I am going to use just one polish (PO106ff) and was going to use the orange pad then hand apply a sealant would this be ok just using an orange pad or should i use a white pad after some cutting?

 

george,

just finished with my wash and polish, etc. my pads are dirty and my two sheepskin wash mitts i got from you are dirty. how do you recommend I wash the mitts and the pads? I don't have the snappy cleanser so is there another way to clean the polishes and sealant of the pads?

 

Many times you can finish the PO106FF with an orange pad and move right to a sealant. If you happen to see some micro-marring afterwards, then moving to a less aggressive pad will usually take care of them. Just monitor your results and if you're happy with the PO106FF and orange, move on, if not do a coat of PO106FF and white.

For both the pads and the mitts, you can soak them in a mild degreaser, like Dawn. I'll usually put them in a 5 gallon bucket, soak them, then wring out the pads every so often. For the wash mitts, after soaking them in the detergent, I'll rinse them off with free flowing water, then let them air dry. Let the pads air dry as well. Here's a link to a recent discussion on how others care for their pads on Detail University.

Hope this helps.

George

 

Hey George - Do you have a pad for the 7424 that you might recomend for removing sealant and wax? Putting the stuff on is easy, just removing it is the most labor intensive part.

 

Machines are designed to apply products not remove them. I do not recommend using a bonnet on the machine or a different pad. Using a machine to remove product can often lead to micro-marring, product remaining on the paint and other imperfections. Ideally, you want to remove by hand and always have a clean section of the towel ready. Fold your towel into fourths, which gives you 8 clean squares to use (front and back). I'll typically use 3 towels to remove a coat, but almost every product I use comes off effortlessly. Chances are if your having a difficult time removing products, you may be using too much product.

For polishes, you typically will use 2 ounces or less of product and for sealants you'll use 1 ounce or less.

Hope this helps.

George

 

Thanks George That makes sense, i'll try to cut back cause I think i'm using way more than 1 ounce.

 

George,

What can you recommend for use in polishing anodized aluminum wheel lip?

I currently am using ScratchX followed by two coats of PB's wheel sealant.

Thanks.

 

This is probably one of the few areas I'm not too familiar with. Many metal polishes say specifically not to use on anodized surfaces. I'd find a metal polish that is safe to use on it then follow up with the Wheel Sealant like you already are doing. I'm pretty sure Flitz Metal Polish is safe for anodized surfaces.

Sorry this isn't a more detailed answer.

George

 

Thanks George, but that is the exact problem I am running into. The metal polishes I have looked at do not say if they are safe for "anodized" aluminum. I guess I will have to call the manufacturer. I will take a look @ Flitz if I can find it. In the meantime I can continue to use the ScratchX as it is very mild and does an okay job. Just looking for something more specific that will provide the best results.

 

George, got a few questions for you:

I would like to get a "starter kit" for cleaning my G
Just washed it for the first time, and used Meguiars wax, and used Lexol cleaner to clean the inside.

I did notice a few fine swirl marks on the paint (but I assume that is just normal on the car)

I dont need car wash, just some good wax, clay, and something to apply and remove the was with.

Also something to dry my car (how do you care for the drying cloth?)

Lastly here are a few basic questions

1. How many coats of was is good?
2. Is it true to wait a few months to rewax?
3. How soon should I Clay the car, it is 2 months old right now.

Thanks in advance.

Also forgot, I do not want to use any power tools, since I am too **** about messing anything up, must do it old school...

 

Thanks for the post, here's a few suggestions that you can look into to get the most out of your details.

1. How many coats of was is good? I personally like to apply 2 - 3 initial coats of wax, spaced at least 12 hours apart. I feel like the added depth and gloss on the 2nd and 3rd coats make it worthwhile. Beyond 3 coats, you seem to reach a point of diminishing returns.

2. Is it true to wait a few months to rewax? Nope, you can wax as frequently as you wish. For maximum results, I'd recommend reapplying a coat of wax at least once a month. On fresh paintwork, you should let the paint cure for 90 - 120 days before using a wax. This only applies to body shop work though, not brand new paint from the factory.

3. How soon should I Clay the car, it is 2 months old right now. Sooner the better. New vehicles will travel via train, boat, truck or plain and are subject to different kinds of contamination. The most common contamination found on brand new vehicles is rail dust from trains. Properly using a clay bar on your vehicle will help remove embedded surface contamination and help your steps afterwards (polish, sealant, wax) perform to their maximum ability.

Some product suggestions:
Clay bar - I like using the Clay Magic Fine Grade Clay. We do have a special on the ClearKote Fine Grade Clay + Clay Lube for $19.99 until the end of the month. Great price and it's very similar to the Clay Magic Fine Grade.

For a quality wax, I'd suggest using either Poorboy's Natty's Red or either of the P21S waxes. All 3 of those waxes mentioned work well on both light colors and dark colored vehicles, are easy to use, and give a lot of depth and gloss. To apply a wax, I usually use a foam applicator pad. Both P21S waxes come with a nice applicator pad. To remove them, I like using an all purpose microfiber towel.

For drying, a waffle weave drying towel is definitely the way to go. Here's a link on how to properly care for any of your microfiber products.

I think this answers most of your questions. If you'd like any other suggestions or have any other questions about detailing, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

Thanks George

Just places a 250 dollars order, could you just make sure i didnt mess up on the order, I am going to detail about 3 - 4 cars... so that should keep me nice and busy for a few days

I did use the 10% off, so I do appreciate that, have a great day.

Thanks again

 

Hi George, hope all is well.
Probably the millionth time youve been asked this, but here it goes.
I had some mystery liquid splash onto the hood of my blue slate infiniti, parked in a structure and the pipes overhead leaked it onto the car.
After I washed the car i noticed some imperfections on the hood. It feels soft, almost waxy, but doesnt come off. I tried claying a little section but nothing happened.
Should i try to polish it out with a medium to aggressive polish? I have heard in other forums that this may be clear coat damage and the only solution is wet sanding which I dont want to do. I know its hard to diagnose from this description but your wisdom and knowledge is greatly appreciated. thanks

 

George I apologize if this has already been asked, I was wondering if it is necessary to use a finishing polish after the P0106ff polish and before applying the finishing touch glaze. If I'm going to do this properly I don't want to miss an important step that would hamper my results. Thank you.
Lisa

 

It's tough to diagnose a problem without knowing exactly what it is. These are probably the steps I'd take in trying to resolve it (in this order).

1. Isopropyl Alcohol and Distilled Water
2. Paint safe degreaser
3. Clay bar
4. Non-abrasive chemical polish
5. Light abrasive finishing polish
6. Cutting polish
7. Compound
8. Wet sand

You always want to take the least aggressive approach needed to resolve the problem. Sounds like your next steps would be to try a polish as you said. Good luck, keep us posted on how things turn out.

PO106FF finishes down finer than any other polish I've used, so adding another abrasive polish afterwards could only take away from the results of the PO106FF. You're good to go right to the FTG after using the PO106FF polish. Let us know how your detail turns out!

George