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I have a question about the order. Should I use products in this order? Clay bar -->Celaner wax --> polish --> Wax???

Thanks

Your process is close but generally this would be the correct order:

Wash/Dry - Clay bar - Medium abrasive/cutting polish - light abrassive/cutting polish - chemical polishes - glaze - sealant - wax

Cleaner waxes are typically like chemical polishes that leave some protection behind. Therefore they should be used after any pure polish. If you want to provide the exact products I can give you more specefics but most likely you'll apply the polish first and then the cleaner wax.

If you want me to help you develop a package or routine that best suits your needs please let me know. Good luck with the detail!

Greg @ Detailed Image

1) What creates Swirls ? I'm curious because I bought my car second hand and it has some spots with swirls. Is it from the type of towel/cloth used to clean the car?

2) Also is this what typically happens when you take your car to the car wash ?

3) Are car washes safe to take your car ?

4) When looking for a place to detail/clean your car. What kind of things should you look out for to know if they will do a good job? What kind of questions should you ask ?

Thank you

Originally Posted by Ramone

1) What creates Swirls ? I'm curious because I bought my car second hand and it has some spots with swirls. Is it from the type of towel/cloth used to clean the car? Methods in washing/drying car. Make sure to use a sheepskin mit with ph balanced soap. Rinse car down completely and dry with ww microfibers

2) Also is this what typically happens when you take your car to the car wash ?Never do that

3) Are car washes safe to take your car ?what did i just say

4) When looking for a place to detail/clean your car. What kind of things should you look out for to know if they will do a good job? What kind of questions should you ask ?Make sure your car is cool and in the shade. Soak car down with water in a streaming form to get rid of loose debris. Sprinkle car with water so it is covered in water, use a REAL sheepskin mit with proper mixture of soap/water and lightly wash car. Make sure the mit is gliding across the surface of the car. If any lag takes place, clean mit and start again. Repeat process over until it is done. Follow up by washing the car down with a stream of water to get rid of standing water on the car. Wipe remaining water off with plush ww microfiber towel.

Thank you

Its not a complete thing...i'm just heading to bed. If it isnt covered more by tomorrow I will give you a complete step by step instruction.

buy:
Real Sheepskin Mit
PH balanced soap
Two 5 gal buckets
at least one grit guard
2+ ww microfiber towels

Originally Posted by deafboy

Its not a complete thing...i'm just heading to bed. If it isnt covered more by tomorrow I will give you a complete step by step instruction.

Look forward to it

Also one more thing. I live in an apartment. Where can I get access to a hose

This process is not possible right if you don't have access to a steady water supply

1) Swirl marks are very troubling and I can understand the pain of seeing them on your vehicle. My personal opinion is that swirl marks are inevitable on some level. I've never seen a regularly driven vehicle that had no swirls. A lot of times you can't see the swirls unless your paint is in direct sunlight or under florescent lights and different colors make them more evident. Generally darker and flat paints show off these imperfections more. Now lets talk about how we can prevent more swirl marks from occurring.

First off, never go through a car wash that has any kind of bristles, cloths, etc. touching your paint. These will add large sweeping swirl marks that are sure to dull the clear coat. Swirls are most commonly added during the washing and drying process so make sure your washing mitt/sponge and drying towels are as clean as possible. Contaminates get lodged between your mitt/sponge and the paint and they get grinded into the clear coat. Your washing tools should be replaced as they become saturated with debris, contaminates, etc. The safest and best washing tool I have is a Sheepskin Wash Mitt because of its ability to safely break up contamination and release contaminates when dipped in water. Its also very thick so it’s less likely to grind in contaminates as it breaks them up. I dry with two microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towel, because they are paint safe and absorb so much water. I don’t really like cotton and other materials because they aren’t always paint safe. I only dry areas that have been washed thoroughly (I don’t use them to clean door jambs, panels underneath the vehicle, exhaust tips, wheels, etc.). Keep these towels as clean as possible. Do you use the two-bucket method? Basically one bucket has water another with water and shampoo. Dip your sponge and mitt in the shampoo and water mix and start washing some panels. After washing some panels, dip the sponge in the bucket with just water to release contaminates and then dip it back in the water shampoo mix and keep washing.

To prevent more swirls from occurring, apply a durable layer of protection with a sealant. When your looking to apply the maximum protection for your vehicle you will want to use a sealant. Sealants are synthetic materials that are engineered chemically to replicate the characteristics of a wax. With improved technological advancements most sealants offer longer lasting protection than traditional waxes. Contamination tends to come off with a simple wash and dry when your vehicle is properly protected so make sure you paint has a proper coat of sealant on today.


2 and 3) I would never bring my vehicle to any car wash that has bristles and people who dry your vehicle. I don'y really like the touch free washes too much either, but occassionally when the roads get really salty/snowy and its below freezing for an extended period of time I'll get one.

4) I honestly recommend you care for your vehicle yourself. Its very difficult if not impossible to find someone who will care for your vehicle as you would. I also think doing it yourself is very rewarding when you understand the process and are able to get professional like results yourself. If your looking for someone else to do your vehicle here are some things you can look for or ask about. Whats their washing process? Do they use a dirty mitt, dirty towels, etc? What is their exact process (polish, wax, clay bar, etc)? A lot of times places use products that have lots of silicone or glaze in them so it hides a lot of imperfections and looks great initallly. However this look doesn't last too long nor does the protection. Ask them for the name of the products they are using. I would ask what kind of buffer are they using (rotary or orbital), if they use rotary I hope they know what they are doing.

I think your best bet is to look for referrals in your area. Just talk to someone at the detail shop for a few minutes. If they have good answers to some of those questions we asked before it should be apparent they'll do good work. Feel free to post what their answers were and I can let you know if the process looks good. In general I would also let you know that you generally get what you pay for. If its $99 for a clay polish glaze sealant wax you know the offer is just too good to be true. Expect to pay atleast $100 for a good base exterior.

Hope this all helped, let us know if you have any questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

1) Real Sheepskin Mitt : Eurow brand mitts @ Walmart, they are about $5. Try to pick one that's plush, thick and soft.

2) Do not use MF mitt on paint when washing your car...

3) Grit guard : Get it from usplastics.com (best price and service is awesome) and while you're at it, get some bottles or sprayers for future use.

Originally Posted by Gregs

1) Swirl marks are very troubling and I can understand the pain of seeing them on your vehicle. My personal opinion is that swirl marks are inevitable on some level. I've never seen a regularly driven vehicle that had no swirls. A lot of times you can't see the swirls unless your paint is in direct sunlight or under florescent lights and different colors make them more evident. Generally darker and flat paints show off these imperfections more. Now lets talk about how we can prevent more swirl marks from occurring.

First off, never go through a car wash that has any kind of bristles, cloths, etc. touching your paint. These will add large sweeping swirl marks that are sure to dull the clear coat. Swirls are most commonly added during the washing and drying process so make sure your washing mitt/sponge and drying towels are as clean as possible. Contaminates get lodged between your mitt/sponge and the paint and they get grinded into the clear coat. Your washing tools should be replaced as they become saturated with debris, contaminates, etc. The safest and best washing tool I have is a Sheepskin Wash Mitt because of its ability to safely break up contamination and release contaminates when dipped in water. Its also very thick so it’s less likely to grind in contaminates as it breaks them up. I dry with two microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towel, because they are paint safe and absorb so much water. I don’t really like cotton and other materials because they aren’t always paint safe. I only dry areas that have been washed thoroughly (I don’t use them to clean door jambs, panels underneath the vehicle, exhaust tips, wheels, etc.). Keep these towels as clean as possible. Do you use the two-bucket method? Basically one bucket has water another with water and shampoo. Dip your sponge and mitt in the shampoo and water mix and start washing some panels. After washing some panels, dip the sponge in the bucket with just water to release contaminates and then dip it back in the water shampoo mix and keep washing.

To prevent more swirls from occurring, apply a durable layer of protection with a sealant. When your looking to apply the maximum protection for your vehicle you will want to use a sealant. Sealants are synthetic materials that are engineered chemically to replicate the characteristics of a wax. With improved technological advancements most sealants offer longer lasting protection than traditional waxes. Contamination tends to come off with a simple wash and dry when your vehicle is properly protected so make sure you paint has a proper coat of sealant on today.


2 and 3) I would never bring my vehicle to any car wash that has bristles and people who dry your vehicle. I don'y really like the touch free washes too much either, but occassionally when the roads get really salty/snowy and its below freezing for an extended period of time I'll get one.

4) I honestly recommend you care for your vehicle yourself. Its very difficult if not impossible to find someone who will care for your vehicle as you would. I also think doing it yourself is very rewarding when you understand the process and are able to get professional like results yourself. If your looking for someone else to do your vehicle here are some things you can look for or ask about. Whats their washing process? Do they use a dirty mitt, dirty towels, etc? What is their exact process (polish, wax, clay bar, etc)? A lot of times places use products that have lots of silicone or glaze in them so it hides a lot of imperfections and looks great initallly. However this look doesn't last too long nor does the protection. Ask them for the name of the products they are using. I would ask what kind of buffer are they using (rotary or orbital), if they use rotary I hope they know what they are doing.

I think your best bet is to look for referrals in your area. Just talk to someone at the detail shop for a few minutes. If they have good answers to some of those questions we asked before it should be apparent they'll do good work. Feel free to post what their answers were and I can let you know if the process looks good. In general I would also let you know that you generally get what you pay for. If its $99 for a clay polish glaze sealant wax you know the offer is just too good to be true. Expect to pay atleast $100 for a good base exterior.

Hope this all helped, let us know if you have any questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Thanks greg for the help.

I will def. get back to you if i need more help

Question for you Greg. I'm just curious what you think about the Meguiar's 3 step Deep Crystal System? I bought it yesterday and didn't use it yet but i was wondering what your opinion is before i use it.

Well, this question is for anyone who used it. TIA

I haven't used the system so i can't speak about from personal experience. In general the Megs system gets good results but dont last particularly long. Hopefully someone on here can provide you some more insight.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Originally Posted by Gregs

I haven't used the system so i can't speak about from personal experience. In general the Megs system gets good results but dont last particularly long. Hopefully someone on here can provide you some more insight.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Thanks!

I actually was on M3forum where i asked the same question and i was told to use Meguiar's colorX and NXT tech wax. I read up on it and it sounds like good stuff, but they always make there stuff sound good.

So does anyone who used these products have any opinion on them(Meguiar's ColorX and NXT)? and are they used in combination with each other or just one or the other?

order placed! I had trouble getting the discount code to stick though,but it finally worked! Can't wait until this weekend to do it.

Thank you for the support, let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Greg @ Detailed Image

I have to detail someones car, but they have a **** load of dog hair everywhere, how would u get it out. I dont wanna ruin my vacuum filter, or carpet cleaner

Cut and pasted from my response to your post in the forum

Hair can be one of the worst things to work with in a detail, especially when its in fabric. The problem is that hair becomes traped in the fibers and will not be easily vacuumed out. Here is what I typically do:

Vacuum up the loose debris by doing one quick pass over the areas you're treating. Then I take a good clean brush and wipe the seats (if cloth) down vigorously. I work the hair towards a single point while working top down. Sometimes you have to work the brush in multiple different directions to effectively pull the hair out. I'll vacuum the brush a couple times while doing this brushing. Then I do one more pass with the vacuum more thoroughly. If any hair remains you can use a lint roller, tape, etc. When your done make sure you empty the vacuum's filter or bag.

Hope this information helps, let me know if you have other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Greg,

For maximum results, is it ok to do it in these steps for the polishing and glazing?:

orange pad SSR 2.5
white pad SSR 2.5 (is this step needed for maximum results?)
white pad SSR 1.0
black pad SSR 1.0 (is this step needed for maximum results?)
white pad FMJ
black pad FMJ (is this step needed for maximum results?)

If thats the case, I'm going to have to order an extra lake county white and a pair of lake county black pads over what already comes with the advance kit.

Originally Posted by BMW Loe

Greg,

For maximum results, is it ok to do it in these steps for the polishing and glazing?:

orange pad SSR 2.5
white pad SSR 2.5 (is this step needed for maximum results?)
white pad SSR 1.0
black pad SSR 1.0 (is this step needed for maximum results?)
white pad FMJ
black pad FMJ (is this step needed for maximum results?)

If thats the case, I'm going to have to order an extra lake county white and a pair of lake county black pads over what already comes with the advance kit.

I'd scratch the white pad with the FMJ (full mollecular jacket) as it really only requires a black finishing pad, having two seperate pads for a sealant is pretty pointless. If you meant FTG (finishing touch glaze) then you can use either a white pad or a black pad to get the job done, and you really won't benefit from having two pads for the glaze IMO. The pads you have laid out for the SSR's look perfect so you can tailor to the aggressiveness that is needed.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,

George @ Detailed Image

I bought a good sized package from detailed image that I have yet to use, its been a few months, but have been really busy. I lost my email that gave me some details on how to use the porter cable and what settings to use for each step.

Can someone give me a bit of a step by step on what to use when and with what pad and settings? Here is what I have. I had this all figured out awhile back and left it in my email but lost the email.

Intensive Polish
Final Polish II
Finshing Touch Glaze
Full Molecular Jacket
Nattys Blue Paste
High Gloss Acrylic Shield
Porter Cable
2 White Pads
2 Orange Pads
2 Black Pads

Also have all the micro fiber towels, washing mits, etc...

I am getting ready to due a full detail before teh winter season hits.

Reading our How To Page for each step will give you more details on each step. However here is a more brief expliantion of each step. Let me know if you need any more information on top of this, or if you have other detailing questions.

The Porter Cable speed depends on what step your doing in the detailing process (i.e. polishing, waxing, etc). Abrasive polishes need a little higher speed 4.5 - 6, chemical polishes, glazes, sealants, waxes, etc are applied at 3.5 – 4.5. If its your first time using the Porter Cable or if your new to detailing start at a lower speed and increase it as you become more comfortable with the buffer. When applying abrasive polishes like the Poorboy's World SSR line and Menzerna's Intensive Polish and Final Polish II your going to have to apply more product than other steps in the process, especially if its a new pad. With new pads apply a thick ring around the outside of the pad and reapply regularly until the pad is no longer dry. The amount you'll need with other products will vary tremendously depending on which product you have. A polishes needs a good thick ring where as a good sealant will require a very thin coating around the outside edge. With the buffer off smear the product over an area approximately 2ft X 2ft. With the buffer touching the painted area you just smeared the product over turn the buffer on. Work in a logical pattern such as: starting in the top left corner of your 2ft X 2ft square move the buffer at a slow and steady pace left to right, it should take about 5 seconds or more to get from one side to the other. Now move the buffer down and move it right to left overlapping the previous row by 50%. Repeat this process until you have done the entire 2ft X 2ft square. For your first set of passes apply medium pressure to the buffer to help the polishes break down, glazes, sealants, waxes only need light pressure. Now with the buffer still on repeat the same exact process up and down overlapping each pass by 50%. During this set of passes for polishes, glazes, sealants, waxes apply light pressure so the pad spins freely. This should result in each part of the paint receiving four passes from the buffer. The even distribution of product and heat will help ensure a good thorough and even detail. After you have completed an area make sure that you remove the excess product with a clean microfiber towel, this will thoroughly remove the product and reduce the risk of adding fine scratches. Good microfiber towels are plush and are able to pull the product off the surface as opposed to pushing it around the surface. Polishes will require 2 - 4 microfiber towels (16 x 16 inch) to remove all of the extra product, while sealants and waxes should need about 1 - 3 microfiber towels each (16 x 16 inches). If the towel is saturated with product use a new clean microfiber towel.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Final Polish II and Intensive Polish = Orange
Glaze and Jacket = White
Wax = Black

Is that right?