chinee

For the last 20 years or so, I've been more than satisfied using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax on my silver cars. Silver is a very forgiving color that hides most swirl marks and imperfections, an application every 6 months or so has always been good enough for me. I even used the gas station car washes with the spinning brushes to wash the cars, (I can see everyone cringing right now), then wipe down the missed spots with white terry cloth towels with 1/2 bucket of water. The fact that the cars are garage kept has also helped. Obsidian WILL NOT be so forgiving... but I still want to keep it simple.

First of all, no automated car washes anymore, only hand washes and microfiber towels.

The paint on the '15 Obsidian GS I picked up 2 months ago is still in pretty good condition, and the cleaner wax, applied by hand, still resulted in a really nice shine. So good I've even gotten compliments from coworkers and a request for my detailer's phone number, LOL... That last part gave the ol' ego a little boost. But now it's time to tackle the water spots that I'm seeing. To keep it simple, I was looking to keep it to a 2-step process, a polishing/compounding step and a final wax, utilizing perhaps Meg's Ultimate series Polish and Wax. As someone on this forum has said before... we all tend to be loyal to primarily one brand, and Meguiar's has usually been my choice. However, with that said, I am willing to consider another product, something common and off the shelf like Chemical Guys, Griot's or similar.

Those water spots though... I'm thinking the Ultimate Polish may not be up to the task, and I see Meg's has their Ultimate Compound and their Clear Coat Safe Polishing Compound. I've also seen suggestions for Meg's M100 but I'm afraid that it will be too abrasive for me, or will the M205 be a better choice than any of the three mentioned before? And pads size... I see 5", 5.5", 6"... what pad size is appropriate for the backing plates? Should the pads be 0.5 inches larger than the backing plate used, or the same size, or smaller?

For the final step, I'm thinking of Meg's Ultimate Wax. I may also apply a coat of Opti Coat Pro Plus, or similar, on the front bumper only, simply to make the removal of bugs easier.

I've also already made up my mind to not use a clay bar. If I've had good results (in this beholder's eye) with cleaner wax only and no clay bar in the last 20 years, I don't need to change up my process too much. In fact, I was thinking to try the cleaner wax with the PC to see if that would help with the water spots, and then simply use a layer of Ultimate Wax on top for shine and protection.

So, in addition to the Porter Cable 7424XP, what are your suggestions for materials in my desired 2-step process?
1. Backing plate size
2. Pad size and colors
3. Compound or Polish
4. Wax
5. Coating for the bumper

All suggestions will be much appreciated!

SeanO

iTrader: (1)

I applied CarPro Hydro2 last week after a clay bar and polish. Its a Silica based sealant thats durable up to 6 months they say. The paint is very slick and its as simple as spraying it on and rinsing it off. I used to hand wax using Auto Glym HD Wax (Still love the gloss and smell of that stuff) and I will never go back as its just way too easy with hydro2. Car a bit dirty in this pic as we get rain every afternoon in the summer it seems.. I plan on using the Hydro2 on my wheels this weekend after a thorough cleaning as well.

chinee

Ran over to Autogeek and did some reading, and I got lots more reading to do before I decide on products and a polishing and waxing regimen. It will take some time, but I should be able to make some decisions in the next month or so...

charley95

Adam's polishes has some good "how to" vids. ya might wanna check out too.

chinee

Thanks for the suggestion, you made me think about something other than wax... looking into Sonax PNS and Detailing Spray as the final steps.

chinee

Not sure I have enough time... wife keeps rolling her eyes watching me glued to the PC reading just autogeek...

3nergiz3d

You can't go wrong with the Meguiars line. I've also just finished using the Griots Boss System. (Correcting and Polishing). Try looking at Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (Coating). This is a pretty good consumer coating, and it can last up to 5 years with the proper maintenance. There are lots of resources online on Youtube and Detailing forums which should indicate which pads you should be using. The less abrasive, the better.