Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

[cctaylor88]

I own a 2004 Infiniti G35, black. Since I have purchased the car I have not done any serious "detailing" to the exterior and as you can imagine when I clean the car, even by hand, there are an incredible amount of swirls and small scratches etc that show especially well in the sun.

I want to do something about these swirls/scratches...but on the cheap as I don't want to drop $125 on a professional DA buffer/polisher, then have to buy the pads, and then the wax/polish itself. You get the idea.

First of all can you briefly explain to me the difference between buffing/polishing/waxing and in what order they should be completed? On top of being lost with all of these terms.. I keep reading about "clay" and "clay bars" What are these?

If I want to do this by hand...how would I go about it.

Thanks

[Detailing by M]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

so you want to know all about detailing in this post?
That is virtually impossible.
Please search out this forum and others including Youtube.
Meg's has put together an amazing library of info on youtube.
I think that's where you should start.

[cctaylor88]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Well not necessarily... and most everything I find, especially on youtube and on the forums pertains to removing swirls with the purchase of a $100++ electrical power tool and that is not an option for me. I would simply like to know the quick differences b/t polish/buff/wax and the steps in which I need to go about them

[Detailing by M]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

searched youtube, meguiars, hand

http://www.youtube.com/user/MeguiarsUSA/videos?query=hand

also the DA Power system is aroung $30 bucks.

[cctaylor88]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Brutal, thanks

[C8N]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Let me see if I can simplify things...

Clay - will get the bonded foreign particles off
Polishing - leveling of the clear coat
Wax - layer of protectant

They should be done in the order above
They can all be done by hand but will take a lot of elbow grease and time.
You will still need to buy supplies. What do you have in your garage as far as things you can wash a car with? I think this is a better way to start insteading of listing whole bunch of stuff.

[Detailing by M]

Brutal?
I wasn't trying to be, just telling you want I did

[Andy M.]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Before we get off track here. There are plenty of things that you can do by hand that will enhance the beauty of your vehicle. No you don't have to go running out and buy a Dual Action polisher of even the DA Power System. I think what was being said is that you would get better results faster by machine and most likely even use less product. I am sure no offense was intended. There is a youtube channel with all kinds of videos that you can explore.

The Official Meguiar's Channel



You can also check out this section of the forum. Working by Hand


Hope that helps a bit.

Andy

[The Driver]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Honestly, if your that concerned. Go out and buy a DA polisher, look through the classified section. There are tons used in great condition for awesome prices + they usually come with pads an polish. It's a worth while investment and will probably save money vs a body shop in the long run.

Oh yea... And how I do it.


Phase I


Decontamination aka "Prep"


1. Citrus Wash, Foam Canon, Power rinse.
Using citrus to break down all the topical elements such as bugs, dirt, tar, iron, bird droppings etc. The citrus breaks down everything gently, it also strips the old wax so the polish and new wax can be applied with out bonding conflict. 30 mins


2. Citrus Wash Scrub, Rinse.
Car was rewashed again, this time by hand to remove any fixed/stuck debris on the car such as tar or caked on dirt. 30 mins


3. Wheels, Wheel wells, +Dye (Later)
Wheels sprayed with Sonax, Scrubbed, drums cleaned inside an out. Wheel wells scrubbed clean. 45 mins - 1 hour


4. Soak, Clay.
The whole car is soaked, when the car is wet it is properly clayed with a proper selected density clay (Soft, Medium, Hard). Every body panel that is paint is completely clayed. Claying removes imbedded contaminants that wash mits cannot remove, think of it as removing dead skin like an exfoliator for your car. 45 mins - 1 hour


5. Full Strip, Bleeding, Removing elements.
Car is completely sprayed with CarPro Trix, this literally makes the paint bleed out all the metals imbedded in the paint, especially the ones that have bonded and cannot be removed even by clay. The car literally bleeds, the red bleeding color is chemicals reacting with Tar, Iron and other metallic elements. This is very good for cars that are regularly "pushed hard". CarPro trix strips away one of the most detrimental things to a car, brake dust. All cars shed brake dust, especially high performance cars with large rotors and calipers. This process removes all metallic elements off a surface and the added bonus of eating away lovely highway road tar. 30 mins


6. Final Wash, Scrub, Rinse, Full dry.
Car is again completely washed with citrus, this time scrubbing off all the chemicals applied before, leaving a perfect contaminant free surface which is rinsed and then fully dried by a touch less air dry unit. All cracks and crevices are completely blown out to no runs lines from stagnant water. 20 mins


Phase II


Polish aka "Perfection" - The hard part


7. Inspection & Diagnosis. The car is completely inspected under special lighting, the marks and paint analyzed, a list of polishes are then assorted from highest to lowest cut. Pads are selected, machines are also chosen depending on the job needed. 30 mins-1 hr.


8. Taping up loose ends. Rubber trim as well as other parts don't fare well when it comes to high speed polishers and the abrasives they lay down. As a result all the cars parts that aren't being polished are taped up using a special 3m automotive take designed for detailing.


9. Polishing begins, car panels are polished over 1 by 1, graduating polishes until the desired "flawless, mirror, wet look" is achieved. 4 - 60 hours


9. Exterior Parts Refinished
During the polishing process it's important that everything everything looks fresh, smooth and reflective. This means the taillights, brake lights, hazed head lights, window trim and other misc parts that can be perfected are. Most detailers will charge extra for this, as a perfectionist I can't do one thing an not do the rest. 45 mins - 2 hrs


10. Top Inspection
The name says it all, using Menzerna's Top inspection the car is completely sprayed down. The top inspection shows fingerprints and missed areas. It's also an AIO Cleaner. It is then wiped down, removing all excess polish leaving the car looking rich, deep and polished. 20 mins


11. Wax or Sealant (Your choice)
Hand paste wax is applied, by hand. To add depth and a richer color. This will provide months of protection from the sun, rain and other elements as well keeping the car cleaner for longer periods of time. Sealants do the same but last longer, however they don't provide as rich of a look. 1 - 1.5 hours


Phase III


Final Touches


12. Exterior dye
All parts that are rubber, plastic or composite are dyed if they are faded. They are brought back to a new deep, dark wet look. 30 mins


13. Interior strip
Completely vacuumed, rugs removed and vacuumed. All garbage thrown out. Interior/seat gaps are brushed out and vacuumed. 30 - 45 mins


14. Interior Clean
Everything sprayed with cleaner, removing grime in cup holders, bins and pockets. Tachometer and other dash parts thoroughly cleaned and wiped down. Roof is also wiped down or brushed depending on material. Seats completely brushed, wiped and reconditioned depending on material 1-2 hours


15. Interior Dye
Once everything is clean, a nice subtle protective layer is sprayed on the hard interior surfaces. This give a nice shine to the interior, note this is not crappy oil shine this is a subtle high end almost oem look, it's wet but not oily or too much shine. 45 mins - 1 hr


16. Full wipe down
Lastly, Everything is wiped down with an all natural, non petroleum base cleaner. To make sure no wax, polish or dye is on anything. The door jams and all crevices are wiped down to remove any excess dirt and/or water. 20 - 45 mins


17. Glass
Last and certainly one of the most tricky things to clean is glass. Both inside and out are wiped down with an all natural tin safe cleaner that leaves a flawless streak free finish. The glass is also polished with lusso cleaner to give it that extra shine and protection. 20 mins

[goldenlight]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

You must be training for the "All Valley Karate Champion Ship" Personally I would use one of the following cleaner wax like this and a foam Applicator sponge like this. Remember to Clay entire vehicle before applying a thin coat of wax. Or Work in sections at a time..

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Our 5 Step Paint Care Cycle pretty well spells it all out - it talks about clay, what it's for and how to do it, and the differences between compound, polish and wax. It's peppered with how to videos and everything that applies to using a buffer pretty much applies to hand application as well. Read through that and then feel free to ask for clarification on points that you're still not totally clear on.

We're here to help, but sometimes reading dozens of different posts and watching hundreds of videos can be confusing as they rarely encompass everything in one place. The 5 Step article, however, does just that. It's a great starting point, which is what it sounds like you need. This process can be fairly complicated, but hearing and reading about hundreds of products and dozens of techniques with a wide variety of tools is very confusing to someone new to all of this.

[Show 'N' Shine Car Detailing]

Re: Polish, Wax, Buff...Lost

Just bring it to me and I'll do it all for ya! And since you've got pretty much the majority of the answers needed, I won't reply with anymore!