First Time Detailing - Polish & Wax Question

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MolaRam

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I've always taken pretty good care of my cars and waxed every 6 months, etc... but am pretty new to the more advanced measures of polishing, etc. I live in Florida and bought a used car a couple months ago. The car finish appears to have been somewhat neglected and I am looking at some moderate to severe "love bug" damage on the front end of the car, along with some minor scratches, etc... For those that don't know, these things suck, and they eat through your clear coat and paint if you let them.

Disclaimer on the Love Bug damage. I am realistic and am not expecting perfection. Unfortunately the previous owner of the car neglected the damage past the point of complete repair (as I understand it). I am more looking to see if there is a way to repair at least some of the damage and protect the car moving forward. I have included some pictures of the most extreme damage.

I've done some reading in both this forum and others and have come across A LOT of information. My understanding is that I would be looking to polish the car and then protect it with a sealant/wax. One post I came across on this forum did a pretty good job of outlining some of the options as paraphrased here: (Thanks Tuscarora Dave) Any input as to which route would be best suited for my situation would be much appreciated.

Duragloss Clear Coat Polish (CCP) #111 - Polymer Paint Sealant
or
Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205/#105 Ultra Finishing Polish - As I understand this contains an abrasive which will remove certain imperfections such as "swirls". But will it do anything for damage from love bugs for example.
or
Poorboy's Pro Polish/Pro Polish 2 - "Chemical Polish" - How careful do you need to be with these regarding damaging the finish on your car.
or
Still another method that I've read about involves using clay with a lubricant (ex. Garry Dean's "Detail Juice").

**Understanding that all of these need to be followed with a wax or polymer sealant. Afraid to ask... but suggestions on a generally accepted "best of breed" wax or sealant for a black car??

Having said all of that... how about the All-in-One options? Such as Meguiars D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream. Again, I am not a professional looking for a professional finish. I am sure that most would say that polishing and waxing should be separate, but if there is an AIO that can come close that would be terrific. I don't mind putting in the work, but I'd rather work smarter than harder, if possible. :)

Great forum here with what appears to be a lot of helpful people on board. Unfortunately the amount of information out there is a little overwhelming. Any responses would be greatly appreciated by this newbie.

Thanks!
 
there are a couple of things before you polish and wax. you will want to do a chemical and mechanical decontamination. you will want to use Iron-x or similar product, maybe auto finesse citrus. then either clay or nanoskin, then a through wash before you even get to the compounding or polishing step. as far as what compound or polish to use all depends on the paint of the car. some are softer than others, some are harder. for this you will have to do some test spots to figure out what is going to work. start with the least aggressive approach, then work your way up until you get the results you are looking for. i cant comment on any of the products on this list as i don't use any of them.

one other thing we need to know to give you better advice is to post why type of vehicle, year and color you are working on
 
Good to know on the decontamination process... make sense.

As for the make and model: 2008 Infiniti G35 - Black
 
Welcome aboard,

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205/#105 Ultra Finishing Polish - As I understand this contains an abrasive which will remove certain imperfections such as "swirls". But will it do anything for damage from love bugs for example.


To remove defects in the paint you'll have to 'remove some paint'. If the bug marks had etched the superficial layer of paint, they will go away with polishing.

If they already 'eaten' into the paint, you'll be left with some marks even after polishing, unless they are not so deep you can sand it out then buff, but don't try any sanding like this without knowing what you doing.

How would I deal with your case:

Wash, throughly. Clay!!

After that, use the compound / M105 by hand with the MF applicator.

Buff residue off, and inspect your results. Protect using some kind of wax.

Here are some pics of bug marks that I removed with polishing procedure:
kia-spb3a.png


The larger mark had already etched deep into the paint, even it being not perceptible after the work, with the proper light I was able to see some very light signs of it.
kia-spb2.png


Waterspot etching, swirls and bug etching, all removed by polishing:
kia-spb6.png


Some After
kia-spff3.png


To see the full outcome, I invite you to follow this thread,
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ge-black-correction-black-label-coatings.html


Good luck,

Kind Regards.
 
Tato, awesome job with that Kia! Gives me hope for the work I have ahead of me.

Couple Questions:
1.) Regarding Claying - I'm going to do some more research on the process, but any recommendations on a lubricant to use? I would imagine clay is clay... for the most part.
2.) M105 Compound - You mention using a MF Applicator by hand. Is this a recommendation based on the fact that this is my first time doing this type of detailing or is this best practice? I have a buffer that I bought a couple years back... It's obviously not the best, but could it be used for any part of the process? Ryobi - 10in Orbital Buffer I also own an angle grinder, but I can imagine the RPM's are going to be too high on that.

Also, any comments on the finish of my particular car make and model? Softness of paint, etc?

Thanks again for all the input!
 
MolaRam, where in FL are you?

I address love bug damage in 2 ways...

First is to remove any bug remnants that are still above the surface of the paint. That's the easy part...after the wash i use a chemical cleaner and clay. Then you'll see what is left that is actually below the surface. If they have etched too deep (and i have seen some pretty deep bug etchings) i don't attempt to chase them and chalk it up to "damage". Many times its on a plastic painted bumper or mirror housing and i'm certainly not gonna risk wrinkling the paint chasing something that will thin the paint too much and still leave a depression anyway. I will get more aggressive on metal painted panels but again, if they've been left too long in this brutal sun...forgedaboutit and either live with it or repaint.

The second way is to remove them asap. During LB season down here i take a thick MF towel and some FK425 to the front of my car after every drive or as a minimum once a day.
 
Puckman,

Thanks for the input... I'm actually in Tampa as well. As for the love bugs, there are definitely a couple spots where I believe the paint is eaten up. The spots are white as seen in the attached photos and I can feel and see some "pitting." Can I expect ANY improvement on these spots?

I fell victim to purchasing one of those Dupont Pro Fusion Paint Pens some time back... Could I use something like this or similar paint pen to apply some type of base to those really bad spots and then polish and buff it out?

Also, can I use the buffer that I mentioned in my previous post? Or should I stick to the Micro Fiber Applicator pads and do this by hand? Just wondering how much pressure I need it if doing it by hand it going to be feasible.
 
Any thoughts on whether I will be okay applying the Meguiar's M#105 by hand using a MF applicator? Would I be better off using a foam applicator?

Also, how about using the paint pen on the pitted areas?

Thanks again everyone...
 
Not seeing much in the way of responses so here is what I am going with. I plan to purchase all these from Autogeek...

CarPro Iron X Lemon Scent 500 ml.
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay Special Kit
Kit includes:
4 oz. Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
16 oz. Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
2 Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels
Meguiar's Ultra Cut Compound #105 (32oz)
Meguiars Even-Coat Applicator - 2 Pack
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze 16.9 oz.

Just a couple questions and I'll be on my way.
1.) Am I claying the whole car or just trouble spots?
2.) Can I polish using the M105 by hand? Will enough pressure be applied or do I need a polisher?
3.) Foam Applicator or Micro-Fiber Applicator for the polish process?
4.) Any thoughts on using the paint-pen for the badly damaged spots and polishing out?

Thanks again everyone!
 
Personally that's a decent start a polisher is going to make the work wayyy faster. Things I would add/change:

Clay lube buy ONR or UWW+ as they have multiple uses and will last you for a long time
Clay to speed it up I would use nanoskin products, towel, mitt, or sponges
Definitely going to need more than 2 towels (don't know what you already have)
I would go with Menzerna FG400 if you are trying to do a single step compound
You could also go with LC hand applicators
 
MolaRam said:
Not seeing much in the way of responses so here is what I am going with. I plan to purchase all these from Autogeek...

CarPro Iron X Lemon Scent 500 ml.
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay Special Kit
Kit includes:
4 oz. Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
16 oz. Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
2 Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels
Meguiar's Ultra Cut Compound #105 (32oz)
Meguiars Even-Coat Applicator - 2 Pack
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze 16.9 oz.

Just a couple questions and I'll be on my way.
1.) Am I claying the whole car or just trouble spots?
2.) Can I polish using the M105 by hand? Will enough pressure be applied or do I need a polisher?
3.) Foam Applicator or Micro-Fiber Applicator for the polish process?
4.) Any thoughts on using the paint-pen for the badly damaged spots and polishing out?

Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

1 Clay the entire car
2 I am not sure on this. If I was going to polish by hand I would use Meguiars Ultimate Compound, then Meguiars Ultimate Polish. I think the M105 and M205 are designed to be applied by machine. I have had very good luck with the Ultimate line even by machine, and the price is good, KMart had them on sale for $6 each.
3 I would use a MF for the compound/polish, and a foam for the LSP
4 I would not just paint over spots, I would try to get them as good as you can. To me a small chip or small bug spot always looks better than a touchup.
 
I'm nearly as new as you, but Mother's Showtime is a good two-fer IMO. Use as a lube and as a QD.
 
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