and get it to an optimal condition and the protect it. Also don't forget to drive the car as well

Let me know if you want me to go into any more detail about how to correct the paint or anything else. More than happy to answer any questions you have.

[25GTT]

You guys are champions!

Nice post Mavric. Use the clay bar and compound to get it to a good standard then just wash and wax from there! with maybe the Clay bar and compound but VERY rarely providing i now stay away from those car washes.

To be honest, i really am interested in doing this and kinda getting excited. I used to have a beautiful 33 that used to go in many of the shows, my friend owns a detailing store and he did it all for free! The odd thing is now i drive an SUV and nooooow i finally take an interest in doing it all myself.

Its just a ford escape 2005 limited edition (has cream leather mind you) prob worth $15k but I cant see any problem with lavishing out on it evey so ofter, plus all the posts you boys are putting up of your detailing of GTR's and ferrari, lotuses and what nots are making me jealous.

Thanks again for your help gang, going to get it now!

[GEZZA90]

Hey mate,

Apologies for the delay but I have added a photo with this post. I'm not a professional or detailing expert or anything as I always stick to basic cleaning and waxing products.

I followed a similar procedure to what Anthony mentioned. I washed > cut using compound > wax > ultimate compound. I was too scared to use the clay bar for the first time as I thought it would scratch my car. I'm waiting for my friend to show me how to use it.

In the photo, the green oval shows tiny micro scratches when looking at the reflection of light. When I used ultimate compound, it did get rid of these micro scratches (red oval), however, only about 50-90%. I may need to use a clay bar to remove dirt and grime. I apologise for the poor quality picture as I couldn't find my digital camera and was stuck with my phone -_-'

Matt seems to know what he's talking about so he would know much more than me. I hope I helped!

[GTR-34A]

^im pretty sure waxing should be your last step, as it's a sealant. That maybe what has effected your finish, and I think clay bar will also help you, it removes very fine grit that while effect your finish.

[m.j.h]

^im pretty sure waxing should be your last step, as it's a sealant. That maybe what has effected your finish, and I think clay bar will also help you, it removes very fine grit that while effect your finish.

What he said

Wash

Clay

Polish

Wax

Sealant

And make sure you use the correct microfiber cloths not just any old rags or chamois as this will mark the paint as well

[GEZZA90]

Thanks guys! I'll keep it in mind for next detailing session. I'll need to stock up on microfibre cloth, polish and sealant. I'm learning so much from browsing through these threads.

[Mavric]

Gary,

Great results. As the guys have said make sure you always wax last. If you are using a sealant, you would want to apply that first and then apply the wax over the top of that once it cures.

Also dont feel the need to compound or polish your car every weekend. You should only need to do it once and then maintain it with wax and sealants. If you keep cutting the paint with compounds and polish's you will run out of paint so just keep that in mind.

I have also attached a video of Larry claying a car for you. Its very simple bit of lube and left to right motion and you are set. I use soap while doing my clay as its a much cheaper alternative than using a spray wax which is also just as good. depends how much of the car you need to clay.

[25GTT]

Nice work Mavric!

Glad to say I spent pretty much Saturday going over the car, I was PI$$ED with myself afterwards when i completely forgot to get before and afters.

Very happy to tell you all that my car looks a million bucks!

I ended up doing the wash. then compound, wax then....... My friend who manages a car care company came around with a bit of a surprise for me. He bought a $900 swissvax car detailing package for his special client, he went over my car with something he beleived was similar to a "paint protection" smelt like strawberry lip balm, so tempted to eat it.

Needless to say I wanted to eat it, but, the car came up sooooo nice! The lady at my birds boarding house (long story) who we regularly visit, noticed how clean my car was straight away.

[GEZZA90]

I have never clay bar'd my car and I would guess it is in desperate need of one. Thanks for the video example! I thought clay bar was used AFTER washing and drying. That's why I was worried the dry surface would cause friction and lead to scratches. Anyways, now you've showed how it's done. Thanks for that!

I also had another quick question, the paint of my rear wing has slightly faded and I have tried to cut a thin layer of paint using fibreglass polish and then wax. It did help smoothen the surface but the fading was still there. Is this because I was using boatcare products? I picked the polish and wax up from super cheap auto and the worker recommended I use this. Do I have to keep cutting until I get a clean surface of paint? Is there any other way I could fix this without a $250 respray?

Thanks

[m.j.h]

I could be way wrong here but that spoiler looks like the clear has started to peel/come away

I think the only way is going to be a respray but you could try sanding with some 1200 grit wet and dry then compound and polish but try this at your own risk

Boat products are good for boats as they are layed up with the gel coat in the mould first.

Spoilers etc are most likely layed up with a white or primer coat in the mould then painted using automotive paint once sold to a customer to match the car it is fitted to

Edited December 11, 2012 by m.j.h

[GTR-N1]

I could be way wrong here but that spoiler looks like the clear has started to peel/come away

I think the only way is going to be a respray but you could try sanding with some 1200 grit wet and dry then compound and polish but try this at your own risk

Boat products are good for boats as they are layed up with the gel coat in the mould first.

Spoilers etc are most likely layed up with a white or primer coat in the mould then painted using automotive paint once sold to a customer to match the car it is fitted to

+1

[ARTZ]

All this talk of sealant then wax...I was advised only to use o e or the other not both..

Have down a few cars now, cut, polish, wax..I stopped using the sealant and just go straight on with any good carnuba wax and they come up magnificent with Thick wet glossy finishes.. but those tiny little scratches you see close up in The reflection still illude me..Im wondering would a good wool pad help fix these..?

[Frosty]

All this talk of sealant then wax...I was advised only to use o e or the other not both..

Have down a few cars now, cut, polish, wax..I stopped using the sealant and just go straight on with any good carnuba wax and they come up magnificent with Thick wet glossy finishes.. but those tiny little scratches you see close up in The reflection still illude me..Im wondering would a good wool pad help fix these..?

those are generally scratches in the clear coat! can be removed with a cut back or meguires scratch x is also suppose to be good

[ARTZ]

yeah scratch x is pretty useless..

thing Is i am cutting out big scratches and they come up good, then I cut down till they smooth right out....

but being left with tiny ones that dont seem to show up until the wax goes on..