First Major Detail Planned this Weekend - Question about Wolfgang Products

[trailrunz]

Hi Everyone - have enjoyed this forum so far as I'm dipping my toe into a detailing hobby.

I recently purchased a new Ford F-150 (Space White color) and this weekend I'm planning to tackle my first major detail. I recently purchased some Wolfgang Car Care products and my major question is do I need to tape up all of the black trim on the truck? Similarly, what about the glossy black B-Pillars that show every swirl/scratch imaginable (literally the only thing I dislike about my truck)?

Here's my plan: 2-Bucket wash and dry, then use a DA polisher to apply Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer. After the PPE I plan to do an IPA wipedown (I already have Mothers CMX Panel Prep so using that) just to make sure everything is clean, then apply the Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant followed by Wolfgang SiO2 Silica Spray as my last step product. Is there anything that I'm missing there?

Which of these products can I use on my wheels (if any)? Should I tackle that with a small foam pad or try to use the DA machine?

Lastly, I do have Xpel PPF on the front of my truck (front bumpers and first 6" of hood); I'm guessing I can skip the polish enhancer here but OK to use the SiO2 sealant and spray?

Thanks for any input/advice: kind of nervous but excited as this is my first time doing anything other than wash & wax on any vehicle.

 

[Desertnate]

Are you trying to remove any swirls or light marring? If so the Paint Polish Enhancer might not do it for you since it offers no abrasives and any correction will come from the pad itself. I know you said the truck is new, but it may have led a hard life at the hands of the dealership.

I polish the piano black pillars on my vehicles. The surface is soft and it doesn't take much effort, but a quick pass with a finishing polish and polishing pad with a DA will clean things up nicely.

If you've never machine polished before I'd recommend taping off black trim. As you gain experience you will learn how to polish along edges without hitting unwanted areas.

 

[trailrunz]

Are you trying to remove any swirls or light marring? If so the Paint Polish Enhancer might not do it for you since it offers no abrasives and any correction will come from the pad itself. I know you said the truck is new, but it may have led a hard life at the hands of the dealership.

I polish the piano black pillars on my vehicles. The surface is soft and it doesn't take much effort, but a quick pass with a finishing polish and polishing pad with a DA will clean things up nicely.

If you've never machine polished before I'd recommend taping off black trim. As you gain experience you will learn how to polish along edges without hitting unwanted areas.

Thanks for the helpful reply. To my untrained eye, the paint is in great condition. No swirls or marring that I can see, so I don't feel like any correction is necessary.

 

[briarpatch]

For what it's worth, you're going to love the WG SIO2 sealant. Super easy to use, and the results will speak for themselves. I keep the SIO2 spray as a maintenance product after regular washes.

 

[Lance Mark]

If you were to consider adding another step before the PPE, you could use Wolfgang's Finishing Glaze. I did a two step correction on a Harley. Some parts need more attention than others . I used their Total Swirl Remover and then their Finishing Glaze. I am a newb as well but I can assure you, it was easy to use and after the FG, the finish looked better than from the factory.

I wouldn't use their TSR on a new finish, but just FG.

A little bit goes a long way. Before I put product on the pads, i used Wolfgang's Pad Conditioner...just one spritz to lube up the surface of the pad. I changed pads often, and in between sections, I'd wipe excess product off with a terry cloth rag and then agitate with a pad cleaning brush.

I'm pretty new myself sir. Others may weigh in with some better advice.

 

[Desertnate]

If you were to consider adding another step before the PPE, you could use Wolfgang's Finishing Glaze. I did a two step correction on a Harley. Some parts need more attention than others . I used their Total Swirl Remover and then their Finishing Glaze. I am a newb as well but I can assure you, it was easy to use and after the FG, the finish looked better than from the factory

This is a great point. I polished up my son-in-law's brand new Charger Scat Pack last weekend. The paint was pristine except for a couple spots, but I still polished it out with a finishing polish before applying the coating and it really amped up the gloss beyond the factory-new condition of the paint.

With a polishing pad and the PPE it might have a similar effect and will shine things up a bit. It's what the OP has on hand, so I didn't initially go down the road of recommending another purchase. Honestly, I don't use paint cleaners like PPE and go for finishing polishes. They are still really mild on the paint, but will improve the gloss better/easier due to their abrasive ingredients.

 

[R/TED]

Before polishing with PPE, I would use a clay bar in order to remove all contamination. If the surface feels at all rough, definitely clay. All other steps look on point, good luck.

 

[Lance Mark]

Before polishing with PPE, I would use a clay bar in order to remove all contamination. If the surface feels at all rough, definitely clay. All other steps look on point, good luck.

If I clay barred it, I'd do a light polishing step before the PPE. I liked Wolfgang's Clay and Lube.

 

[trailrunz]

I thought I'd post an update on how everything went. In short...GREAT! First time using the DA polisher was a bit of a learning curve and honestly didn't prefer using it - but it likely did a much better job than I could by hand. My truck has so many ridges and areas hard to get with the machine that I ended up using a foam applicator by hand quite frequently. As I mentioned before I didn't feel like any paint correction was needed and therefore, I don't feel like the Wolfgang PPE really did anything. I can only hope that it prepped the paint in the best way for the sealant and the sealant will last longer as a result. However, I loved the Wolfgang SiO2 sealant...every review that I read stated how easy it was to put on and buff off and that was exactly my experience. Really made the paint glossy and ultra slick. At this point I was sick of the polisher so applied the sealant completely by hand and it was super quick.

Also, I started the project taping all of my trim panel by panel and after a test spot realized that, in my case, all of the Wolfgang products were trim safe...no white residue or anything; so I will not tape at all next time. Lastly, the SiO2 Silica Spray was also very easy to apply...at this point the paint looked amazing and wiping off the Silica Spray was very easy...no immediate difference noticed after applying the Silica spray but again, hoping it will extend durability. I'll stick to two bucket washes for a while here but will absolutely use Wolfgang products again...I used up about half the bottle of both the PPE and Sealant; much less of the Silica spray.

Here's a picture - no before/after (you wouldn't notice the difference from a picture) but definitely added a lot of dimension to the paint overall.

View attachment 73600

 

[soobaroo]

Sounds like you did everything right. Not buying a black truck was a good way to start. Never will I buy black again

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

do I need to tape up all of the black trim on the truck?

If it were me? Yes. Easier, safer and faster to tape plastic trim off then to try to clean it to look like new after the fact. Been there done that, don't ever want to do it again.

Similarly, what about the glossy black B-Pillars that show every swirl/scratch imaginable (literally the only thing I dislike about my truck)?

No machine polish these with a fine cut polish and a soft foam polsihing pad. Then moving forward - WASH CAREFULLY. This is called Piano Plastic. It's thin. If you buff to hard on the edges or buff too many times - over time - you will buff through the black layer and expose white plastic. (Don't ask me how I know)

Here's my plan: 2-Bucket wash and dry, then use a DA polisher to apply Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer. After the PPE I plan to do an IPA wipedown (I already have Mothers CMX Panel Prep so using that) just to make sure everything is clean, then apply the Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant followed by Wolfgang SiO2 Silica Spray as my last step product. Is there anything that I'm missing there?

You're wasting time, energy and doing a lot of work for nothing. The Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer is a chemical cleaner ONLY. It will not remove any defects.

Now follow me - for all the time, work and energy you have to exert to run a buffer over a car, instead of using a NON-cleaning paint cleaner, nor NON-abrasive paint cleaner, might as well use a REAL polish and get ALL the benefits of a paint cleaner PLUS all the benefits of a true polish. I feel so bad for all the people that go down the paint cleaner road due to confusion or lack of knowledge that I wrote an article to try to help...

A paint cleaner is an either/or product - The difference between a paint cleaner and a paint polish by Mike Phillips

Which of these products can I use on my wheels (if any)? Should I tackle that with a small foam pad or try to use the DA machine?

Most DA polishers are too large and bulky to use on wheels. Just hand polish and seal with something. Again - a true polish will do more than a non-abrasive paint cleaner.

Lastly, I do have Xpel PPF on the front of my truck (front bumpers and first 6" of hood); I'm guessing I can skip the polish enhancer here but OK to use the SiO2 sealant and spray?

I would skip the paint polish enhancer but if it ever gets swirls and scratches, or oxidizes, I would use any of the true polishes in the Wolfgang line to machine polish and restore. Either the Wolfgang Swirl Remover or Finishing Glaze.

Note the Finishing Glaze is NOT a glaze. The wrong words are used to describe this product. It's a fine cut polish.

Thanks for any input/advice: kind of nervous but excited as this is my first time doing anything other than wash & wax on any vehicle.

Wolfgang compound and the two polishes are "Best in Class" as far as abrasive technology goes. They are expensive but you cannot make a mistake with them.

The Wolfgang Four





Sorry for the late reply, I've been offline working and traveling and then I took a day off to recharge the batteries.

Who's going? Southern Detailer's Conference - June 5th & 6th - Lexington, Kentucky


:cheers: