Greetings from Miami

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gatornek

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Good afternoon, and greetings from Miami.

New to the forum and am excited to learn some of the finer points of Mike's detailing philosphy. I was referred here by a trusted member on another auto forum I belong to. A long story short, I am a middle aged man who has been hand applying carnauba turtle wax, in the method handed down to him from his father, for the past 20 years. Only as of late, am I now realizing that waxing is really only the last step after correctly doing a series of others. Previously, I would just wash the car, dry, then apply wax.

I have collected some supplies and for the first time this weekend, I will be attempting a decomtamination-->clay bar-->polish-->then wax, technique.

I picked up:

Mother's Clay Bar with Mother's detailer spray as a lubricant (it all came in the same kit).
Adams Iron Remover (from Amazon)
Porter Cable 6 inch DA w/6 inch backplate
(3) 6.5 foam pads (light, medium, heavy cut)
3D Speed Polish/Wax

I think I will hand apply the carnauba at the end like I always do.

This mainly was spurred by the swirls that are visible in glary light (even though the car looks fabulous otherwise), and the fact that I have noticed that while the water on my hood beads, it does not RUN OFF as easily as it should. In fact, I gotta get going like 40mph to get it to run off the hood. Granted, my hood is fairly flat...but still.

I will probably post another thread here soon on my small project so as I am sure of what I am doing. This is the FIRST TIME I will ever be applying an 'abrasive' to my clear coat. That's technically what the 3D is, no?

Anyway, I have been trying to watch as many videos from Mike as I can. I really enjoy his approach.

-gatornek

Miami, FL
 
Welcome to AGO!

You came to the right place. :)
 
Welcome! Yeah I get what your saying once you see those swirls you can’t unsee them. If the swirls are deep you may need more than that 3D cleaner wax.

Another thing is to have multiple pads of the colors you’ll need most. They’ll get saturated with polish and combine with heating up from use the will fail/ collapse. Some recommend 1per panel. I’ve read 4-6 breaking car up in sections.... anyways just more pads.

I’d also upgrade your LSP (Wax). Could by one of the reasons for your self cleaning issues. Wax is fine I’d just recommend a better quality. If you don’t mind switching to a carnauba based sealant, look at Turtle Wax Seal and Shine. Good product and very inexpensive. Otherwise check out the many options AG has.

Enjoy,


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Welcome Gator!

I’m the culprit that lead to his joining this forum and come over from the Mustang Ecoboost Forum.

You’ll learn a lot here and get more input than just mine.

You’re off to a good start, secondly you’re in FL, and there are a lot of FL members here.

:)




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Thank you. The swirls aren't too deep. I can't see them unless you shine the light right on. I IMAGINE, thats not deep, no? How effective is a 'Chemical Guys' pad cleaner that comes with the kit of 3 I bought. But yes, I hear ya. I've heard its best to stock up at this point. Besides, if I get good with this porter cable, I'm sure my wife's SUV will follow. I've been recommended Lake Country. I got Chemical Guys because I liked the fact the cleaner came with the pads. Are there other brands that are quality pads. Thinking as this is what actually makes contact with your car, I imagine its best not to go cheap.
 
First thing to do is ditch that 6 inch backing plate. It is too much mass for the Porter Cable (or any 8mm polisher) to handle.

Get a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads.

Lake Country Flat pads are outstanding.
 
Listen, I've been doing the same "hand wash & wax" job the same way for 20 years. Looking at Paul's work, and listening to his reasoning has finally got me thinking outside my 5x5 box. Looking forward to putting a professional detailers shine on my black (the kiss of death of all colors) Stang.

Thank you Paul!
 
Ugh. That's rough news. Is it possible to get away with for one shot, being ultra careful not too overlap my passes too bad? Or am I looking to possibly do damage before I even get going? Thank you.
 
Wow! I got a welcome from the OG himself. Thank you Mike. I have been watching your videos in advance of my project. I really appreciate your can-do approach!!
 
gatornek said:
Ugh. That's rough news. Is it possible to get away with for one shot, being ultra careful not too overlap my passes too bad? Or am I looking to possibly do damage before I even get going? Thank you.
Click to expand...

You won't do any damage. Quite the opposite. The machine will have a rough time keeping those bigger pads spinning without stalling.

The good news is, from what you describe you only have minor defects. (Swirls). I would think you could tackle these with the 6" set up. Only with more passes as you won't be able to use as much pressure. (Not that you need a ton of pressure anyway).
 
gatornek said:
Listen, I've been doing the same "hand wash & wax" job the same way for 20 years. Looking at Paul's work, and listening to his reasoning has finally got me thinking outside my 5x5 box. Looking forward to putting a professional detailers shine on my black (the kiss of death of all colors) Stang.

Thank you Paul!
Click to expand...


No problem! :) PaulMys is right, (we have a lot of Paul's here...) 5" inch backing plate with 5.5" pad, and 3" backing plate with 4" pads are my recommendations for the PC 7424XP.
HD Speed is at #2 on the cut scale, (although many, including myself will dispute that due to the amazing results it produces). But you won't hurt anything if you follow Mike's methods and section passes (6 to 8) in a 16"x16" area.

Humidity will play a role with HD Speed, mainly because it's loaded with the sealant HD Proxy. My suggestion is to change out pads. I recommend about 6... You could get away with 4, but you'll see Speed gums up a pad pretty quickly. Use a moderate cut pad, and you will maximize results.

The only time you will burn clear-coat or cause damage is if you are stubborn and are insistent on getting out a scratch. The real problem is heat build-up. That's why we suggest 16"x16" section passes... Slow arm movement. Don't stay in one spot...

For your newly painted section (due to the accident) you'll find that Speed cleans up nicely as the newer paint isn't as hard as OEM. On the flip side use quality Microfiber Towels to remove speed.... You don't want to put scratches in that you just took out. This will be prevalent on the newly painted area.

Have fun with it... Shake it, bake it, stick a fork in it and then just do your regular washes (see Mike's posts on Gentle Washes, not aggressive). Then drive the car and ignore everything for at least 12 months. At that time re-inspect the car, and redo the process...

Love bugs in FL will also be your biggest issue... That's why I say get a high-quality rinse-less wash concentrate like McKee's 37 N914 and make yourself a 5 Gal container that you can refill a 32oz spray bottle when needed... Make a to-go kit for long trips... :)

Your path is just beginning.... :)
 
A fellow pony rider.... I feel you on the black.... 1st..... and last I hope! I’ve used the LC CCS on my shadow black and they’ve worked well. Fell in love with my Griots boss pads.

I have the pad cleaner/conditioner from chem guys and it works decent. I use it for conditioner more. Get a pad brush if you don’t have one to brush between passes. For actually cleaning I recommend snappy’s pad cleaner... good stuff. That’s to clean when your done with them.

The brush you’ll use between passes and does a good job or if you have a compressor that does a good job. Still though, pads will get saturated and need to switch out.

7769b70005b1abdf55bd4c6d38a8fa89.jpg





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Coatingsarecrack said:
A fellow pony rider.... I feel you on the black.... 1st..... and last I hope! I’ve used the LC CCS on my shadow black and they’ve worked well. Fell in love with my Griots boss pads.

I have the pad cleaner/conditioner from chem guys and it works decent. I use it for conditioner more. Get a pad brush if you don’t have one to brush between passes. For actually cleaning I recommend snappy’s pad cleaner... good stuff. That’s to clean when your done with them.

The brush you’ll use between passes and does a good job or if you have a compressor that does a good job. Still though, pads will get saturated and need to switch out.

7769b70005b1abdf55bd4c6d38a8fa89.jpg





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

OK. Learning how to reply specifically to a quote now. Good. LOL. Apologies for the "undirected" responses earlier.

Aha! A Shadow Black empathizer. Thanks bud. Its a part time job really! I've had to buy a custom Coverking just to wrap it during work, because a construction site came up right next to my datacenter. Ugh.

Sounds like I need more and smaller pads.

Do you know of any local retailers where I could possibly pick this up today? I had really wanted to work on this tomorrow, so online would be my last option, as Id have to postpone this (which I'd PREFER not to do...but also want to make sure I take every precaution with my car with my first time using a DA and cutting agents).
 
LSNAutoDetailing said:
No problem! :) PaulMys is right, (we have a lot of Paul's here...) 5" inch backing plate with 5.5" pad, and 3" backing plate with 4" pads are my recommendations for the PC 7424XP.
HD Speed is at #2 on the cut scale, (although many, including myself will dispute that due to the amazing results it produces). But you won't hurt anything if you follow Mike's methods and section passes (6 to 8) in a 16"x16" area.

Humidity will play a role with HD Speed, mainly because it's loaded with the sealant HD Proxy. My suggestion is to change out pads. I recommend about 6... You could get away with 4, but you'll see Speed gums up a pad pretty quickly. Use a moderate cut pad, and you will maximize results.

The only time you will burn clear-coat or cause damage is if you are stubborn and are insistent on getting out a scratch. The real problem is heat build-up. That's why we suggest 16"x16" section passes... Slow arm movement. Don't stay in one spot...

For your newly painted section (due to the accident) you'll find that Speed cleans up nicely as the newer paint isn't as hard as OEM. On the flip side use quality Microfiber Towels to remove speed.... You don't want to put scratches in that you just took out. This will be prevalent on the newly painted area.

Have fun with it... Shake it, bake it, stick a fork in it and then just do your regular washes (see Mike's posts on Gentle Washes, not aggressive). Then drive the car and ignore everything for at least 12 months. At that time re-inspect the car, and redo the process...

Love bugs in FL will also be your biggest issue... That's why I say get a high-quality rinse-less wash concentrate like McKee's 37 N914 and make yourself a 5 Gal container that you can refill a 32oz spray bottle when needed... Make a to-go kit for long trips... :)

Your path is just beginning.... :)
Click to expand...

Since everyone has just about said the 6 is too big for the DA, I will need to go out and get another backing plate. Let me see if I can locate a local retailer, otherwise I might have to put this project off. I also need to get more pads no doubt.

12 months, huh? So this is not a process I'm going to repeat for another year, huh? Am I reading that right? If so, it behooves me to better equip myself.

Honestly, a coat of wax was something I would slap on just about every 2-3 months. I imagine I would still do the wax with some regularity per autogeek's instructions, no? It was amazing to me the "surface texture" that I felt on my car when I did the "baggy test". I definitely want to remove all that 'stuff' before I wax over it, like I have been doing, incorrectly, all my life.....YIKES!

Can you please give me the full "cutting scale" that you refer to? The low end of 1 is "less abrasive"? High end is "more abrasive" or vice versa?
I've only heard terms like soft, medium, and hard thus far.

Thank you to everyone for the gracious welcomes for a novice such as myself.
 
gatornek said:
OK. Learning how to reply specifically to a quote now. Good. LOL. Apologies for the "undirected" responses earlier.

Aha! A Shadow Black empathizer. Thanks bud. Its a part time job really! I've had to buy a custom Coverking just to wrap it during work, because a construction site came up right next to my datacenter. Ugh.

Sounds like I need more and smaller pads.

Do you know of any local retailers where I could possibly pick this up today? I had really wanted to work on this tomorrow, so online would be my last option, as Id have to postpone this (which I'd PREFER not to do...but also want to make sure I take every precaution with my car with my first time using a DA and cutting agents).
Click to expand...

I don’t know how far but Autogeek is in Stuart. You could try advanced. I’ve seen the standard not boss griots pads their and could probably get the TW Seal and Shine their.

You would have to go to AG to get backing plate though


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12 months, huh? So this is not a process I'm going to repeat for another year, huh?
Click to expand...

Yes, maybe every 6 months depending on how the paint looks... But for my daily drivers, typically once a year. In between, (you decide the interval) is when you'll do a gentle wash (maintenance) and apply your LSP (wax, etc...)


New Video - How to properly wash your car - Rinseless Wash - Waterless Wash - Gentle Approach - Aggressive Approach



I imagine I would still do the wax with some regularity per autogeek's instructions, no?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Can you please give me the full "cutting scale" that you refer to?
Click to expand...

Updated 2/2017: Autopia Polish Comparison Chart!
 
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