About DIY detailing of a 3 -yr OLD car

SArao

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I have a Black Car, which is Approximately 3 years old. It has got Swirls all over it, dust/wax stuck in emblems and trims/body lines. I am more of a DIY guy so I am planning to detail my car on my own. But since I intend to keep my car for another two years, I want to use the best in market products/ Please spare sometime in sharing your information and removing my confusions.

1. For swirls, I have ordered Meguiars Scratch X 2.0. Planning to use it with a slow rotating buffer which I bought locally. I am not sure if I will be using Clay. As it is not locally available. And buying it online comes way too expensive. Want to know, since I will be using Scratch X, do I still need to clay the surface?

2. After removing Swirls, my aim is to remove stuck up wax and Dust in the Emblems. I tried almost everything at home with a Toothbrush but can't seem to get rid of this Dust. Please check the Photo. What can be done to remove this dried wax / dust? Same goes with the Body Lines.

3. After removing Swirls / Dust. I plan to wax my car using Meguiars Black wax.

4. After Waxing I want to seal the paint using CQuartz Sealer. But since most of the work will be done ooutside, I am a little confused about using Sealer. Its description says it has to be cured for 15 to 20 minutes. Just in case, my area is windy, dust particles sit on it by the time its still not cured. Will they also get stuck after the curing is complete?

And for regular washes, I want to use pressure washer with Meguiars Hyper wash. From regular I mean once or twice a week.
 
Welcome to AGO!

Wow ummm...

1. First have you ever used a rotary? If not get a DA polisher like a porter cable or griots garage. Rotaries are an art and very unforgiving for new users. If you can't get a DA, go to a scrap yard and get a body panel to practice on. Get some megs ultimate compound and ultimate polish, it provides great results and user friendly. You always clay before correcting or even applying wax. Where are you located? I'm in Trinidad and you really have to look to find something. You can talk to your meguiars supplier and see if they can get it.

2. Spray some Quick Detailer or IPA solution on the areas and use a rubber pointed detail tool, or a soft horse hair or boars hair brush. A tooth brush will scratch the paint. For body lines spray same product of choice and use a microfiber cloth.

3. If your using CQuartz DO NOT APPLY WAX it will not bond. CQuartz is basically a second clear coat and permanent so what ever is not corrected will still be there. It has no fillers to mask swirls or scratches.

Also check out How to Articles - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum you find everything you need to know.
 
Hmm Ok. I am located in India, North. So if I want to apply cQuartz I dont need to Wax/Polish after removing Swirls?

Yes I have used Rotary Buffers, its with me from past 2.5 years.
 
Alright ! And after the sealant? Will waxing make any difference in the look of the black paint?
 
But that says its a REload or Topup Spray, to lengthen the stay of coating. Do I need to use it regularly?
 
Ok I am confused. I had ordered Meg Scratch X 2.0 for the purpose of removing Swirl. But I read somewhere that Swirl X would be more than enough. Plus Swirl X Cheaper I guess. I have an SUV which I need to work on. I am not sure if one tube of Scatch X2 would be enough?
 
Ive used scratch x and megs #9 on my black truck. Neither of them were aggressive enough. If you plan on buffing and applying a coating you should definitely use clay. If you have never used a rotary buffer its almost a guarantee you will end up with holograms on a black car.

I know youre probably anxious to correct the issue but in all honesty if you are new to detailing you have a possibility to worsening the issue with a rotary.

What id recommend is getting this kit Wolfgang Duo & Porter Cable 7424XP FREE BONUS
Its very user friendly and you can correct your issues without creating any problems

Id also like to recommend a nano skin (fine) sponge.

Also do an IPA wipe down before you apply the coating and dont wax before the coating or else it wont bond to the paint.
 
Okie. I can hire someone from detailing shop to do the work for me after his job. But I want to know, would one tube of Scratch X be enough for a full fledged SUV?
 
If its your first time then probably not. Typically your first few times buffing you tend to use to much product. But one tube is enough in my opinion.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AG Online
 
These are the swirls I am talking about. Same question again, SwirlX or Scratch X
 
These are the swirls I am talking about. Same question again, SwirlX or Scratch X

The standard method for polishing is to do a test spot, starting with the least aggressive product. You want to polish as little as possible to achieve a smooth, defect-free finish, because modern paint finishes are very thin. Swirl X is less aggressive than Scratch X, so you would start with that. If it is able to remove the swirl marks with Swirl X in the test spot, then you can use it for the rest of the vehicle. If there are still defects, then you would use the more aggressive Scratch X...or beyond that, Meguiar's Ultimate Compound.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/50162-how-do-test-spot.html
 
I used UC with the rotary buffer I have. Well, it did a good job, not what I was expecting.

It did remove the swirls, butnot completely. I had three hits on the same panel and it still show swirls. Plus, its not able to remove some not so deep scratches. I am a bit disappointed.

First pic the door I Compounded and the second I did not.

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Try following with a finishing polish. Looks like hazing from the compound.
 
The second pic is of the door I did not compound. It need to be worked upon.

I have Ultimate Polish. I used it once, and it attracts a lot of dirt. Since I am planning to coat the paint with Cquartz, will I have to still use polish? Since it has oils.
 
The second pic is of the door I did not compound. It need to be worked upon.

I have Ultimate Polish. I used it once, and it attracts a lot of dirt. Since I am planning to coat the paint with Cquartz, will I have to still use polish? Since it has oils.

Whoops.

Maybe try a more aggressive pad. But, using a rotary proceed with caution. You will need to clean the panels with Eraser prior to applying CQ. You will only know if you need to use UP when you get the defects out UC and see how it finishes. UP is meant to be used to clean up marring from UC and leave a show car finish. No polish should be on the panel long enough to attract dirt, I'm not sure what is going on there.
 
I am more concerned about this marring. Its always been there. Compounding or not, its not makng any difference. What to do about this? Can Cquartz mark it or fill it?

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Ok I am confused. I had ordered Meg Scratch X 2.0 for the purpose of removing Swirl. But I read somewhere that Swirl X would be more than enough. Plus Swirl X Cheaper I guess. I have an SUV which I need to work on. I am not sure if one tube of Scatch X2 would be enough?
Perhaps take a little more time looking at the how-to section of autogeek. There are a lot of issues with the process your considering using right now. The correct way of going about your detail is:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. IPA Wipe down
4. Compound/polish - you'll need 4 pads at least
5. 2 dozen high quality microfiber towels so you don't scratch your finish
6. IPA wipe down again
7. Apply wax OR sealant. You would not apply Opti-coat above blackfire etc. You can apply sealant then a wax, but then why would you use a sealant in the first place?

Also some points to consider. Have you researched on the proper way to care for the finish after you compound? For example, have you invested in the grit guards, microfibers and invested time to learn the correct process? Because if not, your going to compound(removing clear) and your going to mess up your finish and have to do it again.
 
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