LS430FL

Im not sure if you already bought the polisher or not but I also bought the porter cable but really wish I bought the Flex3401 because it has forced rotation. I'm just a weekend hobby detailer on my own car but I find the porter cable really needs to be just right to get it to do the real Dual action rotation. I have read similar reviews online, just wish I did before I bought it. It's very popular for beginners but I really wish I got the flex.

FatherTo1

Thank you for sharing your experience, LS430FL. I watched a Chemical Guys YouTube comparison between the two models and see what you mean. I agree, the Flex3401 is probably the better product, but it's also literally 3x the cost of the Porter Cable 7424 with a backing plate! I am just starting out and $400 is a little steep for a beginner like me. If anything I was a little concerned that the Flex adds more force and can clean up scratches faster. That sounds good if you know what you're doing, but I'm new to the process and it may be safer for me to use the lower-force 7424 while I go slow and learn. As I get better then maybe I can sell the 7424 and upgrade to the Flex later. Appreciate your input and what you shared.

LS430FL

Sounds like a plan. Either way good luck with it and have fun, I know the car will come out great.

User 41924

I can't wait to hear how this goes! I've been detailing my own cars for years, and learn something new, or a better way to do something every single time. I started with a PC as my first polisher, and upgraded to a Flex 3 or 4 years ago. This is truly a great hobby, that results in a great looking car. It's a fair amount of work at first, but it gets easier as your skills improve. Plus your car is in better shape. As my Mom used to tell me (and my wife still does), the more often you clean something, the easier and faster it is to do. It's especially true with detailing!

Best of luck, and be sure to let us know how it comes out!!

FatherTo1

Thank you, Woodrow, your Mom and wife both make good points. I am ready to put in the initial work and look forward to just maintaining thereafter. We have some plans for Saturday tomorrow so I am planning to wake up around 5AM to get started and will wash with ONR Wash & Shine, clay the car, then polish with Chemical Guys green pad, followed by waxing with Chemical Guys red pad. After watching some YouTube videos, it seems I can apply the Meguiar's Ultimate Polish and then wipe away immediately, whereas with the wax I should let it cure for 3-5 minutes before wiping away. Hoping to be done in 3-4 hours and will post some pics afterward.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Do not let the polish dry... you will not have a good time with that. Make several overlapping passes then immediately remove the polishing residue.

From what I remember about ULW, it is very easy to use and wipe off. I believe you can just apply it to the entire car, and then go back and start wiping it off without issues.

FatherTo1

Thank you, Zack. I will do as you suggested for polish and wax.

FatherTo1

So after 4 hours, I think she looks pretty good and I am left with a good sense of accomplishment. Thank you to everyone for sharing your knowledge and advice, especially the insistence on clay barring -- I was shocked how much contaminants were removed after the wash. The paint felt so much smoother after the clay step. Here is a time breakdown, some before/after photos, and some questions I have for next time:

Preparation and setup (15 min)

All the required tools, including some distilled water because our neighborhood has hard water and I didn't want the ONR to be wasted trapping minerals instead of dirt.




Wash (45min)

Used Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. Used a spray bottle to soak panels before washing with 2-bucket method. The rims took the last 15 minutes alone and still had some grime or break dust that wouldn't come off no matter how many times I went over it with a microfiber and extra ONR. Maybe try a brush next time?


Clay bar (1 hr)

I started with the roof and this all came off from just half of the roof! Originally purchased Meguiar's clay kit but exchanged it for Mother's higher quality tacky clay after watching a YT comparison.




Polish with Porter Cable 7424XP (1.5 hr)

Curse this step. Some difficulty is due to being a first-timer and learning technique and finding the right speed to use. I often was left with polish residue that is a pain to wipe off. I am not sure if this is due to me applying too much or leaving it on too long. I worked in small areas and it did seem to get better when I went over the area a few more times with the orbital buffer to thin the polish. However, even this technique led to hard residue on the last few panels. Even though I reparked into the garage for polishing, the last section of the car was exposed and warm from the morning sun. Did that contribute to higher frequency of polish residue?

Finally, wax (30 min)

My favorite stage because it meant I'm almost done. Also, I could wax the whole car and not worry about wiping off right away. The Ultimate Liquid Wax was so easy to apply. It is pretty runny and splatters easily, especially when I made the newbie mistake of removing the DA buffer from the surface before turning it off. Sigh.

Overall, it was worth the time and work. Honestly, it looks just as good as when I paid $150-230 for someone else to detail my car. The parts have already paid for themselves and it won't take as much time and effort to maintain the brilliance. As much as I despised the polishing step, it did restore the luster of the metallic paint and help create the wet look from certain angles. Fine scratches did come out but I still have some light swirls that may need Meguiar's Ultimate Compound next time??

I drove to the bank, 8 minutes away, and when getting out I noticed some dirt and a leaf clung to the door due to static attraction. Is that normal? The surface looks marvelous and feels so slick when I run the back of my hand against it that I thought nothing would stick to the car, not even dirt. Guess I was wrong. Love how clean, shiny, and protected the car is now. Thank you again to everyone for the support and guidance.

FatherTo1

Just wanted to add that although I think the car looks good after this first solo effort, it doesn't look anywhere as shiny, clean, and vibrant as some of the cars in the "Best Detail Photos" thread. Wow, those cars look amazing! I also noticed that the Chemical Guys microfiber towels ( ), although thick and soft, tend to give off a lot of lint.

I am tempted try some of the Gyeon Mohs product but I don't think I'm ready for that sort of commitment and a little disappointed that it "only" lasts 8 weeks. Putting in four hours this morning was about my limit and I was pretty tired even with a DA buffer doing most of the work. I just have to figure out the right regimen to maintain a clean and protected car, without having to devote four hours each time to it. One thing is for sure, I am NOT going through any more automated car washes. Geez, what was I thinking before! Also cannot believe I almost ran out of the Mother's detailing spray that came with the clay. I was pretty liberal with it but thought it would be enough to do two cars. The bottle is so close to empty that I considered just throwing it away. At least I can mix some ONR to create a clay lubricant solution.

charley95

Wait until the Ceramic coating bug bites ya. That's a whole different ball game. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet but will give it a go next year when I do my paint correction. A friend of mine has done the Adam's ceramic coating on his vehicles and I'll ask him how it's held up over the year. I watched him coat his wheels and it feels like trying to wipe off tape residue with a dry towel. With Adam's you spray his Ceramic Boost on the surface after coating to smooth out the surface. So far he's really impressed with the coating. Your car looks great!

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

If your wheels haven't been thoroughly cleaned in a long time, then removing them from the car and using a dedicated wheel cleaner like Sonax full effect and water will help with the stubborn stains. Keep in mind all the wheels should be cool to the touch and it helps to clean everything in the shade.

There are a lot of reasons for polish residue every polish or compound has it's own "sweet spot" for removal. The residue could have been because the product was under worked, overworked, panel was too warm, polish itself is difficult to remove, or you need a fresh clean towel. The more experience you have, the easier it becomes to identify when to remove. A product like carpro eraser is great for removing the oils and residue on the paint when the towel alone can't remove it.

Yes, that is normal. When you remove the wax the friction creates a static charge in the paint and attracts more dust. Some products are better at mitigating the static than others. One of my favorite sealants is Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant, but after 20 minutes the car would be covered in dust.

The nicer cars in the photo thread most likely were corrected with multi-stage polishing.

Towels should be washed when they're new to remove the excess lint from the manufacturing process. CG towels are okay at best, they don't hold up as well with time compared to other brands available from the major detailing sites.

Gyeon Mohs (coating) last for a year, Gyeon cure (maintenance product/sealant) last for 8 weeks. Cure is easy to apply and much less work compared to what you did for the Meguiar's ultimate wax.

FatherTo1

Thank you for the insights and explanation, Blkexcoupe! I didn't realize I should wash towels beforehand! I will look for better quality towels and have been learning more and more from your posts (where I learned about Gyeon Mohs and your white IS -- exquisite, by the way), and reading Zack's articles. Like charley95 mentioned, this may start to become addictive. The more I learn, the more I want to try some new things out. I rather enjoyed the process yesterday and feeling the car surface improve with each stage. I still have a lot to learn about working the polish but know much more now than before thanks to everyone here.

Also, when I say my work rivals that of the detailer I had been using, I mean no offense to professionals and fellow enthusiasts on the forum. I just think my mobile detailer person has gotten a little lazy. The first time he worked on my wife's car he spent 4 hours and even buffed out the haze from the headlights. He did a phenomenal job and I actually thought he was undercharging at $135. Then earlier this year he did both of our cars and it was $230 for the wife's car, inside/out, and $200 for mine for just the exterior with a special 1-year wax. I was almost tempted to have him do a 3-year nano wax but it would have been $500 alone. Anyways, his recent work wasn't that great and he finished both cars in 3 hours. Perhaps he was very efficient but I remember both cars didn't particularly feel that smooth afterwards (which motivated me to learn to do it myself). Worse is I think that 1-year wax wore off after just a few months but that could be me going through those automatic car washes again.

So, at this point, how do I maintain the paint? How often do I have to repeat the 4-hour ritual? Once a year (hopefully)? Do I just do regular hand washes and wax? Or maybe just the ONR Wash & Wax? I don't want to get too lazy about it but also can't commit four hours each weekend, especially when the weather is bad (which is actually what I am trying to protect against and why I had to do it this weekend before the rains).

charley95

Check out The Rag Company for towels. They have so many choices it will make your head spin. Their prices seem reasonable too! I would think washing your car once a week should be sufficient and just waxing once a year probably isn't enough. I have a black Lexus and I do a paint correction and wax once a year. I got turned onto Adam's Polishes for routine cleaning with all the products he offers do a great job for what I need. Good quality towels and products should keep your car looking good if you keep up on it.

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

Thank you. The IS was a lot of work, but it was worth it in the end. Car detailing is one the best things for instant gratification. As long as you use some common sense, at the end of the day your car should look better and you feel accomplished. It usually results in becoming addicted or you absolutely hate it and won't ever attempt to use a polisher again.

I usually polish my car once a year unless something went wrong and the car got horribly swirled mid year. Use whichever wash method you prefer. Soap and water = 2 bucket method or rinseless wash solutions = Garry Dean method. Wax should be applied when necessary. Waxing every week is overkill and will most likely result in more swirls. If you really want to minimize your work then look into touchless spray sealants like Carpro Hydro2, Gyeon Wetcoat, and Nanolex Wash coat. I like them all, but the best one is Hydro2. Remember to read the directions and follow them exactly.

In addition to buying nicer towels, you should find a better storage solution. I throw all my dirty towels into a bucket, and then I store them in plastic containers once they're clean. These towels pick up debris easily, so the last thing you want is for them to pick up dirt and touch your car.

FatherTo1

It has been four months since my last car wash. I am setting aside four hours this Saturday to go through the ritual of wash, clay, polish, and wax. I know I went too long in between regular washes. I am not looking forward to the polishing step with Meguair's Ultimate Polish. Is there a better polish out there that is more forgiving on inexperienced owners like myself? I know the polishing step is what results in the deep wet look at the end, but I am sometimes left with hazy residue after wiping away the Meguiar's polish. I am tempted to try Hydro2 but nervous about not doing it right and introducing streaks. Maybe I will try Hydro2 next time. I did manage to store all the clean towels in a platic bag so they should be clean and ready to go for Saturday.

Last time I only did a coat of wax because I was tired. This time I might try two coats. My question is, won't two coats potentially be too thick and leave hazy wax behind?