Snubbles

iTrader: (2)

I am going to detail my car soon and I need some comments/suggestions on how I can improve my results. This will be my first time detailing.

My Cars Condition ... Black is250 It's my DD, parked outside. My paint has a lot of water marks including my windows. It has minor swirls and a couple of hairline scratches. And I am 99% sure I don't have a clear coat anymore?

My Plan
1. Wash and dry my car
2. Clay everywhere (mothers or meguiars)
3. Going to use meguiars UC to get rid of all my water marks with my PC
4. Then use Meguiars #2 Fine-cut Cleaner to take out swirls and scratches
5. I will use Meguiars #1 Medium-cut Cleaner if Meguiars #2 Fine-cut cleaner cannot get out scratches
6. Next I will use Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze
7. Use some kind of wax from Meguiars

My Question
Q1. For my Step 3 to step 7, what color pad should I use and what RPM should i set my PC and also how many layers should I apply for the glaze and wax step.
Q2. Can these products be used on my pillars?
Q3. What can I use to get rid of scratches, water marks, and chips(windshield) on my window.
Q4. Do you guys think these steps is a good way to approach detailing my car?

Any sort of comments or suggestions would be nice!

DunWkg

Please explain this comment, thanks. You had a clear coat and it's gone or you've never had a clear coat or you are unsure whether you do or don't have a clear coat???

What year is the car? And just to understand, you'll be using a dual action buffer?

jfelbab

Depending on the year, your black IS may have not been clear-coated. Do you see black paint transfer to your pad when you use a little polish? If the pad turns black you don't have a CC.

Wash with a two bucket method and dry then clay starting with the horizontal surfaces. Turn and re-kneed the clay often and follow with the vertical surfaces then the glass and finally the wheels. Use lots of QD lube and toss that clay after use on the wheels. Do cut the clay bar into a couple pieces and put the unused pieces in a baggie. If you drop a piece toss it and grab a new piece.

Ultimate Compound (UC) is a SMAT (Super Micro Abrasive Technology) polish and is more aggressive than either M02 (Fine-cut) or M01 (Medium-cut) cleaners from Meg's. The latter are both DAT (Diminishing Abrasive Technology) products btw, and the M01 Medium-cut is for use only with a rotary buffer, not a DA.

I don't see a need for M02 or M01 in your steps. I'd probably start off using Meg's microfiber pads and either D300 or UC and finish with a finishing MF pad and D301 or M80. If you want to jewel the paint grab a finishing foam pad with D301 or M80. You can use UC and the MF pads on the glass as well, BTW. Take care to tape off the trim before hand.

Your pads will turn black if your car is not clear coated so don't be alarmed. You need to clean the pad very frequently while polishing. I use an air gun for cleaning but if you use foam pads you can use a cotton towel. In order to keep the pad working you must remove spent polish, paint and lubricant acumilation after every couple of passes. I'd use a finishing pad and D301 or M80 on the B-pillars. BTW, I've begun to see the Meg's microfiber pads and D300 and D301 in Walmart recently so it should be easy to obtain them.

A glaze like M07 is great for older SS paint and will make it look dripping wet. It is finicky to use however. If you have patches of glaze that seem to defy removal attempts, reapply more M07 to the area and wipe off. The solvent in the product will re-dissolve the glaze and make removal easier. I might suggest using Red Moose Glaze (RMG) or Meg's M80 as a better choice for ease of use but M07 is the wettest looking glaze out there.

I've used various waxes and sealants over glazes. Not all sealants will bond to an oily glaze but all of Meguiar's products will. I'd suggest either M26 High Tech Yellow Wax or Collinite 845, both carnaubas, or Meg's newer Ultimate Wax (UW is really a synthetic sealant) as the final step. If you have any streaking finish off with Ultimate Quik Wax, a spray sealant, wipe-on / wipe-off product.

ps: As I mentioned you can use UC on the glass but this won't remove chips or scratches.
Take some pictures of your progress and post a couple.

Snubbles

iTrader: (2)

It's a black 2010 is250. What i mean for no clear coat is i think its gone after all my regular soap and water car washes. I will be using Porter Cable 7424XP.

Snubbles

iTrader: (2)

@jfelbab:
What does this mean?

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I really appreciate it. What is the D products like D300. And for meg's microfiber pads, are there grades of pads like the ones I see in detailing websites.

From what I read, the steps to detail my car follows:
1. wash and dry
2. clay bar
3. use UC or D30 with Meg's micro fiber pad (what rpm should I set my PC)
4. Use M80 or D301 with some finishing pad I assume megs? (what rpm should I set my PC and how many layers would you recommend.)
5. I will most likely use Megs brand of wax. (Maybe I missed it but do I just use Meg's MF pad? and at what rpm and how many layers are recommended)

jfelbab

So I believe your 2010 IS is clear coated. I think all the Lexus colors are clear coated now. You will know the minute you start polishing. Whether it is nor isn't, makes no difference in the process of polishing and waxing or sealing.

D300 is a Meguiar's compound designed to be used with their microfiber cutting pad. D301 is a finishing polish/wax product to be used to make the paint glossier.

Microfiber pads work much faster than foam pads. They finish off pretty well but you might see some level of improvement with a soft foam finishing pad and a gentle polish, This is usually called jeweling the paint. Depending on the softness of the paint this may or may not yield improvement.

With any polish, it is smart to do a test spot before doing the whole car to see if you are getting the results you want with the pads and polishes/compounds you are using.

The pads come with specific instructions as to the speed. The DA is rated in OPM (oscillations per minute). Meg's suggests the microfiber cutting pad should be used at 4800 opm for compounding and the finishing pad at 2800-3800 opm for finishing. For the PC-XP that equates to speed 4 for the compounding and speed 2 or 3 for the finishing.

Polishes don't layer. They remove paint and you would do a pass (at most a 2' x 2' area) and wipe the polish off, evaluate the surface to see if you need to do a second pass.

Waxes really don't layer either. Subsequent applications will insure a uniform coating but they also remove much of the previous coating of product. Many manufacturers suggest two coats for a uniform coating of product. You can apply wax and sealants with the DA. I'd use a foam finishing pad with a low speed (2 or 3) to achieve a thin, uniform coat.

Snubbles

iTrader: (2)

@jfelbab
Thanks again for your help!

I'm planning to detail my car next week or the week after. I have one more question that i can think of.
Which one would you recommend on my car knowing that the paint on my car isn't in the best condition.
Polish: UC(i found m205 to have good reviews) or D300
Glaze: M80 or D301

jfelbab

I'd recommend taking a trip to Walmart or an auto supply store and pick up a couple Meg's MF cutting pads, a couple Meg's MF finishing pads, a bottle of D300 and a bottle of D301. Be sure to use the 5" pads and not the 6". Also be sure to use the recommended backing plate. I think some of our supporting vendors here also sell this product and may even offer everything in a kit.

You might also pick up a bottle of Meg's Ultimate Wax, a bottle of Meg's Ultimate Quik wax and some new plush microfiber towels.

This should yield a pretty nice finish in a very short time. Have you used your PC before this? If not, let me know and I'll link you to a couple you-tubes that will help with the process. If this is your first time using SMAT technology and microfiber pads you will be surprised at how quickly they work. You don't need to polish until the product disappears or begins to dry. One or two passes usually is all you will need. It is imperative that you clean your pads frequently or they stop working. I suggest using compressed air to clean the pads but you can use a pad brush as well.

The MF pads and these D3xx products were developed for fast results with a PC. They are very user friendly and forgiving of any mistakes. They deliver good results on most paints. Occasionally I run across softer paint, or repaints, that needs a finer finishing polish/pad combo and I switch to a foam finishing pad to achieve flawless results, but this is only in about 5% of the cars Ive done.

Keeping in mind that it is much easier to prevent swirls than to remove them, I'd suggest a new tact in maintaining your ride to avoid introducing swirls. New wash media and two bucket wash method with grit guards. New waffle-weave microfiber drying towels, etc. New media and proper technique will go a long way toward keeping your ride swirl free.

Just for the record, UC is rated a 10 on the abrasive scale and M205 is a 4. Both employ the newer SMAT technology. Also, M80 is not really a glaze but a polish rated a 4 in abrasiveness. It is a DAT type with lots of lubricating oils so it acts much like a polish/glaze combo. D301 is a finishing polish/wax combo. I've not done any longevity testing of M301 as far as its wax content goes as I always use a sealant after use. I know how well my favorite sealant will hold up. I'll probably do some testing of the D301 for its durability this summer. It does look remarkably good.

One last thing, these are my suggestions based on my experiences, my likes and my dislikes. Ask any number of detailers what they recommend and you will get different answers. They are all good. A very smart detailer and author of the book "The Art of Detailing", Mike Phillips used as his sig for years, "Find something you like and use it often." Words of wisdom.

DunWkg

Snubbles,

As always, Jim makes some very good and comprehensive suggestions. If your paint color happens to be Obsidian Black, I would recommend reading this discussion too. I have Obsidian Black and find it's clear coat to be delicate and after initial corrective work products like ColorX, Ultimate Polish or M205 maintain the finish very well. ColorX is an all-in-one, but an effective cleaner on Obsidian Black. How you wash the car will become an important step in keeping that perfect finish when you have completed your corrective work.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...Delicate-Paint

Odinson

Snubbles,

After you get your paint looking perfect and BEFORE applying any wax, you should use Opti-Coat 2.0 to seal in your perfect paint. It is a permanent clear coat type application. Most people have no idea this product even exists. It is also great for sealing headlight lenses after restoration. You can check the link here or just search google for Opti-Coat 2.0.

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-coat.html

Snubbles

iTrader: (2)

@jfelbab: Once again, thank you for your time. I dropped by walmart yesterday and I don't think i saw any D300 products but I saw M105 in walmart which says, has the abrasive level of 12. If you have time, can you think me a picture of D300/301 products. And this will be my first time using the PC, I've seen many youtube videos on how to use it but if you have time I would love to see what youtube videos you would recommend me to watch. Thanks again.

@DunWkg: Thank you for the link. I will be reading it shortly.

@Odinson: Thanks, I will be looking more into this.

jfelbab

Here is a kit of the products you would need:

And a youtube of the process:

TCKeyz

I have a 2007 GS in Obsodian Black and I know for sure it is clear coated. I brought the car into a shop a while ago and they polished a few panels after removing the clear bra for me. After getting the car back, the car was full of swirls (I guess they didn't move up to less aggressive pads for finishing...). Anyways I tackles the job myself and got all the swirls out with a few passes, problem is that my pad turned black, do you guys think the clear coat has been cut though?

CGDetail

Paint pigment transfer onto the pad usually means your paint is single staged paint, or you have tinted clear, which means the tint is added either all of the clear coat layer or the last application of clear.