If you wash them right away, you can get a majority of the product out simply by soaking them in water and massaging the pad with your thumbs. This will prevent them from being saturated with product and when the Snappy Clean arrives let them soak in that and rinse and dry before the next use. When you let them sit for a while or use too much product without cleaning the pad during the detail, thats when you run into problems and will not get the results you are looking for, you'll get excess dusting and you won't get the maximum life out of the pads. If you are experiencing that the pads aren't coming 70 - 80% clean with just water, throw in a dash of Dawn to help break up the product.

Hope this helps, good luck this weekend, keep us posted with some pictures if you can.

George

 

Thank you George with all the help. I think I will get started on it this weekend. But gonna test it out on my mom's avalon before actually doing my G. hahahaha.
will get some pix up when I get it done.

thanks again.

 

Here's a question,

Is simple green safe (non-acidic) to use on rims?
I wonder if that's what's been causing the ugly markings on my rims

 

Hi,
Im looking for the best way to get a deep shine on my brilliant silver, i can get it to shine and sparkle, but it isnt deep

 

Many detailers turn to Simple Green as a wheel cleaner, but usually it is diluted down with water and not used at full strength. With any product, test in a small area before using it directly on all of your wheels. I know Simple Green has different versions of Simple Green, so I cannot answer specifically yes or no it is safe without more information.

IMO wheel cleaners should only be used when there is a heavy build up of brake dust, road contamination and other stubborn grime that does not come off during a normal washing and drying. If you care for your wheels on a regular basis, the only thing that touches mine is soap and water. I do protect my wheels with Poorboy's Wheel Sealant on a regular basis. I re-apply 2 - 3 thin coats every 2 - 3 months to ensure maximum protection. This saves the need for using a wheel cleaner and everything just washes right off with my dedicated wheel wash mitt and soap and water.

Achieving the deep gloss on lighter colored vehicles can be difficult. The biggest reason why people don't see that really deep, wet gloss is because of the imperfections that are hidden from light colors or sometimes metallic colors. How do you solve this, by properly polishing your paint. To see imperfections on lighter colored vehicles, you'll really want to invest in some proper lighting. Sears often has dual 500 watt halogen lamps for ~$30, these will do the trick.

After polishing your paint to remove imperfections the best you can, there are a few more recommendations for making lighter colors pop. The first thing I suggest is to use a glaze for an added layer of depth and gloss. The objective of the glaze is to use clay and oil fillers to help hide imperfections in the paint. The oils also create a deeper looking finish, but the results are temporary compared to the permanent results of properly polishing. It will usually last as long as your layer of protection on top of the glaze. For product recommendations, if you plan on using a sealant on top of the glaze, I'd recommend the Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze and if you plan on using a wax directly on top of the glaze then the ClearKote Red Moose Glaze is a great option.

For protecting your paint, feel free to use a sealant right after the glaze for more durable protection, but for the most depth and gloss you'll want to have your last layer a natural carnauba wax. Carnauba waxes give off a deeper, wetter looking finish compared to a synthetic sealant. The problem is they are not as durable as a sealant.

Expect anywhere from 2 - 8 weeks out of a natural carnauba wax, compared to a sealant that usually gives 3 - 6 months of protection. To get the best of both worlds, apply the sealant over the glaze then top the sealant with a carnauba wax.

I'd recommend looking over our detailing guide which will walk you through each of the major detailing steps for you to understand what is happening to your clear coat during each step.

If you have any questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

I read through much of this thread, but didn't exactly see the answer to my question. My apologies if it is there and I missed it.

I've got a brand new black obsidian G sedan that escaped dealer-induced swirls. It really does look pretty clean. So, I don't know that I need a swirl removing polish. I do not have a PC, but I have a 10" single speed orbital called a Waxmaster. If you are familliar with this sort of cheap buffer and think it dangerous to use on the black car, then I'll work by hand for now.

Recommended polish for this application?

Is it OK to glaze by hand? And which product?

I'm figuring on going with FMJ for a sealant. Maybe some Natty's Blue to keep it nice.

Oh, and a recommendation for something to keep in the car to handle bird droppings when they happen.

 

Just put in my 2nd order. If you have not ordered from these guys, you have not experienced the best customer service ever. Thanks Greg and George.

ps. i won the august/september contest

 

Congrats on the new G! Sounds like you did a good job reading and digesting a lot so far. If your paint is not in need of correction, you do not need an abrasive polish. This is optional, but you can use a paintwork cleanser, which is basically a non-abrasive polish that will properly prep your surface to accept a sealant or a wax. It also will remove any previous protection on the paint that the dealership may have applied.

Using a glaze by hand would by my suggestion instead of using the Waxmaster. You aren't removing imperfections, so you are really just striving for even coverage. I think you'd be more likely to add imperfections by using the buffer, especially if it uses a bonnet instead of quality foam pads. Same goes for the FMJ and Natty's. If you are planning on using FMJ, you definitely want to stick with the Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze. It it formulated so that the FMJ can properly bond on top of it without sacrificing much if any durability. Clear Kote Red Moose Glaze is a good choice for directly under a carnauba wax, but sealants have a difficult time bonding to it.

For random bird droppings, this is what I consider my essential kit for any glove box.

• Poorboy's World Spray & Wipe
• 4oz Pump Spray Bottle
• Ultra Plush Microfiber Towel

If you need a hand putting anything else together, let me know. It is also very important to invest in quality washing and drying products as this is where a majority of imperfections occur.

Enjoy the new G!

Thank you Jeff for the positive feedback and congrats on winning our last contest! You can never have enough microfiber thats for sure. Enjoy!

George

 

Hi George!

It's so great to have a professional on here! Thanks in advance for any help. I just bought a 2007 G35 in Liquid Platinum last Friday. I am new to detailing, so I'm not sure where to start. Could you recommend come products and some beginner’s info? I just need someone to point me in the right direction. There are so many brands and favorites out here, plus the lingo is killing me. Polish, prep, gloss enhancer, chamois, waffle weaver… I don’t know what to go with. 

If you have already addressed this question feel free to point me to another post. Thanks your time and expertise!

Erin

 

Erin, thanks for the post. I'll shoot you some PM's going over the detailing process and recommending some products to you. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Congrats on the new G, enjoy it!

George

 

hey george,

After claying my car today and waxing it with meguiars tech wax, as i slid my hand down some parts of the car, specifically the hood and top of the fenders, it still felt kinda rough or sandy compared to the rest of the car. I can tell that theres a difference in the smoothness of the paint. I have no idea what it may be that may be causing this but i want it to feel smooth like the rest of the car. Any suggestions?

 

George, I don't know how do you do this. I just did my first detail and I think my arms are about to fall off. Quick question, I didn't do the polish since I didn't find the one I wanted locally and I will have to order online. Can I do the polish by hand later and also do I have to do the clay again?

thanks

 

Hello George,

I was wondering if you know what pads are good for a rotary (Metabo PE12-175) ???

 

George, I just waxed my car, but its not smooth at all. It feels like theres overspray everywhere. Will clay remove this?

 

Hi George,

Thank you for all your assistance.
After practicing on my mom's car and my old accord, i have finally taken the plunge and PC'ed my car.

Here are some pix, hopefully they are not too big...

Before and After (sorry, i couldn't get the same lighting)

Before


After


Before


After


Here are a few pix for those who cares to look.

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t...s32lin/polish/