LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

yes it is, its red w/ black mirrors & a black hard top. Right now mine jus looks clean not wet like yours is atm.

I'm checking out some of those waxes & sealants and prepping techniques and i gotta say its rather interesting.

I'm gonna submit my car for south texas heatwave jus for fun, and I'd like to have that show car wet look.

Duragloss ( what I"m leaning towards )
collonite 845
cajunshine
Seeing some cars with those waxes applied and dam, they look LEGIT

I'm buying me a BADASS buffer TODAY

Are those considered commercial detailing waxes & sealants?
Thanks for sharing that btw, i now have a better understanding of the differences between carnauba and sealants haha

ZaneO

A Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher is the usual place to start, but if you'd like a step up from that, you might consider the Flex orbital polisher. It is a forced motion machine so it will correct quicker than a PC, but it's still orbital so it reduces the risk of burning the paint from a rotary buffer. Lake Country pads are the way to go.

The waxes and sealants I listed above are not commercial products; they are boutique products. If you are leaning toward Duragloss, it's a nice option and should be available locally to you. You should also be able to find S100 carnauba locally if you have a Harley Davidson dealer nearby for about $16.

Wash thoroughly
Claybar to remove surface contamination
Polish to remove surface imperfections
Seal and/or wax

Remember, when you're looking at pictures online, you're seeing more of the proper prep work than the sealant/wax.

BadCompany VP WS6

iTrader: (6)

For Texas Heat and what the sun does to your car...Wolfgangs stuff works really well. I use it exclusively.

Colemann

It is all matter of opinion on which is best. Just try one out and see if you like the results. Sooooo mant to choose from.

LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

i live in corpus chrsiti texas, not by the ocean thank god, but we have vietnam style humidity. Almost every morning theres a light fog, and my car is COVERED in condensation water.

+ the sun.

http://www.wolfgangcarcare.com/

they got a legit website, I'll have to see if they got it locally.. never heard of it tho

Dude u got this thread on lockdown There is a harley shop about 10 miles away, I'll go in and check it out today when i get out of work if they are open.

I'm good with my wash soap and technique for now, i make sure there is no dirt, smudge, smell, seagul poop, water spots, ANYWHERE when im done washing/drying. I do however think i need a bigger drying towel tbh haha

I gonna buy a badass claybar today (shouldn't be that hard to decide)

My paint is flawless, literally no imperfections, chips, swirls, scratches. So, in your opinion, should I still invest in a polish?

now, with that being said, should i apply sealant then apply wax or does it not matter?

BadCompany VP WS6

iTrader: (6)

I use the Fuzion estate wax. Pricey but it pays for itself.

LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

$175 for that sumbitch LOL thats on my watch list for sure tho after see'ing what it offers. They do however give u a free refill

With all jokes aside, I'm very tempted in getting that now that i read more about it.

It'llrun

I still use good old fashion Turtle Wax. Requires more time and effort, but it lasts and in Florida, where it's hot much of the time, more humid than most of the country(particularly Orlando and south) and always dusty, I don't wanna spend the coin for carnauba, etc. and just have to do it that much more often. After a TW application, I'm done for at very least, 1 month. Of course, if you want something that washes off more easily and is much easier to apply and buff out, TW is not likely your best pick.

CamaroSS27

iTrader: (6)

I use adams, and will never use another product other than them. check out thier forums tons of great how-to's picks, help, ect.

this is not even using thier americana wax:

BadCompany VP WS6

iTrader: (6)

While the gloss looks deep and great. For my customers I usually try to offer the best protection between details. Fuzion does this.


I'm going to place an order soon with Adams and see about trying out a few of their products and see how the durability and longevity is on it.

Yes sir.

If you do, pm me and let me know how you like it.

beyonddisturbed

iTrader: (5)

the car looks great camaross. i like to use meguiars carnuba. i have never dropped 175 on wax before but never have been disappointed with meguiars carnuba. i have heard and seen great things with adams as well.

BadCompany VP WS6

iTrader: (6)

I use Meguiars as my go to stuff. You can't go wrong with anything they offer.

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

Rotary is a great tool. However, the PC can do everything that a rotary can. I have not found anything I can't do with the PC that I can do with the rotary. Now the rotary is suited better to certain jobs, but the PC (random orbital) is just as useful a tool. I've taken out wetsanding scractches with it easily.


You should probably get on that before you have clear coat failure from neglect.

In over 10 years of doing this, I hear that claim frequently. Often people just don't see the swirls until they see the paint with them removed. In these 10 years, every single client who thought they didn't have them, had their eyes opened to the truth. I would put $ down you likely have a healthy amount of swirls, but just aren't seeing them. No offense intended btw. Just don't equate a clean car with a swirl free car, they are not the same.



Case in point.... This owner told me SEVERAL times over the phone he had ZERO swirl marks. He was very insistent on that fact as most people tend to be. This is what he thought was no swirls......you be the judge.










Now, I did not do a full correction on this car, he wasn't willing to pay that much. So we went for a 70-80% swirl removal and here is a 50/50 shot. Suddenly he understood what I had been telling him. He did have swirl marks, and they were BAD.


*Again as a disclaimer, this job was not a full correction. There were swirls left behind. Goal was ~70-80% correction*








Collinite 845 is very good for a wax as far as durability goes. Good product.

^ well said.


Those two things are kinda contradictory.... 1 month is not good durability at all, but is what I'd expect from TW. Blackfire Wet Diamond = 3-4 months, Zaino/Rejex = 6 months, Collinite 845 = 4-6 months, Wolfgang Paint Sealant 3.0 = ~3 months. Might be time for you to put the TW down and save yourself some effort.

Get a PC. A rotary in inexperienced hands is dangerous to your paint. It is not a tool for the novice.

JHL88

for a sealant id say wolfgang paint sealant 3.0

and one of my favorite waxes is Pinnacle Souveran http://www.autogeek.net/pinliqsouvwa.html and they say the paste is even better. liquid souveran looks GREAT on white/light colored vehicles

ZaneO

Before you run out and buy a bunch of different things (especially expensive things), start with the basics and concentrate on the process. Until you get it just right, that last 5% from different waxes/sealants isn't going to make enough difference to justify any cost.

LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

This is what your referring to right? This is what i was wanting to buy.

maybe a different pad or something


No offense taken, however my car does NOT look like that veetak's paint AT ALL, but i understand your point and why you shared that with us. With that being said, im sure I have some flaws.. somewhere, ..but with my naked eye I can't see any imperfections, and I draft & design mechanical instruments ( too much to elaborate ) so paying EXTREME attention to detail is my forte.

NOW WITH THAT BEING SAID my car is a '98, 24k miles, I think the condition of my paint is rather impressive considering the age.

I wish I had a high resolution camera to take a few pics to share with everyone but I hope this helps

Car was somewhat dirty, and has a few finger prints but i dont think u can tell

(that smudge mid-left is a stupid sticker someone left on my car )







OMG my camera phone BLOWSSSSS these pics do no justice but atleast u get a good idea on the condition. Hell, maybe you might find imperfections, it'll give me something to do this weekend

edit: OH and no wax was applied when i took any of those pix

99'CajunFirehawk157

iTrader: (57)

There is no easy/correct one answer to this question...its like coke/pepsi...but to better understand the perfect shine scenario; I suggest some reading over at http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php which is an auto detailing website. FWIW, assuming your paint is already prepared, I use a great carnauba called Pinnacle Sovereign paste wax, easy on, easy off, super shine but a higher end boutique wax MSRP $99 can...
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/souveran.html

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

Yes, thats the one. Though I'd get the newer model the PCXP. Also do not use the pad that comes with it. Get some orange, white, and black Lake Country pads.


As for the condition of your paint, the pictures don't really say anything unfortunately. Look at the pics I posted, both with sun spots directly reflecting into the lens. This is how you spot the flaws. Your very first pic is the only one with a sun reflecting in it, and its only on the mirror from too far away and too low resolution to see anything. Take a pic around 11am-1pm on the hood and get the sun right in the lens, that will show you....or just look at it in the same way. Good luck to you!

pir7tr

iTrader: (23)

Remember that the less you touch your paint the less you will create surface imperfections/swirl marks etc.

The only reason I add this is because I noticed in a post above that you stated you were going to purchase some big towels for drying.

I have a metro vac and it allows me to blow dry the car. It allows me to blow all the water out of the tight crevices that towels can not reach and like I stated, it is one less step in which the paint it not touched.

Purchase a polish. M105 and M205 are outstanding.

cut/correct(might wash car again), apply sealant, then top wax/carnauba if desired.

The PC is great for beginners, it is what I started with. I still own it and use it. It certainly can do much of what a rotary can do, but not entirely. To put it into a basic more simple perspective a rotary can cut in one pass what a PC can cut in 3 or 4 passes(all things else equal) from what I have experienced.

99'CajunFirehawk157

iTrader: (57)

Sunlight is a good tool for seeing paint defects but most pros use soemthing like the brinkman "'swirl finder" light for paint correction...I have one and it works great, FWIW.