Advice/Suggestions (First Full Exterior Detail)

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DetailingNoob

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The car: Super Black 2014 Nissan Altima
The Problem: Went thru Drive In Car Wash (swirls/ some scratches)

Products owned so far
Chemical Guys: Butter Wet Wax, Hybrid V7, BlackLight, New Look Trim/Tire Gel, Citrus Wash and Gloss
Meguiar's: Ultimate Polish
Mother's: Carnuba Wash&Wax California Gold, Yellow Clay Bar w/ ShowTime Instant Detailer California Gold

Along with plenty of MF towels/applicator pads.

I will be purchasing a DA Polisher similar to that of the HD/PC. I have never actually used a DA Polisher. I will be replacing the backing plate with a 5inch one and want to use ~5.5 inch pads on it.

But I am not sure of which pads to purchase.
I was also thinking of buying the Megs Ultimate Compound to use, then use the Megs Ultimate Polish after it.

Do you guys have a better/more friendly Compound/Polish combo for a new user?

Thanks in advance.
 
DetailingNoob said:
The car: Super Black 2014 Nissan Altima
The Problem: Went thru Drive In Car Wash (swirls/ some scratches)

Products owned so far
Chemical Guys: Butter Wet Wax, Hybrid V7, BlackLight, New Look Trim/Tire Gel, Citrus Wash and Gloss
Meguiar's: Ultimate Polish
Mother's: Carnuba Wash&Wax California Gold, Yellow Clay Bar w/ ShowTime Instant Detailer California Gold

Along with plenty of MF towels/applicator pads.

I will be purchasing a DA Polisher similar to that of the HD/PC. I have never actually used a DA Polisher. I will be replacing the backing plate with a 5inch one and want to use ~5.5 inch pads on it.

But I am not sure of which pads to purchase.
I was also thinking of buying the Megs Ultimate Compound to use, then use the Megs Ultimate Polish after it.

Do you guys have a better/more friendly Compound/Polish combo for a new user?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

You should strip wash, dry,clay bar,then correct your paint then wax. If you want something user friendly stay with ultimate compound ad ultimate polish, they dont dust as much as m105 and 205. I like the meguiars microfiber red cutting pads as they work well and dont split apart easily
 
Bill1234 said:
You should strip wash, dry,clay bar,then correct your paint then wax. If you want something user friendly stay with ultimate compound ad ultimate polish, they dont dust as much as m105 and 205. I like the meguiars microfiber red cutting pads as they work well and dont split apart easily
Click to expand...

Yes that will be my approach. First hose off the car good, wash it via the 2 bucket method, dry it real good, clay bar it, compound/polish it, seal it, then wax.

I was just wondering if Meg's Ultimate Compound/Polish would be sufficient enough.

When it comes to the pads, I use the foam pads for compounding and the microfiber pads for polishing or do I have that wrong?
 
Take your time. Visualize the system in advance and apply it the day of the detail.

Citrus Wash & Gloss, Rinse, Clay, Dry, Test spot with either compound or polish, then blacklight, V7 LSP is how I would do it.

You should be fine with a few Lake Country Orange and White pads. MF pads for cutting, Foam pads for finishing.
 
DetailingNoob said:
When it comes to the pads, I use the foam pads for compounding and the microfiber pads for polishing or do I have that wrong?
Click to expand...

Microfiber pads are more aggressive than foam and therefore should be your last stop on the "least aggressive method first" test spots. Microfiber pads would not be used for polishing, but rather aggressive compounding.

No disrespect to the first response here, but depending on the severity of your car's issues, I'd start (test spot!) using ultimate compound on an orange pad and if that is not giving good results try a yellow pad. If that isn't enough, only then would I switch to microfiber pads.

You can then polish with ultimate polish on a blue or white or even black pad....

Hope this helps and good luck..
 
WOW guys thank you so much for clearing that up. I had the idea that microfiber pads would be used for soft polishing since they are gentle and soft and the foam pads for compounding since they are more rough.

Good thing I asked before doing it.

Reading the description on this page: 5 1/4 Inch Ultra-Fiber Dual Action Microfiber Pad (2-Pack)

It says '' Microfiber pads are constructed of thousands of strands of microfiber and these fibers provide more cut because they’re actually a form of abrasive.''

What confuses me here is.. why do we use microfiber towels to dry our cars, wipe off wax, etc.. if they are a form of abrasive? Wouldn't that cause more scratches to the paint?
 
Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Pads 6 Pack, foam pad kit, build a kit, buffing pads, curved edge pads

This is my pad selection from LC:

2 Orange: for Ultimate Compound
2 White: for Ultimate Polish
1 Blue and 1 Black : To apply the Butter wet wax and Black Light.

The reason I did not chose a Yellow one is because in the description it says: ''Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and heavily swirled finishes. Always follow this pad with a white or gray pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.''
-- I do not have oxidation or HEAVY swirls.

Also This 5 in backing plate for my DA Polisher: lake country 5 inch backing plate, 5 inch backin plate, 5 inch hook and loop backing plate

Should I bet set with these?
 
DetailingNoob said:
Should I bet set with these?
Click to expand...


Yes.

Here's something I type all the time for questions like yours....


More pads are better


Simply put, you can buff a car out faster with more pads because dry pads rotate and work better, (that's two things).

As you work around your car your pads are going to get saturated and then they won't rotate as well nor work as well. What's "nice" is to be able to switch to a clean, dry pad.

I just explained this over the phone to Gary who just learned to machine buff his own truck for the first time.

Removing swirls on a Ford Lightening

Besides that, I have tons of article on using DA polishers in my article list,

Car detailing articles by Mike Phillips



Here's a few....


How To Do a Test Spot
(and why it's so important)



I recommend everyone read this article first - before you need to troubleshoot :)

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide

Video: Mark your backing plate to make it easy to see pad rotation


Factors that can cause a pad to stop rotating on a DA Polisher

Video: How-To do a "Section Pass" when Machine Polishing with a DA Polisher

Step-by-Step How-To use the Porter Cable 7424XP
(Very in-depth how-to guide that covers every topic related to using a DA Polisher like the PC, Meguiar's or Griot's tools)


The Compression Washer

How to prime a foam pad when using a DA Polisher

How much product do I use with my DA Polisher?

Wet Buffing Technique

DA Polisher Articles - Help for Newbies to Machine Polishing

Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

How to bolt on the Porter Cable Plastic Head Cap

How-to Machine Apply Wax using a DA Polisher

5 inch Backing Plates on Meguiar's, Griot's and Porter Cable DA Polishers

How to clean your foam pad on the fly

Why it's important to clean your pads often...

How to dry a foam pad after hand washing




:)
 
I like Meguiars #21 synthetic sealant.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using AG Online
 
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