After detailing my car by hand 2 weekends ago, I THOUGHT everything came out excellent but now ive noticed STILL there are some swirls here and there and its pretty difficult to notice on white. I figured screw it all, Im going to get the Flex and start over with claying the car again as I feel there still may be more stuck on the car with the brutal winter that we had. Now for sure I will be purchasing from DI and will be looking at getting the Flex Starter Kit which includes pads and etc. Also doing some research for polish, Im looking at getting Menzerna PO106ff. Then for glazes im looking at the chemical guys extreme EZ creme since ive always had great success with their products. Last but not least is the sealent and for that once again Im thinking of chemical guys Jet-Seal 109. Now im really not at all familiar with what pad goes with what and how long these pads last or whether or not they are re-usable or not so any info on that would be greatly appreciated along with some pointers for first time users of the Flex. I decided against PC because Ive read how people who went to Flex saw such a huge difference so i figured if i buy one, might as well be the best one. Also once I apply the polishes, glazes and sealents, does the starter kit come with the pad to take it off as well/buffing?

Sorry if these seem like n00b questions, I just want the IP to sparkle like its suppose to. Also what you guy think of the products I named above? They seem good or you recommend any thing else? thanks a bunch!

 

There is no comparison. buffers r the way to go. When I set my PC on Spd6 I thought to myself "Why did I even think I can match this by hand.".

 

Goonz you've named some quality products.

In terms of buffing pads I haven't had issues with the Lake Country pads that I have been using or the Sonus pads which are apparently lcc pads lol. I have also heard quite a few good things about 3M perfect it buffing pads from the UK.

In terms of durability, I haven't had durability issues with the pads unless there is a massive stone chip on car that ends up cutting into the pad as i'm buffing (i really should tape those stone chips off then hand buff near the area ). The pads are also reusable. Buy yourself a pad cleaner or you could use water and dawn to clean them and you're good to go.

When polishing also go with the least aggresive combination of pad and polish. If it isn't doing the job increase the combination accordingly.

Hope that helps and welcome to the power tool detailing community. Let me know if you have more questions or need help.

Cheers !

 

thanks nikku, also along the line of polishing and etc, how much force am I suppose to apply to the power tool ensuring proper usage and penetration of the product to the car?

 

bump for more info perhaps?

 

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ad.php?t=20874

give that a try. It has tips on polishing - applies to FLEX as well. Also, visit Autopia.org. I go on there often and learned a lot just by reading as well.

 

probably won't need to re-clay the car. My usual rule of thumb is, if you are claying and polishing and it's been 6+ months since the last claying then most definitely do it. If theres still some deep embedded dirt etc in the paint all polishing will do is just slice it down, still leaving it in there. So do the plastic baggy test before you clay bar again.

Plastic baggy test is, put your hand in a plastic baggy and feel the surface of your car. If smooth go right to polishing.

For removal, I'd hand wipe it with a quality microfibre towel.

 

I clayed last June. I recently polished (2 step), glazed and sealed the car. Before putting the second coat of sealant on, I rubbed the surface with my clean bare hands. OMG, even though it looked great, I could really feel the contaminants embedded in the paint. It actually mad a very horrifying sound as I rubbed my hand over them. Just to be sure, I clayed half the trunk lid thoroughly and compared it to the other side. Wow. Now I am claying the entire car again, I will have to repolish, and glaze/seal/wax all over again. Why didn't I think of or notice this before polishing?!?!?!

I didn't realize that the surface would get so many embedded particles in that time and that polishing would do nothing about them. It feels silky smooth after claying. Don't forget to cly the glass too.

 

your hands will tell you what your eyes won't

 

so pretty much it comes down to how well the car has been clayed. I think I will make it a rule of thumb for myself to make sure the car is clayed each time before I detail it

 

It's always best to clay prior to polishing the paint. You'll get better results all around from the removal of imperfections with your polish to the durability of your protective layers.

George

 

Learned my lesson about being lazy. Actually I don't mind claying it and I honestly wasn't really being lazy, just ignorant that it was necessary again within about 8 months. Now I know.