not sure if this was asked already, but how do you suggest cleaning the polishing pads?

 

Thank you. You've been an immense help. I've decided to not polish the car at this time since it's brand new. But, I'm going to give it a best effort shot at the rest and see if I can make this a weekend routine. I love the thought of the "dripping wet" look on the black paint. I can't wait! This will be a fun project.

I'm finishing up my shopping list and placing an order this week. What do you think:

1) Wash/Dry: Washing and Drying Ultimate Kit

2) Clay: Clear Kote Clay Bar & Clay Lube Combo

3) Polish: Skipping the polish for now... or I might have a detailer do it for me. Not sure yet.

4) Glaze: Finishing Touch Glaze (FTG)

5) Sealant: Chemical Guys M-Seal Pure Sealant

6) Wax: Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax

7) Wheel cleaner: P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner

8) Tire dressing: Poorboy's World Bold 'n Bright with a Tire Dressing Applicator

10) Glass: Stoner Invisible Glass

11) Leather: Poorboy's World Leather Stuff

With maybe a few extra random applicator pads. Comments/Suggestions? Thanks

 

Normally I'd recommend looking into Stoner Tarminator, but it is a pretty powerful product and I'd be worried about it potentially damaging your clear bra.

I'd look into Garnet Canuck recommendation mentioned below, especially if he's had good luck with it on a clear bra.

It's funny, a lot of pro detailers are turning to grout sponges, but I cannot see why, yet at least. I've always been under the impression that the contamination would be pushed around the surface like a traditional sponge would, but perhaps the grout sponges are different. Personally, I stick to sheepskin wash mitts, but I can see where it can become expensive if you have to replace them pretty frequently. I'm going to try to do a little more research on them. I got some samples from Lake Country of their grout sponges so I'll use them on my car next detail and report back what I think.

The biggest thing I can recommend for maintaining your pads is to clean them right away. Once product sits on your pads for a long period of time, it can often become difficult to remove completely, which can often lead to dried up product spitting out from your pad with your next use. I typically fill up a 5 gallon bucket of water and dump a packet of Snappy Clean pad cleaner in there. I usually let them soak for 5 - 10 minutes, then use my thumbs to massage the product out the best I can. I repeat the process a second time, then if I'm satisfied with the results, I set them out to dry. I use my rotary buffer at a fast RPM to give the pads a quick dry, you can try this on a PC or Flex or well. Then I'll place them foam down on some absorbent towels and let them air dry. After they are completely dry, I recommend storing them in labeled ziplock bags or a storage bin to ensure dust and debris doesn't settle on them. This is what I've found to be the most effective process for maintaining your buffer pads.

Your list looks great. The one thing I'd highly recommend is to change your glaze from Menzerna FTG to the Chemical Guys EZ-Creme Glaze. You'll get much better results keeping the synergy between the CG products and personally I find that the CG Glaze is a better product under the M-Seal sealant.

We have a great special going on our All Purpose Microfiber Towels. If you're in need of towels for product removal and your interior needs, these are my goto towels. They are 25% off this month. For applicators, I like the standard foam applicator pads if you are going to tackle the process by hand.

Keep us posted on your results, I am excited to hear about them.

Regards,

George @ DetailedImage.com

 

got a few question

i've been waxing my car once a month. and i've polished my car once in 6months....my question is, how often do u wax? i was under the assumption that you only polish to remove swirls and imperfections

so do you wax more often than you polish? do you ever polish only and never apply wax or sealant after?

 

Waxes typically have a life of 4 - 8 weeks on average, so to maintain the maximum benefits of a wax, I recommend re-waxing once a month after a routine wash and dry.

Polishing should always be followed up with an application of a sealant or wax because when you polish your paint, you immediately strip off any protection a sealant or wax provides and you're left with your bare clear coat.

Short answer: Wax once a month a polish when needed to remove imperfections. After polishing always follow up with a sealant and/or wax.

 

thanks again!!
just received my new order today....but i had just given my car a good detail last weekend, so it'll be a few more weeks b4 i use the new stuff

gonna go with:

wash/dry
clay
poorboy SSR2/maybe 2.5
Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish (with Glaze fillers) - will be 1st time using
poorboy's sealant
BLackfire midnight sun wax - will be 1st time using

thanks to mostly this thread and another thread on another forum it seems i've been able to keep my black G pretty much free of swirls and scratches...gave it a good look down last wkend when i was detailing it..i'm actually pretty proud of it...i've only polished it once since i had the car and that was back in october, i think

BTW, George did you change sheepskin wash mit? looks different then the one i purchased last september

 

The process looks great Nam, keep us posted on how everything turns out. That's great that you're able to keep your finish nearly swirl free.

We did switch our sheepskin supplier sometime between last Sept and now. The old ones we had a problem with their durability, the new ones we stock are a little thinner than the other ones but seem to be outlasting the other ones quite a bit. Another feature I like on our new sheepskin mitts is that they have a leather hoop that makes it convenient to hang dry them once you are done. Let me know what you think of the newer ones after you get a chance to use it.

Thanks again for your continued support!

George

 

hmmm...i still have my old one and i've gone thru 2 of the new kind (bought from somewhere else) compared to the old one i still have...seeems to me the old one is way more durable and of higher quality as well

 

George...

what do i need to do to wash and keep clean MATTE Black Wheels?

 

DetailedImage,

I have a paste carnauba cleaner wax, and a liquid synthetic polymer wax. I want to apply both, but and wondering which one to apply first after a clay bar treatment?

 

Personally, I'll just make sure your wheels are protected with something like Poorboy's Wheel Sealant at all times. Then for your maintenance procedure, treat it the same as your paint. Make sure you use a dedicated wash mitt, some quality automotive shampoo and use the 2 bucket wash system.

If you're using those two products, I'd apply the cleaner wax first as that will help strip off any remaining protection and put down a coat of protection, then use the spray wax after your routine washes. Between those two products, I wouldn't expect much more than 3 - 6 weeks of protection, so just make sure you apply them frequently enough to have full coverage on your vehicle.

George

 

George...
Thanks for the above...

Wild off the wall question...
Have you ever heard of using RainX on wheels?

 

1st I've heard of that one! I'd probably advise against it, you'd be better off using a paint sealant or wax instead IMO.

 

Ah... my uncle used to do it on some chrome wheels on his Camaro SS... they always looking shiny and the dirt would just wash away... thats why I was asking...

 

Chrome is a different story, I was thinking about your matte finished wheels. While I still wouldn't advise it, I have heard of people using glass cleaners / protectants on chrome surfaces with good luck.

PM coming your way in a minute as well

George