Beginner collection

B

beep119

New member
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hello all, I just purchased a new 2012 Ram truck black in color and want to keep it looking beautiful.
I am just starting out detailing and need some advice on what products to buy. I am thinking of the buying porter cable xp. But, any advice on what I need for polishes, waxes, clays and such mainly for a black truck?
Also...what pads should I get when I order the porter cable?
 
Your main focus should be on your washing and technique--that's what's going to "keep it looking beautiful".
 
Yes of course...I do the two bucket wash and all...I just want to get the black truck to that mirror gloss shine.
 
I suggest meguiar's twin combo, m105 and m205. Great results and have yet to be disappointed.
 
I like the Porter Cable 7424 and in fact have had mine for over 14 years. Some use the 6 1/2" diameter pads but I've found the 5 1/2" pads are really at home on this machine.


The Porter Cable 7424xp


A few go to products I've found that perform outstanding..

Wash - Duragloss #901
Clay - Meguiar’s Clay
Compound - PG 1000 – PowerGloss Compound (POS34A)
Polish - PF 2500 – Power Finish Polish (PO203)
Finishing Polish - SF 4000 – Super Finish Polish (PO106FA)
Sealant - Four Star Sealant
Wax - Collinite 845
Spray Wax -Optimum Spray Car Wax
Tire Cleaner - Meguiar's Super Degreaser
Tire Treatment - CarPro PERL
Trim - Ultima Tire and Trim Guard
Wheel Cleaner - Meguiar's Wheel Brightener
Wheel Protectant -Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0
Glass Cleaner - Meguiar's Glass Cleaner
Glass Treatment - Aquapel
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean
Interior Protectant - Meguiar’s M40
Chrome & Stainless Steel - BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Metal Acrylic Sealant



Here's some great information by Mike Phillips that will help you.



Foam Pads


Yellow Cutting Foam - 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 older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange or white pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.

Orange Light Cutting Foam - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all-around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.

White Polishing Foam - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so it’s perfect for pre-wax cleaners.

Gray Finishing Foam Pad - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.

Blue Finessing Foam – Pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.

Red Ultra-soft Wax/Sealant Foam - This soft, imported foam is ideal for applying the final coat of wax or sealant. The foam works especially well when applying liquid waxes or sealants because it is firm enough to keep the majority of the product on the paint, rather than soaking it up. The red foam has no cut or cleaning ability.[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
 
I wouldn't recommend M105 unless your finished it severely swirled or trashed. M205 may not always finish down perfect on black paint. I've found on my black car Optimum Polish II / Optimum Finish Polish, -or- Wolfgang Total Swirl Rover / Finishing Glaze on a DA machine

Clear coat is limited and precious. If your going to buff out the car, you want to use the finest polish possible. If you new, you also want to use a polish with a shallow learning curve and one they has a long work time.

Any brand of quality pad or DA is fine. They all have their fans. The PC brand is great because its very reliable. The only thong with pads is this: get 5.5" pads (not 6.5" pads). The eill wprk better with any DA polisher. The "kits" mostly come with the larger pads, you dont want that. The smaller pads make the machine have a lotore correcting power. Just make sure you match the right pad to the right polish for the right job. The Optimum and Wolfgang polishes are really user friendly and shouldn't frustrate you. Just make sure you clay the vehicle before polishing.
 
Couple tips
Black is the hardest color to maintain
When touching the paint, use rubber gloves and the paint shows your fingerprints

try to keep sharp objects away as black shows everything
 
If you don't mind going through a 2-3x per year major detail and LSP application then I second the Wolfgang suggestion. With a new car you get some additional benefits with the Wolfgang twins.

If you want to be more hands-off with your car then look into CQuartz, which gives you 2 years of protection, and you won't need to try as many products as you probably will with the traditional approaches and AGO Fevers you will get with all the deals they run.
 
I will double the recommendation on the PC. I will also double the recommendation on the 5.5 in pads as well. I have used the LC CCS pads with good results, but recently found I think I prefer the LC Hydro pads, the low profile versions.

I would also recommend avoiding using M105 and 205 your first time out. M105 is difficult to use. I recently used Pinnacle Swirl Remover and Advanced Finishing polish with excellent results. Both are very easy to use as well.

For a nice wax once you get the car swirl free, Souveran looks awesome on black (although its durability is certainly not great). Fuzion and Blackfire Wet Diamond are also fantastic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top