Do not use Simple green. It will cause the threads to break down.

Some Folex or Meg's APC+ is what I would use. then treat the leather after you are done, but don't get the leather dressing on the threads, or it will cause them to quickly get dirty again.

 

Okay awesome, thanks guys. I'll see what I can do this weekend and will try to post some results.

 

Black Ws6 with lots of swirl marks on front bumper, and I'd love to restore the paint to original showroom finish.

Will zaino products get me there? If so, what do you recommend, or if not, what's similar along the same price point?

 

Will you be doing this by hand or machine? You can only do so much by hand.

 

Make sure you blot and don't scrub and definitely don't use any sort of brush. You can fray/year the stitching very easily. Whatever you use make sure it's diluted correctly. If the cleaner is too harsh it can pull the color out and it will set in places you don't want.

 

Likely going to be buying a harbor freight 6" dual action polisher. Pads of choice, whether they be Lake County, Adams, etc, will be based on advice I receive here.

Edit: I've also read that the Porter Cable DAis an excellent choice, but for twice the $$ is it worth it?

 

Gotcha. How do I know if the product needs to be diluted and how do I determine if it is diluted properly?

 

2 issues -
1- when you remove emblems from the exterior of the car, I know how to rid of the double sided tape but how do you remove the I'll call it ghost image (when you are washing the car and hit that spot with the hose where the emblem was, you can still see it as if the emblem just came off. Maybe buffing compound, clay bar?

2- Interior panels(plastic)- what is good for cleaning these up, I picked up a set of beige panels, not too bad, just want to clean them up without damaging them. Magic eraser pad?
Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

 

Megs D103 APC+ has been discontinued for quite some time. D101 is the only APC they offer.

If you buy the Meguiar's APC get the spray bottle with it. It has the dilution rations on the bottle. 10:1 would be the dilution ratio for it. If you try the upholstery cleaner I posted you can use it straight out of the can.

A clay bar will not remove the emblem outline. You would have to compound and polish the area's.

In regards to your question on the interior, I would pick up some Meguiar's APC and clean them up. Adams also has an APC that is pretty good. If it is light dirt some Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer should work. It offers light cleaning.

 

When using a DA polisher, for a beginner, do you suggest a good wash, clay bar, followed by Meguires Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish, then a wax (liquid or paste here)?

OR

Wash, clay bar, m105, m205, then m21 to seal?

Going with a 5" flexible urethane backing pad and 5.5" Lake Country pads (orange, white, black) unless you suggest otherwise.

This will be my first attempt with a DA and paint correction. Car isn't bad at all, I'm just looking for show room finish

 

Old habits die hard.

 

Also thinking about getting the harbor freight 6 inch polisher or do you suggest the porter cable 7424?

 

I have the harbor freight one and it works just fine for me. If you were to get into the business of detailing cars and using it every weekend, invest in the nicer porter cable. If you're just doing your car every now and then, the HF will fill that need nicely.

 

Thanks for the quick response! What pads did you use? I've heard there were problems with the ends tearing up. I'm looking at getting chemical guys pads

 

I got a six pack of 6.5" Lake Country pads: two orange, two white, and two blue.

 

Copy that. I think that's what Ill go with for now and maybe later on down the line when I good good with buffing I'll treat myself to an upgrade!

 

I would recommend the following:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Test spot - Do a test spot with the least aggressive combo. ie UP with a polishing pad or M205 with a polishing pad. M205 offers more correction than UP while UP offers more polishing oils.
4. Compound - Depends on the test spot. Let the paint tell you what it needs.
5. Polish
6. Protect - Your choice of wax or sealant here.
7. Maintain

I would recommend M205 over UP. I would get ultimate compound and try that first if you need to compound. If you need a more aggressive compound then go with M105. Just be aware that M105 has a slight learning curve and less working time than UC. It also dusts a bit more. The paint is typically on the hard side on these cars.Again the test spot will tell you a lot.

You can protect with a wax or sealant. It's up to you on what you are looking for. Sealants offer longer protection where as carnauba's offer that warm look. Some even apply a sealant and top with a wax to get the best of both worlds. M21/M26 is a popular combo and it looks great. As does Ultimate Wax/M26.

Also you can mix and match these Meguiar's products. Meaning you can use pro and consumer together.

Yeah I know what you mean. It was a great product. Too bad they discontinued it.

Both will be adequate. The HF has more power but it also vibrates a little more and is a little louder. replace the backing plate, pads and grease inside and the machine is just as good. There are threads on this over on Autogeek.

Get 5.5" pads. Smaller pads take advantage of the tools power better than a 6.5" pad. I posted more in this thread.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...black-ws6.html

 

As mentioned get the 5.5 pads for the PC or HF polisher. Neither have enough power to control the larger pads adequately. You have to run the machine on a high speed to get any decent pad rotation but the higher speeds doesn't allow the pad to change direction smoothly. This isn't as big of deal when you are doing the compounding step but counter productive when polishing.

LC flat pads
Buff and Shine
Meg's MF discs

all are a good pads to start out on

"Typically" I will use MF discs for the compounding step and foam for the polishing.

Meg's M105, M205 and D300 are great to start out with. That's what I started out with and still use them a lot.

Menzerna also has amazing compounds/polishes but they are diminishing abrasives compared to Meg's which are non diminishing or SMAT. Both are great but you work them differently.

 

Thanks for this thread!
I just removed the side molding on my '02 TA. Long story short the drivers door molding was replaced by Carmax 2 1/2 years ago and I just found their mess up. It looks like it's down to the base coat, will I just be able to use touch up paint for this? And will wet sanding work for the line that goes straight across? Any answers/opinions are greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

You're welcome. You could do touch up paint, but its likely not going to look good. With that pic, I'd have it repainted.