Glad to be a new member

Howard Golding

New member
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I would like to introduce myself to the autogeek community. My name is Howard and I am a retired physical education teacher and a high school varsity boys basketball coach. I taught for 41.2 years. I bought myself a present in retirement, a 2008 black Saturn Sky Redline Roadster. My new hobby is taking care of it. It has not seen a rain drop since I have had it. (April) It currently has 600 miles. I have used Zymol on it. I have also used Black majic. The shine is amazing. I want to learn from all the pros that write in how to best care for the car and what products are the best. I just purchased Raggtop Protectant for the fabric top. This year I may put the Sky in the Woodward Cruise to show it off. This cruise takes place just outside of Detroit in August. Again, I am looking forward to reading and learning from the best.
 
Welcome to the asylum. There are some very knowledgeable people here at AG. You can use the search button on almost every detail question and get 100 different answers. LOL
 
Thanks Rsurfer for the welcome. I appreciate your senior advice. I wish I could switch geograpic locations with you November through April. Driving in winter with snow is not fun. My sky will not see the winter. It will be hibernating until spring. This forum may mix me up more than help with so many different opinions.
 
Dont be afraid to ask questions, thats what this forum is all about. "Black is not a color, its a part time job"
 
Rsurfer, You are so right that black is not a color but a part time job. My wife said it is a full time job. I am in the garage everyday dusting the Sky or detailing it. I think I take better care of the sky than I do of her. It is a safe hobby as I am home all the time.
 
I got my Sky Roadster in April, Is it necessary that I clay it now while it is new.
 
I got my Sky Roadster in April, Is it necessary that I clay it now while it is new.

It keeps amazing me how dirty the clay can get on some new cars. Others nothing. You can always do the baggie test to see. Put a sandwich bag over your hand and lightly rub it over the paint. If it grabs, stutters, skips it is getting caught on embedded contaminates. That said I always clay once anyway for peace of mind and OCD, lol.
 
Can the pro's out there tell me the proper procedure on how to clay my Sky Roadster since I have never done this before wirth my past cars.
 
Thank you Jimmie for the advice. I bought a clay bar today and I have instructions on how to use it. Again, thanks for your advice.
 
Glad that I could help. A couple of more quick tips. If your clay ever drops on the ground, toss it. The link that I provided said that clay is not abrasive. Some is and all can be if you don't keep the area lubed. It results in micromarring (paint looks cloudy).
 
:whs:

Don't be afraid to use enough lube. Also, those pictures show a guy using the whole clay bar - don't. Cut it in thirds. It's easier to work with that way (since you have to fold it frequently), and if you drop it, you don't ruin the whole bar.
 
How do you get swirl marks out? Is there a product that will remove them?

I'll let others point out the (many) products available to combat swirl marks. But the long and short of it is, there are two major classes of products that can affect swirls: those that level the clear coat (referred to as "polishes" and "compounds"), and those that fill swirl marks with adjuncts, to hide their effects.

The first class of products will permanently remove them, at the cost of removing a small amount of clear coat. The second class is only temporary, but is less invasive.

Some of them do both in combination. It's worth a careful reading of any product information so you know precisely what it's doing to combat swirls.
 
I'll let others point out the (many) products available to combat swirl marks. But the long and short of it is, there are two major classes of products that can affect swirls: those that level the clear coat (referred to as "polishes" and "compounds"), and those that fill swirl marks with adjuncts, to hide their effects.

The first class of products will permanently remove them, at the cost of removing a small amount of clear coat. The second class is only temporary, but is less invasive.

Some of them do both in combination. It's worth a careful reading of any product information so you know precisely what it's doing to combat swirls.

:whs:. My preference is to permanently remove them.
This is the sequence Wash-Clay-Polish (to remove swirls, oxidation, etc.)-Protect.
You will need a buffer, pads, and polishes to permanently remove swirls.
Please keep us posted.
 
Back
Top