Gonna make the Purchase, Some Quick Questions...

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jaguax

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So yeah, I paid $250 to have my car detailed at the beginning of this summer, using good Menzerna products none-the-less, and here we are again with mild swirls and never before seen hazing on the passenger door (forgot the actual term, it's on the tip of my tongue... it's that weird effect where you look at the paint on certain angles and it's kind of like an animated blemish, moving as you move your head)... Don't ask me how, I don't know. Maybe people are rubbing against the door when entering and exiting the vehicle, I just don't know anymore. But I'm sick of it. Especially on a dark blue car. It is ridiculous how many blemishes it will show.

So yeah, I'm just going to wing it and buy a UDM + orange pads + XMT 360 since the car was just recently detailed and the swirls are mild for the most part. That should restore the car nicely for a complete n00b like myself right? I wanna keep this as simple as possible because like I said, I'm sick of it all! ;)

My main questions are:

1) Is one bottle of 360 enough for the whole car? (small car, E36 BMW Coupe)

2) Does 360 permanently do away with swirls, or does it just temporarily hide them like a filler?

3) I plan on getting the UDM intro kit, XMT 360, and some orange pads. Anything else I need while I'm ordering? Let's keep this simple and cheap. I seem to remember reading about microfiber towels to wipe away excess polish? Someone PLEASE recommend a specific product. (again, simple and cheap please!)

I'm kind of rushing this post because I'm guessing the labor day sale on the UDM is only good for labor day? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Much appreciated, thanks!

EDIT - Ok I just realized that the intro kit includes the microfiber towels. Cool. What about the orange pads, the only ones I can find on this site are 5.5"? Is that good enough? Any 6.5" available?
 
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Sorry Jaguax can't help! Welcome someone will be along soon to help you out!
 
Buy more pads.
Call and talk to anyone, they all have a very good knowledge of all the products they carry.
 
jaguax said:
My main questions are:

1) Is one bottle of 360 enough for the whole car? (small car, E36 BMW Coupe)

2) Does 360 permanently do away with swirls, or does it just temporarily hide them like a filler?

3) I plan on getting the UDM intro kit, XMT 360, and some orange pads. Anything else I need while I'm ordering? Let's keep this simple and cheap. I seem to remember reading about microfiber towels to wipe away excess polish? Someone PLEASE recommend a specific product. (again, simple and cheap please!)
Click to expand...

1) I just did an entire Lexus SUV today with XMT 360 and used less than 1/5 of the bottle. You should be able to do at least 4 complete cars with that, if not more.

2) XMT 360 has light corrective power, so it actually polishes out the swirls as opposed to filling or hiding them. If you need more power, look at the other XMT polishes (like #3).

3) If you are getting a UDM, orange pads, and XMT 360, I would also order some Cobra Microfiber Towels (at least 2), and Pinnacle XMT Pad Cleaner. If you want, you can also put wax on top of the XMT 360. I used S100 today and it worked very nicely and only costs $15.
 
jaguax said:
So yeah, I paid $250 to have my car detailed at the beginning of this summer, using good Menzerna products none-the-less, and here we are again with mild swirls and never before seen hazing on the passenger door (forgot the actual term, it's on the tip of my tongue... it's that weird effect where you look at the paint on certain angles and it's kind of like an animated blemish, moving as you move your head)... Don't ask me how, I don't know. Maybe people are rubbing against the door when entering and exiting the vehicle, I just don't know anymore. But I'm sick of it. Especially on a dark blue car. It is ridiculous how many blemishes it will show.

So yeah, I'm just going to wing it and buy a UDM + orange pads + XMT 360 since the car was just recently detailed and the swirls are mild for the most part. That should restore the car nicely for a complete n00b like myself right? I wanna keep this as simple as possible because like I said, I'm sick of it all! ;)

My main questions are:

1) Is one bottle of 360 enough for the whole car? (small car, E36 BMW Coupe)

2) Does 360 permanently do away with swirls, or does it just temporarily hide them like a filler?

3) I plan on getting the UDM intro kit, XMT 360, and some orange pads. Anything else I need while I'm ordering? Let's keep this simple and cheap. I seem to remember reading about microfiber towels to wipe away excess polish? Someone PLEASE recommend a specific product. (again, simple and cheap please!)

I'm kind of rushing this post because I'm guessing the labor day sale on the UDM is only good for labor day? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Much appreciated, thanks!

EDIT - Ok I just realized that the intro kit includes the microfiber towels. Cool. What about the orange pads, the only ones I can find on this site are 5.5"? Is that good enough? Any 6.5" available?
Click to expand...
1. Yes, it will do several cars.
2. Yes, light swirls only, use more aggressive pad if need too. It does not just hide has a sealant so it can be your lsp, but i would suggest topping it with ss11 or max wax.
3. Corbra's are nice.
 
Thanks guys. Will one orange pad do? Or should I go for two?
 
5.5 pads are great, but be sure that you have a 5" backing plate. Get a yellow pad for more serious swirls. I would def get a white polishing pad.
 
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Orange is better for someone completely new like myself though, right? The description for yellow pads says for serious swirls/oxidation only? Should I buy a yellow anyway?
 
jaguax said:
Orange is better for someone completely new like myself though, right? The description for yellow pads says for serious swirls/oxidation only? Should I buy a yellow anyway?
Click to expand...

Not if the cars you are working on is in good to fair condition. You can alway's step up to XMT 2 or 3. But, get a white polishing pad. The white might be all you will need. The least aggressive the better for your clear coat.
 
jaguax said:
Thanks guys. Will one orange pad do? Or should I go for two?
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I would get two. I use between 2-3 on an average car/SUV, but that's without having to stop and wash and dry them. I just wash the old one out, and slap on a new one and then get them all really clean at the end. A white pad would be good. Does the UDM Intro kit come with any?
 
Yeah one bottle is way more than enough.. It'll last you over a year probably for one car.. Get the 5.5" pads, and get a couple of them.. At least orange and white. Extras are always nice to have.. And you never know when something may happen to one of them in the middle of a detail.
 
Pauly6401 said:
I would get two. I use between 2-3 on an average car/SUV, but that's without having to stop and wash and dry them. I just wash the old one out, and slap on a new one and then get them all really clean at the end. A white pad would be good. Does the UDM Intro kit come with any?
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Order has been placed. I only got one but I can always recondition it right?

And yeah, intro kit does have white pads, but isn't 360 very light on the swirl removal? If I want to remove swirls wouldn't the orange pad be the best bet?
 
jaguax said:
Order has been placed. I only got one but I can always recondition it right?

And yeah, intro kit does have white pads, but isn't 360 very light on the swirl removal? If I want to remove swirls wouldn't the orange pad be the best bet?
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Yes, but use the white first. Again, least aggressive first. White is a polishing pad and not a finishing pad.
 
Did you get the intro kit? That comes with white and grey pads. Adding the orange pad was a good call. Next order you might want to add XMT #3. I also like the green pad.

Be sure to post your experience and photos!
 
jaguax said:
Order has been placed. I only got one but I can always recondition it right?

And yeah, intro kit does have white pads, but isn't 360 very light on the swirl removal? If I want to remove swirls wouldn't the orange pad be the best bet?
Click to expand...

yeah, spraying the pad conditioner during helps, and keeping them clean and washed in between details means they will last for a while. For your minimal swirls you may be able to get away with the white/XMT 360 combo. You can't hurt anything by experimenting!
 
I have found that 360 hides more than it corrects
 
FMINUS said:
I have found that 360 hides more than it corrects
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So you're saying that I'm going to spend hours detailing the car, only to find out a few washes later that the same exact swirls are still there? Wonderful!

Pauly, it's not like the orange pad is going to tear my paint apart right? If what this guy is saying is true about hiding and not correcting then maybe I should use the orange pad just to make sure that it gets somewhat corrected?

At any rate, I'm glad I ordered the UDM yesterday, it went back up to $199 from the $179 that it was yesterday. I would've been pissed if it didn't. ;)

Another question! Since the car was just detailed late May, there is probably still sealant on it right? I only washed it 3 or 4 times since the detail. Am I supposed to do anything to remove any remaining wax/sealant on the paint (assuming there actually is something on it, I have no clue), or should I just wash and get straight to buffing?
 
jaguax said:
So you're saying that I'm going to spend hours detailing the car, only to find out a few washes later that the same exact swirls are still there? Wonderful!

Pauly, it's not like the orange pad is going to tear my paint apart right? If what this guy is saying is true about hiding and not correcting then maybe I should use the orange pad just to make sure that it gets somewhat corrected?

At any rate, I'm glad I ordered the UDM yesterday, it went back up to $199 from the $179 that it was yesterday. I would've been pissed if it didn't. ;)

Another question! Since the car was just detailed late May, there is probably still sealant on it right? I only washed it 3 or 4 times since the detail. Am I supposed to do anything to remove any remaining wax/sealant on the paint (assuming there actually is something on it, I have no clue), or should I just wash and get straight to buffing?
Click to expand...

The orange pad is by no means going to tear your paint apart. I've used it on cars of varying degrees of swirliness and scratching, (from light-medium to absolutely destroyed) and it has left them all looking better than when they started. It's like the workhorse pad of the detailers - I think that you will find that white will work fine for very light swirling but you will need the orange for most other jobs, especially with the XMT 360. Just make sure to let the polish break all the way down with it to get the best results.

Also, the XMT 360 corrected 90% of the issues on the last car I did. The only things I couldn't touch were some deep scratches that even XMT 3 wouldn't knock down. It should be perfect for the light swirling you are trying to cure. People all have their own preferences on what to use. Start with the white pad on a test area that has swirling and if it doesn't get rid of them, move to the orange pad and see it that works for you. On my Porter Cable I didn't notice really great correction until I had it up to speed 6; I'm not sure what the comparable setting is on the UDM. Step up the speed until you are happy.

Also, if you got your car detailed in May, you probably could use more sealant. XMT360 will clean, polish (and remove old sealant and wax), and add sealant all in one step, so you can either leave it at that or put some type of wax/sealant on top of it. Your choice.
 
Cool... so I don't need to do anything special like wash it with dish detergent to remove any leftover sealant/waxes or whatever the detailer used, right? Just wash it normally and go straight to buffing?

Thanks Pauly.
 
I have not used my orange CCS pad yet but it is a safe assumption that if you do use an orange pad you should finish with a white pad?
 
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