I figure I should introduce myself.
I am Jbirk (same name I used on MOL) back when Mike Phillips was over there... I was there in 2004/2006 and they were the ONLY products I trusted/wanted because the online support community I trusted. I knew they weren't selling Rocks in a Bottle... The things they all said like "use the least aggressive produce" made sense.
Mike answered a question years ago that helped me correct a problem that was driving me mad on my 2008 Mazda! There was some white discoloration on top of the clear coat in an area... it was such an eyesore for other-wise unblemished car. It was basically like an etching or something and WAX and Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner #1 would not put a dent in it... The original Scratch X was what I threw at it... Mike said "USE PLENTY OF PASSION and a COTTON TERRY that has more BITE than a microfiber." He basically said if I am doing it right the car might be rocking on the suspension... that it is NOT a wipe on/off product or a wipe & let haze product. :xyxthumbs:
Ultimately, it got better but not flawless until someone on their forum who details for some body shop invited me to come up in an attempt to try and TEACH me to fix my problem. He brought out a small ample (i.e. half ounce) of some 3M something (I don't know what)... but it was THIN compared to Scratch X but rubbed the problem right out with a cotton towel... I was amazed at how I just fixed the unfixable... I basically kept that half ounce as a "lab sample" of some unknown miracle juice and never ended up using it again as it wasn't needed. Now I look back and realize it was probably just a compound... but it was a miracle!
Anyway, I kind of plateaued in that I was NOT going to ever attempt to get a show-car finish by hand, but I DID attempt to keep it excellent, clayed, and waxed by hand for years. What I accomplished by hand made my ride look 10x better than virtually ANY comparable vehicle.
When I traded-in my 2008 Mazda with 97,000 miles last year it looked either Very Good or Excellent (using Mike's definitions)... Basically, it was as best as it could possibly look having been washed by strangers a few times in its life etc. Stuff happened in six years and even though I used the two-bucket method it got lightly swirled. That said the paint was otherwise excellent having been pretty much kept up with detailing clay and Nxt Tech 2.0... The receiving dealer was surpized how well it looked!
*********************
Now I wish I hadn't traded it in because I loved that darker "Galaxy Grey" more than my new Infiniti's Liquid Platinum (AKA "Silver" to commoners like me)... even though everything else about my new car I like better.:dblthumb2:
I decided to step-it-up and see what kind of results I am capable of, so I bought another toy, a G110v2, about nine (9) Meguiar's pads, #103, #105, Ultimate Compound, and Ultimate Polish...
Using the 7" Soft Buff 2.0 Yellow Polishing Pad and #205, I polished my entire Infiniti a few weeks ago; it took me like nine (9) hours, but it is show-room quality without ANY swirls. It can withstand my 1000 lumen flashlight :dblthumb2: It is waxed with the Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid wax on one of the Meg's Black Finishing pads...
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All that said, I am thinking of kicking it up another notch and re-polishing with a finsihing pad and Ultimate polish... Regardless, I couldn't help it and ordered some Auto Geek products... I ordred some Menzurna SF4500 and twelve (12) of the Lake Country 5" foam pads in all types as well as the proper LC Backing plate... I really think with a smaller, lower profile, finessing or jewling pad and the highest quality Menzurna polish, I should be able to get a true "show car" look.
I also ordered the WolfGang Paint Sealant 3.0 (I hope this is better than Meguiar's), and I ordered the Collinite 845... I keep reading about people using it on high-end stuff and watching youtbube videos where some fanatic with a nice Porsche in his garage uses it! I just don't know if a boutique product like Pinnacle Souveran is worth it or not, but I am willing to step it up to a real Sealant. I AM, however, considering Collinite 915 (for looks) and maybe Menzurna PL
I am Jbirk (same name I used on MOL) back when Mike Phillips was over there... I was there in 2004/2006 and they were the ONLY products I trusted/wanted because the online support community I trusted. I knew they weren't selling Rocks in a Bottle... The things they all said like "use the least aggressive produce" made sense.
Mike answered a question years ago that helped me correct a problem that was driving me mad on my 2008 Mazda! There was some white discoloration on top of the clear coat in an area... it was such an eyesore for other-wise unblemished car. It was basically like an etching or something and WAX and Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner #1 would not put a dent in it... The original Scratch X was what I threw at it... Mike said "USE PLENTY OF PASSION and a COTTON TERRY that has more BITE than a microfiber." He basically said if I am doing it right the car might be rocking on the suspension... that it is NOT a wipe on/off product or a wipe & let haze product. :xyxthumbs:
Ultimately, it got better but not flawless until someone on their forum who details for some body shop invited me to come up in an attempt to try and TEACH me to fix my problem. He brought out a small ample (i.e. half ounce) of some 3M something (I don't know what)... but it was THIN compared to Scratch X but rubbed the problem right out with a cotton towel... I was amazed at how I just fixed the unfixable... I basically kept that half ounce as a "lab sample" of some unknown miracle juice and never ended up using it again as it wasn't needed. Now I look back and realize it was probably just a compound... but it was a miracle!
Anyway, I kind of plateaued in that I was NOT going to ever attempt to get a show-car finish by hand, but I DID attempt to keep it excellent, clayed, and waxed by hand for years. What I accomplished by hand made my ride look 10x better than virtually ANY comparable vehicle.
When I traded-in my 2008 Mazda with 97,000 miles last year it looked either Very Good or Excellent (using Mike's definitions)... Basically, it was as best as it could possibly look having been washed by strangers a few times in its life etc. Stuff happened in six years and even though I used the two-bucket method it got lightly swirled. That said the paint was otherwise excellent having been pretty much kept up with detailing clay and Nxt Tech 2.0... The receiving dealer was surpized how well it looked!
*********************
Now I wish I hadn't traded it in because I loved that darker "Galaxy Grey" more than my new Infiniti's Liquid Platinum (AKA "Silver" to commoners like me)... even though everything else about my new car I like better.:dblthumb2:
I decided to step-it-up and see what kind of results I am capable of, so I bought another toy, a G110v2, about nine (9) Meguiar's pads, #103, #105, Ultimate Compound, and Ultimate Polish...
Using the 7" Soft Buff 2.0 Yellow Polishing Pad and #205, I polished my entire Infiniti a few weeks ago; it took me like nine (9) hours, but it is show-room quality without ANY swirls. It can withstand my 1000 lumen flashlight :dblthumb2: It is waxed with the Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid wax on one of the Meg's Black Finishing pads...
************************
All that said, I am thinking of kicking it up another notch and re-polishing with a finsihing pad and Ultimate polish... Regardless, I couldn't help it and ordered some Auto Geek products... I ordred some Menzurna SF4500 and twelve (12) of the Lake Country 5" foam pads in all types as well as the proper LC Backing plate... I really think with a smaller, lower profile, finessing or jewling pad and the highest quality Menzurna polish, I should be able to get a true "show car" look.
I also ordered the WolfGang Paint Sealant 3.0 (I hope this is better than Meguiar's), and I ordered the Collinite 845... I keep reading about people using it on high-end stuff and watching youtbube videos where some fanatic with a nice Porsche in his garage uses it! I just don't know if a boutique product like Pinnacle Souveran is worth it or not, but I am willing to step it up to a real Sealant. I AM, however, considering Collinite 915 (for looks) and maybe Menzurna PL
