Use of Detail Spray and other ?s

[joel5150]

Ok, this is my first post here on the forum. I have been reading for a few weeks now and find it a great resource. I have also been to Meguiar's Detailing Clinic. Thanks to Mike Phillips for his very informative and entertaining class. I learned a ton from this clinic!

I followed the below steps, and want to make sure I am not causing my finish any damage on my 2001 Lexus GS300 (Millennium Silver)

1. I washed my car using the new NXT Generation Car Wash

2. Clayed the entire surface, sides included. BTW the bumper is one of the worst places for contamination, rail dust and ect...

3. Used ScratchX on some areas of the car that were showing off some scratches. Worked great!

4. Used Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, applied a thin coat and removed by hand.

My worry is that when I use the detailer spray and a MF towel to wipe the car down, am I introducing more scratches into the finish.

I wipe my car down every 2 to 3 days, and it is usually only a light coat of dust. On the lower panels, if I have anything really nasty, I switch out to an older MF and only use it for those lower parts.

Also, I am seriously considering getting the PC DA. Would I want to get something like the Professional Swirl Free polish, or the DACP? I still have some light scratches that I am sure I can get out once I get the DA. Is the Swirl Free polish or the DACP worth getting if I am going to just apply by hand?

Your help and comments will be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and here are some pics of what the results of doing the above work to my car so far.

Far side image, not much detail.

[joel5150]

More Pics

Close up of Trunk


Close up of Hood


Down the side


Rear View

[Beercan31]

Hay joel

If you are using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax,and applying a thin coat and removing by hand. you are adding a layer of protection a film so to speak to protect the finish of your car. You may introduce scratches "if" the MF towel is becoming contaminated with dirt, road dust and or what ever you may come in contact with from your road trips. When I have tried the detailer spray "Mist & Wipe" I used 2 MF towels to complete the job, I fold the towel in 1/2 and in 1/2 again giving me 8 sections to use on the job....
Like so

1 towel to apply 1 towel to remove.

I never use the same side twice and once the towel is used up it will never see a painted surface in till it get washed and dryed. If you think your MF towel may be causing the scratches you can do a test by getting a "blank" cd and rub the MF towel on the cd if you see any scratches get rid of the towel and buy a higher quality MF towel. If the towel passes the test you may be applying to pressure on the surface.

I have not made the jump to a PC yet but as for the DACP I love this stuff I think it smells like the cherry Christmas cookies we use to have when I was a kid and ever time I use the stuff I get hungry..(I wonder if Meguiar's is going to get a weight watchers program going soon...lol)Is the Swirl Free polish or the DACP worth getting if I am going to just apply by hand? as far as I have read you can not generate enough friction by hand to get DACP to break down as it is designed to do. I can not comment on the swirl free polish as on right now I have not tried the stuff..

Oh by the way nice ride looks real good.

Sorry for being long winded
hope this helps.
Keep us posted

[scrub]

Beercan31

Nice write up... As for the DACP breaking down by hand the Professional (detailer line) booklet indicates DACP can me applied by rotary, DA polisher, orbital, and HAND. I too thought it wasn't a good idea to use by hand but the book indicates its OK to do so. I didn't believe it till I read too.

joel5150

As for the PC last year I would have said don't bother. I also stopped waxing cars midway through the summer. This year I invested and it has paid off in full. I now detail as a side business. The PC saves a ton of wear and tear on your arms, plus it gives great results, efficiently. As for your situation does the cost outweigh the amount of times you'll use the machine on your own car?? If you only use it a few times a year and don't mind the extra time I'd save the money. If your looking to take on neighbors and friends cars then go for it.

As for using detailing spray... Ensure you have covered mostly the entire surface with a light mist. The detailer will help lift the dust off the surface and minimize surface contact. The MF will help pull the dust off the surface further aiding in minimizing dust contact. When you wipe down the car was it previously driven or just garaged kept when the dust accumulates?? If heavy driving I'd skip detail spray as road grime would be pretty heavy. As previously stated good towel technique will aid in not introducing scratches...... I could ramble all day so I'll stop now. It's been a while since I posted more than a few sentences.

[Totoland Mach]

I always use a Calif. Duster before I use QD. It does a great job of getting the majority of dust off the surface prior to the spray.

[joel5150]

Beercan,
Don't worry about being long winded. The more you write, the more I learn. All good info. I appreciate it very much!
I will see about getting a few more MF Towels. As of now, I do use my own version of the fold and change method. I make sure my car is cooled off, get a little detail spray on the MF, then spray down the hood, and wipe from one side to the other working from front to back. I refold to a new surface, and do the same thing for the trunk and rear quarter panels and the hood . I do the top section of the doors, and then the last, the lower doors, rear bumper and front bumper. I get a total of 9 surface changes, so I use 2 MF towels to do the entire car.

Scrub,
Thank you for your responce also.
I am glad to hear that the DACP is hand user friendly. I actually do plan on getting a DA, and I know amy people who were pretty happy with the work I have done by hand. I am sure it will pay for itself in no time. I agree, the detail spray has the same cherry smell. I can't get enough of it. That is one of the reasons I detail my car so ofter.

Totoland Mach,
The duster, huh? I always had mixed results with it. I still have one. Maybe now that I am using some better products on my car (Meguiar's) I will pull it back out and see what kind of results I get.

Thanks again to all who responded.

Joel

[Tim Lingor]

Hey joel5150 Welcome to Meguiar's Online!!

There is not much to add to what the other posters have already mentioned (great post Beercan! )

Yes, you can apply #83 DACP and #82 Swirl Free Polish by hand. The hard part is the amount of effort that will be required to break down the #83 by hand. You have to work the product until only a light residue/dust remains. Then remove with a MF towel. Again, this will take a while! Using a PC would definitely help and save yours arms as well!

As for using a QD on dust, I will only do so if the dust is VERY light and the vehicle has been garaged overnight. But if the car is parked outside where the morning dew will mix with the dust, I would suggest washing instead, IMHO.

And like the others have said, have plenty of MF towels around.

Cheers!
Tim

[Beercan31]

Joel

I have found that the Calif. Duster has a shelf life,If I'm not mistaken they are treated with a "special" wax or coating. Depending how much it is used, stored and age they will dry out causing them to be less effective.

[scrub]

I heard its coated in parafin.