TORCHD 02 TA

iTrader: (39)

I guess I am a little confused on the correct step for detailing after you wash the car....

So correct me if I'm wrong. After you're done washing it for the 2nd time b/c you obvioulsy clayed the car what is the next step? Cleaner wax, polish, seal then wax?

SO basically I am asking bc my car is already clayed and sealed.. What can I do next? I still have some swirls that I need to get rid of.. I was thinking cleaner wax, polish then wax?

I am going to pick up NXT 2.0 Tech Wax

Thanks

EsCrasston

iTrader: (1)

From where you are now I'd go:
1. Dawn wash
2. Polish until you are satisfied with the results
3. Last step product. If I'm not mistaken, NXT has some cleaning properties, so applying a sealant under that may not be the best of ideas.

TORCHD 02 TA

iTrader: (39)

Why woudl you re-washwith dawn? Thats going to strip everything off...

When do you seal?

98 WS6

iTrader: (20)

He mentioned the Dawn so that way you strip everything off, and the polish works directly on the paint. But the polish should strip the old sealant anyway.

Wash, clay, wash, polish, seal/wax. Text me if you need anything brotha.

TORCHD 02 TA

iTrader: (39)

Why do I want to start the process over Brian? So the cart was washed, clayed then sealed... Would I know throw a cleaner wax on, then do a polish then the NXT??

Personally what would you do?

98 WS6

iTrader: (20)

Just polish it and then seal it

kyles2000z

iTrader: (8)

The proper steps are as follows.

-Wash with dawn
-clay
-rewash to remove clay residue
-polish (not gonna get very much result by hand, as far as swirl removal). To me when someone says "polish"....I immeditaley think they are using a machine with a heavy cut compound followed by finer polish
-Once you have the paint looking the way you want it, rewash it with Dawn. Yes, with Dawn. Some polishes have oils in the that fill and hide scratches. You don't want that...thats cheating. Also, you will have polish dust all over the car that needs to me removed. Rewashing is the best way.
-Once the car is free of dust and all polishing oils, you can seal/wax. Just bc you "seal" it does not mean it is your LSP. Some polishes can be topped with wax, some can't and vica versa.

You do not move to your sealant or wax until the surface looks like you want it. POlishing will remove the sealant, or create a thin barrier that makes polishing difficult. Makes no since to seal it and then go back over it with polish...the polish is abrasive. Read up a little on www.autopia.org, sounds like you have some misinformation.

ZaneO

You're starting the process over because you didn't polish the first time. An abrasive polish is going to remove not only swirls and scratches, but also any sealant/wax present too. There's not much need for cleaner wax in your process if you're polishing.

99'CajunFirehawk157

iTrader: (57)

Spending some quality time reading up on this: www.autopia.org

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

Agreed.

If you did not get everything you want out of the paint, your going to have to re-do the final layers. This a good VISUAL tool to guide you. When I was first starting I needed to get a process down in my head. I am now getting into actual paint correct as for what products I use now, I have made some cars look killer. Swirls are next on my list.



This is what I do. No mind you I use Meguiar's Product pretty much exclusivly. Their #7 Glaze is the first layer you will put down, then the sealant ontop of it. It is SPECIFICALLY designed that way. OTHER manufactures product may be different.

Wash
Clay
*Re-Wash IF you removed heavy contamination. IF none, I re rinse.
Dry Completely
Paint Correction- Requirements vary, depends on what you want out of it
Polish (to correct for buffer swirs)
Wax/Glaze/Sealant Process- Opinions vary greatly on this.
Final Wipe Down
Booster Layer- Good to have as it will help the previous layers of protection.
Maintain- Going forward every 1-2 weeks.

Check this out!

https://ls1tech.com/forums/eastern-m...413s-ride.html

This car has swirls but I am not confident in myself to ruin someone else car but that car will be followed up in the Spring. But look at the Chemicals I used. ALL can be purchased locally and reasonibly priced.

EsCrasston

iTrader: (1)

I said rewash with dawn to remove the sealant before you start polishing..

SteelCityYaga

IMO, Dawn should not be used on these F-bodies anymore, these paints are 8 or more years old, dawn will dry out the paint too much and possibly cause pre-mature clearcoat/paint failure.

If you use a machine to polish your vehicle, ie, PC XP or Rotary, etc, the polish ( ex. Megs or Menz) will remove any remaining LSP layers, the remaining LSP cannot withstand the polishes' abrasives. I say remaining since the elements, Clay Barring, etc, will remove some of the LSP from a previous application.

BlackScreaminMachine's list has been well constructed and is generally what pro's use, I would like to add:
Wash
Clay
*Re-Wash IF you removed heavy contamination. IF none, I re rinse.
Dry Completely
Paint Correction- Requirements vary, depends on what you want out of it
**Between each polishing step, I would wipe off the polish and use a 50/50 mix of Isopropyl Alcohol and Water to see if you need to polish further**
Polish (to correct for buffer swirs)
Wax/Glaze/Sealant Process- Opinions vary greatly on this.
Final Wipe Down
Booster Layer- Good to have as it will help the previous layers of protection.
Maintain- Going forward every 1-2 weeks.


For the car wash, I really like Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine - when used correctly, it will not cause swirling or scratching, you can also make clay lube, quick detailing spray, etc, it has many uses.

kyles2000z

iTrader: (8)

+1 on the ONR.....other than Megs APC and Tarminator, it is one of my favorite detailing products to use as far as ease of use and the final result it gives!

hlaalu

iTrader: (3)

what is a good paint sealant to buy? and how does it go on? I have a pc with wool and foam pads.

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

If we're talking stricly sealants... I like Duragloss. DG601 to prime your surface area, then DG105 on top of that. DG601 is "wipe on" only, and DG105 is "wipe on, haze, wipe off". I prefer microfiber applicators, but foam/cloth-based ones work just as well.

I like to hand-apply my LSPs.

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

If you have some swirls you want to get rid of, the car should not have been "sealed". You only want to seal in work that you're visually satisfied with.

Cleaner wax just cleans paint, it doesn't reduce swirls. It may visually if it has fillers, which is a property I noticed when I had some Meguiar's cleaner wax some years ago. But once the layer fades, they're back.

What many consider "polishing" can actually be several steps involving a myriad of product, pad, and application combinations. It's better to think of it as "compounding" and "polishing". Compounding does your heavy-duty paint correction and polishing will clean up the mess that compounding makes. You can go straight to polishing if you need light paint correction.

That's why you're being given recommendations to get rid of your LSP and "start over" - you didn't do any compounding or polishing for your swirls. Our cars have very hard clear and I wouldn't tackle this with anything less than a PC on speed 6 with 5.5" pads. If you have a rotary and the requisite knowledge, that's even better.

TORCHD 02 TA

iTrader: (39)

I still havent read all of the thread yet..

What is a good polish to use by hand? Also a good sealant?

So I will re-wash the car with Dawn and go from there

BTW guys my car is not a DD.. Hasnt seen rain since 2006.. Barely even comes out of the garage anymore

EsCrasston

iTrader: (1)

If that is a concern, you can add a tablespoon of olive oil to the wash bucket. It will help add lubricity and replenish the oils in the paint.

The thing about a thread like this is everyone has their own opinions. IMO, a dawn wash once or twice a year to strip old wax off the paint won't hurt anything. I'd never use it as a primary wash method though.

Whenever I take on a new detailing client, simply because I don't know what has been done to the vehicle detailing-wise before it has reached me, I use a dawn wash so I have a surface free of any waxes and fillers and am able to see what I'm dealing with.

I'll put in the method I use on my Camaro just for the sake of sake:
Wash with Poorboys Super Slick & Suds (IMO, awesome car wash soap)
Clay
Wash again with Poorboys SS&S
Dry
Polish with various products (Poorboys SSR's most often with Lake Country CCS pads)
Wipe with 50% alcohol and water mixture between polishing steps and after final polishing step before LSP.
Sealant - Wolfgang Deep Gloss 3.0 (usually 2 coats)
Wax (after at least 12 hours for the sealant to cure)- Poorboys Natty Red. (usually 2+ coats)

hlaalu

iTrader: (3)

Okay, so I can use this inbetween my cleaner and wax?

SteelCityYaga

I never heard of the Olive Oil trick, was it a trick to use on the old single stage paints?

Olive Oil and saturated fats, etc, are technically acids. I can't wrap my brain around how the Oleic Acid in O.Oil can replenish a non oil base paint (these modern paints are solvent base, ie, Toluene and a lot of ketones). The newer water base paints are pretty awesome, though that's another issue.

If you use Dawn, that's fine, I just don't think it's necessary. I think it lacks lubricity needed to keep from marring/scratching, and I find that most of the time, it doesn't remove very tough LSPs, such as Klasse, etc.

Heck, even Dawn doesn't want consumers to use it on their vehicles:
How do you like the Poorboy's Products? I've heard good things but never had the chance to try any.