Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

cheshirecat · 03-22-2013, 03:53 PM

www.detailersdomain.com

Not only can you buy all your products here, but the prices are good and each product has a detailed description of what it does and how to use it.

You'll need:

- microfiber towels
- a bucket
- a grit guard for the bottom (optional but i suggest it)
- a good wool mitt
- some decent soap

That's just to wash it. If you want to get farther into the actual detailing and polishing like you mentioned, you'll need to (just doing basics here):

- strip the paint of all wax/polish/sealant with some dishwashing detergent (joy/dawn)
- clay bar the paint (or use a buffer product) to pull embedded debris out of the paint, as this will cause swirling when you buff
- get an orbital polisher and a variety of pads and some polishes. the buffing will take out light scratches. if your fingernail can catch on the scratch, it's most likely too deep for polish and will require more experienced care to correct.

Polishing is not something that you just "do". You pick the correct product and the correct pad to do the job. Check out the links as far as the pads go and read the descriptions. If it's a light cutting pad, the pad is created to take out very light scratches. Medium cutting means it's created to take out a medium scratch- note that none of these scratches are down to the paint- they're only scratches that mar the clear coat.

A light buffling bad for wax or sealant would be used for... wax and sealant

Generally, one bad should be used for one product if you can.

Let's say you have a light scratch or your car has a bunch of light scratches (swirls) that you can see under sunlight. The process would be:

- Wash the panel completely with a detergent soap to remove all car care products like sealants and waxes
- clay bar it to pull dirt and debris out of the paint (it should feel smooth when you run a latex gloved hand over it
- use your polisher to buff out the swirls. check out the junkman's youtube for a ton of information as far as proper use and application of these tools and products
- once the paint looks great, seal it. this is kind of like a hardcore wax that makes the paint shine. i like wolfgang's deep gloss paint sealant.
- once the sealant has cured (Read the bottle), apply a wax to protect the paint. many people think that wax is there to keep the paint "shiny"- it's not. it's there to create a temporary barrier against the elements. i just use some bobo meguiars stuff from autozone for this. i don't really care about the wax much.

that's your paint.

for wheels, i use:

- sonax to decontaminate/clean
- zaino tire gloss for a natural coat that doesn't sling or pick up dirt

lastly, i use some finishkare 425 over the entire car (including wheels) as a detail spray.

it doesn't help to read a detailing forum like over on autogeek or detailer's domain to check out some of the how-to's or detailing breakdowns that a lot of pro detailers post.

hope this helps.

03-22-2013, 03:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
cheshirecat A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 1,428 Drives: N54 135i Rep Power: 292	www.detailersdomain.com Not only can you buy all your products here, but the prices are good and each product has a detailed description of what it does and how to use it. You'll need: - microfiber towels - a bucket - a grit guard for the bottom (optional but i suggest it) - a good wool mitt - some decent soap That's just to wash it. If you want to get farther into the actual detailing and polishing like you mentioned, you'll need to (just doing basics here): - strip the paint of all wax/polish/sealant with some dishwashing detergent (joy/dawn) - clay bar the paint (or use a buffer product) to pull embedded debris out of the paint, as this will cause swirling when you buff - get an orbital polisher and a variety of pads and some polishes. the buffing will take out light scratches. if your fingernail can catch on the scratch, it's most likely too deep for polish and will require more experienced care to correct. Polishing is not something that you just "do". You pick the correct product and the correct pad to do the job. Check out the links as far as the pads go and read the descriptions. If it's a light cutting pad, the pad is created to take out very light scratches. Medium cutting means it's created to take out a medium scratch- note that none of these scratches are down to the paint- they're only scratches that mar the clear coat. A light buffling bad for wax or sealant would be used for... wax and sealant Generally, one bad should be used for one product if you can. Let's say you have a light scratch or your car has a bunch of light scratches (swirls) that you can see under sunlight. The process would be: - Wash the panel completely with a detergent soap to remove all car care products like sealants and waxes - clay bar it to pull dirt and debris out of the paint (it should feel smooth when you run a latex gloved hand over it - use your polisher to buff out the swirls. check out the junkman's youtube for a ton of information as far as proper use and application of these tools and products - once the paint looks great, seal it. this is kind of like a hardcore wax that makes the paint shine. i like wolfgang's deep gloss paint sealant. - once the sealant has cured (Read the bottle), apply a wax to protect the paint. many people think that wax is there to keep the paint "shiny"- it's not. it's there to create a temporary barrier against the elements. i just use some bobo meguiars stuff from autozone for this. i don't really care about the wax much. that's your paint. for wheels, i use: - sonax to decontaminate/clean - zaino tire gloss for a natural coat that doesn't sling or pick up dirt lastly, i use some finishkare 425 over the entire car (including wheels) as a detail spray. it doesn't help to read a detailing forum like over on autogeek or detailer's domain to check out some of the how-to's or detailing breakdowns that a lot of pro detailers post. hope this helps.