[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

I generally use plain water to rise off any dust and dirt particles after which I use ArmorAll wash n wax solution diluted in water as suggested. After the wash, I use microfiber towels (from Turtle Wax) to dry the vehicles. Since the shampoo already contains carnauba wax i dont do a wax polish again. Please note that i use a mf towel to wash the bike as well.

Off late i have noticed swirl marks on the paint and on the plastic/fiber parts (on my ninja) there are a wee bit of scratches inflicted by my knee guards. The scratches are mild and not deep. I cannot see the base paint and neither can i feel them when i run my fingers over them, but they are clearly visible in broad daylight.

I want to get rid of these swirl marks and scratches so I tried the Formula 1 Scratch Off but it didnt help one bit. Just picked up Turtle Wax super hard shell and yet to try that and see if the situation improves.

Can the experts here suggest what I should do? Please note that the tank area of my ninja has swirl marks and no scratches while the plastic tail area has some scratches (light ones only).

I greatly appreciate all the inputs towards my query.

P.S. Nirmal, have sent you a PM.

Aditya - Your technique for washing is correct, you can refer this detailed video for tips & techniques on washing & drying ! Washes with wax contain very little amount of wax & meant for surfaces already coated with a layer of wax.

Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and

I would suggest using only microfiber towels for your detailing needs. Nothing beats them in ease of usage, cleaning & longevity. The blue 3M ones are the best ive seen. Even the Cobra ones are excellent. Have tried the Turtles. A link below giving details about microfiber. Captain slow - for your reference too !

Learn About Microfiber from the microfiber experts at Cobra! Microfiber towels & tools are the future of car care detailing!

The scratches/swirls you have indicated can be easily removed with a buffing job with a rubbing compound applied by DA/rotary. (As long as you cannot feel the scratches with your nail) A claying job would be must to remove bonded contaminants from the paint finish first before embarking on other steps to restore a paint finish like new on your Ninja !

Once done, you can protect the paint using a coat of sealant like Meguiars NXT 2.0. This will form a sacrificial barrier coating protecting you paintwork from the environmental factors like bird poo, brake dust, dirt, acid rain etc.
As you go on long drives, it will help in easy removal of dust & dirt etc.

Have reached out to you with my contact details !

[Garipagol]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

Here is my thought on this whole thread. Its become too long thread and one has to really go through each page to know what are the products that can used for detailing. Is there a way we can consolidate and put it up in one page.
As mentioned by Aditya, so many methods are confusing and we cannot help on that as each of us would have tried different things in different manner but atleast we can list the products that can be used and update it regularly.
I follow this thread everyday twice and sometimes i seems to get lost with the products names.

@mods, please delete this post if it is not appropriate.

I fully agree. In all other forums where I participate, Detailing and Car Care is a separate topic with its own threads. I think the time has now come to segregate this monolithic thing to be really helpful to the members.

Rgds

[shamanth]

Hi Guys, I finally Ordered this DA Polisher for around 8k, from shopyourworld with some discount coupon. And also avoided customs duty as its less than 10k. The specification exactly matches with meg's DA polisher. Below is the details.

"The NEW Kestrel DAS-6 Random Orbital Machine Polisher Is Here! The low risk way to high impact shine! 'Dual Action' machine polishers are low risk and produce far superior results when compared to hand application. The powerful 500 watt motor makes it ideal for removing swirls and minor scratches as well as applying glazes, sealants and waxes. This improved version includes a heavy duty 3.1 meter cable and a D-Handle for easy directional movement. Supplied complete with: Machine Polisher with UK plug, 5' Backing Plate, 6' Backing Plate, 2 Position Soft Grip Handle, Spare Motor Brushes x 2, Wrench and Manual. Fully compatible with backing plates and pads for G220, PC and UDM. Orbit size: 8mm. 6-Speed variable - 2500 - 6500 rpm. Movable side handle (left / right handed). Supplied with a 5' / 125mm Velcro Backing Plate. Aluminium gear housing cover. CNC-finished gears."

I never done any polishing so i want your help what are the basic things i should get along with this, so that i can start working on car as the polisher comes. It comes with 5 and 6 inch backing plate. So i should be buying polishing pads ? does polishing pad comes in different grade? i already have Meguiar's Complete Car Care Kit.

http://amazonin.co.uk.tarazz.com/Kes...0765899&sr=1-1

[sohail99]

Nice going!!

btw if you have 5" backing plate then you can order 5.5" pads as the smaller the pads, the easier it is for the DA to keep rotating them under pressure.

So you wont have any probs with a 5.5" pad!(+working in tight areas is easier)


Check this out - Machine Polishing by Dual Action Polisher - Full Guide - Detailing World

And start watching the videos!!! -

YouTube - Part 1 - How to remove swirls, scratches and water spots using a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher

YouTube - Part 2 - How to remove swirls, scratches and water spots using a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher

YouTube - Part 3 - How to remove swirls, scratches and water spots using a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher

[Akshay1234]

Can one, or a few of you guys, compose a guide on detailing? Covering all the aspects like washing, polishing, blah blah. It will really benefit members since im sure the mods will make it a sticky, and then people dont have to search in this thread for basic answers.

What say guys?

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by sohail99

Nice going!!

btw if you have 5" backing plate then you can order 5.5" pads as the smaller the pads, the easier it is for the DA to keep rotating them under pressure.

So you wont have any probs with a 5.5" pad!(+working in tight areas is easier)

Watched these video and got some knowledge and some doubts. Here are the steps which i could follow for DA polisher.

1. Wash the car with car Shampoo.
2. Apply quick detailer and give clay treatment
3. Swirl remover, Buff using Swirl remover with high speed with pressure applied. Use medium to high buffing pad depending on swirls.
4. Finishing, Apply Glazer and buff again to give glossy look with low speed with out much pressure applied.
5. Apply Wax and seal. Low speed with no pressure applied.

Questions

1. What Swirl remover liquid i should use? should i use scratchX or what other options i have, any series which is having a series with low and high abrasion?
2. Cutting pads for swirl remover, better to start with least cutting which is white(lake country) or medium-Orange?
3. Which is the good glazer to buy? Glazer to be used with Black cutting pad(lake country) ?

[mkh]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Watched these video and got some knowledge and some doubts. Here are the steps which i could follow for DA polisher.

1. Wash the car with car Shampoo.
2. Apply quick detailer and give clay treatment
3. Swirl remover, Buff using Swirl remover with high speed with pressure applied. Use medium to high buffing pad depending on swirls.
4. Finishing, Apply Glazer and buff again to give glossy look with low speed with out much pressure applied.
5. Apply Wax and seal. Low speed with no pressure applied.

Questions

1. What Swirl remover liquid i should use? should i use scratchX or what other options i have, any series which is having a series with low and high abrasion?
2. Cutting pads for swirl remover, better to start with least cutting which is white(lake country) or medium-Orange?
3. Which is the good glazer to buy? Glazer to be used with Black cutting pad(lake country) ?

Nice purchase, though its still 2K more than buying from the UK, however the best we can get here
I have found the duo of Megs UC and SwirlX to be the BEST and easiest. I have used them on 3-4 cars now and each time i have had no need for a finishing glaze etc. All i did is just use that and top it up with a sealant(by hand)
I will strongly suggest starting off with SwirlX and if does not do the job- go with UC. I see that you are using on a ANHC? I used UC as the paint is hard and it will also take a while to break down.( ultimate compound from meguiars)

[sohail99]

I totally agree with mkh!!

UC and SwirlX are the best OTC products for swirl removal! I've used both with success.

After finishing with, say swirlX you wont need a glaze as it finishes LSP ready(UC also finishes LSP ready)

ScratchX 2.0 is less agressive than UC and more than SwirlX. So technically, I'd try using ScratchX2.0 with a DA(since its kinda in the middle! - Aggressiveness Order for New Consumer Products - This will surprise you! - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online)

2. Orange pad is enough for serious defect removal(yellow removes hell lot of paint!)

White is like a all round pad! You can use UC as well as SwirlX with it if the defects aren't that serious.

Black finishing pad has no cutting ability, its just used to jewel paint to perfection with a finishing polish(like SwirlX) or apply glazes and even sealants/waxes.

(its also recommended to start with the least aggressive pad)

3. Glazes are generally not needed. But if you want one, get a one which is light color specific(PB White diamond)

All that glazes do, is fill in minor imperfections and defects and make the paint look defect free and add a deep gloss!(Temporarily!(as in the filling effect produced by glaze will last at least 2-3 weeks or even a month))

Yes, glazes can be applied with a black pad

[PerfHuman]

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right thread. But i got a dent on my new Figo (not sure how) and was wondering whether i should do anything to prevent any further damage to color.

I have attached the pic



Thanks

[sohail99]

Sorry for the dent!
If the scratch however catches your fingernail, then its just too deep to remove.

Other scuffs seem pretty superficial

The deeper one can be touched up with a superfine brush or a needle!

For paint protection, you might wanna consider getting a PP film - Welcome to LLumar website

[shamanth]

Thanks mkh, and thanks sohail for making things so clear. Will wait for my Polisher to arrive and slowly start buffing.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Shamanth - Great going !

Have you picked up a dedicated paint sealant ? I didnt see one in your collection, you can look at Megs Nxt 2.0/Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant/Black fire etc.

You can apply 2 coats separated by a 24 hour period for curing each coat.

You can also consider picking up a bottle of Collinite 845, it will add that extra gloss & warmth on top of the sealant ! Ive used it on our silver ANHC & it makes the silver a bit more glossy. its got good life in our Indian conditions & pretty easy to apply & rub off too.

Happy detailing

[nirmaljusdoit]

After working on the Swift & being my first experience with the Megs twins & the mighty Flex 3401, it was now time to turn my attention to the Beemer.

Armed with my experience of the Megs twins & Mkh's experience of using 105, 205, UC & Swirl X on his ANHC, i decided go with Megs 105 & 205. This time i did not use water to prime the pads & decided to go with a priming of 105/205 only.

I also wanted to try out the Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant & check the durability, gloss & shine vs Megs NXT 2.0

(Test areas were the hood & fenders in front, rest of the car to be finished during this week !)

Process followed :

Wash down with Sonax gloss shampoo + Megs mitt
Clayed down with Megs clay & Optimum no rinse in clay lube dilution
105 with LC 6.5 " orange pad
205 with LC 6.5 " orange pad
One coat of Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant
3M /Cobra multipurpose Mf's- special mention for them, they are simply the best. Megs towels are no where close.

My observations :

- Claying in indian conditions needs to be done more frequently. Once in 3 months would be better. Our car is parked in the basement often & is hardly used. A claying was done 3 months ago & the grime accumulated on the horizontal surfaces was surprising !

- 105 dusts like hell, it was flying all over the place. I had to keep adding on more once the pad dried out.

- 205 is a dream to work with, super smooth & long working time.

- WGDPGS is very easy to apply, but not as easy as NXT to buff off. I left it on for more than hour, it had dried up but required quite more effort to buff away. (Gurus, please share your experiences with Wolfgang)

- Contrary to what i expected of german paint, it was not so hard to get the swirls out. couple of passes & a swirl free finish !

Enjoy the pics & please do post in your comments & suggestions !

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Shamanth - Great going !

Have you picked up a dedicated paint sealant ? I didnt see one in your collection, you can look at Megs Nxt 2.0/Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant/Black fire etc.

You can apply 2 coats separated by a 24 hour period for curing each coat.

You can also consider picking up a bottle of Collinite 845, it will add that extra gloss & warmth on top of the sealant ! Ive used it on our silver ANHC & it makes the silver a bit more glossy. its got good life in our Indian conditions & pretty easy to apply & rub off too.

Happy detailing

Is the sealant different from Wax ? I have a liquid wax so i thought that will do sealing job? Is the sealant applied after waxing ?

Collinite Insulator Wax is this the one? Its for glossy finishing after sealant is it?

[raghu230506]

Hello Experts,

I got my first lot on this sunday and Iam keen on testing SWIRLX on my ANHC, is UC a mandatory to start as Iam waiting for it. But can't resist myself in trying out. Any special attention one needs to take? I would be doing this by hand as I don't have a DA