Allright george i got some pic,s after using the flex and just one coat of fmj.I am waiting for the fmj to cure before a coat of pinnacle souveran.







And this is what produced these results......the flex xc3401vrg,and menzerna.Guy,s get your,s from george it is an awesome machine.

 

Hey George - I've put together a list of stuff i want to buy so I can do the following: clay, polish, seal and wax my brilliant silver G.

I have some yellow 'stain' on my clear coat that's left over from what i think was an egg attack. plus there are some light swirl marks in the clear that are barely noticeable (only if you are looking closely at the car).

So, here's what I think I need. I'm hoping you can critigue my list

1) clay bar (not sure if I should use medium or fine)
2) clay lubricant (do I need this?)
3) buffer / velcro back / counter weight (7424 - special!)
4) cutting pad (orange?)
5) polish (I think I need SIP, but not sure if any of finishing polishes will be better)
6) sealant (EX-P)
7) wax (Natty's Red Paste Wax)

Extras:

1) waffle drying towell
2) all purpose towell

I think that's it

 

The concept is pretty sound. The feature I like the most is the velcro straps to keep the cord close to your body but out of the way. I personally wouldn't stuff anything of significant size in the pockets. If you were to lean up against with any amount of pressure, microfiber or not, you can still damage the paint. How have other detailers been accepting this product?

Looking sharp! That sure is a deep finish you have now, I can't imagine another coat and topping it with Souveran. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed checking out your pictures.

Everything looks great. I think you put together a solid list of products that will give you an outstanding finish on a Brilliant Silver finish. Not sure if you need applicator pads for the EX-P or Natty's Red, but I'd recommend the standard yellow foam applicators.

If you have any other questions on anything, or would like me to look over anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks for your support.

George

 

George,

Since Wheel Wax is kind of a hybrid product, cleaner, wax, sealant. can this be layered and if so, what process would you suggest?

Thanks.

 

I usually recommend applying 2 thin applications of Wheel Wax for the primary purpose of even application and thorough coverage. This ensures that you have protected every portion of your wheel, which will help maximize the products performance. I'm not positive if this product can be layered to enhance the durability of Wheel Wax, but it certainly would be a nice added benefit of applying a second coat.

Proper prep work will also ensure that you get the most out of your Wheel Wax. Consider prepping your wheels either by claying or polishing them with the appropriate products. The less contamination on the surface, the longer your layer(s) of protection will last.

George

 

Thanks George. I was not sure if this could be layered. The wheels are new and I want to make sure they are protected through winter.

As soon as I run out of Wheel Wax I was thinking about trying something else, any better recommendations?

 

I think that Poorboy's Wheel Sealant is a better alternative. It seems to work better and last longer. Wheel Wax gets the job done though.

George

 

George,

Thanks for the excellent advice and time you've spent answering our questions.

I have a question on clay barring a black car. I had a 1/2" water deposit on my car which didn't come off w/ car washing so I decided to clay bar just that small area. I used the blue Clay Magic brand of clay with a bunch of their supplied lubricant. I applied very light pressure and after several passes, was able to get the water deposit off. However, I noticed in the tiny 1" area I had clayed, there were noticeable scratch marks.

I've used Clay Magic in the past on 2 of my red cars and didn't notice such an abrasive effect. Could this be simply because I was claying a black car? If done properly, would clay barring a car actually cause more scratches and swirls? (Note, I made sure to use a back and forth motion rather than a round swirl, but I ended up with back and forth scratches. I also used a brand new piece of clay and this was right after I washed my car so there was no dust or anything either).

Any suggestions on proper claying techniques? Thanks again.

 

AlterZgo, thanks for the positive feedback!

Clay is designed to absorb contamination from the surface. Some contamination is not visible or very difficult to see with the naked eye. My guess is that some of the contamination that got absorbed was abrasive enough to cause the micro-marring you are seeing.

Usually, a fine grade clay bar with enough clay lubricant doesn't add imperfections to the paint. However, it isn't unheard of to leave behind some marring. The more aggressive medium grade bars are almost guaranteed to leave behind some marring, which would need to be polished out. I personally have never used the Clay Magic clay lube, but I would assume it is designed to work well with their clay bars.

My guess is that a light finishing polish, even something like Meguiar's ScratchX, which can be hand applied, should remove the scratches.

Here's our guide on how I clay my vehicle along with some facts and tips.

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

George

 

Just upgraded to an Obsidian Black '04 G35 coupe as my black '98 GSR was stolen and stripped.
Firstly, George, you are the man, I have only read through the first 15 pages of posts but your contributions are awesome.

I've been a long-time fan of Rain-X and would treat all my cars with it on a regular basis. I found that it helped to prevent water spotting more than anything and greatly helped whenever I wash/clean the car. I have tried several other products on glass, including the Rain-Clear gel but for ease of use/functionality, nothing out-did the Rain-X. I'm surprised that you recommend using Rain-Clear over Rain-X. It took me far longer to apply/remove the Rain-Clear than the Rain-X. I personally found that with several different cars(varying windshield angles), I could get the water to significantly bead off at around 25-30MPH using Rain-X while using the Rain-Clear or just Klass AIO, it would not start to bead until 35-45MPH. I wash the glass wiith car wash, dry, then apply the Rain-X with a folded paper towel, let dry for 10 mins+ and wipe off/buff with a dedicated MF.

Driving a rent-a-car without treated glass just made me appreciate the drastic performance in heavy rain. I finally understood why I would be blazing past everyone in my GSR during a downpour-poor drivers can't see(I never used my wipers except in those irritating mist types of rain).

Anyway, the used G I got has some pretty bad water spots on all the glass and after I stopped crying over how badly the glass was neglected on an otherwise beautiful car, I tried to Klass AIO/claybar it out with limited success. I know you mentioned in an earlier post that you didn't have too much experience with glass but what would you recommend to remove the waterspotting on the glass(it seems pretty well etched in). I've always had success removing heavy waterspots simply with a wash/claybar/Klass AIO combo but then again, I never let my cars spot for longer than a day and the glass/paint was always sealed.

P.S. Superchargedg, that is a beautiful machine!

 

I ordered some Final Polish II, Finishing Touch Glaze and Full Molecular Jacket. After doing the full monty on our 07 black G, I can say that the FPII and FMJ really impressed me. The polish, applied by hand or by my cheapo 10” orbital, worked magic on my nearly new G and my 122kmile red Pathfinder. Great stuff – easy to work with and leaves a beautiful luster.

The FMJ was extremely easy to apply and left the car beautiful and super smooth. The car even looked good when a little dirty – the depth of shine showed through the dirt on top. The FTG didn’t seem to do much. I did part of the car with FTG then FMJ and part with just FMJ, and I can’t see any difference. Maybe the surface was too good since the car is new.

Problems: the car no longer feels smooth and I’ve picked up some light swirling. It’s only been a few weeks, 3 washes and one very long trip through lousy weather, but the surface feels not so smooth and water beading is much deteriorated.

Question 1: I use your wash procedure, including a pep boys sheepskin mitt and waffle weave towel. For shampoo, I have some cheap Blue Coral stuff and Meguire’s gel. The BC is not very effecitve, so I use a lot of it. I rinse the mitt frequently, and use very light pressure. Where are my swirls coming from? I just ordered some Poorboys shampoo and your waffle weave towel, so maybe that will help. Maybe I’m not using enough pressure on the mitt and dirt is remaining then getting ground in when I dry the car.

Question 2: Why does the FMJ seem to be stripping off? Could it be that I need to clay the car? Or could the cheapo shampoo be stripping it? Also, I applied 2 coats of FMJ without waiting a day between them. Could that be the problem?

Question 3: If I have FMJ and Natty’s on the car and see some light swirling, what should I do? Just apply FTG or Natty’s on top and hope it fills in the light swirls?

 

Detailed Image, the master, may have to correct me as I am a NooB but here is what I do:

I try to gently wipe down the car immediately after driving in rain with a quick detailer spray and two MF towels(one to wipe the detailer and the second to follow up and polish)-this is assuming that the car was already sealed and clean prior to driving. While driving in rain or on wet roads, I try to keep as much distance as possible from the car in front of me to avoid road spray and I also try to avoid following higher cars/trucks.

Since you mentioned you were driving through crappy weather, I think you may have to clay bar as you probably picked up a lot of stuff from the road. I have tried the Meguiars clay bar and prefer the Clay Magic blue(fine) as it holds together better. In my limited experience, I have found that a lot of the light swirl marks are caused by improper drying. I have been using the same method of sheeting the water that Detailed Image mentioned for years now, then pat dry with an Absorber and wipe lightly with a synthetic chamois style cloth(I forgot the name-I'll post it if I can remember it). Most of my swirl marks were caused by wiping the car dry instead of dabbing.

 

Looks like great info in this thread, and I plan to read through it this weekend. In the meantime, I need some specific advice:

I just picked up a brand-new '08 Obsidian Black G35. It's been prepped and washed once by the dealer, but that's it.

So for now, it looks in great condition. But there are some very slight swirls, that I'd like to take care of. And some contaminants that I will be removing with clay (I have a Pinnacle clay bar kit ready and waiting).

My questions are:

1. What specific product do you recommend for an initial polishing BY HAND to remove those slight swirls?

2. What wax or sealant do you recommend now, and ongoing, that is quick and easy.

Here's my deal: I don't necessarily enjoy "detailing" like some of you fine folks, yet I want to keep my paint swirl-free and protected. So what product (or products) do you recommend that can provide decent protection but doesn't take half-a-day to apply? Are their some good liquid waxes that go on quickly? I do know I like the look of a carnuaba on black versus a sealant. I don't mind cleaning and waxing with some frequency if I can get it done quickly. Otherwise, if I'm doomed to spend several hours, then of course durability will be important.

Thanks for any advice...

 

Black Talon: Thanks for your thoughts. It rains too frequently here in Houston for me to have time to wipe it down each time. We don't get many long days of rain, but frequent brief showers. Good thoughts on the dabbing. I'm afraid of my wash procedure getting too long though.

Fireproof: Greetings from Houston. Where is Frisco? I hate to tell you, but you are in for a ritual, like it or not. The G is really wasy to work on though, because of the shape and lack of tacked on aero doodads. As for a polish, go to Detailed Image and get some Final Polish II. Awesome. Rubbing on by hand is easy and undoes the dealer swirls like magic. The FMJ goes on super easy and feels so smooth its erotic. Doesn't discolor rubber either, so you can be sloppy.

 

Yeah, I figured it's "somewhat" of an ordeal. I just meant that I'm not one that looks forward to spending half a day. It's not necessariy cathartic for me.

I don't mind spending a decent amount of time. Just looking for something that didn't involve several passes. I'll check out those products - thanks for the tips.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

By the way - Frisco is in the DFW area (far north Dallas). My wife has a brother in Friendswood near you, and the rest of her family down south in Corpus.

Greetings!