Originally Posted by philter25

Hey George,

I noticed you guys no longer stock the Menzerna FMJ or the High Glass Acrylic Shield. Any reason why? Personally, I dont feel like I was getting more than 1-2 months protection from the FMJ with 1 coat. Ive been able to notice a difference in water beading up on the car and the slick feeling going away. Although it doesnt use much product at all, Ive been putting on 2 coats on back to back weekends to get it to last a little longer. (Gotta give it 24 hours to fully cure.)

Would you recommend the blackfire sealant and deep gloss spray with polycharger as a replacement?

I like using a sealant for longer protection and then being able to add a spray on product after washes.

Also, whats the story on the new Lake Country Hyrdo Tech polishing pads? I need to replace an orange light cutting pad and saw the Cyan Hydro Tech pads.

Im currently using Megs M105 with an Orange Pad and the Pad's on its last leg. I was also debating getting a Yellow and Orange Pad because there were some deep deep scratches on the back of my Wife's RAV4 that the 105/Orange combo couldnt cut through.

Would the new Cyan pad replace my need for an Orange and Yellow pad? Ive read mixed reviews about them and read about them falling apart so Im on the fence.

Theres nothing I like more than minimizing my setup and equipment, but I want to make sure it can work as well as a Yellow and Orange pad.

Also, I posted my thoughts and comments on some products in this thread and has some other questions/comments on other pads, polishes, and wheel sealants and spray on waxxes:

https://www.myg37.com/forums/car-car...uct-for-4.html

If you could chime in on any recommendations, it would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Menzerna FMJ and HGAS were not made by Menzerna, they were bottled in the US and had the rights to use the Menzerna name. Menzerna came out with Power Lock, which they make now, so we discontinued the FMJ / HGAS since they will no longer be made.

The Blackfire combo would be your best upgrade to the FMJ / HGAS. You'll experience much longer durability and a deeper and wetter finish from Wet Diamond and Deep Gloss Spray.

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Sorry for the delayed reply, I read this before and didn't have time to answer then it wasn't showing up as a new post for me and I just noticed it now.

M205 is a finishing polish, there shouldn't be any haziness or marring if used properly. If there is a haze, you need to relook at your polishing techniques and try again. There are finer polishes out there, but I don't think you'd get the full benefit without a buffer.

You should remove each product by hand with a quality microfiber towel (different ones for different coats). There's no wait time after polishing since nothing would be left on the paint. The only time that you should wait is after removing the sealant or wax coat (so apply and remove) then wait 24 hours before adding an additional coat. This allows the previous coat the cure completely and fully bond to the surface yielding maximum results.

The polishing pal doesn't come with a pad, I'd go with the white 4" pad as you mentioned. You'll probably want 3 or 4 on hand because the smaller pads can become saturated pretty easily.

You'll need a clay bar and clay lube to properly clay a vehicle. Here's a good article you'll want to read before attempting to clay. Here's an excellent bang for the buck clay + lube combo to go with. For optimal results, you'll want to rewash after claying. This will help remove loosened contamination and remove any excess clay bar residue.

The direction of application isn't really a factor when the surface is properly prepped. You can go left to right or up or down to play it safe. Just keep in mind if there is contamination on your applicator pad, clay bar, etc. you'll create imperfections in the direction you're applying the product.

We're only 1 business day away since we're in NY as well. If you haven't ordered yet, PM me for a discount.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

George

Originally Posted by philter25

I feel so cheated! I'll give the Blackfire combo a shot once the FJM wears out... I probably have another 8 coats of FMJ left.

Good info on the new pads. I usually use only the orange on problem areas which might only be a few scratches as I tend to keep my cars in pretty good condition. Once the orange and M105 clean up the problem areas, I'll go over it with a white or black pad and a polish over the entire car so my orange is usually only needed for spot duty.

Your durability reasoning makes complete sense. If people are doing the entire car with that one pad, they are going to see different results in durability vs. me just using it on a few spots.

Originally Posted by BLKG37X

Hi George,

No worries, I figured you probably didn't see the post. But, I was desperate for advice, and in an attempt to make the car look beautiful for the weekend, I asked my friend. He supposidly clays and waxes his car all the time, and wanted to help. He brought some clay and some wax and we did it.
I think the clay picked up the loose contamination, so the paint looks smoother. But now, I think that the car has more fine scratches and swirl marks than before the process. So overall it's probably worse. I probably should not have messed with it in the first place and brought it somewhere to be detailed professionally.

Thank you as always for the advice. But I guess I'm not handy enough to do all these things by myself. It's a good thing I don't have a buffer or anything like that, otherwise I probably would've mutilated the car far worse lol

Originally Posted by CougarRed

I have a white 2010 G37 sedan with 1200 miles. I plan on washing it by hand or taking it to Bubbles hand wash at least once a month.

I have been using Detailer's Pride Waterless Wash for touch up between hand washes. It works well. Similar I guess to PoorBoys Spray & Wipe.

I have not done anything else to the exterior (besides put a ClearBra on). Car still looks great of course.

Here's the effort I am willing to put in re: sealants and waxes:

1. Apply a long lasting sealant 2-3 times a year. Hopefully one that's easy to apply.

2. Use an easy to apply wax and/or glossy sealant product after every car wash.

Which products do you detailers recommend for 1 and 2?

I was thinking Blackfire Wet Diamond or Duragloss 501 for step 1, and one of these for step 2:

A. Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray
B. Chemical Guys Blitz Acrylic Spray
C. PoorBoys Quick Wax Plus
D. Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Spray Wax
E. Optimum Spray Car Wax

Also - do I apply sealant/wax on top of the ClearBra?

Thanks for your help. And feel free to critique my external care plan if you think I'm messing up something!

Originally Posted by Boomer-Bob

Hi Detailed Image!
A bit off the usual. I have fingerprints on my headliner and passenger side sunvisor, I think they are face "makeup". Not mine! :-) I'm having a time trying to remove these marks / smuges. Any tips?
Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Your best bet is to get a quality all purpose cleaner, such as Meguiar's APC+ or Total Auto Wash or Optimum Power Clean. Take a clean microfiber towel, mist / dab some product onto a corner and what you want to do is blot the stain, not scrub. Sometimes scrubbing will simply spread the stain which you don't want. You can also add in some hot water to the cleaning solution, this helps break up stains. You want to be careful on the headliners though, don't scrub too hard and I'd avoid taking a brush to it. Depending on how stubborn the stain is, you could take a soft / medium bristled tooth brush and work it gently with one of the all purpose cleaners.

Hope this helps, good luck

George

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Don't get too down on yourself. Using a clay bar will mar the paint, especially soft Infiniti paint. This is why you should always polish after using a clay bar, or simply save the claying process until you know you are going polish next time. The marring and swirls can be fixed, but it will take some time and elbow grease or an investment of a quality buffer (which still takes time and effort just not as much). If you'd like some recommendations on how to remove that let me know and I'd be happy to outline that for you. I'd recommend reading this how to remove swirls by hand article as a start.

Hope this helps, good luck

George