New here with question.....

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dmband

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Hello everyone I joined last night found you guys from a google search and glad I did! We just bought a Black 2005 expedition Eddie Bauer Edition with 40,000 miles and it's in immaculate condition and the paint looks very very nice to me I don't see any marks or issues on it and that's the way I'd like to keep it and make it look the best it can look! The major issue is that we are in central new york which has the most snow and the most salt in the country :( We will be driving this every winter and I believe this car has never seen one which is good. I saw the forum favorite most durable package and that seems like what I might want but wanted to make sure. If so I am not sure if I should use something for over the winter and then a different product that will make it look better in the non winter months. I am also going be to buying product for the trim,tires,leather and factory rims etc etc so any ideas for those areas would be great! I will be doing everything by hand not looking to break the bank but willing to spend enough to make it look good and take care of it. I've seen the new escalades in black and the paint looks amazing I would love to get mine looking like that very glossy shiny look :) The videos here are very thorough and very informative!

Should I use the clay with the spray or could I get by with just using the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion instead?

THANKS GUYS! --JEFF--

Feed back please
 
Didn't mean to put the sad face on my post! LOL
 
I have not done the bag test but I think I will just end up doing the clay anyways it can't hurt right? Everything will done by hand can't afford any power tools and not going to be a major hobby but do want it to look good and be protected. So would you say that The Collinite 845 Forum Favorite Kit would be ideal for my situation then? If that's the one for me should I just use that year round or just winter months and then use something else that will look better in the warmer months? Thanks!!!
 
Welcome to the site.

Working by hand with black paint is tough because you can easily inflict the paint with rub marks by using a polish with any abrasives in it. I have seen on here hundreds of times where a new member wants to hand polish his/her black paint and then finds that their polish of choice has left rub marks all over the paint from the abrasives in the polish being rubbed back and forth on the paint.


Having said all that, I would suggest that you first wash the vehicle really well with a quality microfiber or lambs wool wash mitt. Before washing though if you don't have a pressure washer, take it to a coin op car wash and blast all of the dirt out from behind any moldings with the high pressure soap setting and then rinse it off well. This will remove any hidden grit that will definitely be hiding under these trim and molding pieces preventing them from getting into your wash mitt and scratching your paint during the hand washing process.

After the hand washing, I suggest that you use Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Bar Kit as it is the mildest clay bar that I have found and will not leave any marring if used with plenty of clay lube. Plan on getting an additional bottle of quick detailer so you can go heavy on the clay lube to prevent paint marring which is very easily seen on black paint. If you don't use enough lube and the clay grabs and sticks to the paint, it will leave a mark where it stuck to the paint that will not clay off. Don't panic, polish will remove the mark. If it is durability that you want, the paint must be clayed first or the life of the sealant/wax will be compromised because the sealant/wax will not bond well to contaminates and dirt that whether you see it or feel it or not, it will be there. The baggy test will detect iron particles such as embedded brake dust but it will not detect the imbedded dirt that is definitely there that will prevent maximum durability of the sealant/wax.

Next, using nothing more abrasive that say Meguiars Ultimate Polish or a paint cleansing lotion of your choice hand polish the paint one panel at a time being sure to really work the polish in and not just skimming over the paint with it. I am not saying you will need to push hard with lots of pressure but rather use light pressure and work the polish in overlapping circles giving the polish time to do it's work. Get several applicator pads either microfiber or foam and when they begin to get dirty grab a new one to work with. If you drop the applicator on the ground, pitch it and grab a new one to work with. You may not see the dirt in the applicator after dropping it but working with black paint you should treat a dropped applicator like a hand gun (always assume that it's loaded) always assume that the dropped applicator is loaded with gritty dirt. It's just $2 don't chance it.

After your polishing step be sure that you are working with a quality microfiber towel or the flannel towels bought locally work well if you use one per panel and then retire it for a new one for the next panel. After all this work is done you will be left with an absolutely clean surface that will accept the sealant/wax and ensure maximum bonding.

This is a lot of work so expect that your arm will be hurting. If you get too tired, just finish the panel that you are working on and start the next panel on another day. This would be better than trying to rush through the process. If you do stop and then start on a new panel on another day, go through the washing steps again as driving the vehicle will definitely pick up more dirt. Dirt and grit are the enemy. Keep that in mind and work clean and thorough and you will be rewarded with a fine looking black paint finish and a durable protective coating.

I would suggest a few coats of a quality paint sealant with 12 hours cure time between coats and then a coat of Collinite # 476 Super double coat wax, applied very very thin. This will definitely get you through the winter. Nothing beats Ultima Trim and Tire Guard (UTTG) for durability on tires and rubber/plastic trim unless you want to break the bank for a more permanent coating which you said you didn't want to do. In it's price range nothing works better. If you are treating window seals with UTTG, be sure to run a piece of painter's tape on the glass to prevent getting UTTG on the glass because if left to cure on the glass it is a bear to get back off the glass. Polish will remove it from the glass but it will also remove it from the trim so just do it right the first time as tape will be required either way.

I hope this has been helpful, TD
 
476 is the most durable then 915 then 845 , all per collinite website. 845 is a liquid the others are a paste. 845 is a heavy fav just cause of ease of application and removal. and it is very durable. I'm gonna menzerna powerlock and top with 476 for the winter here in Wisconsin . with the bigger tires I have and the tread a little outside of my mud flaps , I can't go 1 block without throwing crap up on the side of my truck.
 
WOW thanks for taking the time to type all that out and the replies I will do what you recommend you seem very knowledgeable on the subject! Now do I just throw away the pads and towels after they are used or can they be washed and re used? I have no problem taking the time to do what you said I will just clear my schedule for the day and do it! We have Delta Sonics here where I get my car washed if I go there first do I still need to hand wash? Is a microfiber towel a microfiber towel or a foam pad a foam pad or is there something I should be specifically looking for in those products or some kind of quality level?

THANKS, --JEFF--
 
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hand app pads can be soaked and washed with dawn dish soap. towels can be machine washed. a lot use a detergent free of dyes and perfumes . do not use fabric softener. I would power wash and hand wash . power wash does not get all the crap and grime off.
 
dmband said:
WOW thanks for taking the time to type all that out and the replies I will do what you recommend you seem very knowledgeable on the subject! Now do I just throw away the pads and towels after they are used or can they be washed and re used? I have no problem taking the time to do what you said I will just clear my schedule for the day and do it! We have Delta Sonics here where I get my car washed if I go there first do I still need to hand wash?

THANKS, --JEFF--
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You're welcome. I enjoy helping out and writing too. Not Sure what Delta Sonics are/is but nothing will ensure a completely clean surface to start out with as will hand washing. I can pump $20 worth of quarters into a do it yourself car wash coin acceptor and wash with high pressure soap getting the concentration of pressurized water up close to the paint and there will still be road film there that must be washed off with a mitt and a quality car wash concentrate. The important thing is to get that road film washed off and the grit out from behind the trim and different moldings of the body as that stuff can leak out with the excess wash water and either get into your wash mitt or worse yet into your clay bar and be rubbed directly against the paint. On black paint, that would be disastrous and would likely take a full day with a polishing machine to rectify. No automated wash is going to get the paint clean enough to safely begin your claying step. It is simply the first step to remove the excess gritty dirt from the surface. More important with black than with any other color but important across the color spectrum regardless, if you want to do things the right way.
 
Welcome DMBand. The best advice I can give you is to spend a good week reading through the forums. You will some names pop up alot. They really know what they are talking about. Hold off on your final purchase until you gather enough info to make an educated decision. Then send an order into AG. Good prices, service and especially products.
 
Well, being from NH...I can absolutely recommend Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. I put it on my own vehicle just before winter, and it makes snow removal a breeze, as well as protects through winter.

And hey, welcome to the forum!
 
Cool sounds good :) Appreciate the answers! How often do you redo everything I was just reading the collinite 476 can last up to a year but maybe not with our winters and all the salt :/ I'm thinking put everything on before winter then again after winter. What schedule do you follow or is it one of those play it by ear and how it looks? THANKS!
 
I just spent some time pricing everything out that has been recommended and it seems as though it is going to be pretty affordable :) I got a free shipping code when I joined which is wicked cool too :) I will definitely be hand washing I want to do things the right way with this car unlike the rest I've had LOL
 
read read read, on the forum . tons of info . be careful u will get addicted and could start spending lots of money here if u want to . just like me . if u care about u vehicles and want them to look nice and clean and last for years to come , gotta do it the right away. but also stick within u budget . prep for winter here . save some moola and in spring get uself a da and walla u be amazed what u can do .
 
one tip avoid automatic car washes that use brushes like the plague. technically they are the plague of detailing because of all the swirls/scratches they install. and did you buy this car from a dealership? if so, don't be surprised if your washing then after you dry you see swirls/scratches, alot of dealers love to use a glaze to hide the swirls/scratches just to make it look good for sale....i worked at a used car dealer and man the owner wanted me to do some horrendous work to some cars and i wouldn't do it....sorry i mentally/physically cannot make a car worse when some stuff can be corrected...and last but not least WELCOME TO AUTOGEEK!!!! and now you will have an addiction, meetings are every week on thursday.....lol:buffing:
 
LOL thanks for all the welcomes guys! If it comes to being addicted I guess that's ok! I did buy the car from a dealership with only 40k on it and everything else is a 9/10 so let's hope it's not too bad :/ if it is they hid it very well! The lady that owned it is very rich and I'm pretty sure it hasn't seen a winter fingers crossed and I'm assuming garage kept. The car wash I go to is Delta Sonic feel free to check them out they have a website.

What is good for cleaning running boards mine look like they have some tough stuff on them. I just saw a detail someone did on a ford edge in the forum and they cleaned up the bottom trim to where it looked like it was brand new but the before pick was pretty nasty!

THANKS GUYS!
 
POWERAID what is a "da and walla u be amazed what u can do" not sure if that was mis type or abbreviation for something.

THANKS!
 
sorry for using the abbreviations, a da is a dual action polisher. griots, porter cable , megs and then the mighty flex the super charged . these are nothing like a clunky random orbital u can get at u local walmart. u already found autogeek now it's time to read and learn and go as far as u want to . I'll leave it up to the pros here to give a better explanation on why u may want to invest in a da. take it away guys
 
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