Detailing?
 

Well I head down to autozone to pick up a new slave and decide to pick up all the goodies to detail the car. I find myself staring at a large wall of products that are all the #1/best according to them. So what products would you recommend as far as polish/glaze/wax? I'm guessing a clay bar is a clay bar so not much problem there.

Also they had some I think Eagle One liquid clay bar. Anyone tried it?

I know there is that guy who details cars on here, but can't think of his name.

Re: Detailing?
 

This summer I am thinking of buying some goods to start detailing cars. Kinda starting a small business. I already wrote up a rough draft of a business plan. But anyways this site is fairly helpful. http://www.expertvillage.com/video-s...iling-tips.htm He says anything meguiars is good.
:6

Re: Detailing?
 

Yeah I had a ton of Meguires stuff, but some rats ate holes in all the bottles over the winter :X

Re: Detailing?
 

3m products ftw, unless you got access to commercial stuff thats about as got as it gets

Re: Detailing?
 

meguiars is good. you'd be better off buying product from an automotive paint store. Then go to lowes and buy a porter cable DA sander/buffer. Oh and while you are at the paint store buy a buffer pad attachment and pads. I spent like 300 bucks on my setup direct from meguiars and used it like 3-4 times. lots of work. I believe the PC from lowes is like 120-150ish

Re: Detailing?
 

Damn $150? I'll be buffing that nog by hand for a min lol

Re: Detailing?
 

It rrly depends on the condition of the paint. The clay bar works wonders removing the small particles that make the paint feel rough, not smooth. The caly bar is used with a spray detailer to act as a lubricant.
I have had good results with a Hand Glaze used properly. Then I use Rain X wax b/c its easy to remove. I bust out my porter cable whenever I need to repair a scratch or on a car that has heavily worn paint.

Re: Detailing?
 

hit up the pawn shops bet you find one for less then 50$ well worth it to me full power buff in less then twenty minutes heres a hint gets some good cleaner wax like meguiars etc and some wheel cleaening acit and spray a small amount (mist) with the wax it will take off water spot, acid rain etching, and anything else thats not paint just keep moving never stop in one spot for very long ie a few second

Re: Detailing?
 

i watched all his vids last night and there are a lot of good tips there, but lacks polishing/waxing technique. Visit Meguiars forum to learn some. They also hold detail days where they have hands on lessons... for free. Good info.


yeah it's kinda pricy, but it does all the work for you and will more than likely give better results than doing it by hand. If you just want to do a basic detail, nothing fancy and done by hand for a little extra shine, I recommmend just buying a clay bar kit and Meguiars Cleaner Wax [it's like a polish and wax hybrid]. So it'll be a 2 step detail, clay the car [don't drop the clay bar or it's as good as trash] and then wax it with the Cleaner Wax. With a couple microfiber cloths and applicator pads, shouldn't run more than 20-25 bucks.

There's a difference in buffers, the cheap 20 dollar specials from autozone pretty much suck. The Porter Cable is the same one that Meguiars relabels and sells. The difference between the 2 is well worth the money expecially if you plan on detailing often.

Re: Detailing?
 

There's a difference in buffers, the cheap 20 dollar specials from autozone pretty much suck. The Porter Cable is the same one that Meguiars relabels and sells. The difference between the 2 is well worth the money expecially if you plan on detailing often.
[/quote] what that have to do with my post reading owns you 50$ at pawn shop would get you a makita varible speed buffer for sure i paid 45 for mine and it still works great, oh and portacable ---- sucks i have use every power tool they have made and they all blow, trust me after all the houses built and remodels i have done i should know what work and what doesnt

Re: Detailing?
 

Well I found this site I have been reading on. Looks pretty good so far.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/category...7s+handbook.do

Yeah when I went there was just so much that I wasn't sure what to get. Had rubbing compound, polish, glaze, cleaner wax, wax, clay bars all in solid and liquid form. I read to use clay bar, polish, glaze, and then wax. What exactly does the cleaner wax do?

Re: Detailing?
 

once again it really depends on the condition of ur paint. The liquid clay bar acts like a cleaner wax, which is pretty self explanatory. I use it on hard to reach areas like the door jambs. This a not a substitute for the solid clay bar.
do you have any shine to ur paint? What r u trying to do remove scratches, make it shine, more info is needed to give u an accurate reply.

Re: Detailing?
 

Let me go snap some pictures and see what you guys would recommend

Re: Detailing?
 

www.autogeek.com <<awesome website to get all of your detailing supplies.

For cheaper alternatives, I've found Meguiars to be the best products. I've used a lot of Mother's products, and have been let down each time.

For car's that have never been clayed, I would definitely use a Clay bar as it eliminates a huge percentage of road grime that's on the bottom of the doors/fenders. It pretty much takes everything and leaves the clear.

Meguiars liquid polish is the best polish I've used for small/medium sized scratches. It works for most applications. But if you have a lot of swirls, you'll probably need a finer polish. Or you can do like I do and go over the area about 2 or 3 times until you can't see the scratch anymore.

I follow that up with Meguiars liquid wax. It doesn't leave your car looking like it's wet. It's not a super glossy wax, so it won't look like you just washed it. But it does well enough in protecting your cars paint.

Re: Detailing?
 

The paint doesn't look too bad to me. I washed it really good and hit it up with some sort of wax they gave my mom with her new car from GM. I pretty much have to wash the thing ever day right now due to the pollen :7

Attachment 18825

Attachment 18826

Attachment 18827

The trunk has some scratches and it's kinda hazy around the middle.

Attachment 18828

Attachment 18829

I don't know what happened here.

Attachment 18830

So what would you guys recommend?

Re: Detailing?
 

Ok, since your car is black it would benefit from using some hand glaze. The best way is to use 2 seperate soft cloths. 1 is saturated with glaze and the other is completely dry. Do not apply in direct sunlight and do small sections at a time. Rub the glaze back and forth not in a circular motion. Then dont wait for it to dry but use the dry cloth to remove it and polish it up. You will see a lot of the minor scratches and haze being removed.
Once the car is done it will need to protected with a nice coat of wax. You can use spray detailer to "touch up" the imperfections in between waxings.
The clay bar will not improve the shine or look of the paint it will remove the contaminants left on the car that could be felt after you pass your hand over the paint when the car is clean.
I cannot tell from the pic but it looks as if the scratch needs to be repainted in the last pic.
Its good practice to wax the wheels b/c they too have paint on them. The paint is clear and can be scratched. The plastic flat black skirts can be removed and sprayed black or if they are not too bad you can try Mothers Back to Black or some Armor All.
Oh yeah you will see a difference in the headlights if you glaze them up nicely too.

Re: Detailing?
 

acid buff ftw

Re: Detailing?
 

I work for lexus full time as a detailer. on black cars i like using zymol. it actually will replace the natural oils that are found in paint. It will make black look deep and rich in color. you have to apply it evenly or else it will look streaky. i llike to use a orbital buffer with this product. Or you can use a very special wax made by a company called Swissvax which is made out of almost entirely of carnuba wax which comes off a tree in brazil very expensive about 140.00 for 8oz. This product is applied by hand literally you rub the wax into your hands and then apply it to the car. in your very last picture thats orange peel and a deep scratch if you can grab the scratch with your finger nail its too deep and will need to be repainted. If not then try to wet sand it out.

Re: Detailing?
 

I'll probably pick up a clay bar/polish/wax and maybe glaze tomorrow. I was reading up on glaze and they said the effects only last a few days-week.

Do you guys recommend solid/liquid products? Also I noticed that the cleaner wax is pretty much a polish and wax in one. Would you guys recommend picking this up instead of polish/wax separately?

Re: Detailing?
 

Yeah it's actually not a scratch I don't think. I can't figure out wtf could have happened there. It's almost like the clear coat uniformly came off. Maybe pin striping? I'll take better pictures of it tomorrow when there isn't such a glare.

Re: Detailing?
 

ardex express! wax is amazing for a finishing wax. wax on, wax off. don't let it dry.. but you can if you really want to. also, distinct details (or its ardex) makes a product called diamond crystal four. think of it as the best hand/machine dual buffing compound on the market, will take care of light blemishes, hazing, slight scratches. 3M imperial hand glaze, with much buffing, will fill in scratches, this will take some time but itll bond with the finish. uh.. ardex/distinct details, i never remember who makes the ----, makes a product called 'stereo glaze' you can apply it with a buffer and a non-cutting pad, or by hand. makes a brilliant shine, but apply with force. can be used as a first layer after a buffing cut.

Re: Detailing?
 

cleaner wax is a light solvent, removing dirt and such from the finish. best to follow up with a finishing/polishing wax

Re: Detailing?
 

me personally like to use more solid products when it comes to wax compound and polishing i do not care for liquid wax/or polishers.the mothers clay bar kit would come with everything you need clay bay/lube/ and spray wax but i usually don't use the spray wax at the end and what ever you do don't drop the clay bar if you do go and buy a new one

Re: Detailing?
 

its fun to mix/match waxes and polishes for a quick detailing wax. spray wax is pretty much useless.. unless youre working on smudges on the body of a showroom car or something.

Re: Detailing?
 

spray wax is good for a lube when using a clay bar

Re: Detailing?
 

I have a friend who uses by "Zymol", and he gets excellent results.

Re: Detailing?
 

Menzerna products and a porta cable random orbital buffer is all ya need. Buy the stuff once you use so little of it you will be able to do your car 30+ times. The feeling of the paint after you use the FMJ is amazing.

Re: Detailing?
 

NASA said ---- waxing

http://www.5starshine.com/spo.html?g...FQMqswod72eoRg

Re: Detailing?
 

teflon in a liquid form.

Re: Detailing?
 

i dont know about that stuff i would like to see it in person.

Re: Detailing?
 

hmmm. Im thinking of ordering some. Anyone ever heard of it, or used it? :6

Re: Detailing?
 

No but I remember some commercial with Jeff Gordon on it with some type of product with the liquid Teflon in it.

Re: Detailing?
 

I picked up a meguairs pack with the clay block, showtime lubricant spray, and some other stuff. Havent tried it yet. First investment into the detailing business I started is $75. So just got to wash one or two cars to break into profit. I will need more supplies though. :6

Re: Detailing?
 

look into ardex if youre going to do bulk supplies. cheap and some of the best stuff on the planet

Re: Detailing?
 

become friends with someone at a car dealership and just have them do it my dad started as a detailer at the dealership and said a full "detail" (inside and out, tho the inside was more thurough the outside consisted of a wash and a quick spray of degreser under the hood and on the suspension) could be done by one guy in 45minutes and they paid like $250

i say get to be good friends and talk them in to like a 12pack and half a pizza

Re: Detailing?
 

I don't know. I'm picky as hell as to who I let mess with my cars. Not to mention I like doing stuff myself so I know how to do it and know it's done right.

Re: Detailing?
 

unless your detailer you are bribing is the manager of his department, you better hope your car doesn't get caught in a workbay without a ro on it.

Re: Detailing?
 

ro ???

Re: Detailing?
 

I think he meant, wo=work order

Re: Detailing?
 

Yeah, that makes sense.