So what would I need to start using the PC? I'm thinking of ordering one but want to see what a whole package would be/cost. Also, I have a clearbra, can I use carnauba wax on it?

 

If you take a look at Detailed Image's Buffer section and you'll notice a few packages, including a Starter package.

As for chemicals. My car is about 2 months old with light swirl marks, so I don't think I'll need a compounding polish. I'm opting to go with Menzerna's PO106FF finishing polish with a white polishing pad. This is a very gentle but effective polish. The "heavy" polishes help remove really bad swirl marks and scratches but will leave a haze on your paint that you have to go over with a lighter polish. Apparently, PO106FF has the cutting power of a medium to heavy polish but doesn't leave a haze (George, can you confirm this?).

Next, I'm going to apply a glaze with a black pad. I'm using Chemical Guy's EZ Cream Glaze. Apparently, a glaze is used as a FILLER for those swirl marks that your polish didn't cut deep enough into (or that you didn't want to cut deep into). So, if after your polish you still see a few swirl marks here and there, opt for a coat of glaze. You should put a sealant or wax over the glaze to make it last.

Next, are the finishing touches; sealants and waxes. Some people prefer to use one or the other, I'm opting to use both. A sealant gives you 4-6 months of protection on your paint but it's not nearly as nice looking and shiny as a true carnauba wax. Carnauba wax lasts 4-6 weeks only. So, I'd recommend you use a sealant for long lasting protection, and a paste wax for beauty. Even if you forget or don't have time to apply a wax every month, at least the sealant will be a second line of defense. Use a blue pad with a sealant if you choose to use.

Edit: I'm not sure about the clearbra, but you're probably going to want to remove it first. Otherwise, you won't be able to polish out the imperfections below it. I have heard that you can wax a clearbra just fine (not sure about sealant). When you wax you're going to want to use a fine strip of painter's tape along the edges so you don't have wax buildup.

 

George,

Originally, for my black G37, you recommended CG EZ Cream Glaze paired with CG M-Seal Pure Sealant and topped off with PB Natty's Blue Paste Wax.

1) I forgot to order a sealant. I noticed you have a sale for Menzerna's FMJ today. How would you feel about CG EZ Cream Glaze paired with FMJ and topped with Natty's? Or should I still opt for the synergy between the CG products?

2) I'm going to clay, PO106FF PC7424 polish, CG glaze and Natty's wax the car this weekend. How long should I wait before applying whichever sealant I buy? Daily driver, 15 miles round trip to work on city streets. Mild, sunny climate in the high 80s. Should I re-clay, re-glaze, sealant and wax? Or just sealant and wax?

I can imagine you're busy. If I don't hear from you before the special is over I'll just order the CG M-Seal Pure since that was the original plan.

3) Should I be masking anything off on the car prior to using the PC and polish? Like the emblems or lights? If so, what sort of mask? Blue painter's tape? Or do I just avoid those areas as best I can? If I avoid, do I go over those areas by hand with the applicator pad? I've read through FAQs/forums but none have answered this question clearly. Thanks!

 

George,
I am having soem stupidity issues that I dont intend on repeating on my Black G37. Please see thread OP.

In addition to the Porter Cable 7424 Advanced Kit - what waxes, compounds, sealants, etc should I be getting as essential products to accompany my PC. Bear in mind that in addition to normal details of my black OB, I will also be wanting to buff out minor scuffs of that sort. Please educate me some. Thanks!

Also what combo of pads should I take on my advanced kit? standard or more of a certain one? Does Meguair's ScratchX help my cause??

 

Quick question,

I have the Poorboy's EX sealant with carnauba. Is there any benefit with layiring a 2nd doat on, or is 1 coat sufficient? I wanted to top it with Natty's blue, would this be beneficial or not?

Thanks

 

If I understand you correctly, you are asking if there is any benefit to applying Natty's Blue after your EX-P sealant........is that correct?

If so, yes, there is a benefit. Adding a layer of carnuba over your sealant will give your paint some added depth, gloss, and shine. Just make sure you let your EX-O sealant cure for at least 24 hours before you apply your Natty's Blue.

 

ObsidianGT offered some great advice on looking into one of the starter kits. That gives you everything you'd need to get going with a professional quality detail. The PC 7424 Starter Kit goes for $199.99. After that you'll want to pick up the appropriate polishes. I too would recommend the PO106FF polish and if your swirls are deeper, perhaps a more aggressive polish, such as Menzerna Intensive Polish to go along with it.

Let me know if you'd like any sealant or wax suggestions to go along with your buffer. When I am looking to clean a clear bra, I typically turn to a good all in one polish, such as Klasse All In One. This will chemically clean the clear bra without wearing it away with abrasive particles as well as protects it from the elements with a layer of polymer sealant. As ObsidianGT mentioned, I'd recommend taping off the edges so that you don't accumulate any product, which leaves behind a nice white outline of your clear bra. You can use a sealant or wax as well for protection.

On a scale of 1-10, if I had to rate the cutting ability of PO106FF, I'd say it's about a 3.5. I wouldn't classify it as heavy cut, probably not even a medium cut, unless you're using a really aggressive pad (which isn't the best pairing for this polish). The ability it has to finish down ultra fine will remove a lot more micro-marring and minor swirls better than other finishing polishes, which does make it more effective. On a properly maintained vehicle, you can usually get away with just using PO106FF as your only polish.

Tape up as much as you can. Trim, emblems, window seals, lights... the more you can tape, the less you have to worry about when working the buffer. Also, it helps keep product from caking up in those areas, which can become a timely process removing if you have a lot of product caked up. When in doubt, tape it up.

I'd recommend keeping the pads on the advanced kit. Sooner or later, you may get a key mark, shopping cart ding, paint transfer, etc. and may need the pads you didn't think you needed when you ordered the buffer. It's nice to have the proper items on hand in the event of something happening.

Here are my recommendations for a black G without spending an arm and a leg:

Medium Cutting Polish: Intensive Polish - With Orange Pad
Finishing Polish: PO106FF - With White Pad
Sealant: M-Seal - With Blue Pad
Wax: Natty's Blue - Which if you act today, is our deal of the day for $12.30! Hand applied with a foam applicator pad.

If you're looking to splurge and get the most out of black, I'd go with:
Medium Cut Polish: Super Intensive Polish
Finishing Polish: PO106FF
Sealant: Jet Seal 109
Wax: Pinnacle Souveran
(Same recommended pad options as above for each step)

Not going to go wrong with any of those combinations. Let me know if there's anything else I can give you a hand with.

You can opt for multiple coats of a sealant on your paint, many enthusiasts do. First thing you want to make sure you do to get the most out of multiple coats is wait 24 hours between coats (whether it's a 2nd coat of sealant or a first coat of wax). Applying two coats, helps ensure even coverage of protection on your vehicle, can help enhance durability by a little bit, and can increase the depth and gloss. Looks wise, you'll get more of a benefit of applying two coats of Natty's Blue, than you would with two coats of EX.

Hope this helps. Thanks for being patient with the replies as well.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day.

George

 

George, you're great! Thanks for the excellent replies. We're serious detailing newbies and it's very comforting to know we have the help of a professional to go along with these professional products we're investing in.

I can imagine you've answered these questions over and over in the past, but your direct help is not in vain! Thanks again.

 

i know this was prolly already asked but how do i get rid of bug stains?? i hate this infiniti paint...i got a bug splatter today...when i got home i decided to clean it off...

used some detailing spray and wipe..nothing

used bug & tar remover from turtle wax..nothing...did it 3x and still nothing...let the bug & tar remover sit for a few mins then wipe...nothing

went with a clay bar with some lube still nothing....the bug stain is still there as if its imprinted on the car...btw, i just waxed my car 2-3 wks ago

help me....help me please...b4 its too late

 

So the bug crap is gone, but it left some sort of residue behind? If you've done clay already, then it sounds like your next best option is to try to polish it out. You could try one of these in the future: http://www.detailedimage.com/Pre-Wash-Degreaser-C3/

The wax on your car was probably already wearing down by the 3rd week, which is likely why it stained. You should consider a sealant in addition to the wax. Sealants provide 4-6 months of protection, versus 3-6 weeks for wax. Plus, the more often you wash your car, the quicker the wax will lose effectiveness.

--> Wash/Dry, Clay, Polish, Glaze, Sealant, Wax

This damn paint on the G is going to force us all to become weekend detailers.

 

Hi George, in this post from a while back you recommended a Lake Country Hand Applicator kit that could be used to polish by hand instead of a PC. The link that you originally provided no longer works and a search of the DI site didn't find any set or kit of hand polishing applicators. Is there any other place to find hand polishing applicators or maybe products that I missed on your site? I may eventually pick up a PC but for right now I prefer hand polishing and would like to make sure I have what I need to get the best results possible by hand.

A google search turned up foam polishers in different grades (orange/white/red) called something like 'CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators' at various auto detailing sites - are these similar/equivalent to the Lake Country kit you were selling?

I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction or recommend a similar set of applicators that would work well for hand polishing.

Thanks.

Tony

 

Nam, is the paint where the bug stain is located smooth or can you feel that the bug is still on the surface? If you removed the contamination and it's stained, then you do want to goto a polish. You could start off with a non-abrasive chemical cleaner, or try a light abrasive polish like SSR 1 (I believe that's the one you have). If that doesn't work, try a two step combination next. Remember, after polishing, you will need to reapply your coat(s) of protection since you'll strip it off.

Tony,

Thanks for the question. Unfortunately we no longer carry the Lake Country Hand Applicator Kit. I believe a company purchased the exclusive rights to that product and we never followed up with it. It is a great product for detailers who aren't ready or able to use a buffer on their vehicles. Google "Polishing Pal" I believe that's the same one that we used to stock. I'll have to look into picking that up again, it was a great seller for us.

Thanks,

George

 

Hey gang, just a heads up that I'll be out of town from today until Monday (6/30) and I'll have limited internet access. If anyone has a question that needs immediate attention, please direct it to our support[at]detailedimage[dot]com. My trip is detailing related, so hopefully I can come back with some new and insightful information to help improve everyones results!

Thanks,

George

 

yea..its smooth..i'll give that a try

edit: went and buffed it...had to go up to 2.5 SSR with orange pad...got most of it off but a lil bit is still left...mayb a centimeter in diameter that u can still see but barely

 

George! Help! I picked my car up from the shop and on the trunk there was this small orange drop on my car. I wiped off the crust with some QD but it left an orange circle on the trunk still.

<a href="http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/taktix1/?action=view&current=DSC_0239-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k63/taktix1/DSC_0239-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

what can I use to get this off? I've tried QD and Meguiars Paint Cleaner. The paint cleaner made it a bit lighter and some of the orange came off on the applicator pad but it's still really noticeable! ahhhhh