What would you add to my arsenal?

[elohel]

So far I have the DA, and then this to go along with it.

Meguiars:

Car wash
Clay bar kit
Quick Detailer
M#83
M#80
Scratch-X
M#21
Gold class carnuba wax
3x W8006
3x W9006
4x 'Orange pad' (not a Meguiar's product, came w/ my PC)

Then other misc things like the wash buckets, tons of MF towels for buffing and whatnot, absorber for drying the car and yada yada.

What other products would be good? I need something for cleaning the black trim around cars (is Black Wow any good?) and a good interior cleaner, but everything I find has insane shine to it (want a matte look).

I'm also wondering if I should get some more cleaners, or will Scratch-x, M#80 and M#83 do every thing I need to do? I'm really just trying to make all our cars look show-room new and maybe work on some friend's cars.

Would a mirror glaze of some sort be a good investment? I'm also looking for good products to clean the pads but can't seem to find any.

[onawrxhigh]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

elohel,

I have a few answers for you. Since you have a pc 83 is the strongest cleaner/polish that should be used with it. You may want to add 82 swirl free polish to your list just incase you find 80 is leaving very very fine micro marring since you are stating you want show-room new finishes on your vehicles. I would also add about 6 more 8006 pads which makes it 3 for each of 80,82,83 because once they get soaked with product they will no longer allow the pad to rotate easily and this will limit your paint correction ability. If your vehicles have clear coated paint 81 hand polish is a really good pure polish designed for clear coats, if a vehicle has single stage paint 7 show car glaze is designed for them. For the black trim, try 39 which is a heavy duty cleaner only, or 40 which does both clean and protect with more of a matt finish. I would also get a 7006 pad and some micro fiber bonnets for wax removal. Put the bonnet over the 7006 pad, then put the pad on the pc, set it to 5 and buff of the wax or sealant with no problem at all. I hope this helps you out some.

Andrew

[elohel]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

Thank you for the quick reply. I had also thought the same thing about getting M#82 since the M#80 has a very light cut to it, and might do something. I'll go ahead and get that.

I forgot to add that I have two MF bonnets and a wool leveling pad that I will use underneath it. I'll go ahead and get a bunch more pads! Any suggestion on what to clean them with between detailings?

Thanks!

[onawrxhigh]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

82 actually has a lighter cut than 80 so that is my suggestion for any micro marring left behind from 80. You could use 82 with a 9006 pad to really perfect the finish at the end before you wax. Meguiars does not recommend washing their pads is water but I have. They suggest to let them dry then tap them out before the next use. I will only wash my pads when they are really caked up with product to the point that they no longer allow the pad to rotate while in use. I have used dawn foam, straight dawn liquid, and even Meg's APC. I will fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, dip the pads in it ,ring them out and then spray/pour dawn or APC on the pads aggitate with my hands and really rinse them out until no more soap comes out of them. One last ringing out of the pad and then let them air dry. If you have a rotary. Put them on the rotary and spool them up on max rpm to sling the rest of the water out and then air dry.

Andrew

[565Customz]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

get some 7 and 9 (not as aggressive as 80) 7 under that 21 with carnuba on top is the ticket

[MaxImage]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

... a good interior cleaner, but everything I find has insane shine to it (want a matte look).

Try #40. It is a combination cleaner/conditioner that is good to use on textured plastics. 40 effectively removes most (if not all) dirt, while leaving behind a nice matte finish that isn't (overly) greasy. It is one of my go to products when cleaning plastics, especially interior plastics.

I'm also wondering if I should get some more cleaners, or will Scratch-x, M#80 and M#83 do every thing I need to do? I'm really just trying to make all our cars look show-room new and maybe work on some friend's cars.

M83, M80 and ScratchX should be a good start for now and should be able to cover most of what you need to do. 83 is an effective cleaner while 80 offers additional protection. When using 83, be sure to let the diminishing abrasives break down. In other words, work the product into the paint long enough, gradually easing up the amount of pressure applied to the head of the DA with each subsequent pass in opposing directions (i.e. 20 lbs on the initial horizontal pass, 15 lbs on the second vertical pass, etc.; these are for example only, as trial and error will let you know how much pressure you should be applying in order to correct your caliber of defect.) Try these first, and if they don't work for you, then let us know and we'll explore other options. Good luck!

[Lydia]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

I agree about #40. Also, just for clarification, #9 is not needed if you are getting #82. Frankly, I wouldn't even get #82 unless you find you need it. JMO though...I'm always looking for ways to save money.

[Ticman]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

I would add the Quick Interior Detail Spray as well. It leaves a dry matte finish that does not attract dust. The matte finish works really well on your dash. Helps with the reflected glare.

Tic

[elohel]

Re: What would you add to my arsenal?

Cool Thanks guys.. Gonna get a few more pads, #82, some pad cleaner/conditioner, #40 and then maybe some sort of trim cleaner as well. Thanks for the tips gents!