New car, need some product advice...

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spiff

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Hello,


I recently purchased a new Kia Optima in blue. Beatiful color but it sure shows the dirt. When I bought the car, it was a demo, so it had 5000 miles on it and was driven by there manager. It would appear that he ran it through and auto car wash and there are some very light swirls in the paint. Nothing major, but visible none the less.

At any rate, I have a porter cable and lake county pads. The pads have been used on my boat so I want to get some new pads for the job as well. What I was thinking is that I want to strip, clay, polish and then synthetic seal then wax the car. I am interested in the opti-coat product as the sealant.

So, what I need from you fellas is some advice as to go about the job. Firstly, am I on the right track with my plan, if not, could you suggest some alternatives? What polishes and pads do you recommend to use prior to the sealant application. I am also considering getting a clear bra applied, would this be a problem it I applied a sealant before I put on a clear bra at a later date?

There are so many products here, it is hard to make a decision but as you can imagine, I want to take care of the paint NOW realizing how quick the paint will deteriorate in the color it is.

Thanks a bunch!

Spiff
 
i would add in Iron X after the wash to make sure the paint has all iron contaminates removed then clay the entire car.

Pictures would help, seeing what the swirls look like would help in deciding pads and polishes. If the swirling is very light you could use a one step product like Pinnacle XMT 360 or Meguiars D151. These would seal and correct at the same time.

If you just want to polish and then use the Opti seal i would recommend the Wolfgang twins (wolfgang total swirl remover and Wolfgang finishing glaze)

As far as pads go i would say the usual LCC orange and white or maybe even white and green if the swirls are really light. it is hard to recommend prodcuts with out seeing the condidtion of the paint first.
 
:welcome: To Autogeek Online!

Yes, you're on the right track wanting to correct the finish on your new car. Regular care and maintenance will keep your finish looking great for years to come.

Prior to applying a clear bra most installers need to remove and sealants or waxes to ensure it sticks well to the paint.

Follow these simple basic steps

Basic steps in order are:

  • Wash
  • Clay
  • Paint Correction & Polish
  • Seal
  • Wax
Wash

  • Duragloss 901
Clay

  • Meguiar's or Mothers
Paint Correction

  • Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0
  • Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0

Sealants

  • Menzerna Power Lock Paint Sealant
  • Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection
Wax


  • Collinite 845
Foam Pads

Lake Country 5 1/2" pads are the way to go with the Porter Cable 7424 style dual action polisher. Take a look at the link below as these flat pads work really well with this machine.

Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Pads 6 Pack, foam pad kit, build a kit, buffing pads, curved edge pads
 
You fellas are the bomb, thanks for the suggestions, you have helped a bunch. If I get a chance I will get a pic of the swirls but for they most part they are very light, I just want to get them out and seal the car before they get worse. I am going to look at and order the wolfgang products and then make a decision on the sealant.

Again, thanks a lot for the advice and your time.
 
good plan but opticoat is not a sealant. Once the paint is as clean and polished as you can get it, application of opticoat resin will lock that look in. Once cured, nothing really sticks to it, including sealants or waxes so it would be a waste of money to top it with anything.
 
Here is a pic of what I am looking at.


2011-08-08_10-58-18_38

So embolism, what you are saying is once I use opticoat, I don't ever have to wax? Will my car look really shiny like its been waxed with this product. I was under the understanding that you would still need to wax to have that deep look. Am I making a mistake using this product?

Thanks a buch!

Spiff
 
From my understanding. Opti-coat is almost like putting another layer of clear coat on. I would take a look at the product page.

Those swirls are VERY light. Maybe somthing like ultimate polish is all you would need.

Do a test spot and trying using the least abrassive product first to see if it will correct it.
 
Ugh you got better off than I did with my brand new car.

Swirls look very light and faint.

I suggest if you want fast correction and want an all in one kit product to pick up this

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System 5 Inch Starter Kit, paint correction kit, dual action polishing kit

D300 is probably a bit more aggressive than what you need but this kit is just a great one stop shop; Got your cutting pad, finishing pad, compound/polish, and wax.

Or if you need something now Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish is a great duo that you can pick up for super cheap at your local WalMart. If you have a Advanced Auto Parts you can pick up the next step up from that duo to the Meguiar's M105 and M205.

Like Jacob suggested try the least aggressive than work your way up.
 
Awsome, again thanks again to all that responded, as you can imagine, I want to protect the finish now before it becomes a problem and this is my first ever dark finish car. It irks me to see even those swirls dangit!!!
 
spiff said:
So embolism, what you are saying is once I use opticoat, I don't ever have to wax? Will my car look really shiny like its been waxed with this product. I was under the understanding that you would still need to wax to have that deep look. Am I making a mistake using this product?

Spiff
Click to expand...

Depends on what you're looking for. You won't have to wax, and can run your car through touchless washes in the winter without worrying about taking the protection off. It's not 100% protected from chips or scratches, but from what I understand, it'll last as long as you don't polish it off the car. You can even clay the coating and refresh it with poliseal. It offers good protection from bug etching and can be put on individual panels instead of the whole car if you like (though you will end up using more product).

Some people like the feel of a slick finish though and that is not what this gives you. Application of things like Reload, and OCW can add some slickness though they aren't necessary. I think ppl are just looking for ways to do stuff to their car once the coating is on b/c there is so much less to do wrt exterior maintenance once your car is coated.
 
Thought CQuartz gives you a nice slick feel but a less durability compared to the "sticky" OC 2.0

And yeah when you use Opti Coat 2.0 you won't have to top it anymore.

Also if you get a bird bomb and leave it on and not wash it off as soon as you can get I do believe it will eat away at the OC 2.0.
 
This is what I think I am going to get, if anyone has better suggestions I am all ears. Again thanks for your time!!!

Meguiars DA Microfiber Cutting Discs, 5 inches

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction Compound 16 oz.

CarPro Iron X Iron Remover 500 ml.

Griot's Garage Pre-Wax Cleaner 35 oz.

Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 Permanent Paint Coating OR the CQuartz, ...wavering...

128 oz. Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate

Spiff
 
Seems like a very nice starting point in products
 
is this for your car only? I ask b/c you might be able to get away with just using a finishing polish like 106fa or M205 on a polishing pad like LC white flats or tangerine hydrotechs, especially if the swirls are as mild as the ones in your picture. Follow up with the same on a black LC flat as a jeweling step. If you go this route, then maybe have some ultimate compound on hand just in case you need something stronger for specific areas.

If you are set on the D300 compound and MF cutting disks, you should know that while it does finish down nicely, it is meant to be followed up with another step to get rid of any hazing. Since you are planning to coat the car, now would be your only chance to bring your paint to its maximum potential. Again, some 106fa or M205 on a black LC flat pad would be a good and imo necessary step following the D300.
 
I just got my IronX and Griots Garage Pre-Wax Cleaner in today, gonna try it out tomorrow. Be careful, your gonna catch the detailing bug. Next thing you know your going to be spending all your money on detailing stuff, spending all your time on the forum and detailing your car, your gonna lose your girlfriend/wife, lose your job and end up in Detailers Anonymous like a lot of us lol I think I'm going to relapse my tomorrow :P
 
Oh BTW I didn't read what car you got but looks like you got Corsa Blue Optima

I also own a Snow White Pearl Optima and a Dark Cherry Sorento :)

Also Tim is right about D300, but I've heard some say that it finishes down LSP ready at times with MF cutting pad. If you do need to step down you could get the finishing disc and use M205 or Ultimate Polish.

Personally on the Dark Cherry I think I'm going to go with D300 cutting disc since it has some deep scratches in some area and polishing pad with HD Uno for the lighter areas.
 
Yes I have an Optima, good eye! Thanks for the advice on going one step further, your right, if I want to lock in the paint with a coating I guess I should spend the time and make it perfect, will add the polish!
 
spiff said:
Yes I have an Optima, good eye! Thanks for the advice on going one step further, your right, if I want to lock in the paint with a coating I guess I should spend the time and make it perfect, will add the polish!
Click to expand...

Yeah D300 is close to M105 which I do believe for automotive paint is one of the fastest and strongest cutting product on the market. The D300 is supposed to be a step below it but a step above the Ultimate Compound. From what other Pros are saying the D300 + the cutting pad is a great combo on a DA to get fast cutting action. M105 + MF Cutting Pad is even faster. Hell some people prime the MF Cutting pad with D300 then use M105 for the low dust + even faster cutting.

But like Tim said you might want another step after the D300 with the MF Cutting pad. Like PO85RD as the finishing step.

Menzerna Polish PO85RD, Mernzerna 85rd, Menzerna finish po85rd
 
Rei86 said:
Ugh you got better off than I did with my brand new car.

Swirls look very light and faint.

I suggest if you want fast correction and want an all in one kit product to pick up this

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System 5 Inch Starter Kit, paint correction kit, dual action polishing kit

D300 is probably a bit more aggressive than what you need but this kit is just a great one stop shop; Got your cutting pad, finishing pad, compound/polish, and wax.

Or if you need something now Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish is a great duo that you can pick up for super cheap at your local WalMart. If you have a Advanced Auto Parts you can pick up the next step up from that duo to the Meguiar's M105 and M205.

Like Jacob suggested try the least aggressive than work your way up.
Click to expand...
100% agreee!
 
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