How do you tell if a detailer really knows their stuff?

I would recommend this kit, Menzerna would also be a good choice but this will give you enough polish and the sealant you would need to keep you going for a long while. Not to much product and not to little.

Thats my .02
autogeek_2044_45038121

Wolfgang FLEX XC3401 Polishing & Swirl Remover Kit
 
a little bit of advice ( i'll probably add on to this later)

don't use dish soap to wash the vehicle. dish soap is, well, for dishes lol.

edit--

ok, so start with a soap that you like, search on autogeek and here on the forums, lots of people like Pinnacle, poor boys, optimum, DP the list goes on. these types of auto soaps will not strip wax from the car and are very lubricant to help keep marring to a min. when washing.

the clay, will strip any wax, you don't need to clay a lot, I and I'm sure others on here use the baggy test to see if the car needs to be clayed or not.

also, buy some good products to wash the car with. I use a sheepskin mitt.
 
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Meghan said:
I would recommend this kit, Menzerna would also be a good choice but this will give you enough polish and the sealant you would need to keep you going for a long while. Not to much product and not to little.

Thats my .02
autogeek_2044_45038121

Wolfgang FLEX XC3401 Polishing & Swirl Remover Kit
Click to expand...

Looks like a heck of a deal... If i'm reading it right i should not need anything but that kit to complete this job.. correct? (I should have pictures ready by tonight... i'm sure that for a definent answer you will need to see the condition of the vehicle)

a little bit of advice ( i'll probably add on to this later)

don't use dish soap to wash the vehicle. dish soap is, well, for dishes lol.
Click to expand...
What would be the correct product to use to strip the wax of the paint before i clay bar?

Thank you for the assistance!
 
Ok.. so if i'm understanding it right it's best to leave the 'wax stripping' to the clay... right? I would suppose that IS what it's for.. to pull everything off the paint.. lol.

I do already have a sheepskin mitt that i use to wash with... The swirls were not caused by me, but the previous owner. Although i'm sure i'll swirl it up eventually as well... lol. I have only owned this car for approx 1 month.. still has temp tags :D.
I did just purchase and receive the forum favorite kit to take care of my wax department.. so we'll see how it works out :D. If it's not working the way i'd like i'm thinking of going with some 'dodo juice'.. but that's another post for another day.. lol.

Thanks for the help!
 
You will like the Forum Favorite kit no worries!
 
Ben:
The Flex kit looks like a winner. I started with a Porter cable, PC, about 4 years ago and never looked back. I added a Makita, rotary, at the end of last summer and still learning how to use it well. I do a decent job I am just not as quick as I could be.

Even if you move up to a rotary in the future the Flex will still serve you well and will not be money wasted.
 
You can tell a detailer really knows their stuff if: they're packin the forum
favorite, and know all 240 acronyms posted (no peaking).
 
Well.. first off: Meghan you were 100% correct.. i LOVE the forum favorite kit! It is by far the best kit i've ever seen/heard of!... i will be posting feedback on the actual product here shortly as well :).

I posted the results here: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-cadillac-sts-v-forum-fav-kit.html#post226166

There are also a few pictures of the swirls/waterspots i was talking about.. although there aren't many pictures and they are NOT very good quality... apparently i'm not a very good photographer :(.

Thank you everybody for your feedback and i will be ordering the flex kit shortly!

Ben
 
Waterspot etching can be a bear to remove, polish will remove some and lesson their appearance, but sometimes wet-sanding is needed.
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
Waterspot etching can be a bear to remove, polish will remove some and lesson their appearance, but sometimes wet-sanding is needed.
Click to expand...

That's what i was afraid of :(... we'll see how far i can get with the flex... worst case i might be looking into how to wet sand :(.
 
Ben,

It may be some of your detailing and washing practices that are causing the swirl marks. So before you go and drop money on correction make sure you are using best practices of washing. A Black Caddy STS should take close to 2 hours to wash properly in prearation for wax an I have been known to double that. My washes alone start at $65 with most over $100.
 
Yes, i need to make sure and be VERY careful... seems the paint is very soft. The swirls were there when i bought the car though, and the water spots... i've only had it a month :D (Washed it twice so far... and I can count how many times i've driven it on my fingers.. LOL). I will make sure and be very careful when i'm washing... i've thought about going with the leaf blower air dry technique on this car... seems like the less i drag across the paint the better :D.

Thanks for the tips!
 
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