Time for new stuff - advice please!

[Hawk75]

Hi everyone - first post on the site but have been reading a lot!

I'm a newbie who bought CG stuff a couple years ago to get started. Guess the marketing got to me. Torqx polisher, orange, white, and black CG quantum hex pads, and VSS. The past couple years I've used VSS/orange pad followed by meguiars ultimate wax. Last year I bought CG Blacklight and put that on before wax. Anyway, as I've been learning more it seems there are much better products out there and I am running low. However, I've watched so many videos of different products and pads that I'm still not clear on what to get. Corrections needed are mostly light swirls and scratches, typical automatic car wash stuff (I know I know!)

I'm thinking a 1 step product followed by a wax or sealant is enough. I do think blacklight added some depth and gloss to my dark grey truck so maybe do that before the wax or sealant?

So...what 1 step correction/polish and pad combo? Sonax perfect finish or 3D One seem to be highly recommended? Can I use my CG orange or white or do I need a different pad?

What sealer or wax? Jescar ultralock+, Sonax pns, and Collinite seem to be highly recommended? Would like a simple apply and wipe off here.

If best to buy different pads I can do that, but considering I need several of each type it would be great if I didn't need to buy a bunch of new pads and could use my CG pads. I still even have a few unopened!

Vehicles include: Ford F150, Volvo XC90, Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Suggestions welcome! Thanks!

 

[PaulMys]

Your machine and pads should be fine to take care of light swirling.

3D Speed followed up with Collinite 845 is an outstanding combo that I have used countless times.

And........ Welcome to AGO!

 

[Hawk75]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!!

I was thinking maybe I should describe the scratches and swirling and I can be educated on what I call light ��

Looking at the car 95% of the time, I can't see any swirl marks or scratches. The paint has nice shine to it, the metallic really sparkles. The time it is most evident is in the evening when the sun is reflecting off the side of the car just right and I'm looking down the side. I tried taking a picture of it but can't get it to show. In that view I see a lot of light scratches. I took my VSS and orange pad to it a few nights ago and it only made it slightly better.

So given that info, is HD speed the right answer? If yes, should I use my orange or white CG pads? Also, what is the best way to apply the Collinite, black pad or by hand?

Thanks again and sorry if these aren't the brightest questions. I just want to try to get this right and not do any damage!

 

[PaulMys]

Those are light swirls if you can only see them in the right light 5% of the time.

I've never used any CG liquids, but many guys will tell you they are not well thought of for the most part.

Speed can be surprising in the amount of defect removal it can handle for an AIO (All In One). There are lots of variables. Product, pads, paint (clear coat) hardness, tools and techniques used.

If an AIO isn't "cutting it" though....... (pun intended), then there are a ton of great dedicated polishes to try. Sonax & 3D One (as you mentioned) are two excellent choices.


And there are no "stupid questions" here. We all started from square one.

 

[Hawk75]

Great thanks! I'll give 3d speed a go. Would you suggest I use the orange hex or white hex pad?

 

[PaulMys]

Great thanks! I'll give 3d speed a go. Would you suggest I use the orange hex or white hex pad?

The standard procedure in paint correction is to do a "test spot" with your least aggressive combo (Pad/product). Inspect your results, and then move to a more aggressive approach only if needed.

So.... Start off with your white pads.

 

[dlc95]

3D One is my go-to if I want to add protection like a wax, sealant, or coating.

If I want a polish and wax combo I use 3D Speed.

For the past year I've been using a combination of 3D abrasives, and Optimum for everything else. Foe some weird reason I really like it. But the Optimum does have a bit of a learning curve - at least for me it did.

I also use Duragloss to protect the paint after polishing.

111 is their pure sealant. It has just enough cleaners in it to ensure a good bond to the paint.

101 is one of their cleaner sealants. It has a very light abrasive and a similar protection package to 111.

Aquawax is their spray sealant. So easy to use and it's very durable.

You can use One or Speed with any of those pads. I still really like using the green, blue, and red Hex Logic pads, but I'm usually using Buff and Shine Uro-Fiber for heavier tasks, and Uro-Tec yellow for polishing. Those hex pads are actually manufactured for Chemical Guys by Buff and Shine, so you can get those same foam compositions here at the AG store if you wanted to save a little cash.

 

[Hawk75]

Great thanks everyone. 3D Speed and Collinite on the way. I'll start with the white hex pads and move to orange if needed. If I'm still not getting the results I'm looking for I'll pick up some 3D one.

Question on pads - how many uses can I get from each? I wash them with warm water and pad cleaner after each use. They seem to be in good shape but not sure if there is a recommendation for when to replace.

 

[dlc95]

Great thanks everyone. 3D Speed and Collinite on the way. I'll start with the white hex pads and move to orange if needed. If I'm still not getting the results I'm looking for I'll pick up some 3D one.

Question on pads - how many uses can I get from each? I wash them with warm water and pad cleaner after each use. They seem to be in good shape but not sure if there is a recommendation for when to replace.

I usually have to replace my pads when the velcro wears out, or thebfoam starts to degrade.

 

[pilotpip]

Great thanks everyone. 3D Speed and Collinite on the way. I'll start with the white hex pads and move to orange if needed. If I'm still not getting the results I'm looking for I'll pick up some 3D one.

Question on pads - how many uses can I get from each? I wash them with warm water and pad cleaner after each use. They seem to be in good shape but not sure if there is a recommendation for when to replace.

I'm sure it depends on how often you use them, and how many you have to rotate through. I have 6 of each of the older ccs white and orange, and 6 of each of the orange and white thin pro in my detailing bin. They're all going on 5 years old with no sign of slowing down but I only use them 3 or 4 times a year. I clean them thoroughly after each use and let them dry out.

 

[Hawk75]

Thanks. I have 3 of each and have probably used them 6 or 8 times total. I wash them with warm water and pad cleaner each time and air dry them. They still look and feel new. Sounds like I should be good for a while longer before needing new pads!

I did read a review of 3D speed where the guy got really good results with Rupes yellow pads....so I did pick up a couple of those too... couldn't resist

 

[noorth]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!!

I was thinking maybe I should describe the scratches and swirling and I can be educated on what I call light ��

Looking at the car 95% of the time, I can't see any swirl marks or scratches. The paint has nice shine to it, the metallic really sparkles. The time it is most evident is in the evening when the sun is reflecting off the side of the car just right and I'm looking down the side. I tried taking a picture of it but can't get it to show. In that view I see a lot of light scratches. I took my VSS and orange pad to it a few nights ago and it only made it slightly better.

So given that info, is HD speed the right answer? If yes, should I use my orange or white CG pads? Also, what is the best way to apply the Collinite, black pad or by hand?

Thanks again and sorry if these aren't the brightest questions. I just want to try to get this right and not do any damage!

If you're chasing perfection, you should probably pick up a microfiber or wool pad. Microfiber usually for a DA, wool rotary. Rupes wool pads apparently work well on a DA. In most cases you will have to 2 step when using fiber pads and heavy cut compounds. Sonax cutmax, 3D ACA 510, Carpro ultracut etc many others. I like cutmax I have never seen a reason to try another heavy compound frankly, i've only used cutmax on a few spots on my car and test panels. It's easy to use. Not much dust, if any, decent bottles and simple wipeoff.

Personally i don't chase perfection. It's impossible on my 2016 bluestreak toyota.

 

[PaulMys]

I always keep a bucket with some 3D Towel Kleen solution in it as I’m polishing.

When I’m done with a pad, it gets a spritz of pad cleaner, a little brushing with a pad cleaning brush, and gets plopped in the Towel Kleen face down.

After 5-10 minutes of soaking, they come out looking like this every time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Calendyr]

The Torq machines are really good. I love mine and use it a lot in a profesionnal setting.

Most product will yield good results if you use them correctly. CG have some great products and also some products that really under perform the competition. It's not all bad.

If you want to go with a cleaner wax, my suggestion would be Meguiars D166 Ultra polishing wax. A lot of people swear by HD Speed. When I tried it side by side with Megs D166, I got a better result with D166. Doesn't mean Speed is bad though. These are inexpensive products, if you are not happy with what you purchase, just try something else when the bottle is empty. Just don't fall in the rabbit hole of buying 20 different things that do the same thing like most of us did

 

[Calendyr]

Great thanks everyone. 3D Speed and Collinite on the way. I'll start with the white hex pads and move to orange if needed. If I'm still not getting the results I'm looking for I'll pick up some 3D one.

Question on pads - how many uses can I get from each? I wash them with warm water and pad cleaner after each use. They seem to be in good shape but not sure if there is a recommendation for when to replace.

The pads durability depends on a lot of factors but the one factor you can control is the speed you use on the polisher. I used to put the polishers on max speed and my pads would die really quickly. Now I use speed 4 or 4.5 out of 6 and they last much longer. Usually for me it's the velcro that looses adherance over time. When they no longer want to stay attached to the polisher under power, I throw them out. If you do a lot of heavy compounding the foam might also fail faster. On my heavy foam cutting pads, the foam usually goes before the velcro.

As for how many times you can use them, really hard to say. It depends how long you use them and how hot they get. For me, I would say probably something like 20 uses per pad? I use 2 pads when doing a car. When the pad gets dirty, I clean it with the pressure washer and put it aside. I switch to pad 2 and work until it's dirty and rotate them until the car is done. Some people use 6 pads per vehicle... that works too. Just find a system you like and stick to it. Just make sure not to work with dirty pads.

 

[Calendyr]

If you're chasing perfection, you should probably pick up a microfiber or wool pad. Microfiber usually for a DA, wool rotary. Rupes wool pads apparently work well on a DA.

I have never tried the Rupes wool pads, but I use the wool pad from a local company and they are very good for heavy defect removal with a compound, to remove sanding marks for exemple, or to do an all-in-one on a vehicle with really bad paint. They are a step above micro-fiber cutting pads in terms of agressiveness. I am talking about wool pads for DAs here, not the rotary ones.

If using either micro fiber or wool pads, make sure to have a brush to loosen the fibers after each section you do.

 

[dlc95]

The Torq machines are really good. I love mine and use it a lot in a profesionnal setting.

Most product will yield good results if you use them correctly. CG have some great products and also some products that really under perform the competition. It's not all bad.

If you want to go with a cleaner wax, my suggestion would be Meguiars D166 Ultra polishing wax. A lot of people swear by HD Speed. When I tried it side by side with Megs D166, I got a better result with D166. Doesn't mean Speed is bad though. These are inexpensive products, if you are not happy with what you purchase, just try something else when the bottle is empty. Just don't fall in the rabbit hole of buying 20 different things that do the same thing like most of us did

I had a similar experience between Speed and D166.

But I used them on a trailer.

I actually prefer M06 Cleaner Wax to 166 though.

 

[dlc95]

The pads durability depends on a lot of factors but the one factor you can control is the speed you use on the polisher. I used to put the polishers on max speed and my pads would die really quickly. Now I use speed 4 or 4.5 out of 6 and they last much longer. Usually for me it's the velcro that looses adherance over time. When they no longer want to stay attached to the polisher under power, I throw them out. If you do a lot of heavy compounding the foam might also fail faster. On my heavy foam cutting pads, the foam usually goes before the velcro.

As for how many times you can use them, really hard to say. It depends how long you use them and how hot they get. For me, I would say probably something like 20 uses per pad? I use 2 pads when doing a car. When the pad gets dirty, I clean it with the pressure washer and put it aside. I switch to pad 2 and work until it's dirty and rotate them until the car is done. Some people use 6 pads per vehicle... that works too. Just find a system you like and stick to it. Just make sure not to work with dirty pads.

These days all my pads die due to velcro wearing out. Very frustrating to throw away a perfectly good pad because the velcro died!

 

[PouncingPanzer]

I have been using the Detail Guardz Pad Cleaning System and wow is that easy to use. Pad looks new in seconds. Worth the $60 I paid for it(with shipping). Take cares of the pads and they will return the favor by lasting a long, long time. This is coming from someone who doesn't put high mileage on their pads though.

I am mostly concerned about how long the Velcro holds up....that is probably the weak point of most pads.

 

[PaulMys]

I'm sure it depends on how often you use them, and how many you have to rotate through. I have 6 of each of the older ccs white and orange, and 6 of each of the orange and white thin pro in my detailing bin. They're all going on 5 years old with no sign of slowing down but I only use them 3 or 4 times a year. I clean them thoroughly after each use and let them dry out.

And the more pads you have/use, the less each one has to work. Which makes them last a very long time. I have about 20 LC orange flats, and about 12 whites.

They are going on between 7 and 8 years old, and are still like new. But like you, I only use them a few times a year. Using the pads professionally is a whole other ballgame........