Advice on Timing of DA Polishing

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damonb10

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Hi All, I've been lurking for quite a while here and have enjoyed the education and discussions that are available.

I have a car that is 7 months old. I take very good care of it doing all the things that are stated as a best practice. However, it has all been by hand up to this point.

I'm at the point right now of getting ready to do a round of prep, polish, and wax before winter. I am intending to buy a DA, but haven't yet and was targeting next spring to do so. My theory on that was to wait until after the wear and tear of winter to put that effort in. However, now I'm considering maybe doing it before winter. I'm just looking for feedback on whether it makes sense to do it now or wait until after winter.

Secondarily, based on how good of shape the paint is in (only minor micro marring for the most part), I was thinking that if I did use a DA now I could get by with Meguiars Ultimate Polish (I do have Ultimate Compound as well). Otherwise I was thinking of buying their new D166 product, which sounds like it has more cutting ability and leaves a sealant behind that I could top with either Fast Finish or Ultimate Wax.

Thanks!
 
I agree with your thought process, as that is my current routine.

Polish in the fall, so that the wax/sealant has a good surface to bond with for maximum durability. Not so much for the looks.

Then compound, polish and wax/sealant in the spring. At this point most waxes/sealants will need reapplication, so the same principle as above applies. The compounding is in addition to that. Brushing snow off the car will no doubt cause scratches in addition to what's already there, and you'll want the car looking good for the nice months of the year.

Furthermore, compounding only once a year reduces the amount of clearcoat removed over the life of the car. eg. compound twice a year, twice as much clearcoat removed over life of car when compared to only compounding once per year. Polishes in general remove less clearcoat, so doing it twice a year is less of a concern. Meg's Ultimate Polish is on the less-aggressive end of the polish spectrum, so there's even less to worry about.
 
I would buy the DA whenever a good sale hits here at AG.

Before applying coatings to all my cars, I too didn't mess with doing any intensive correction before the winter. My priority in the Fall is protection. The car will be somewhat dirty most of the time and between the snow, ice, sand on the roads, etc there will be plenty of opportunities to mar the paint.

My routine used to look like this.

Fall - Wash, clay, glaze (mostly Prima Amigo), durable wax sealant
Spring - Wash, clay, correct paint, durable wax/sealant
 
It's not a bad idea, depending on how low your temps are dropping in the morning and evening. Good choices are Griot's G6, PC 7424 xp, etc..
You mentioned D166, good choice, also lets not forget HD Speed. Two very great products....

Then you have all winter to watch all the Mike Phillips video's, read his books and tackle your car like a pro come spring! :)
 
remember that D166 has more cut then M205 so it should also have more cut then Ultimate polish, so by going after the lease aggressive method first id start as low as you can then check your results. if the car has been kept in as great shape as you imply u don't want to take off any more then needed this early on
 
I'd pull the trigger on a DA now.

In the fall, I wash, decon, and give the truck a good coat of AIO (I just LOVE HD Speed).

Like Desertnate said, I do not dwell on doing too much correction. I just want to lay down a good coat, then I'll put 2-3 coats of Collinite 476 on top of that.

For the underbody, I empty about 3-4 cans of Fluidfilm on it.
 
Thanks for all the responses everyone. I think I've decided to plan for getting the DA and using it in the spring. I'm going to do my winter prep round of detailing by hand... actually, tomorrow!
 
damonb10 said:
Thanks for all the responses everyone. I think I've decided to plan for getting the DA and using it in the spring. I'm going to do my winter prep round of detailing by hand... actually, tomorrow!
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that.

And like Paul said, you get to drool all over the possibilities of your first DA purchase in 2018. :)
 
damonb10 said:
Hi All, I've been lurking for quite a while here and have enjoyed the education and discussions that are available.

I have a car that is 7 months old. I take very good care of it doing all the things that are stated as a best practice. However, it has all been by hand up to this point.

I'm at the point right now of getting ready to do a round of prep, polish, and wax before winter. I am intending to buy a DA, but haven't yet and was targeting next spring to do so. My theory on that was to wait until after the wear and tear of winter to put that effort in. However, now I'm considering maybe doing it before winter. I'm just looking for feedback on whether it makes sense to do it now or wait until after winter.

Secondarily, based on how good of shape the paint is in (only minor micro marring for the most part), I was thinking that if I did use a DA now I could get by with Meguiars Ultimate Polish (I do have Ultimate Compound as well). Otherwise I was thinking of buying their new D166 product, which sounds like it has more cutting ability and leaves a sealant behind that I could top with either Fast Finish or Ultimate Wax.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

im doing mine right now. Is it really only minor micro marring? Sometimes you have to look at the paint either in direct sunlight or with a strong flash light
 
I Agree with Desertnate Wait for the 25% NO exclusions coupon and buy the kit.. or wait for the special on purchasing Gift Certificates then using the coupon :-)

For Now I would just build the Wish list


It will be coming up with in the next 2 months.. I highly recommend the Griots Boss. Griots Polishes and Waxes seem a bit more expensive, but the equipment is top notch.

Once you run out of Ultimate polish switch to Meguiars M205; its vertually the same product. Just don't have fillers.

I would save the Ultimate Compound for cleaning Water spots off the Windshield and around the House :-)
 
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