Ask a professional detailer...

Originally Posted by nike001

I have a few questions, should be easy questions to answer:

• How do you remove old waxes before a detail? I've read that Dawn dish soap works pretty well, and I've used it before with no ill effects
• I have a certain 'cloudiness' in my hood & roof, I've been told it could be old wax that wasn't remove before paint correction. How do I remove that?
• I have LIGHT buffing trails that I noticed only 2 weeks ago in DIRECT sunlight...and I'm a clean freak for my car. How do I get those out without adding more?
  - (note) I've taken a white pad w/ M205 I think and I THINK I removed it off of the rear drivers side bottom pannel below the black trim
• I have very minor swirls, what is a recommended pad & polish recommendation? I have a variety of pads for my PC, and M105 & M205

Thanks in advance for any help!

I remove old sealant and and wax with the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash. Dish soaps do remove them but some people have reported with repeated use it dried out vinyl and rubber trim pieces.

Any decent polish with good arm pressure or a buffer would remove the old sealant or wax so I doubt that was the cause. I would try to polish the area again. Also what products (polish, pad, buffer vs hand) are you using?

The M205 and a white pad should be able to remove a lot of the buffer trails and is one of my go to combinations. If that doesn't do it or if that combination leaves too much behind try using the ultra light finishing polish Menzerna Micro Polish SF 4500 (PO85RD) with a black pad afterward.

I'm surprised to hear the M105 and M205 didn't remove the majority of swirls. I typically use at least two orange pads with the M105 and two white pads with the M205 afterward. Use about 10lbs of pressure and turn the PC up to speed 6, move slow and steady for best results. if you need more power try the Surbuf R Series MicroFingers Buffing Pads and the M105 that should do it!

Greg @ DI

Originally Posted by 330iZSP

I've got a quick question...

What's the best cure for a sticky button? My little brother thought it would be a great idea to leave a monsterous Sprite on my sunroof and I opened it... The drink fell through and filled up my shift boot with pop and got my DSC button as well as a few other buttons. Is there a good way to get rid of the "sticky" button?

Oh man sorry to hear it, I hope your little brother is okay and you didn't harm him. I would use a good cleaner like the 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover and a microfiber towel, q-tips or DI Accessories Foam Swabs - Flexible Head or DI Accessories Foam Swabs - Rigid Head. It just takes time and patience to get in to all the various spots the liquid will get in to. Afterward I'd get Leatherique Prestine Clean and Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil to use on the boot to deep clean it and make it feel like new again. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage.com

Oh man sorry to hear it, I hope your little brother is okay and you didn't harm him. I would use a good cleaner like the 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover and a microfiber towel, q-tips or DI Accessories Foam Swabs - Flexible Head or DI Accessories Foam Swabs - Rigid Head. It just takes time and patience to get in to all the various spots the liquid will get in to. Afterward I'd get Leatherique Prestine Clean and Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil to use on the boot to deep clean it and make it feel like new again. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

Thanks for the reply. I've got some Leatherique already and I didn't think to use it on the boot. My brother is actually fine, only because he's quite a bit bigger than me (even though he's my younger brother)... lol. I'm not sure if this was the right way to do it but, I just used my detail brush and got it a little bit wet with some cleaner and dabbed it around the buttons that got sticky and it ended up working well. Then, just let it air dry before I turned the car on to make sure the buttons still worked. They still have a little "stick" to them but they are a ton better than before.

Originally Posted by 330iZSP

Thanks for the reply. I've got some Leatherique already and I didn't think to use it on the boot. My brother is actually fine, only because he's quite a bit bigger than me (even though he's my younger brother)... lol. I'm not sure if this was the right way to do it but, I just used my detail brush and got it a little bit wet with some cleaner and dabbed it around the buttons that got sticky and it ended up working well. Then, just let it air dry before I turned the car on to make sure the buttons still worked. They still have a little "stick" to them but they are a ton better than before.

Glad to hear the problem area is much better. You want to use as little cleaner as possible to ensure you don't cause any further damage. Use the brush to work it in and apply more product as needed. Maybe try one more cleaning in the future but this may be as good as it's gonna get unless you want to take apart that area, which I generally don't recommend unless it's really needed. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage.com

I remove old sealant and and wax with the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash. Dish soaps do remove them but some people have reported with repeated use it dried out vinyl and rubber trim pieces.

Any decent polish with good arm pressure or a buffer would remove the old sealant or wax so I doubt that was the cause. I would try to polish the area again. Also what products (polish, pad, buffer vs hand) are you using?

The M205 and a white pad should be able to remove a lot of the buffer trails and is one of my go to combinations. If that doesn't do it or if that combination leaves too much behind try using the ultra light finishing polish Menzerna Micro Polish SF 4500 (PO85RD) with a black pad afterward.

I'm surprised to hear the M105 and M205 didn't remove the majority of swirls. I typically use at least two orange pads with the M105 and two white pads with the M205 afterward. Use about 10lbs of pressure and turn the PC up to speed 6, move slow and steady for best results. if you need more power try the Surbuf R Series MicroFingers Buffing Pads and the M105 that should do it!

Greg @ DI

I did the Orange pad w/ M105 for the main part and finished up with a black pad w/ M205. I got a lot of the cloudiness out, but not the buffing trails. I didn't do that much correction work either. Longer work times in an area I suppose? It was my first time using my Porter Cable.

Greg,
Can you PM me a phone number where you can be reached? I also sent an inquiry via your site

Originally Posted by nike001

I did the Orange pad w/ M105 for the main part and finished up with a black pad w/ M205. I got a lot of the cloudiness out, but not the buffing trails. I didn't do that much correction work either. Longer work times in an area I suppose? It was my first time using my Porter Cable.

You may want to then try the M205 with a white pad to get a little more polishing power to remove that haze. If you can test that combo out on a small area where you are seeing the buffer trails.

As for the cause the pad may have been a bit dry or too much pressure. When a pad is brand new use a little extra polish so the pad doesn't have dry spots. Another solution some like is spraying a tiny mist of quick detailer (i.e. Poorboy's World Spray and Wipe) on the pad before hand.

Hopefully this helps!

Greg @ DI

Originally Posted by Rooz

Greg,
Can you PM me a phone number where you can be reached? I also sent an inquiry via your site

Sending you a PM now!

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage.com

You may want to then try the M205 with a white pad to get a little more polishing power to remove that haze. If you can test that combo out on a small area where you are seeing the buffer trails.

As for the cause the pad may have been a bit dry or too much pressure. When a pad is brand new use a little extra polish so the pad doesn't have dry spots. Another solution some like is spraying a tiny mist of quick detailer (i.e. Poorboy's World Spray and Wipe) on the pad before hand.

Hopefully this helps!

Greg @ DI

This is all helping, thank you! Maybe if I have extra time and money this spring, I'll have a pro do it

Glad the info helped, don't hesitate to ask any other questions we're here to help whenever we can.

Greg @ DI

Greg,

I had a little mishap using some acrylic lacquer touch up paint on my newly resprayed car. Long story short, a blob cured over my urethane clear coat. I've heard these 2 chemicals don't play nice but so far there is no wrinkling or lifting of my existing finish. Is there anything in your experience that can remove touch up paint without harming the existing finish?

Originally Posted by kaboo0m

Greg,

I had a little mishap using some acrylic lacquer touch up paint on my newly resprayed car. Long story short, a blob cured over my urethane clear coat. I've heard these 2 chemicals don't play nice but so far there is no wrinkling or lifting of my existing finish. Is there anything in your experience that can remove touch up paint without harming the existing finish?

Oh man that sucks....sorry to hear it. Unfortunately this is not something I've had enough experience with to provide you with expert advice. I'd suggest contacting a body shop for more specifics on how to fix this situation.

Greg @ DI

Quick question. My front windshield is pitted with various chips a debre. Anything I can do, besides replacing the whole glass.

Got my car back from the dealer after a detail. It had swirls on the hood when I gave it to them, they're gone but now I see some oxidation marks on the hood. Isn't that something a detail would remove instead of uncover?

Originally Posted by Griff330

Got my car back from the dealer after a detail. It had swirls on the hood when I gave it to them, they're gone but now I see some oxidation marks on the hood. Isn't that something a detail would remove instead of uncover?

I could be wrong, but with my experience a quick detail, not a full detail, can uncover some other issues. Waiting for Greg to correct me if I'm wrong...

Originally Posted by NaZty NaZe One!

Quick question. My front windshield is pitted with various chips a debre. Anything I can do, besides replacing the whole glass.

The Glass Science Glass Scrub is a great product to deep clean the glass and release contaminants trapped in the pores. However given your description I think the glass is too far gone for this to be very effective. I would contact your insurance company and explain it's become hazardous to drive with it and many companies replace it with no deductible, but obviously this can vary. Good luck!

Greg @ DI

Originally Posted by Griff330

Got my car back from the dealer after a detail. It had swirls on the hood when I gave it to them, they're gone but now I see some oxidation marks on the hood. Isn't that something a detail would remove instead of uncover?

If they successfully removed swirls on the hood they would have had to have also removed the oxidation as those surface imperfections go hand in hand. The oxidation is easier to remove so I'm guessing that you may be seeing something else. Some possibilities are they left holograms in the paint, check out this article for pictures http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...ograms-formed/. This happens when there is too much heat or pressure from a buffer. Another option is it's a residue left behind by some of their product. It's also possible with a good cleaning they revealed a flaw in the paint that was hard to see previously. If you have more questions try to attach some pictures and I'd be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

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Hi Greg,

I restore glass professionally, and I use a water-fed makita rotary buffer. It has a variable speed of 2000-4000 rpm. I am very skilled in polishing glass, I understand how to move the buffer and maintain enough polish to avoid burning the glass.

Is this rpm range safe for polishing car paint? -or should I pick up a PC DA. I have an old truck I can practice on before I take it to the BMW, but I figure you would know best. Thanks for your expertise!

Originally Posted by jeremy0000

Hi Greg,

I restore glass professionally, and I use a water-fed makita rotary buffer. It has a variable speed of 2000-4000 rpm. I am very skilled in polishing glass, I understand how to move the buffer and maintain enough polish to avoid burning the glass.

Is this rpm range safe for polishing car paint? -or should I pick up a PC DA. I have an old truck I can practice on before I take it to the BMW, but I figure you would know best. Thanks for your expertise!

You certainly can use a rotary buffer to polish but we don't recommend it for applying a sealant or liquid wax. In general I recommend a PC or the Flex for most users because there are risks with a rotary buffer on the paint. Since you have plenty of experience with it I think your transition to paint should be relatively smooth.

In general we recommend people new to polishing start around 900 RPMs to be safe. As they become more experienced 1200 - 1500 RPMs is a more normal range. Even though you have plenty of experience with the buffer I'd still recommend starting somewhere closer to 900 - 1200. If you leave the buffer in one spot for just a few seconds it's possible to burn the paint easily. Check out our polishing section of detailing guide to read more about using a rotary buffer. Lastly I would recommend getting a 5.5" pad with a 5" backing plate instead of such a large pad, for more control and safety. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI