...I want a mirror shine...

[chiquae07]

i am not exactly dumb when it comes to detailing exteriors, but i believe i am pretty knowlage-able.

i would seriously like a shine that when i look into the paint, it looks almost like a mirror. i understand that this is easier done with black cars, but this is what i achieved with just a basic wash and wax, brand other than meguires. i believe they cost me less than 10 bucks total.



can i make it even more of a mirror?

now i want to go crazy when it comes to detailing. i wash my car weekly as it is when the weather permits(ie, not snowing = washing it).

i have the following products from meguires which i havent used yet:

-deep crystal step 1 cleaner
-deep crystal step 2 polish
-deep crystal step 3 wax/sealer
-hot shine tire shine spray
-gold class wash/shampoo
-smooth surface clay kit
-plastix
-gold class bug & tar remover



is there anything else that i should be looking into?

also, what is the real difference between liquid and paste wax? is it just the way of applicating or more to it?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

Since you're working on a clear coat and not colored or pigmented paint, then the most you can do is get the paint as defect free and as smooth as you can so that there are no imperfects like swirls or scratches, even minute ones, out of the paint.

Then use a wax that creates a clear, reflective, high gloss finish.


This would apply to any clear coat finish on any car in the known universe regardless of the color underneath. Then what you can see with your eyes will be determined by the color under the clear coat and environment, such as lighting.

If you're not working by machine, then that's something you might look into, the machine will ALWAYS produce better results than your hand with 4 digits pushing down on some kind of applicator working it back and forth or in circles to the best of your muscles ability.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

Oh yeah, this was your first post...


Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

You'll find lots of friendly and helpful people on this forum always willing to lend a cyber-hand!



List 'O Links

Many of the things we cover in our Saturday Classes are discussed and talked about in the threads found in the sub-forums of the Information Station


Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
Circles or Straight Lines?
Which LSP is Best for Light Colors
How to locate Meguiar's Professional & Detailer products in your hometown
How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test
The Dual Action Counterweight "Controversy"
What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes
What's the Deal with "Layering"?
Measuring Clear Coat Thickness
Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer
Glass Polishing...Deep Cleaning
NXT Tech Wax Cure Time
Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car
Colored Waxes - Do they really work?
PC + #83 not "Cutting" it! - The Limits of the Dual Action Polisher
What it Means to Remove a Scratch
Why Meguiar's Recommends Polishing Paint
A Lesson From White Paint
Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[chiquae07]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

aaahhhh it erased my whole post. i'll try and type it all over again....


thanks mike for the welcome, and the land of links.

i've been doing some research, and even more now since you gave me the land of links.

basically for clear coat finish its remove all contaiminates, scratches, and swirls to prepare for a high gloss wax?

i understand that the machine would be more consistant due to muscle strain from waxing, but is there a picture liked somewhere the difference between hand and g100?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

but is there a picture liked somewhere the difference between hand and g100?

Lots of them in this forum,

Pictures from Detail Days at Meguiar's


Look in the older threads especially...

The differences are usually major, depending on the person doing the work by hand and their skill level, that said the difference don't show up as well by camera as they do in person. In the below picture, the passenger side was done by hand and the driver's side was done by machine.

In the picture both sections look real good, in person the machine side blows way the hand side.


Before


After

[chiquae07]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

definetly have to say thanks for all the information.

a quick question though mike, what would be good for removing the tar/glue from the rubber door molds? i've tried bug and tar remover, let it sit, and scrub with a cloth but it diddnt work too well.



thats what i want to remove.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ...I want a mirror shine...

Try Goo Gone, it's pretty good at disolving things like this, you could also try a paint cleaner like ScratchX or DCPC