Beginner trying to get a good black finish.

I got a 7.50 off coupon for AutoZone so I'll probably pick the stuff up today.

I'm really tempted to pick up an HF DA buffer.. I just don't know if I'd be able to use it. I mean do you just buff by hand where it's to hard the reach with the buffer? Won't the finish look different where you do it by hand?
 
Mallowpuff said:
I got a 7.50 off coupon for AutoZone so I'll probably pick the stuff up today.

I'm really tempted to pick up an HF DA buffer.. I just don't know if I'd be able to use it. I mean do you just buff by hand where it's to hard the reach with the buffer? Won't the finish look different where you do it by hand?
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heres my thoughts.. not saying im an expert on DA.. but ive seen some lower end tools...

Anything cheaper than a PC DA wont polish the paint...or last...

The way i save time and money is by buying the right tool and high quality tool..so i get the performance required for the job and avoid having to buy another tool when the wrong ones either breaks or underperforms.

Cleaner all in one waxes wont polish your paint...

3 step detailing your car is a long and back breaking job...i e done it by hand many many times...i just bought a flex and waiting fir it to arrive so i can have the tool do the heavy lifting while i can focus on results.

At the very least.... buy 3 step system if doing by hand.

If doing by hand get a prewax..which is fine polish...seal and glaze..bc honestly you wont remove scratches completely without a DA...the seal and glaze will fill in what you cant polish out by hand...

Then finish witg sealant or carnuba wax...if doing the 3 step system DO NOT use cleaner wax....it may remive the seal and glaze and then step 2 is undone with cleaers wax...you want standard NON cleaner wax.

What led me to finally take the plunge on the flex.

Gal recently skimmed the garage trim in 2 areas and skimmed the garage trim paint on a few of her panels...it took me about 45 minutes of shoulder /arm/hand muscle burning effort to remove it with prewax....the whole time i thought..if i only had that flex...this would be a 15 minutes breeze of a process.

A few days later i bought the flex...
 
Thanks for the info. I guess I got a long weekend ahead.

I hate to waste your time, but do you have any exact products in mine for the "3 step system"?

Maybe, eventually, I'll get a good polisher. But right now I can't justify spending $150+ on something that will be used 3-4 times a year. And that's still not to mention the learning process.
 
Yes the two bucket system. I showed my daughter how much dirt gets in the plain water bucket and said THAT you don't want going back onto you car. She OH! LOL
 
In my opinion I am not in business so my Harbor Freight DA does the job. Ok some may snickers but I've had it for years. I take it you guys don't trust the opinion of a woman. HAHAHAHA Autogeek like I said sells samples. Try a sample. Wolfgang total swirl remover cleaned up the paint. Then I used Duragloss that lasted a long time. I could feel during the winter when pushing snow off the car. Look at the reflection I got with the picture I posted above. Personally I stay away from Meg's stuff in the red bottle. I hate it. I hate a lot of their stuff. The Ultimate detailer I like.
 
I was actually planning on spraying the car wash and having one rinse bucket but I'm leaning more towards just the 2 buckets, 1 with car wash solution and one to rinse.

That's one of my problems, I can't get samples because currently I don't have an easy way of ordering anything. I'm not staying with Meguiar's because I love it(Because I don't know if I do) but because it's what's available at the local autoparts store. As of now, my only options are what Walmart and Autozone carry.
 
I apologize. You made a good point and I have been there. Nothing like not being able to do that. Just make sure that it isn't real hot. It may dry up on you in direct sun. My attitude about Meguiar"s comes from bad memories so pardon me. :) If you live in Connecticut I could let you borrow my sample.
 
Mallowpuff said:
I was actually planning on spraying the car wash and having one rinse bucket but I'm leaning more towards just the 2 buckets, 1 with car wash solution and one to rinse.

That's one of my problems, I can't get samples because currently I don't have an easy way of ordering anything. I'm not staying with Meguiar's because I love it(Because I don't know if I do) but because it's what's available at the local autoparts store. As of now, my only options are what Walmart and Autozone carry.
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U have many options...1 of them being is calling AG sales line and sharing your goals and budget and having the guys offer you a product solution.

AG ships fast and their sales people know their products.

The sale that is going on is a GREAT VALUE.

You just have to wait for ground shipping from FL.

You can look up fedex ground transit times to your state on fedex.com...

I would NOT rush into bad products or being short cloths..applicators etc bc kf what local retailers have.

You will spend a day and half minimum on a full detail and its worth talking to knowledgeable sales people..having them recommend good products and then have it shipped so you realize more value ( better clearer paint) than spending all that time working with the wrong product which may not yield the results u are seeking.

Ive hand detailed in my driveway since i was 14 years old...thats 30 years ..so i know how to work with the 3 step system i was using...take your time and enjoy the process..be patient and wait fir that shine /mirror fijish when you wipe the final wax /sealant film off your cars....

Its a real milestone the first time
 
And pls be careful o what car wash you buy...make sure its not a built in wax car wash....you dont want to add crap onto your car before you detail...

And get a clay bar or the nano skin from AG...from your story..it sounds like the first thing you need post wash is clay and buy clay lubricant so you dont have to wash your car post clay...you can buy rinseless car wash and dilute it pee bottle instructions and use it for clay lubricant.

If you are buyi g by the bottle buy more clay lubricant than you think you need as you dont want to run out during clay jib and lose time going back to the store
 
Im a big advocate of working smarter with least amount of energy ...

.so to answer your latest question..bear with how i reply to help .

I wouldnt mix dishsoap in your car wash...your 4-6 month wax is long gone.

You will remove any slight traces after washing and claying and polishing your car.

Wash sponge n mitts is personal preferance and not as important to the detailing products imo.. you just want to ensure your car is clean if dirt..so use elbow grease when washing ..i prefer a mitt bc i can mitt it when washing vertical body panels..ensuring i am using force enough to remove dirt while minimizing effort. If youve noticed missed spots before..it was probably vertical body panels..bc people get tirwd after washing the roof and hood and its harder to hold the spong and exert force on the lower vertical body panels...mitt will help you ha e leverage using less energy...i unglove the mitt when reaching roof midline etc...a mitt really save a lot of energy when washing...you dont have to HOLD a heavy soaked sponge in your palm..thats when you glove the mitt...less energy ..working smarter..saving energy for the polishing steps. Order 2 grit guards one each for your rinse and wash bucket...i spent more to buy 2 diff color grit guards to distinguish between wash and rinse ...as i did when i bought my 2 bucket system...1 white and 1 orange....yes you will mix up the buckets ..bc after using the rinse buvket for a while..both buckets will have the same sudsy look when looking down in to the water...it will be hard to tell the difference...i actually bought a resin utility cart and place both buckets on the top so i can simply push the cart around the car as i need to...again..working smarter and using less energy for the mundane part of the process...conserving energy for the heavy lifting..which is the polishing phase....its a lot of unneeded energy loss to continually bend over ..lift heavy 5 gallon filled buckets and move them aroun d..as well as bending down to dip your mitt...with my wheeled resin cart solution...all that is elimimated ...when i dip my sponge..im dipping into a bucket shoulder height...reducing effort and back fatigue..

I also bought long handled tired brush and use a small 2 gallon bucket for the tires /rims and wheel wheels..the tire brush saves an amazing amount of effort and cleans that area much much faster...i sit on a fold out chair when cleaning the wheels..again working smart and conserving energy...less back fatigue.

The utility cart gets used for a variety of other helpful things saving energy and making jobs easier...ie..used it to change wiper blades and change car battery.....

Have a table next you easily reachable with your tools / products. Rather than having to reach down on the ground everytime or walking back and forth...also helps you keep organized and accidentally knock over bottles...drop clay bars or towels....and searching fir where you put your latest towel down...you may habe left it in the bathroom during your latest break...

Good luck and share the results of your first detail..
 
Toolhead said:
Im a big advocate of working smarter with least amount of energy ...

.so to answer your latest question..bear with how i reply to help .

I wouldnt mix dishsoap in your car wash...your 4-6 month wax is long gone.

You will remove any slight traces after washing and claying and polishing your car.

Wash sponge n mitts is personal preferance and not as important to the detailing products imo.. you just want to ensure your car is clean if dirt..so use elbow grease when washing ..i prefer a mitt bc i can mitt it when washing vertical body panels..ensuring i am using force enough to remove dirt while minimizing effort. If youve noticed missed spots before..it was probably vertical body panels..bc people get tirwd after washing the roof and hood and its harder to hold the spong and exert force on the lower vertical body panels...mitt will help you ha e leverage using less energy...i unglove the mitt when reaching roof midline etc...a mitt really save a lot of energy when washing...you dont have to HOLD a heavy soaked sponge in your palm..thats when you glove the mitt...less energy ..working smarter..saving energy for the polishing steps. Order 2 grit guards one each for your rinse and wash bucket...i spent more to buy 2 diff color grit guards to distinguish between wash and rinse ...as i did when i bought my 2 bucket system...1 white and 1 orange....yes you will mix up the buckets ..bc after using the rinse buvket for a while..both buckets will have the same sudsy look when looking down in to the water...it will be hard to tell the difference...i actually bought a resin utility cart and place both buckets on the top so i can simply push the cart around the car as i need to...again..working smarter and using less energy for the mundane part of the process...conserving energy for the heavy lifting..which is the polishing phase....its a lot of unneeded energy loss to continually bend over ..lift heavy 5 gallon filled buckets and move them aroun d..as well as bending down to dip your mitt...with my wheeled resin cart solution...all that is elimimated ...when i dip my sponge..im dipping into a bucket shoulder height...reducing effort and back fatigue..

I also bought long handled tired brush and use a small 2 gallon bucket for the tires /rims and wheel wheels..the tire brush saves an amazing amount of effort and cleans that area much much faster...i sit on a fold out chair when cleaning the wheels..again working smart and conserving energy...less back fatigue.

The utility cart gets used for a variety of other helpful things saving energy and making jobs easier...ie..used it to change wiper blades and change car battery.....

Have a table next you easily reachable with your tools / products. Rather than having to reach down on the ground everytime or walking back and forth...also helps you keep organized and accidentally knock over bottles...drop clay bars or towels....and searching fir where you put your latest towel down...you may habe left it in the bathroom during your latest break...

Good luck and share the results of your first detail..
Click to expand...

Got it. I'll just use the car wash.

I'll probably grab a mitt just for that reason. If I'm going to spend hours polishing and waxing I'd rather not wear myself out washing. I will have help doing some of the car but still.

So besides the products I'm going to get some foam applicator pads for applying polishes and wax, some MF towels for drying after washing and a mitt to wash with.


Is the Mothers paste wax better than the liquid? I feel like the liquid would be easier to apply, but does it not work as well?

I see that you want to keep your clay as clean as possible, but it can't be washed, so will that kit only do one car? Or can 2 blocks do more than one car?


EDIT: Alright I think I'm going to get the Carrand All over mitt. It's cheap and available. And supposedly it's not garbage.
 
1 clay bar will do multiple cars..based on how much mess your clay bar pulls out..you will see what i mean after starting to clay..you be able to see and feel the bits in the clay...claying is real simple..just stay lubd ...which means having more lube than you think you need...go cheap and use dawn soap and water ..but you will have to wash post clay prior to polishing...thats a lot of work...buy clay lube so you can immediately start polishing after claying..i used one clay after detailing my 2005 camry last year..first time i clayed..it was probably spent after but lasted the job..i did it bc i had bad overspray fromr recent bodywork job...
Guy offered to remove it..but 1.5 hr roundtrip of driving to him and i said..nah..id rather buy clay and sond that time learning how to clay...the clay kits available on the shelfs are usualy fine grade...so dont get the phobia of some online posts about BE careful..that clay is aggressive..those are diff grade clay bars..
If you are buyig the bottled clay lubes ...buy 3 bottles worth..you can always use excess on your next car. I went into my 2nd bottle....i only bought 1 and saw i was running low..so had my girl pickup 2 more bottles..have 2nd clay bar as you will drop it and then you have to toss it...

I spray my clay with some lube when done and ziplock it to keep it moist n clean.

Clay your windows too..

Regarding wax..i orefer paste wax. .its harder but i like the application and imo it lasts lomger...consider a sealant for year long protection ...and then wax post sealant curing process ...the best carnuba will only last 6-8 weeks summer...this way you can rewax at your leisure and maintain year long bead...

I hvent used sealant befire but my first flex 3401 run i will ironx ..clay..cut polish sealant and them carnuba wax....

For your situation...paste wax .when you are done..run the back of your hand on a panel and feel the ultra gloss..smooomth slippery carnuba coating...its priceless...i do it post detail everytime...then i eat a monster dinner and pass out...lol
 
Toolhead said:
1 clay bar will do multiple cars..based on how much mess your clay bar pulls out..you will see what i mean after starting to clay..you be able to see and feel the bits in the clay...claying is real simple..just stay lubd ...which means having more lube than you think you need...go cheap and use dawn soap and water ..but you will have to wash post clay prior to polishing...thats a lot of work...buy clay lube so you can immediately start polishing after claying..i used one clay after detailing my 2005 camry last year..first time i clayed..it was probably spent after but lasted the job..i did it bc i had bad overspray fromr recent bodywork job...
Guy offered to remove it..but 1.5 hr roundtrip of driving to him and i said..nah..id rather buy clay and sond that time learning how to clay...the clay kits available on the shelfs are usualy fine grade...so dont get the phobia of some online posts about BE careful..that clay is aggressive..those are diff grade clay bars..
If you are buyig the bottled clay lubes ...buy 3 bottles worth..you can always use excess on your next car. I went into my 2nd bottle....i only bought 1 and saw i was running low..so had my girl pickup 2 more bottles..have 2nd clay bar as you will drop it and then you have to toss it...

I spray my clay with some lube when done and ziplock it to keep it moist n clean.

Clay your windows too..

Regarding wax..i orefer paste wax. .its harder but i like the application and imo it lasts lomger...consider a sealant for year long protection ...and then wax post sealant curing process ...the best carnuba will only last 6-8 weeks summer...this way you can rewax at your leisure and maintain year long bead...

I hvent used sealant befire but my first flex 3401 run i will ironx ..clay..cut polish sealant and them carnuba wax....

For your situation...paste wax .when you are done..run the back of your hand on a panel and feel the ultra gloss..smooomth slippery carnuba coating...its priceless...i do it post detail everytime...then i eat a monster dinner and pass out...lol
Click to expand...

Thanks!!

I'll just try not to drop it then. ;)

The clay kit comes with clay lubricant, only one bottle though. I believe all the local places carry it so it will be easy to pick up some more.

Didn't think about that. Will clay the windows.

Thanks again, I'll be back with more questions soon enough.
 
Suek said:
I take it you guys don't trust the opinion of a woman. HAHAHAHA
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Ouch! Haven't noticed that myself at all.


Glad your HF is doing well for you. Love my steamer and pressure washer from them… They suit my purpose well. Remember, many folks on this forum do this for a living, or as a hobby for decades, and their tools are expected to last thousands of hours. The beauty of it is, we DO discuss many brands and there is usually something to suit most any budget and need. Customer service at AutoGeek, as stated above, can be extremely helpful with suggestions.


Mallowpuff, you've come to a great place for answers. Watch the recommended videos if you can. A few hours spent on YouTube will go a long way toward understanding these processes. Mike Phillips and several others are outstanding instructors, as I hope you will find.

The better results you can achieve with the right tools, products, and technique, the happier you'll be. You may even get hooked...
Good luck!
 
Yep, I won't be washing the car until next weekend so I got a lot of time to get that technique down.

Another problem I have(Yes, another one..) is that I have no where out of the sun. It's usually 85-95F down here and we really don't have any shaded areas..

First off this is going to be extremely fun to do in this heat, but also I'm afraid it will mess up the wash/detailing.

And our driveway is a dirt/gravel driveway with trees everywhere. Nothing I can do about that though.
 
Hey man...i hear you. U r not the only person with shade issues.
Start early ...so you get max time prepeak sun and take a break in peak sun..resume in off peak sun
Or simply plow through it knowing that the product will be harder to remove.
Read the instructions on all products...every product has different how to use thrir products.

Ive hand detailed in full sun many many times .you will still get the results...just harder to remove.

Else...drive on the lawn and find shade...this i wouldnt do having ocd about mine...but its your lawn.

Or use this weekend to clean out the garage...giod time to get shelving..ceiling racks and throw away useless unused crap
 
Holdon..you say dtiveway has trees evetywhete and you have no shade. Those must be fresh plantlings?
 
And pls dont get caught up with all the do and donts especially my postings...im assuming you are reading tech posts....read them absorb them and adopt what you can and dont think you wont get results if you cannot follow every best practice....just wash ..polish...sweat a lot and you will have a good finish...as MP said...80% defect removal is outstanding for a daily driver
 
Our driveway is different.. It's a 1/4 mile long dirt road. Where we park the cars has trees over it, so the cars get covered in pollen and tree debris, but all on the side where they block virtually no sun.

Our lawn is also different.. We have where we park the cars, then virtually all of our lawn is on a very steep hill or forest.

If I move the car into the driveway, it will be blocking the only way in and out, which I can't really do due to mail delivery and people coming and going.

As for a garage, it has my 85 Trans Am with no wheels way up on wooden blocks right at the inside of the door. That's not gonna happen. Lol.


That brings up another question, at what points can I stop and take a break or leave it over night? I'm guessing if it started raining right after applying and removing step 1 it would be a bad thing? We get pop ups, sometimes pretty bad thunderstorms, a lot around here.
 
...just keep you eye on weather and the sky...thats all you can do...

Def do not leave product on overmight...you can complete a step ..remive it comoletely and go back to it next day...or later that day....
But next day...you will have to wash again..befire applying next step...
 
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