Help me

[Chubbz91]

Heyy guys whats up? I havent been on here in awhile. I have a question. I got refferenced by a buddy to his parents grandparents about detailing. Now his grandfather is very how should i put this? Tidious about car care and cars. He wants me to do a full detail. Hes got a 09 Ford explorer. To my knowledge he has never waxed his car before and he wants me to do so im kinda nervous.I dont want to put swirls on his car. Has anyone used the straightline technique? Is that better than the old wax on wax off technique? What kinda of wax is best?

[Murr1525]

Re: Help me

If you are using good products and tools (applicators, towels), it doesnt matter what direction you work in.

If you are going to cause swirls.... I guess it is nice if they all line up.

Have you seen the vehicle yet?

[Bill1234]

Re: Help me

The technique of going back and forth is much better than the old waxing technique,you will most likely have a swirl free finish. However I recommend washing first in case of any bonded surface materials Good luck

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help me

Heyy guys whats up? I havent been on here in awhile. I have a question. I got refferenced by a buddy to his parents grandparents about detailing. Now his grandfather is very how should i put this? Tidious about car care and cars. He wants me to do a full detail. Hes got a 09 Ford explorer. To my knowledge he has never waxed his car before and he wants me to do so im kinda nervous.I dont want to put swirls on his car. Has anyone used the straightline technique? Is that better than the old wax on wax off technique? What kinda of wax is best?

Are you just going to wax the car for him, or do a full blown correction? Are you working strictly by hand or will you be using a buffer of any kind? What is the final expectation of the car owner - just a wash & wax or something more?

At the bare minimum, given the age of the car and the assumption that it's never been waxed, we would suggest you very thoroughly wash and dry the car and then evaluate the finish under good light - direct sunlight is fine, but in the shade you can't see even moderately severe defects. Feel the paint with your hands - if it feels rough, and we're willing to bet it does, they you'll want to clay it to remove the bonded surface contaminants. This is all the industrial fallout, etc that literally bonds to unprotected paint over time. This simple process will make the paint feel smooth as glass and will make waxing not only an easier task, but the wax will last longer, too. The other part of evaluating the finish is to look for visible swirls, etch marks, etc. These are addressed with a liquid paint cleaner such as Ultimate Compound. Doing this process by hand is hard work, we aren't going to sugar coat it! This is where a buffer comes in real handy. But if all he wants is a wash & wax, then so be it. We wouldn't skip the clay step though, regardless.

As for whether you apply the wax in straight lines or a circular motion, it really doesn't matter if the product you're using and the applicator you're using can't scratch the paint. If either one can scratch the paint, rather than recommend any special technique for applying, we'd suggest finding a different product or applicator. As an example, if you use an old athletic sock to apply the wax, and you do so aggressively (yeah, don't laugh, we hear this from people all the time!!) then odds are you're going to scratch the paint regardless of the motion used.

The technique of going back and forth is much better than the old waxing technique,you will most likely have a swirl free finish. However I recommend washing first in case of any bonded surface materials Good luck

Washing alone won't remove bonded contaminants - that's what claying is for.