This newbie got results :)

[brian45acp]

Well I have to say that although I did not use AG product I did buy lots of stuff from them in terms of tools and pads etc.

I was scared to death to use a PC for the first time and I think I drove the forum nuts with questions and the least I can do is throw up some pics and say a BIG THANK YOU to those who helped inform me.

I use Zaino product and had I been on this forum first I likely would have gone with what is popular here but I already had several hundred invested so that will have to wait until later. I bought the PC 7424xp and a bunch of pads of various colors and sizes. I ended up settling on the 5.5 LC flat pads and will be sending back the 6.5 CCS and extra pads I didnt use.

I studied Mikes tech and bought his PC How To video to get me going. I watches count less vids on here thanks to him and I think it all worked out in the end. I had issues with my ZPC, which is a swirl remover, drying up on me 2-3 section passes in. I tried everything and what worked for me was using spray water from my CR Spotless unit to mist the pad and keep it slightly damp. Per Zaino this is a tech to produce a stronger result and I figured it would provide lubrication which it did but I still couldnt get to 5-6 section passes. I wish I had bought what ever it is Mike was using in those vids where he primes the pad because it looked nice and thick.

Since Zaino is formulated to be applied by hand I started thinking 1/2 way in that this was the issue. I kept going with the PC and since my truck was brand new and the scratches were from a dealer Broom Wash I got away with no more then 4 section passes in most areas. When it came time to apply AIO and polish I gave up on the machine tech and went to work by hand. I had much better results and I have to say that if someone chooses to apply product by hand having a good quality product formulated for that is very nice. All the AG stuff I have been watching is machine applied so if I want to play with my PC more I will have to start researching what to buy that compliments a machine.

In the end I used the PC for the swirl remover and did the rest by hand which was another 4 layers of product with wipe downs of detail spray between to enhance the gloss for the next layer. The hard part was removing product but I got a method down that worked great but was just time consuming. Again I am going to have to keep my eyes out for AG product that comes off easier because I had a hell of a time for this step. The trick to zaino is thin and use sparingly so perhaps I went over board but still it wasnt fun to remove. I never had this issue before but I never had black paint and never used an LED light to inspect, lol. I blame all of you guys here for that. :xyxthumbs:

Well here are the pics and I have to say I have never seen black paint in person this clean and shiny. If it wasnt for the damn orange peel that cars come with now days it would be even better but its still pretty nice. The neighbors saw me for the past 3 days in the garage and I am sure they think I am nuts. When I pulled it out into the cool sun at about 5pm is when I started getting the compliments and people coming to look at it.



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[cleanmycorolla]

I'm a newbie to all this too, that looks great. How was using the PC for the first time? I have done everything always by hand, but using a PC or griots dual action has my interest indeed! Good job, nice work.

Side note, what year Corolla is in the background, is it yours? I have a 2009 I love!

 

[Spiney]

Beautiful shine. When you did use the DA what pad did you use, orange?
I'm still in the hundred question phase. But I'm going to see a Meguiar's MF factory demo on Tuesday, then I'll jump in. You done real well. All that hand apply and removal your arms and hands must be sore.

 

[swanicyouth]

Looks excellent. +1 on neighbors thinking your nuts.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Well I have to say that although I did not use AG product I did buy lots of stuff from them in terms of tools and pads etc.

I was scared to death to use a PC for the first time and I think I drove the forum nuts with questions and the least I can do is throw up some pics and say a BIG THANK YOU to those who helped inform me.

It's all good...

I wish I had bought what ever it is Mike was using in those vids where he primes the pad because it looked nice and thick.

In most of the videos I'm using Wolfgang or Pinnacle Natural Brilliance polishes unless it's a video for one of our vendors like Optimum or Meguiar's and the video is specific to their products.

Last Thursday night we used Menzerna and video taped the entire process here...

Live Broadcast Video - 1965 Plymouth Valiant - Extreme Makeover

The hard part was removing product but I got a method down that worked great but was just time consuming. Again I am going to have to keep my eyes out for AG product that comes off easier because I had a hell of a time for this step. The trick to zaino is thin and use sparingly

Thin coats works best for most finishing waxes and paint sealants, it's only when you're working on really neglected paint using a cleaner/wax that you want to use the product heavy or wet.

A tip for working with waxes, paint sealants or coatings that are new to you

The neighbors saw me for the past 3 days in the garage and I am sure they think I am nuts. When I pulled it out into the cool sun at about 5pm is when I started getting the compliments and people coming to look at it.

Makes all the labor of love worth it...


Nice work, you're truck looks excellent. Thank you for the follow-up to our forum it is appreciated.


:dblthumb2:

 

[BobbyG]

Hi Brian,

It's nice to see that after sticking your toe in the water you decided to jump in and enjoy it!! rops:

Understanding the basics and in what order to proceed is the foundation of detailing. As you continue, you'll learn new ways and techniques to improve your skills and to achieve the results you're looking for.

Your Tundra came out spectacular and don't worry about your neighbors. It's your truck, your time, and if push comes to shove compare your finish to theirs...You'll win every time...rops:

Welcome to the obsession!! rops:

45ACP - Don't leave home without it!! rops:

 

[brian45acp]

Hi Brian,

It's nice to see that after sticking your toe in the water you decided to jump in and enjoy it!! rops:

Understanding the basics and in what order to proceed is the foundation of detailing. As you continue, you'll learn new ways and techniques to improve your skills and to achieve the results you're looking for.

Your Tundra came out spectacular and don't worry about your neighbors. It's your truck, your time, and if push comes to shove compare your finish to theirs...You'll win every time...rops:

Welcome to the obsession!! rops:

45ACP - Don't leave home without it!! rops:

Always have my G21sf with me every day.rops: Good to see another gun lover on here. Most never catch what that means. Funny thing is my shooting partner is mad we arent taking the Tundra to the range, lol. I compete in USPSA weekly but I aint about to drive this thing down a dirt road to ruin all that work. I told him we are taking the corolla, lol.

Thanks for the help also. Lots of your links came up in my research and it helped me choose products.

 

[brian45acp]

To the other Newbies above:

I used an orange Lake Country Flat Pad with my swirl remover product. And yes that is my daily driver 2010 corolla in the back ground and right now the only thing clean on it is the hood and bumper because I practiced on it before touching my truck with the PC, lol.

For the corolla its going to get a paid for detail job because its just too much work and time to up keep a daily driver. A local gas station actually has a very nice detail section and they use Meguiars. For $120 I can sit for 1.5-2 hrs and let them do it. If I use all my Zaino product then I have to follow up with that and keep using it. I dont have time to wash our other 2 cars so I will go this route for now.

The PC was not hard at all to use and its more scary thinking about it then anything. When it came time to get it done there were no issues. It doesnt let you screw up and until you learn technique it wont cooperate with you thus eliminating damage to your paint. Like I said my product dried up because it was so thin and formulated for hand application. I would use what Mike was using in the vids next time. When I go through all my Zaino I most likely will be buying Wolfgang or Pinnacle. It was too hard watching all the vids and then trying to alter the technique to suit my choice of product.

I tried to apply thin coats but the way Zaino works is that its super clear even though it comes out colored on the pad. When it hits the paint you cant see it unless using an LED light. I would have to hit a section then grab my light and check I had good coverage. Seriously it goes on super thin and that was likely the problem I was having when it came time to remove it. A trick I was using was to mist my pad with pure water or distilled water. I bought the CR Spotless unit from Costco and it was like $400. Should work great but I havent tried it yet. It did work great for filling my spray bottles with water to wash the windows and mist my pads though. This helped the pad not need more product to spread thin layers.

In the end I am super happy and all that is left is to hit the tires and trim with some gloss.

 

[brian45acp]

Mike:

The Zaino swirl remover was hard to use because when you remove the product it leaves behind a milky look to the paint. Apparently this is normal and obviously once you go to the next step it comes out nice. The issue is its hard to see that all the fine scratches are removed because its not yet glossed up.

In your vids I noticed when you wiped the cleaner product off your paint was shiny and you could inspect for scratches. I think that was a huge advantage.

In the end I ended up with some very fine lines here and there but not very many at all. It takes the LED in the dark garage to find them but nothing that stands out really. I think on black paint like this its near impossible to get every square inch perfect. I cant imagine when I see you working on black that under an LED you get every little thing removed. I think some of what is left over may have been deep and now is just more superficial but I could just have missed them. I was getting lost on my sections and having to really pay attention at the 50% over lap rule.

A good AIO product seems to clear minor lines up pretty well but that would again be removing the polish. What do you guys do when its time to work a certain part of the paint that has a scratch? I mean do you just hit it with swirl remover and start that spot over with polish just as you had previously on the rest of the car? I just wonder how you get that spot to match the rest of the finish or if that even is an issue.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike:


What do you guys do when its time to work a certain part of the paint that has a scratch?

I mean do you just hit it with swirl remover and start that spot over with polish just as you had previously on the rest of the car?

I just wonder how you get that spot to match the rest of the finish or if that even is an issue.

3 great questions!


Here's the dealio...

If you're working on a "Daily Driver", not a show car. Then keep in mind that even if you take stellar care of it because it's a daily driver it's going to see future wear-n-tear and that means future swirls and scratches. It will be especially noticeable on black and dark colored cars.

Knowing the above and understanding that factory paint is thin, like I cover in detail in my how-to book and new Flex Video coming out, AFTER you do the first machine correction step which in my how-to book I refer it this as


The Major Correction Step - Page 102


Because it's the step that you should be removing the majority of all below surface paint defects, then what's left behind are the RIDS or Random, Isolated, Deeper Scratches.


And for the RIDS, you're normally better off to learn to live with then versus try to remove them because of the paint thickness, or rather paint thinness issue.

Again, we're talking about a daily driver, not a show car and your questions and concerns come up ALL THE TIME on detailing discussion forums because people become passionate about their car's paint once they start getting into this "detailing thing".

Also, after the major correction step where you've removed the majority of shallow defects, the only defects remaining are the deeper scratches and without the millions of shallow swirls and scratches surrounding these deeper defects acting to camouflage them they now stand out like a Sore Thumb.

And they bug you... because you can now see them so easily...

But let them go for the reasons I list on page 2 of this thread...



Great questions...


Also, see this thread...

RIDS - The Definition of RIDS and the story behind the term...



:dblthumb2:

 

[brian45acp]

So you only use swirl remover once and dont ever do it again? My plan is to use the AIO from here on out unless something new comes up then I can hit that area by hand with the swirl remover. I just wondered about reapplying the polish/wax etc to match that spot to the rest of the car after. I imagine you guys arent redoing the entire car after just one spot.

Its a good thing I didnt go with a really strong product and got results in as little as 3-4 section passes. There were a few spots I had to go up to 6 passes but for the most part I had very light marks being that the truck is new.

 

[cleanmycorolla]

Hey Brian thanks for your reply, you really did a swell job at second glance on those photos!

Also, your Toyota good luck with that, hope the job they do turns out well. Gotta keep that thing chugging for it's really good MPG!

Cheers man, you have skill.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

So you only use swirl remover once and dont ever do it again?

You hope you never have to use it again but reality is if you're working on a daily driver chances are if your GOAL is a showroom new finish all the time then besides being careful in how you "touch" the paint, that is wash and dry the paint and anytime you're applying and WIPING any type of spray detailer or spray wax, (all mean "touching" the paint), once in a while to restore that swirl-free showroom new looking finish you're going to have to re-polish.

Clear coats are harder than traditional single stage paints but they are also scratch-sensitive, that is they scratch easily. Doesn't matter how good you are at polishing paint or owning, driving and maintaining your car/truck, the paint will get swirls and scratches over time.


Read this, one of the better articles I've written...

The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints

My plan is to use the AIO from here on out unless something new comes up then I can hit that area by hand with the swirl remover.

Good plan... Maybe look at the G-P-S by Optimum, very little cut, easy on and off, high gloss shine...

I just wondered about reapplying the polish/wax etc to match that spot to the rest of the car after. I imagine you guys arent redoing the entire car after just one spot.

Good point as re-polishing just a spot a dark colored car/truck like black will make that spot more clear and visually this will look darker to you. By the time you wax or seal the entire vehicle it will have a uniform look though so no worried.

Its a good thing I didnt go with a really strong product and got results in as little as 3-4 section passes. There were a few spots I had to go up to 6 passes but for the most part I had very light marks being that the truck is new.

Looks great in the pictures! Share AGO with your car buddies, no nonsense help in a friendly atmostphere... it doesn't get any better than that...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[brian45acp]

Great read.

I guess a more to the point question is if it was a bad idea or dangerous to use swirl remover because it in fact did remove some clear coat?

I imagine all you guys on here that do this means that its not an issue. I just wonder for a better understanding how many times you could buff a car like that with swirl remover before killing your CC? I dont intend to do that I just want to understand the thickness of the CC and how much a swirl remover removes.

This truck is garaged and hardly driven. I am still trying to think of a system I can go by to prevent more swirls from getting back into the paint. I figure not trying to avoid a proper wash by removing dust with a detail spray is smart. I bought the AG foam gun to help deliver soap product to the paint and aid in removing dust/dirt before touching the paint. I have a CR Spotless system I bought so I can do a final rinse and then leaf blower dry. After that I will use the detail spray and a clean towel to shine it back up again. I used to just do daily wipe downs with detailer but that was on a white truck.

Next time I buy a car I will be sure to tell them not to touch it or wash it.