Just picked up my new DD, a 99 A4. Its black and has a lot of swirl marks scratches, and its not really shiney. I have an orbital buffer, but I’m afraid to use it. I don’t want to ruin the paint.
Any tips on how start using it without burning throught the paint?
Could I get away with doing it by hand?
I have meguires 3 step
Nxt Tech wax
3m machine glaze
3m rubbing compound
Clay bar
What else should I buy to make it bling.
thanks
orbital buffer wont hurt it…a regualr high speed one will if not used properly
What kind/size of orbital?
Wash/Claybar/Meguires DACP (or Klasse AIO) applyed with an orbital buffer equipped with a foam light cutting pad (I prefer the Porter Cable 6") / Then I like to finish up with Klasse Sealant and Glaze (its an acrylic sealant that will protect your paint much longer than most waxes, especially carnuba… it is also layerable).
On a black car, Microfibre towels, Microfibre Wash Mitts are your friend. Do not use regular towels on the car. I have kept my Black Jetta looking pretty good with these methods.
^ If I mess my paint up I will hunt you down
jp
Whats DACP? Does the zone carry it?
its a black and Decker 8 inch, 1/3 hp
you can order it online… try autopia
if you have to have something right away, carquest is most likely to carry it.
does it take out scratches?
it will take out very light scratches, and all swirls/holograms… You can try megs scratch-x applied by hand on scratches. Try the rubbing compound as well.
Dozer, Klasse AIO is not similar to DACP. DACP (or a comparable medium agressive polish) should be used and then Klasse AIO ( or a comparable lighter polish). Of course, the point to everything is (first)decontaminate–>polish—>lighter polish—>glaze (optional)–>protection (wax/sealant) (last). Of course sometimes things can be omitted. I mean, you don’t have to clay bar everytime you decide you want to polish, or if you just want to do a light polish and then wax. A full detail should last 6 months or up to a year if taken care of right, but this does include light polishing and waxing. And proper washing.
I wrote this on washing, however elementary it may be you may find some things useful:
Wash
What you should have:
one or two buckets
hose (optional, read on to see why)
GOOD car wash soap
Lambswool/Chenile washmit
Microfiber towel prefered to dry (absorber is crap, target sells a huge Microfiber towel for drying that is quite nice)Have you ever watched a normal person wash a car? They start with the front bumper, then the hood, then the doors, then the roof, then the rear bumper, trunklid, etc. Please slap them.
When you take a shower you don’t wash your crotch and then go to your arms and legs, so why wash your car like that?
Start with the Roof, windows, hood, trunklid, upper fenders. Rinse the wash mit after every panel or every half of a large panel. Then do the upper doors, lower fenders, vertical part of the trunklid, and the headlights. Always end with the dirtiest part of the car: bumpers, lower doors below bumpstrips. Work DOWNWARD. This pictures may or may not help explain this. Also, the lines provide a bit of a guide to the wash mit movement (linear, please).
And of course rinse the suds off, but I generally wait to rinse the whole car unless it’s very warm and sunny.
Dry
Now you’ll probably notice that there is more water then you want on the paint. Your towel is going to get sopping wet before you know it.The trick of the trade, and I’m sure enough people here know it, is to take the sprayer nozel off the paint like so:
What happens? The water sheets because water is wonderfully cohesive. It’s not perfect but it reduces the amount you have to wring out the drying towel from a few times to maybe not at all.Washes that I like in order from like most to like least:
Duragloss (carquest)
MeguiarsNXT wash (pepboys)
Meguiars Gold Class (target has it cheap)You’ve probably heard a great hype around microfiber WAFFLE WEAVE drying towels. Honestly I think the majority of the time they are overpriced. You can find a Meguiars branded one at Pepboys that looks very nice, and is comparable in price to the VROOM branded target regular MF drying towels. Whatever you prefer. They’ll both work.
Comparison (top is target($7) big plush microfiber drying towel, bottom is a pakshak waffle weave microfiber($18))
Whatever, I’m not buying anymore drying towels over $10 but if you have the money go ahead. It won’t hurt.But Corey why do you take so much time to wash the car?
The dirt from the lower portions of the car can and will scratch your paint. Everybody has seen swirls. What people do not know is that on close inspection they really are light, crossthatched scratches caused by improper washing (for the most part). The only reason they look circular is how the sun is catched by them. Look at them and you will see that they are usually pretty continuous.So you wash the dirty portions last to help prevent this. The combination of the right wash order, the nap of the wash mit (as opposed to the nearly flat surface of a sponge), the good wash solution, and the microfiber drying towel should help prevent sratches.
Quick detailers/quick waxes
This step is really up to you, but if anybody thinks I wax my car everytime I go to a meet you’re mistaken. It only looks just freshly waxed because I always use a quick detailer after I wash my car. I don’t know, it gives it a slick feel, and it really makes it look a lot better than just a wash.My favorite at the moment is Mother’s FX Synwax Spraywax. It’s quick and easy. It says you can use it wet but I prefer to use it dry (just seems to work better). Try it either way and do what you like more.
Your orbital may not be up to the task of polishing. The good thing is that hand polishing is nearly as effective, you just have to have good stamina. It’s really tiring stuff…
Take a towel, Microfiber or 100% terry. Not bath towels, not something with polyester. Fold it into quarters.
Get your polish (a light-medium polish will work great, because you’ll be repeating these steps with a lighter polish after). Meguiars sells a hand polish in their professional line, Mothers has a “power polish” that is comparable to DACP–it’s sold at Pepboys or K&S auto. It’s meant to be used by machine, but with proper hand polishing it can work well.
Put the polish on the towel, apply to a small section at a time (when you get better and quicker at this you can do larger sections, half of a hood perhaps–start small). The towels offer a more even amount of pressure, and more “bite” than a foam wax applicator. Now, you just don’t “apply it” and watch it haze, and then wipe it off. Despite common polishing ettiquet this just doesn’t do much of anything. You have to go over the area, much like you’re polishing a piece of metal. Work the polish until it is clear, or powders, or nearly clear. Wipe with a Microfiber towel.
So, you do not:
Let it haze
Work in “small circles” (always linear–vertical, diagonal, horizontal, what have you)
use bath towels
Now repeat this with a different pair of towels and the lighter polish. You can use Meguiars ColorX (more like a cleaner wax with a lot of cleaning and polishing–infact, this product is great if you are scared to do the previous step with a medium polish). You could also use the Meguiars 3-step polish.
If you wanted to glaze you could, I guess if you were working by hand it may be a good idea. The same thing with polish, but you probably won’t have to work it into the paint as much depending on the glaze itself.
Then wax. There are so many available. My favorite off the shelf is Mother’s FX Synwax. The spray-wax from that line is also very good, especially after a wash. Quick detailers are great.
Now, scratches. These are hard to take out by hand, but not impossible. Try the Medium polish (DACP, Mother’s Powerpolish) first. If that doesn’t work, then move to the next agressive polish, or then a rubbing compound.
Do the same thing you would do for polishing a regular panel of paint to get rid of swirls, except focus on the scratch more. Heavier pressure, yet still even. And work the scratch with parallel motions. NOT perpendicular across the scratch. I have seen even professional detailers do this, and the problem that I have found with this is that you end up with uneven scratch removal.
Advice on compounds: work them wet–don’t let them clear like polish. Always follow up with decreasing agressive products after. That is, go over the area with the compound, then the medium polish, then the light polish,…,wax. You may have some hazing left by the compound, but the medium polish will take that out so don’t worry.
If you really do want to spend the money on a Porter Cable polisher, uhm, then that’s a little different ball game but the major rules are still the same. In all honesty, if you have a little bit of muscle and you don’t plan on making a living out of detailing, you can make a car look just as good by and as by random orbital.
And don’t panic if you think you messed something up, because I really don’t mind helping somebody fix their mistake.
Looks like I have tomarrow free to finally do my car, I have gathered
claybar
3M medium, rubbing compound
3M fine cut, rubbing compound
3M Hand glaze
mequires polish
and nxt wax
Thats the order I’m gonna use it in. I’m not using the mequires polish. I am doing it by hand. I’ll have before and after pics up tomarrow night
