When you make a mistake.....

[dude]

Hey there, from the number of posts count, it's obvious I'm a noob, so a big HI to everyone!

I've always loved cars and have for the longest time, wanted to clean, polish, and wax my car personally, but there is a fear of messing up big time on the paint job, and a couple of grand needed to correct it.

So my post here is this - there are many guides on how to use the excellent products from Meguiar's, but for someone like me (and there probably aren't that many), what would really be helpful was a guide on what to do if I should mess up.

For example: If I have applied too much of Scratch X, what should I do? Or if I have left the Paint Cleaner on for too long, and I can't buff it off easily, how do I correct it?

I honestly feel that for some (among my friends at least), not polishing and waxing their own cars is primarily a fear of fouling up the paint job.

Any help would be great - perhaps a sticky so that the information is easily found by all who may need it one day...

Just my 2 cents....

[PorscheGuy997]

Well, I've been having the same problem removing the paint cleaner. I assume your talking about DC1. I live in an area where it is very humid - 95%+. I get the paint cleaner off by using a towel. There is usually a little left - kind of a streaky film left on the paint. I just go ahead and use the polish, DC2, and it removes it.

How bad are the scratches left by ScratchX? I've never gotten anything. I know that DC1 has a very mild scratch remover which does a pretty good job of removing light swirls. Maybe that could work...

It is true that most people are afraid of detailing because they don't want to ruin a paint job. Seeing as the paint jobs are getting REALLY expensive, I can sort of understand this. When I detail, I use only Meguiars. I do this so that I don't have the chance of using something too harsh that it will harm the paint. It doesn't sound like you are using a buffer. If you do use a buffer, use extreme caution. Just follow one of the guides on here and find some old body panel from a junkyard and start working on it. Practice makes perfect. Once you feel comfortable, then start working on cars that are more valuable to you - like your own. Some of the Mirror Glaze products require a lot of care, so don't immediately go from applying NXT wax to applying Speed Glaze.

For more information, check out some of Mike Phillips posts. He offers some great help.

[TKDDAD]

Re: When you make a mistake.....

Originally posted by dude
but there is a fear of messing up big time on the paint job, and a couple of grand needed to correct it.

dude....I've been detailing for a while...using Mequiars products as directed, with the tools that are recommended will give you stellar results 99.9% of the time...I detailed the most expensive car I've ever worked on last week and wasn't nervous at all...I knew I had the right products (Meguiars) and the right tools to do the job...unless you drop the buffer on the car or something like that, you should be able to get results like this after a short learning curve:


Read as much as you can on this forum, use the search function to find things that you're concerned about and ask questions as you go...there are people here ready to help you...

[gollums_friend]

Hello and welcome!!

I was in the same boat as you only 2 1/2 short months ago. Bought my first ever brand new vehicle and wanted to take the best possible care of it. I grew up without the benefit of having someone show me how to do this stuff, so I had to learn on my own. One person recommended Meguiar's, and I've been hooked ever since!

In that time, I've used/tried the following products on my car (and all done by hand, no machine):

Deep Crystal car wash
Gold Class car wash
DC #1 paint cleaner
#7 polish
ColorX wax
GC wax
NXT wax (the only one I've not been overly fond of)
NXT glass cleaner
Quik Detailer spray wax
QD mist & wipe
ScratchX (on relative's vehicle, amazing stuff!!)
PlastX (also on vehicle above)

My point is.....I knew nothing about detailing before May of this year. I've used all these terrific products.....trying different combos, etc., to see what I like best. I HAVE YET TO 'MESS UP' MY PAINT with any of them. How did I learn a little before hand? I went through pages and pages of this message board, reading tips, etc. I've spent hours here, just learning great tips and stuff. And with this message board, I feel assured that if I ever do run into a problem, I can either find another post where someone's already had the same problem as me, or I can make a new post and get my questions answered in a fairly short amount of time!!

So...start reading and learning.....and I'm sure with all the great info you find here that you'll be much more confident soon enough to start doing this stuff. Then you can help teach your friends, too!!

[dude]

Thanks very much for the friendly advice.

Well, truth be told, I did my first detail job a couple of hours ago, and I am totally drained.

In fact, I did up to step 2 of the 3 step process - paint cleaner, deep polish. Didn't have the energy to finish the job proper with the wax.

I know I know, should have bitten the bullet and did it, but I was just too tired.

Man, it was hard, all that circle motion followed by the to and fro straight line....how do you guys do it? I see now how doing a great job can take up to a day or more... I took slightly over 4 hours, and it would probably have been another hour or so to do the last bit....

Next time perhaps....

Was quite glad that it turned out to be simpler than I feared

[Jeepster04]

Originally posted by dude
Thanks very much for the friendly advice.

Well, truth be told, I did my first detail job a couple of hours ago, and I am totally drained.

In fact, I did up to step 2 of the 3 step process - paint cleaner, deep polish. Didn't have the energy to finish the job proper with the wax.

I know I know, should have bitten the bullet and did it, but I was just too tired.

Man, it was hard, all that circle motion followed by the to and fro straight line....how do you guys do it? I see now how doing a great job can take up to a day or more... I took slightly over 4 hours, and it would probably have been another hour or so to do the last bit....

Next time perhaps....

Was quite glad that it turned out to be simpler than I feared

Rough stuff isnt it Dude!! A PC makes it alot quicker and easier. It does all the work for ya then all you have to do is take it off with a MF or a bonnet.

One thing I do not understand is why people use this colorX stuff? I thought it was for older cars that are oxidized and need the color brought back? I wouldnt think a new car would need that? Wouldnt it be best to just use DC1, #7 then #26 or a good wax?

[Dunamis]

I believe that a healthy dose of fear is a good measure to have . It shows respect for the vehicle you are working on and the process you are using.
Professionally athletes will tell you that they train as much as they do because they are afraid to fail.

[top_cat87]

Originally posted by dude
Thanks very much for the friendly advice.

Well, truth be told, I did my first detail job a couple of hours ago, and I am totally drained.

In fact, I did up to step 2 of the 3 step process - paint cleaner, deep polish. Didn't have the energy to finish the job proper with the wax.

I know I know, should have bitten the bullet and did it, but I was just too tired.

Man, it was hard, all that circle motion followed by the to and fro straight line....how do you guys do it? I see now how doing a great job can take up to a day or more... I took slightly over 4 hours, and it would probably have been another hour or so to do the last bit....

Next time perhaps....

Was quite glad that it turned out to be simpler than I feared

Nice.. i see ur from SG too.. gd to see some1 who loves their cars. Question: where do u get ur products? i visited 6 diy stores, autobacs, giant and watever car care shop there is but i cant find the deep crystal series

[Murr1525]

Just to add in, it also gets easier, both from an exercise standpoint, and from the fact that it is easier to maintain than restore a finish.

And there are products like ColorX (ColourBoost) than can shorten things for your in between details.

[dude]

Thanks.

One question - noticed after the paint cleaner application that the paintwork looked fresh and clean, but after I had done the poloshing work, the paintwork seemed to have somewhat dulled.

Am I missing something?

Another thing - I realised on a few occasions that I did too big a section, and due to this, was slower in wiping off the cleaner/polish, and this seemed to mar the paint. What should I do in such a case? Re-apply the cleaner/polish to the area and clean it to remove the earlier layer, or something else?

Thanks for your time.

[top_cat87]

i believe that you are using a cleaner polish? u have to use another pure polish to get back the gloss.
i use #5 ncg and it dulls the paint also

[Zet]

Originally posted by dude
One question - noticed after the paint cleaner application that the paintwork looked fresh and clean, but after I had done the poloshing work, the paintwork seemed to have somewhat dulled.

Hm, what did you use to apply and remove the polish? Remember it's best to remove a pure polish when it's still wet, don't wait for it to dry before removing. Maybe you haven't removed the product completely, which could give the dull appearance?

Another thing - I realised on a few occasions that I did too big a section, and due to this, was slower in wiping off the cleaner/polish, and this seemed to mar the paint. What should I do in such a case? Re-apply the cleaner/polish to the area and clean it to remove the earlier layer, or something else?

Chances are that you have marred the paint when trying to remove the dried in product. This could happen if you where rubbing to hard, when trying to remove it.

Using a Quick Detailer, can help in the removal of dried in cleaner/polish. Or you could try wiping with a damp microfiber cloth. If it's all over the car, you could also just wash the car. All this should help remove the dried in product.

It sure is hard work detailing a whole car by hand! Especially when doing several steps. You can try doing half the car one day, and the other half the next. This will make it easier to complete all the steps, before you have worn yourself out

I guess you have read these threads, but just in case:
Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Circles or Straight Lines?

[gollums_friend]

Originally posted by dude
Thanks very much for the friendly advice.

Well, truth be told, I did my first detail job a couple of hours ago, and I am totally drained.

In fact, I did up to step 2 of the 3 step process - paint cleaner, deep polish. Didn't have the energy to finish the job proper with the wax.

I know I know, should have bitten the bullet and did it, but I was just too tired.

Man, it was hard, all that circle motion followed by the to and fro straight line....how do you guys do it? I see now how doing a great job can take up to a day or more... I took slightly over 4 hours, and it would probably have been another hour or so to do the last bit....

Next time perhaps....

Was quite glad that it turned out to be simpler than I feared

Bah...only 4 hours...that's nothing!!

Actually, I say that seriously because a full detail for me is spread over 2-3 DAYS, at a couple hours each day, thanks to some health issues. If I tried to do it all in one day, I would not be able to move the next day....

So, ya do what ya gotta do. Each day when I go out to "restart" my detail job, I begin by removing overnight dust with QD spray, and then can happily (and less painfully!) continue!

[dude]

So, QD is the way to go should the cleaner/polish/wax have dried up before I could buff it off in time...that's kinda like the info I needed..

Actually, I've read of some fellow fanatics using car wash instead of QD, so is QD really just another name for diluted car wash?

Just curious, no malice intended...

Yeah, have been thinking of using technology to help with my achy achy arms, but I probably wouldn't feel as proud as if I had done it all by hand....

Maybe some day when I find myself lying absolutely stiff in bed the morning after would I give technology another thought.

And that might be sooner than I think!