The results of my first detail with my new goodies

[TCB]

About a 10 days ago I bought a PC and a bunch of goods from AG. I had never really done much with my cars other than a hose, dish soap and turtle wax by hand. My car for being 5 years old was in pretty decent shape, some swirls and light scrathed, a few chips from rocks and a previous owners shaky hand with touch up paint but over not bad.

I have a "true blue" (aka dark) blue Mustang and I used NTS7 wash with a Cobra &MF Cheneille mit, pinnacle polyclay, xmt 360 with the orange edge pad, and natty's blue with the white pad.

Here are a few before shots after the car wash (NTS7) but before clay:

Post clay (Pinnacle PolyClay)

Some light scrathes on my roof.

And the final product (after XMT 360 & Natty's Blue)

Notice the scratches are all gone!

and the finale....

 

[TCB]

It certainly was a fun experience and truth be told I am tired as hell and my knees and back are letting me know than I ain't that young anymore.

Some thought on the clay having never done it before. I was expecting some decent resistance as I clayed my car but for the most part it glided easily (maybe too easily) over the surface. Not sure if I did it right, although some parts really pulled up some nasty dirt.

The XMT 360 was nice but I didn't find that it completely disappeared like the bottle leads you to believe. It certainly reached a point where the PC was just pushed it around. A MF took the final residue right off.

The Natty's blue was awesome. Not only did it really make my blue paint shine with a deep wet look but it also made my metal flake really pop. It went on extremely easy and it smelled great as well.

I also used Natty's ntural dressing on the plastic interior molding, the dash, the center console and the tires. It was honestly the best interior dressing I have ever used. It really pulled up some dirt, darkened up my plastic trim but also dried within minutes and never left that greasy residue on anything.

Now I just need to wrestle with getting those pads & mf clean. THe Natty's seemed to have stained my white pad blue and I can't seem to get all the XMT 360 out of my orange pad.

 

[Reddwarf]

Good looking job! I remember my first detail with the PC and AG products, I was tired for a month! Rewarding however isn't it?

You did good! Amazing how you got those scratches out!

 

[TCB]

Yeah it is. I was almost sure that they wouldn't come out with the orange pade but after working that 360 in there the did come out.

I still have some other individual scratches that I might want to use the green pad on next time.

Thanks

 

[scottgt]

looks really good...i love those true blue stangs

 

[sparkie]

Outstanding work, your car looks awesome.:righton: I'm impressed, the 360 made them scratches vanish. Everybody has some great things to say about 360. Thanks for sharing.

 

[supercharged]

Looks pretty good!!!:applause:

 

[richy]

Buddy...you've hit a vein!! This addiction goes to a higher level when you start playing with products that can really make a difference! Congrats!

 

[orngez]

looks awesome...just so you know the blue stain will always be there...no worries though...you will just always know which pad to use for the natty blue ....the orange pad is more agressive than the green pad...ag has it wrong on their website....so any scratches that the orange pad didnt take out you will have to step up to a yellow pad or a more agressive polish...the clay just gliding across the surface is normal...it should only feel like light bumps at the most and will only usually stick on the first swipe and get slick from there....great job the flake looks awesome...almost got my z in that color

 

[TCB]

Yeah something tells me this is going to be quite the expensive little hobby.

Next up is the foam gun, some more MFs, stoners glass, wheel cleaner and micro-restorer.

 

[alban61]

Yeah something tells me this is going to be quite the expensive little hobby.

Next up is the foam gun, some more MFs, stoners glass, wheel cleaner and micro-restorer.

Yup! It's getting expensive already. You're already getting ready to order more!!
Awesome work on that blue Mustang! She looks SWEEEET!! Last 2 pics are great!! Did you forget to dry before taking those pics, because she looks wet!! :righton:

 

[justin_murphy]

You only have to use 2, pea sized drops on a pad. This is probably why it's not vanishing for you. There will be a little left but not like other polishes and waxes.

It looks really impressive on your car. Welcome to true detailing!

 

[justin_murphy]

....the orange pad is more agressive than the green pad...ag has it wrong on their website.... color

The green pad is more aggressive in the EDGE system. Believe me. The orange fall in between the green and blue. It was custome made for AG. Here's Edge's chart.......

Details and suggested applications for The Edge 2000 buffing pads. Experiment with The Edge 2000 and discover the
best ways to match pad, chemical and procedure. Questions? Contact us for knowledgeable customer service.

Specifications​

Aggressiveness & Applications​

Texture & Color ​

40 pores per inch (ppi)
Part #E201​

Heavy Cut. Very aggressive cutting pad, works fast while reducing risk of burning. For heavily oxidized or
pitted finishes, removes wet sand scratches.

50 pores per inch (ppi)
Part #E202​

Medium Cut. Everyday cutting for average cars, light oxidation. Add compound for a flawless finish on base coats. A must in every detail shop.

60 pores per inch (ppi)
Part #E203​

Light Cut. Our most versatile pad: buff with light compound on clearcoats, rinse with water, apply polish or wax. Great for humid weather when waxes may cake.

70 pores per inch (ppi)
Part #E204​

Finish. Scratchless everyday polishing pad for any surface. Use with wax and polish. Removes swirl marks
and applies a fine gloss.

80 pores per inch (ppi)
Part #E205​

Ultrafine Polish. Ultra-smooth surface, finer than any pad on the market. Creates a bold, crystalline gloss.
For new, exotic or expertly restored cars only.

* All Edge pads are reticulated polyester urethane foam; 9.5" edge to edge; 8" face; bevelled edge.

 

[ScottB]

Isnt it funny, how after a good detail your body reminds you of it for a couple of days.

 

[Nuke33]

Came out looking really well!

 

[Nimble]

Now I just need to wrestle with getting those pads & mf clean. THe Natty's seemed to have stained my white pad blue and I can't seem to get all the XMT 360 out of my orange pad.

For me, there are 2 *really effective ways of cleaning pads and soiled MF towels.

1) Put in a VERY small amount of snappy pad cleaner/wolfgang pol pad rejuvanator (both the same to my eyes and uses) in a 3 gallon bucket and with some hose pressure, power up some nice suds and then use those suds front and back on the pads as well as any really soiled MF towels. Let them soak for about 10-15min, then as you take them out, really rub in the remaining suds, then power wash the heck out of them while holding one at a time. They'll look and feel better than new. The MF towel, can then be removed, rinsed, and added to your other dirty MF's for a Micro Restore machine wash.

2) Same as above but with Dawn. No need to let them soak too much, as some say that attacks the velcro on the backing portion. Just put a big blob of Dawn in your bare hands, lather well, and then transfer that lather onto the pads and scrub it in real good, then hose off.

For pad cleaning, the sooner you attack the soiled pads, the easier it is to remove the stains/product. Even pure white pads come clean for me.

BTW, nice job on that Mustang, it looks nice.

 

[redg35]

For pad cleaning just get the xmt pad cleaner,it works great.............and btw the car looks great.After seeing all the reviews on the xmt 360 now i have to buy some,god this is addicting.........i need a drink now.

 

[punkey71]

Wow..Impressive to say the least. I have a 2001 Explorer with similar paint. While I washed/waxed in days gone by, I didn't take the care I do now. It looks a little crappy....I have swirls/hazing etc...just like you. I was gonna go with XMT 2 and then follow with XMT 360 but I think I'll just try the 360. It's absolutely amazing what you accomplished with it. From what I had read, I almost ordered #3 and debated #4, but I see XMT 360 can do A LOT!!!!

Nice work,
Harold

 

[Nimble]

The green pad is more aggressive in the EDGE system. Believe me. The orange fall in between the green and blue. It was custome made for AG. Here's Edge's chart.......

Details and suggested applications for The Edge 2000 buffing pads. Experiment with The Edge 2000 and discover the
best ways to match pad, chemical and procedure. Questions? Contact us for knowledgeable customer service.

Specifications


Aggressiveness & Applications


Texture & Color


40 pores per inch (ppi)

Part #E201​

Heavy Cut. Very aggressive cutting pad, works fast while reducing risk of burning. For heavily oxidized or

pitted finishes, removes wet sand scratches.

50 pores per inch (ppi)

Part #E202​

Medium Cut. Everyday cutting for average cars, light oxidation. Add compound for a flawless finish on base coats. A must in every detail shop.

60 pores per inch (ppi)

Part #E203​

Light Cut. Our most versatile pad: buff with light compound on clearcoats, rinse with water, apply polish or wax. Great for humid weather when waxes may cake.

70 pores per inch (ppi)

Part #E204​

Finish. Scratchless everyday polishing pad for any surface. Use with wax and polish. Removes swirl marks

and applies a fine gloss.

80 pores per inch (ppi)

Part #E205​

Ultrafine Polish. Ultra-smooth surface, finer than any pad on the market. Creates a bold, crystalline gloss.

For new, exotic or expertly restored cars only.

* All Edge pads are reticulated polyester urethane foam; 9.5" edge to edge; 8" face; bevelled edge.

Then why does Aaron @ Edge say that's not the case over and over on other forums? You're telling me the orange went from the most aggressive in Edge's line up to weaker than Green? Seeems odd to me. And I don't think it would be in AG's or Edge's favor to make 2 different versions of the orange pad. Seems contrary to making customers happy, and decreasing confusion among their line up.

 

[Gary Sword]

Looks Good! XMT 360 does a nice job on the light scraches.