Diary of a newbie - first polishing experience

[spike]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share a few pics from my very first detail using a polisher. This was on a 1999 Camry XLE. I used a Flex 3401 VRG. The whole process was very educational, to say the least. And I know now that I need Megs 105/205 to do a better job with the finish, but the WG TSR and FG gave a nice finish. I have yet to learn how to take pics of the defects, but I ended up finding an article written by Mike Phillips on the Megs forum of how to use your finger to point to the defect, or to use a little piece of detailing clay near the defect, and this would give the camera something to focus on. Next time I take pics, I hope they will be better! And I guess I need a halogen worklight on a tripod, because the garage light wasn't enough to really show the defects for a camera. I could see them, but I couldn't capture them. Heck, I couldn't even produce a good shot in the sun! I couldn't get the camera in the right mode or something...

Anyway, to all of y'all who are experienced with polishing, you might get a good chuckle out of this, seeing how long it took me to do the steps and all. But I hope you guys will give me some tips on how to do things better...all comments are greatly appreciated. And I don't have pics of the car before, because it looked clean and you wouldn't be able to tell a discernable difference. I only did the polishing and LSP for the detailing this time. I didn't do the tires or wheels (had done them just prior to this polishing session).

So mostly what I have are some comparison shots of before and after polishing and applying LSP. I hope they will show just how nice the paint looks now with 2 coats of DGPS on it. It looks deeper and wetter than after just the polishing steps.


Now, on with the write-up:

WASH: ONR with 2-bucket method

CLAY: Blue Clay Magic with Clay Magic lube and ONR lube (liked the ONR better), then washed car again

PAINT CORRECTION: Flex 3401 VRG with Wolfgang TSR + CCS Orange pad, WG FG with CCS white pad. Pads were cleaned "on the fly" after about every other panel. I also used a pad brush to scrape off spent product.

LSP: WG Deep Gloss Paint Sealant with CCS red pad, 2 coats about 12 hrs apart

TRIM: PB trim restorer on wiper cowl

GLASS: Stoner's Invisible Glass

All plastic headlights and tailights, and the sunroof got a coat of Klasse AIO for protection.

First up: claying. The car really needed it, as the paint was very rough to the touch. Probably has never been clayed. Here are some pics:

Clay before:

After the trunk lid

This was from only half of the roof!

This was after claying the entire driver's side. Not as dirty...

So THIS is why you need to wash the whole car again after claying...What a mess the clay lube makes! I liked the ONR as a lube better because it wasn't as messy...

After another ONR wash, ready for polishing. All taped up...

Defects on trunk before polishing - this is the ONLY pic I could get to turn out of any defects.

After polishing + DGPS

Another shot after polishing + DGPS

After polishing with TSR and FG but before DGPS

Trunk lid after polishing + DGPS. Looks like a deeper shine to me!

Nice reflections before DGPS

Deeper reflections after DGPS

Hood before DGPS

Hood after polishing + DGPS

We had a little shower on the day after I was done with the 2 coats, and here are some beading shots of the hood and trunk:

Hood

Trunk

Total time worked on the car: Approx. 18 hrs.

Here's how it broke down:
Claying = 2 hrs.
Taping off car = 1 hr 30 mins.
TSR (including time spent on test spot) = about 6 hrs.
FG = 4 hrs.
Peeling off tape and applying 1st coat of DGPS = 1 hr 30 mins.
Spent about 1 hr 30 mins cleaning windows, applying Klasse AIO, and PB trim restorer, and doing final touches with cleaning.
Second coat of DGPS = 1.5 hrs.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. I had some paint overspray on the back of the trunk and the rear window, but the clay did not take the dots of paint off like I thought it would. Maybe the blue clay wasn't aggressive enough? Or maybe the paint has been there too long to be able to remove it. I was a bit disappointed with the result.

2. Taping off the car is sooo tedious! Did NOT enjoy this step. But I understand why it is necessary. I did not want to be cleaning up an even bigger mess...

3. I had to include time to wipe off each section with QD and a microfiber towel before I worked it because the stupid pollen kept settling back on the paint!

4. Should have done what Mike P. always suggests and put a tape line on the trunk before polishing so I could see just how much of a difference the TSR was making at the tape line. I thought I could just eyeball it, but it really would have been easier to do with the tape in place.

5. The claying REALLY made a difference in how smooth the paint was afterwards. I don't think this car had ever been clayed until this time...

6. Unfortunately, the TSR was not strong enough to remove all the RIDS that I had. I'll need to try Megs 105/205 next. It really took care of the swirls, but the RIDS just could not be removed. Of course once the swirls were gone, the RIDS were even more apparent...

7. This one is weird - but when I taped the car, I should not have put tape on the black rubbery plastic pillars that run down both sides of the windshield. For some reason the texture of the tape is now permanently embedded in these pillars. I guess because they were sort-of soft rubber, the tape left an imprint on them. At first I thought it was just tape residue, but nothing, not even goo-gone would take it off. It is now a part of those pillars, unfortunately. This was my biggest goof of the polishing experience.

8. Polishing takes PATIENCE. I thought I was working the areas for soo long, but in reality you had to do this to see any improvement in the paint. Slow arm speed, and several passes for sure. It's harder that you think to focus on just a 2' x 2' area when polishing. It's like I just wanted to get done, so I wanted to polish bigger areas, but that would have defeated the purpose...

Overall, I am happy with the finish, but I think I will buy Megs 105/205 and see if I can get some of those RIDS out. But, since the car is old, I didn't have too much expectations of a full correction, even though I wish I could have done a better job! But, this was a learning experience, and I was happy to go through it. Maybe next time I'll be more efficient at polishing. And to all of you expert detailers out there, I FEEL YOU!! I know first hand now just how much hard work goes into polishing a car, and I really can relate to just how tedious it is. I hope to hone my skills soon.

Thanks for reading!

 

[TLMitchell]

Pretty nice work for a 1st-timer, especially with the write up. :xyxthumbs: After you stop and take pics and write it up it gives a new appreciation for those that do them on a regular basis and how much effort is involved. Would have been nice to see a full-car finished shot.

ONR as a clay lube is a bonus when you don't have to rewash. Even when I use another lube I always have a spray bottle of ONR at QD strength hanging around. A quick mist and wipe after each section claying saves a rewash as well.

On that soft rubber windshield trim you might try hitting it lightly with a hair dryer. A bit of heat or even spending some time in the sun and the trim may return to it's original shape and lose the texture.

TL

 

[feslope]

If that is really a first attempt I can't wait to see your second, third and on. Looks great. One question, how are you cleaning the 3401 on the fly?.

 

[trekker]

Great job! And excellent first write up as well. I don't have any paint polishing experience (yet, beginning of May I'll be doing my first car too) but I'd say from lurking on here for a while that you've done a fine job. I'm with feslope; the next time you tackle something with that kind of effort and your new found experience, it's going to be even better!

I'm also interested in what technique you used to clean on the fly?

Keep up the good work! :xyxthumbs:

 

[oldmodman]

Excellent job, even if it was your 20th car. But for a first try it's really good. Most first timers never have the patience to work the product long enough for it to break down and show good results.
And the tape leaving an imprint in the rubber. I have never encountered that on any car. And I use the same blue 3m tape. Unless I have any of the even milder green 3m tape, in which case I will use the green.

 

[spike]

Pretty nice work for a 1st-timer, especially with the write up. :xyxthumbs: After you stop and take pics and write it up it gives a new appreciation for those that do them on a regular basis and how much effort is involved. Would have been nice to see a full-car finished shot.

ONR as a clay lube is a bonus when you don't have to rewash. Even when I use another lube I always have a spray bottle of ONR at QD strength hanging around. A quick mist and wipe after each section claying saves a rewash as well.

On that soft rubber windshield trim you might try hitting it lightly with a hair dryer. A bit of heat or even spending some time in the sun and the trim may return to it's original shape and lose the texture.

TL

Thanks TL. I DO appreciate what you pros do every day...you are awesome! I will try the hair dryer technique...I never would have thought of that! I bet it will help. And, yes, how could I forget a full-car finished shot? Oops!

If that is really a first attempt I can't wait to see your second, third and on. Looks great. One question, how are you cleaning the 3401 on the fly?.

Thank you feslope. I guess when I said "on the fly", I didn't remember at the time that you really can't do the exact on the fly technique with the flex (or at least I couldn't). So what I did was after every panel, I'd scrape the pad with the pad brush with the polisher turned off, then use a terry cloth towel to really wipe off the pad while still on the machine, but not while it was running like Mike P. did. I think I polished both sides of the car, then washed my pad with soap+water, then I finished polishing the hood, roof, and trunk, while cleaning the pad as I went after every other panel. I should have used my words more carefully with the on the fly cleaning...the rotation of the flex didn't allow me to hold a towel on the pad and turn on the machine to wipe it off. Sorry Mike P. for using your term incorrectly! I just modified the OTF technique to a way that I could use.

Great job! And excellent first write up as well. I don't have any paint polishing experience (yet, beginning of May I'll be doing my first car too) but I'd say from lurking on here for a while that you've done a fine job. I'm with feslope; the next time you tackle something with that kind of effort and your new found experience, it's going to be even better!

I'm also interested in what technique you used to clean on the fly?

Keep up the good work! :xyxthumbs:

Thanks trekker, I hope I answered the question above. I just called my cleaning method on the fly, but it's not exactly the way Mike P. does. It was modified from his teaching. Of course, I made another newbie mistake in my write-up: using a term that I should not have... I should have said "modified on the fly" cleaning

Excellent job, even if it was your 20th car. But for a first try it's really good. Most first timers never have the patience to work the product long enough for it to break down and show good results.
And the tape leaving an imprint in the rubber. I have never encountered that on any car. And I use the same blue 3m tape. Unless I have any of the even milder green 3m tape, in which case I will use the green.

Thanks oldmodman, I know. I would have never thought that this could happen from just tape, but I will try the hair dryer and see if it will bring the rubber back to a smooth finish.

 

[OGauge4Me]

Great job on a daily driver. I like the documentation as well. To me this was an excellent presentation and for a first attempt. You did very well a first class detail and write up.

 

[spike]

Great job on a daily driver. I like the documentation as well. To me this was an excellent presentation and for a first attempt. You did very well a first class detail and write up.

Thanks OGauge! I appreciate those kind words. And I have learned so much from all you pros here on the forums! That's why my write-up is pretty good. rops:

 

[spike]

****UPDATE**** Looks like TL was right about the windshield trim...the hot sun did bring it back to it's original texture and I didn't have to try the hair dryer! Thanks for the great tips TL!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Awesome job and top notch write-up! :dblthumb2:

I've been following your progress on our forum since you joined and you've really come a long way and have demonstrated to everyone that reads this thread into the future that by getting some knowledge first from reading articles on the forum and also asking questions and then taking your head knowledge and going out into your garage and putting what you've learned to practice you can achieve STELLAR results!

I don't post the Bow Emoticon very often but you've earned it!

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

 

[spike]

Awesome job and top notch write-up! :dblthumb2:

I've been following your progress on our forum since you joined and you've really come a long way and have demonstrated to everyone that reads this thread into the future that by getting some knowledge first from reading articles on the forum and also asking questions and then taking your head knowledge and going out into your garage and putting what you've learned to practice you can achieve STELLAR results!

I don't post the Bow Emoticon very often but you've earned it!

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

THANK YOU MIKE!!! This really means a lot coming from you. I couldn't have done it without you and everyone's help here on the forums. Everyone here is TOP NOTCH!!!

:cheers:

 

[5.4 Shelby]

Spike,

Nice job and nice write up.

Try claying in smaller sections and wipe off the lube before it dries. IT should dry clean just like any QD should.

Also, if your clay is anywhere close to that dirty, you should knead it. The stuff it is picking up may scratch your paint if you rub it over the car (could be where some of the RIDS are from). By kneading the clay, you move that stuff inside the clay and away from your paint. Also, dont be afraid to discard the clay after using it on such a heavily contaminated surface. Wasting clay is much better than wasting clearcoat.

 

[spike]

Spike,

Nice job and nice write up.

Try claying in smaller sections and wipe off the lube before it dries. IT should dry clean just like any QD should.

Also, if your clay is anywhere close to that dirty, you should knead it. The stuff it is picking up may scratch your paint if you rub it over the car (could be where some of the RIDS are from). By kneading the clay, you move that stuff inside the clay and away from your paint. Also, dont be afraid to discard the clay after using it on such a heavily contaminated surface. Wasting clay is much better than wasting clearcoat.

Thanks Kevin. I probably should have done smaller sections since the car had not been clayed before. I tried to make sure I kneaded the clay enough. I definitely inspected it as I went along to be sure I didn't have a big chunk that would scratch the paint. If I remember right, I clayed 1/2 the truck lid, then kneaded the clay, then the other half, then kneaded, and so on for the roof and hood. I only did one whole side with the clay to show that it wasn't too dirty afterwards (but I guess everyone knows that the particles settle on the horizontal surfaces of the car the most). But that is a great observation! I wasn't specific of how often I kneaded the clay in my write-up. But I'll try to wipe the lube up right afterwards next time. That's a great tip!!

 

[webnola]

I had good results combining polish with touchup paint from Automotivetouchup.com

 

[welcome2thedawn]

wow...nice job...thanks for posting lessens learned...i have yet to do a full detail...i started, and it took me 5 hours to wash and clay the car, and wash it agian, and dry...trying to save money, i bought a $25 orbital, which is about useless...the bottle of polish i bought was mislabeled, and said to apply to the whole car, let dry, and wipe...it was almost impossible to get off...at this point i decided to re-evaluate the process...someone suggested that i check out this site...i'm so glad i did...i am going to order a pc7424 and some better products...seeing first timers get such great results, gives me much more confidence....oh, what are RIDS??

 

[spike]

wow...nice job...thanks for posting lessens learned...i have yet to do a full detail...i started, and it took me 5 hours to wash and clay the car, and wash it agian, and dry...trying to save money, i bought a $25 orbital, which is about useless...the bottle of polish i bought was mislabeled, and said to apply to the whole car, let dry, and wipe...it was almost impossible to get off...at this point i decided to re-evaluate the process...someone suggested that i check out this site...i'm so glad i did...i am going to order a pc7424 and some better products...seeing first timers get such great results, gives me much more confidence....oh, what are RIDS??

Hi welcome, I'm glad that my write-up was helpful. You will find under the "ask the experts featuring Mike Phillips" section of the forum, at the top it has a link to "Articles written by Mike Phillips". This section has awesome info for someone trying to learn all the "lingo", and learn how to polish. I learned a lot from this site, and then whatever questions I had I asked them for clarification on the forums, then I went out and tried it. If I can do it, you can too! Heck, you'll probably be better with the camera than I am. I need to learn how to capture the defects in pics better. Need more practice with the camera for sure.

To answer your question about RIDS, here's a link to one of the articles I was talking about earlier in the Mike Phillips section of the forum:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...5-rids-definition-rids-story-behind-term.html


Sorry about that polish issue you had, but I guess it's all a big learning experience for sure. I've found out some stuff the hard way too. The PC 7424 is a great polisher, and I know you will get great results. By the way, what polish did you buy? Just wondering so I don't make the same mistake...

 

[Lee Yoder]

8. Polishing takes PATIENCE. I thought I was working the areas for soo long, but in reality you had to do this to see any improvement in the paint. Slow arm speed, and several passes for sure. It's harder that you think to focus on just a 2' x 2' area when polishing. It's like I just wanted to get done, so I wanted to polish bigger areas, but that would have defeated the purpose...

I tend to get into a 'zone' when I detail my car. Kind of a moving meditation. Great job on the car!

Later,

Lee

 

[ballfan4141]

18 hours, how days does that take? is there a certain step you should quit at until the next step?

 

[spike]

18 hours, how days does that take? is there a certain step you should quit at until the next step?

Hi ballfan, I'll let you know what I did, and what worked for me, but I'm sure the expert detailiers here have a better way to do this, and perhaps a more time-efficient way. This is just what made logical sense for me to do.

When I was keeping track of the time, I tried to keep track of the working time, and not my breaks (which I had a few! ). That's where the 18 hrs came from. Just the actual working time. I worked essentially all weekend on the car.

So what I did was, on Friday after I got home from work at 4 pm, I washed the car with ONR to get the pollen off, then clayed, then washed again. Pulled into the garage, and left it there until Saturday morning. On Saturday morning I used Megs QD to wipe the panels clean again (that stupid pollen kept settling on the paint!), then taped the car off, then used the rest of Saturday to polish with the TSR. That first more aggressive polish seems to be the most time-consuming step. The TSR step definitely took the longest with its longer working time. Then, on Sunday, I did the FG step (which was shorter than the TSR step), then removed all the tape and applied the DGPS. Of course, all of the polishing steps included wipe-downs with QD right before I was going to polish an area because I had to get the pollen off first. So, it took me quite a bit of time to get it done. And I wanted to take my time over the weekend seeing that it was my first time. The car stayed in the garage the whole time, except when I wanted to take pics. I cleaned up the windows, trim, etc. while the DGPS was drying for 45 mins on the car before removing it (per instructions on AG's web-site).

On Monday after I got off work I applied the second coat of DGPS (after wiping the car down again) to allow for the first coat of sealant to cure properly before applying the second coat.

And the experts would suggest doing an IPA wipe-down after each polishing step to be sure you removed all the defects, but after my test spot it was clear that I was not going to be able to get them all out without a more aggressive combo like Megs 105/205, so I didn't bother with the IPA wipe-downs. But I did wipe each section with QD and a microfiber towel before polishing it, and I wiped the entire car down before I applied the DGPS.

Hope this helps!!

 

[ballfan4141]

ok thank you.