Noob with DA & ONR questions

S

soloz2

New member
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
111
Reaction score
0
I would like to improve on my detail system for my two DD cars. I have a 2006 Subaru Legacy RBP that is my baby. Sadly it's not perfect. The previous owner was pretty rough on it, there are swirls, a few door dings etc. but from a few feet away it looks pretty good!

IMG_0823.jpg


IMG_0807.jpg


My 2nd car is my wife's DD. It's a 98 Subaru Legacy Outback with 225k that she absolutely loves. It's in pretty good condition other than a couple dents in the one rear fender, but it still cleans up nicely and I forsee her keeping it until it dies for good.

I started using the two bucket wash method this past summer (wow, 2011 flew!) and invested in a pair of grit guards not long ago. To dry I've been using a California Dry blade (I really need a new one though... I've noticed recently that the blade seems to have hardened) and an Absorber towel. I then use Mothers clay followed by Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax a couple times a year. In between I just use either ULW or Ultimate spray wax for in between cleanings.

I originally jointed AG to get some better MF towels as I only had a few nice ones that came in my Mothers or Meguiars kits and the sickness has begun! :buffing:.
I ordered a few different types of MF including a couple Supreme Guzzler towels when they were BOGO, a cobra glass towel (love that thing! best towel I've ever used for glass cleaning!) I have some ONR and Fog Fight on their way to me that I can't wait to try out next weekend!

Anyway, back to the point at hand... My wife got me a Griots Garage 6" polisher for Christmas. (I knew I was getting it, but couldn't have it until this morning!) and now I need to get some pads and polish for it. I've been reading up and it seems that most people seem to like the Lake Country Flat pads, yet most of the kits AG sells include the CCS pads. I also like the way the Megs MF DA system looks... watched the video and I'm at a loss for what direction to go. I can get some GG pads as I already have the GG backing plate installed on my polisher, or I can get a LC 5" backing plate with 5.5" LC pads, then there's the 5" Megs MF system... The more I read the more I seem to be undecided.... I do think I'm leaning towards either a 5.5" LC setup or the Megs MF kit.

Then polish has even more options. I see a lot of people recommend the Megs 105 & 205 combo, but I understand they aren't the most user friendly for noobs. Then there are Wolfgang & Pinnacle twins or GG... I'm looking for something that will work well, be easy to remove & be good for someone who has never used a DA before.

I've decided to purchase Mike's book the Art of Detailing and think I might get the version with the DVD as well. I'll prob grab the AG detailer's bag to store my DA while they're on sale. I don't have a garage so unfortunately, I'll need to wait until spring to try out my new DA meaning I have some time before I need to purchase pads and polish.

In the meantime I'd like to know what the best towels to use with ONR, which I plan to add to my weekly stop at the self service car wash to get the NY salt off my car. I plan to rinse my car off completely then wash with ONR and dry while I'm in the car was bay. I'm also curious about using ONR as a spray solution instead of in a bucket after power washing.

I'd also like to figure out what pads and polish to get and see if there's anything I can add to my detail regimen that will make detailing easier or give me better results. Thanks in advance! (and forgive any rambling...)
 
 
mjlinane said:
ONR - I like to apply a presoak with a garden sprayer, initial wipe with ; first dry with a long nap MF (something like [URL="http://www.autogeek.net/chinchilla-microfiber-cloth.html"]Chinchilla Microfiber Buffing Cloth, microfiber detailing towel), and final dry - with drying agent like Optimum Car Wax is a spray wax made with real carnauba and synthetic paint sealants for protection & shine! high-grade carnauba wax and silicone or a QD - with Blue Waffle Weave Drying Towel, car drying towel. When rinseless'ing, do the wheels last.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips.
I do have a MF wash mit and I just got a LC foam sponge that I haven't yet had the chance to try out.

I have 3 of the Chinchilla cloths. Will that be enough or do I need to get more?
I also have a couple of the Cobra Gold, several of the Mango Breeze general purpose towels and a giant lavender towel (it was free... great towel, but huge!) as well as a pair of Cobra Supreme Guzzlers.

I'm not opposed to getting a few more plush towels to use before the waffle weave towels. Should I wait on the chinchilla ones or get something else?

Will Megs Ultimate Spray Wax work for the drying process? I'm not opposed to trying new products, but I already have a bottle of Megs Ultimate Spray wax as well as a bottle or two of Mothers quick detailer.

When you say presoak with a garden sprayer do you mean a something like this?
Autogeek Chemical Resistant Pressure Sprayer, pump spray bottle, pressurized sprayer
What solution do you use?
 
I divide my car into 15 parts and use a new quarter on each. Total 2 towels. (Of course, depends on how dirty the car is.) That being said, I'm not sure you can have enough MFs.

You can definitely use a plush towel with the drying aide. Mango Breeze are probably better for interior jobs, though.

Probably, but haven't used it myself. Try it and let us know ;).

Yes, much like that. I just use wash strength. Some members use stronger or a waterless.

Would like to help on the pads and polishes. Haven't done a Subaru yet so don't feel competent to make a recommendation. Understand it is soft and sticky paint, though. Hopefully another member can help here.
 
Thanks for the help thus far.
I'm ok waiting on the polish and pad decision as I can't use them until spring. I do think some more plush towels would be a good idea though. I agree you can never have too many!

Does my ONR plan look to be good? Spray down to remove buildup of ice and salt on my car
Wash with ONR
Blot with plush MF
Spray wax and dry with ww mf
 
Yes. The dirtier your car is, the smaller the wash area is. No scrubbing. Depending on temp, you can wait a couple of panels before drying.
 
You will be better off for corrections with 5.5" pads.
I am not sure if that's the garden sprayer the poster was referring to however it will do the job just fine. I think he was referring to the general purpose garden sprayers found at home depot - a small tank with a pump and hose.
 
Actually, a little of both. Mine looks a lot like the unit mentioned but it did come from HD. :)
 
I ordered one of the pressure sprayers from AG along with Mike's book/DVD combo and BOGO AG bag so I'll have a place to store my new polisher. Maybe I can trade the extra one for some pads or other stuff.

Still undecided on pads and polish though. Actually I'm open to suggestions for the entire exterior process.

My car is Regal Blue Pearl (wife's too) and it really is a fantastic color. As I said above my typical routine is as follows:
2 wash bucket method. I'm using up TW Ice wash, but I will need some new shampoo soon
Mothers clay bar
Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax - i love how easy it goes on and it really makes both Regal Blue Subarus pop! But it streaks like crazy. I've read it's easier to apply super thin with a machine so hopefully that helps. I am open to new products though.

I like the chinchilla MF, but they are OOS. Any alternative or should I just wait?
 
I have many of the same products as you. I have a selection of Meguiar's and Mother's towels from clay kits and I really prefee the Mother's. The Meg's kit gives you a clay box (and now some ultimate spray quik wax I see) whereas Mother's bundles a nicer towel. I've only recently discovered ONR, but since I've also added to my microfiber towel collection, I've used my Meguiar's supreme shines as the wash towels for ONR rinseless washes and they seem to work well for that. That saves the mother's towels for the drier paint activities. I use cheap yellow Costco microfibers for the skankier regions. I need a way to color code those because there are many levels of skank. Fabric markers wash away. Hmmm, maybe if I fabric dyed the corners.

I've used, and liked, meguiar's ultimate quick wax and ultimate detailer. Like the smell. I'm using those empty sprayer for ONR at detailer/clay lube strength and I have a couple of empties I'll use for Ultima Waterless Wash+ soon.

You mentioned door dings. I recommend finding a good paintless dent removal (PDR) guy. A good one can work magic on dings. The goal is to rework the metal to fix the reflection. It's the wrong coast, but for SoCal members reading this, I very highly recommend Dent Devil in San Diego. Eddie is truly a master at what he does. He's taught a lot of PDR guys the trade. Maybe he knows some of the better ones in the NY area.

The experts here have lots of experience and tons of advice. I'm a newbie at this...probably much as yourself I'm looking to spend less time getting better results. Doing a good job, with my black paint, takes so much time it's not fun anymore. Long gone are my highschool days when I got great results on my car with single stage paint, with a hose, cheap car soap, sponge and a couple of old cotton towels, cleaner wax and about an hour of time. That was fun. Nothing but slick paint to touch whenever I wanted and never a fear of putting a swirl into the paint. Well I guess that nostalgia is better left for another thread, so before I go even more off topic I'll leave it at that.
 
It was pretty warm out today and I decided to give ONR a go. My car was kinda dirty so I rinsed it off with the garden hose. Next time I think I'll grab $2.50 in quarters and head down to the car wash. Then I washed one panel at a time with the Lake Country sponge I just got (I really like this sponge). After that I blotted the panel a chinchilla mf to get the majority of the water and any dirt off the surface. Finally I sprayed with Megs Ultimate wax and dried with a Cobra Supreme Guzzler. All new products :-)

I decided that I need a good brush to get in the wheel wells and to clean them up and also for use on my mud flaps. The problem is that my car is a little low. I attached a pic so you can see. There is about 2 finger gap I have to work with.
43fd9b9a-09a2-20a6.jpg


Second, I need some more microfiber. Chinchillas work well, but are OOS and I can't order now with the sales so what other options do I have?
 
I have been using the GG 6 in orbital for about 3 years and like it a lot. I use LC CCS pads - the green for cleaner wax/light compounds (Meg's ultimate compound) and the blue for waxes/polymers...recently I don't wax or buff anymore as I have switched to Ultima Paint Guard Plus which requires no buffing at all...my hood after Ultima...just wiped on..
b4b410c7.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top