Steps before going into polishing

[animescreen]

Well I have questions about polishing (never done it before) So far I'm gonna do this leading up to actually polishing.

- Rinse car Pressure washer
- Foam Gun with Chemical guys foam gun / washer
- Rinse Car again Pressure washer
- 2 Bucket method to get ride of debris/dirt etc.. minimize swirl marks.
- Dry the car using squeegee/waffle towels (or this extra soft one I got)

At this point I have to drive it to the garage because I'm parked where a nice douglas fir tree releases sap. But that happens when you leave it for long periods of time. However if you leave it even for like 10 minutes or the sap mist puts little tiny dot sizes around car. So moving it in garage and then have to remove that with some quik detail spray.

- then Claybar to get other impurities out of the car.
- (rinse again?)

Then Polish?

Are these steps pretty good or am I missing anything? And after i clay bar , I don't like going back in forth in garage due to small garage. Can i just rinse it off with water and sprayer and wipe it down instead of hosing after claybaring? (not even sure rinsing is necessary)

 

[PaulMys]

I would use air (leaf blower) and a Griot's PFM drying towel over a squeegee and waffle weave towel.

And, don't worry about washing/rinsing the car after claying.

After claying, you can start your polisher up and get right to it.

 

[animescreen]

Nice I like taking steps off lol

I have leaf blower but seemed it took bit longer maybe wax is losing its power that’s why


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[Bruno Soares]

Definitely no squeegee on the paint.
And is there a reason you’re skipping Iron-X before claying? New cars can come with a lot of iron deposits from transportation. I think it’s worth doing that.
Also make sure the soap you’re using doesn’t have wax in it. You want to strip that off before polishing, not add it.

 

[PaulMys]

Leaf blower is just for getting the bulk of water off.

Don't stand there and try to get every drop off of the car. Quick (3 minute) walk around with the blower, then whip out the Griot's PFM.

(I know the PFM seems expensive, but you get EVERY cent you paid for it back in performance, ease of use, and peace of mind not having to deal with garbage towels EVER again!!)

 

[animescreen]

Definitely no squeegee on the paint.
And is there a reason you’re skipping Iron-X before claying? New cars can come with a lot of iron deposits from transportation. I think it’s worth doing that.
Also make sure the soap you’re using doesn’t have wax in it. You want to strip that off before polishing, not add it.

I’m glad I asked this

I heard of iron x but didn’t know it was a step. Guessing it removes iron and other minerals? Changes color to purple or something
I think I will get that


As for squeezer after wash it takes chunk of water out and seems material is quite soft . But I’m guessing even tiny debris might streak the car so is that why it’s bad idea?

Kind of bummer it was 20$ hmm what can I use this for now . I’ll use it on my beater car

But I remember back in the days many mentioned how good these squeegees are


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[animescreen]

Leaf blower is just for getting the bulk of water off.

Don't stand there and try to get every drop off of the car. Quick (3 minute) walk around with the blower, then whip out the Griot's PFM.

(I know the PFM seems expensive, but you get EVERY cent you paid for it back in performance, ease of use, and peace of mind not having to deal with garbage towels EVER again!!)

Pfm what’s that mean? But yeah it’s also but funny to use leaf blower and neighbor sees lol

Kind of make sense as touch less car wash machienes have these highs leaf blower type taking away excess

As for that towel, are you able to dry the whole car with one towel? Or should you have extras and fold it in 4s for each panel


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[Bruno Soares]

I’m glad I asked this

I heard of iron x but didn’t know it was a step. Guessing it removes iron and other minerals? Changes color to purple or something
I think I will get that


As for squeezer after wash it takes chunk of water out and seems material is quite soft . But I’m guessing even tiny debris might streak the car so is that why it’s bad idea?

Kind of bummer it was 20$ hmm what can I use this for now . I’ll use it on my beater car

But I remember back in the days many mentioned how good these squeegees are


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Squeegees are good for the glass so use it for that. On the paint it’s too risky to drag any particle left behind and will scratch badly.
You got it on iron-x. Definitely a good idea if you want to do things properly.
PFM is a drying towel from Griot’s Garage. I recommend the 16x16 size and you’ll probably use 2 of them for a car. Folded so you have 4 sides and then you don’t risk inducing swirls.

 

[PaulMys]

Squeegees are good for the glass so use it for that. On the paint it’s too risky to drag any particle left behind and will scratch badly.
You got it on iron-x. Definitely a good idea if you want to do things properly.
PFM is a drying towel from Griot’s Garage. I recommend the 16x16 size and you’ll probably use 2 of them for a car. Folded so you have 4 sides and then you don’t risk inducing swirls.

The B man answered for me, except that I have the larger PFM. 20x34?? Cant remember exactly. But I can dry my entire truck with no problems whatsoever.

No wringing it out, nothing. And it only feels "damp" afterward.

PFM stands for "Pure Freaking Magic". And they are not exaggerating that claim IMO.

 

[animescreen]

Squeegees are good for the glass so use it for that. On the paint it’s too risky to drag any particle left behind and will scratch badly.
You got it on iron-x. Definitely a good idea if you want to do things properly.
PFM is a drying towel from Griot’s Garage. I recommend the 16x16 size and you’ll probably use 2 of them for a car. Folded so you have 4 sides and then you don’t risk inducing swirls.

2 drying towels for one car I think that’s good . Was gonna use just one but felt something’s gonna drag even if car is clean .

So question is after you use the two drying towels for one car. Are you able to use that for next session or does it have to be laundered right after with mf towel detergent.

Common sense says yes but would be nice to use it again. Or better yet just by 2 more of them and do a bulk 1x week laundry

As for squeegee even ifs the auto rubber kind it’s bad idea? Wonder why they advertise it as removing water from paint


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[Bruno Soares]

I don’t reuse my towels before washing but I have like 10 PFMs and wait until a few car washes to wash multiple towels at once. Running the washer with 2 towels inside is not very efficient.

Yes, even the “safe” squeegee is not really safe. Unless you don’t care about swirls and fine scratches.
I have a California Blade which was sold as safe but never used it on paint, just for glass.

 

[TTQ B4U]

Don't forget to use a Paint Thickness Gauge.......mostly if it's car that's not your own. I wouldn't ever touch a car that I didn't know without one.

 

[animescreen]

Don't forget to use a Paint Thickness Gauge.......mostly if it's car that's not your own. I wouldn't ever touch a car that I didn't know without one.

I heard of this.. is it like this micron guages where you know how thick clear coat is and see how much the polish gets removed? Where can i get a paint gauge and is it accurate?

 

[TTQ B4U]

I heard of this.. is it like this micron guages where you know how thick clear coat is and see how much the polish gets removed? Where can i get a paint gauge and is it accurate?

Yes. Most of the ones used measure total thickness but it's a good tool still. It's not so much about what's being removed unless you're doing some heavy arse correction as most of the time a light compound and polish aren't removing much at all. The key lies in knowing if a car or a panel of been re-painted and if the paint is super thin to start. I bought mine on another site that's amazingly popular and paid under $150 and yes, it's accurate. There are a number of brands that all look like they stem from the same manufacturer. Comes with calibration guides, etc. and I've integrated it into my inspections all the way through.