Newbie to buffers and sealant

[cm581978]

Normally, I use Meguairs Nxt by hand to wax my car, but I feel that just half asses that. Should I be using a sealant afterwards? If I wear to buy a buffer, what pads would I need for both waxing and sealant?

 

[wicked stang]

sealant would go on before the wax. dont really need a buffer for just sealant/wax but more for polishing and correcting. im sure someone will have good pad recommendations though as I only use the buffer for polishing most of the time.

 

[Mystickeith50]

I am no expert at all. One thing I found is to make sure the car is properly cut down before application. Since my car stays relatively clean I will just clay it prior. If it is heavily soiled I will use my porter cable da polisher to really get at it and remove small imperfections. Also the meguires is not that great. I use bfwd paint sealant put on by hand. I get 6-8 months out of it.

 

[HitandRunDriver]

If you were to buy a buffer I'd recommend the standard Porter Cable XP7424 or the Griots Garage Orbital buffer. To get the most out of these units you'll want to get low profile pads such as the hydrotech low profile 5.5 inch pads in crimson for wax/sealants, orange for mild to moderate buffing, and cyan for heavily swirled paint. People have their preferences on wax/sealants but I've been using Chemical guys Blacklight topped with Lava.

 

[cm581978]

So obviously first wash the car, then sealant, wax and finally polish with a buffer? Or do I have my order mixed up?

sealant would go on before the wax. dont really need a buffer for just sealant/wax but more for polishing and correcting. im sure someone will have good pad recommendations though as I only use the buffer for polishing most of the time.

 

[00blkvert]

Wash, clay, polish, sealant, wax

 

[cm581978]

What polish do you guys recommend?

 

[GrnBullitt08]

Menzerna ^^^

Take your time and don't skip steps...

 

[cm581978]

So once you apply the polish/sealant/wax via the buffer, do you guys also get the polish/sealant/wax off using the buffer again, but with a different pad? Knowing what pads to use for polish, sealing and waxing is a bit confusing to me.

 

[28ONE]

Following this procedure...

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84488

 

[mpm_1]

Steps that worked for me listed below :

There are a ton of choices out there on what to use but hopefully this gives you some more specific ideas and info on steps.

Pad colors are in reference to the Lake County brand Hydro-Tech pads as described here >>> http://www.autogeek.net/hydrotech-low-profile-3pack.html

- wash with dish soap to help remove any prior wax
- clay bar using a detail spray for lubricant
- mask over with blue painter's tape around window / door edges...
- tape anywhere you don't want to be digging dried stuff out of later in the event some goes where you didn't want it to go
- plus you don't want to get this stuff on vinyl and rubber, particularly the glaze #7
- Mequire's ultra cut #105 applied with the blue pad
- Mequire's finish cut #205 applied with the orange pad
- Mequire's glaze #7 applied with the red pad
- final wax (I used Mother's California Gold Synthetic)
- all of my application steps were done with a Porter Cable 7424XP variable speed polisher
- i did the final wax application by hand but machine application is also an option
- all of my removal steps were done by hand using micro-fiber towels

I found watching these how to videos first helped >>> http://www.autogeek.net/video-porter.html

Previous owner of my car had swirled up the paint pretty good, so the #105 step for me was the most intensive but also the most productive.
There were areas I had to do a few times to really get everything out.

This was not done quickly but I was really happy with the end result.

 

[ModdedMach]

OP, id also recommend a Griots over a PC7424. Ive used them both, and on your first correction, the extra power of a Griots will absolutely make a difference.

If you wanna simplify your product inventory for making your car look right, you should also check out a leveling polish called HD adapt, it utilizes SMAT (Super micro abrasive technology). The polish will cut very well with a cutting pad, but also finish like a finishing polish.

I also love Menzerna products as well. Id check out detailersdomain or autoality for those needs. T at autoality has awesome deals on bulk MF towels as well.

 

[gothamite302]

+1 to the Griots over the PC it's just am all around better machine. There are a lot of polish and pad combos that will work great on Ford paint. The Lake Country HydroTech pads are great for weekend Warriors simply because of the relatively low cost compared to the high level of results.

As far as polishes go, you can't go wrong with Menzerna, HD, Meguiars (NOT the autozone compound/polish set) M105/205, Scholl Concepts (Amazing but expensive), and a few others. Always use high quality Microfiber towels to remember polish residue and anything else. The towels I use and exclusively recommend are MicroFiber Madness towels. Again, expensive but amazing.

As far as sealants, the selection is massive and can be daunting. I'd recommend using ANY of the following as they are all great but serve different purposes.

Pure sealants:
CarPro Reload
CarPro Hydr02
Blackfire Wet Diamond
HD Poxy
Menzerna Power Lock
Scholl Concepts W6+

All in one's:
HD Speed
Chemical Guys Blacklight
Scholl Concepts A15


Jonathan Arrecis
Premier Detailing

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[mrperple]

Most definitely get the Griot's DA. I noticed your in Jersey, so if your close to Phil @ http://www.detailersdomain.com/ swing by. He will point you in the right direction as to what to use and what process to follow. Detailing can be intimidating at first but it will all make sense with a little research.

 

[DDTCM]

Steps that worked for me listed below :

There are a ton of choices out there on what to use but hopefully this gives you some more specific ideas and info on steps.

Pad colors are in reference to the Lake County brand Hydro-Tech pads as described here >>> http://www.autogeek.net/hydrotech-low-profile-3pack.html

- wash with dish soap to help remove any prior wax
- clay bar using a detail spray for lubricant
- mask over with blue painter's tape around window / door edges...
- tape anywhere you don't want to be digging dried stuff out of later in the event some goes where you didn't want it to go
- plus you don't want to get this stuff on vinyl and rubber, particularly the glaze #7
- Mequire's ultra cut #105 applied with the blue pad
- Mequire's finish cut #205 applied with the orange pad
- Mequire's glaze #7 applied with the red pad
- final wax (I used Mother's California Gold Synthetic)
- all of my application steps were done with a Porter Cable 7424XP variable speed polisher
- i did the final wax application by hand but machine application is also an option
- all of my removal steps were done by hand using micro-fiber towels

I found watching these how to videos first helped >>> http://www.autogeek.net/video-porter.html

Previous owner of my car had swirled up the paint pretty good, so the #105 step for me was the most intensive but also the most productive.
There were areas I had to do a few times to really get everything out.

This was not done quickly but I was really happy with the end result.

On point but if you are gonna clay then there is no need to wash with dish soap first or vice versa. They both do the same thing so you would be pulling double duty.

 

[gothamite302]

On point but if you are gonna clay then there is no need to wash with dish soap first or vice versa. They both do the same thing so you would be pulling double duty.

You should always wash (or remove dirt) from the paint before you clay. You will get the clay contaminated way to quickly if you don't and that risks fine lines, scratches, or marring. Now the nanoscub wash mitt type setup is a little different but you do still technically wash first, the "clay"

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[ModdedMach]

You should always wash (or remove dirt) from the paint before you clay. You will get the clay contaminated way to quickly if you don't and that risks fine lines, scratches, or marring. Now the nanoscub wash mitt type setup is a little different but you do still technically wash first, the "clay"

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Yea, the mitt is a little different, but id still give her a wash down before using it.

Ive used the Nanoskin mitt with foam (from a cannon) and with QD. Once the mitt is broken in, IME, it works will with a QD like UWW as well.

 

[B2B]

Just finished detailing my wife's ES350 and here's my $0.02 on polisher. I have a Porter Cable, and a Griot's DA polisher. Porter Cable just can't handle anything bigger than a 3" pad so I have it set up to work on tight spots. The Griot's polisher is very strong, except it's not smooth and transmits a LOT of vibration to the hands.

I bought a Flex DA but never had a chance to try it out until today. The Flex is a BEAST. Every heavy pressure on setting "5" doesn't even begins to slow/bogs it down. I used an orange foam cutting pad with CG V36 and it was good enough for a "daily-driver" level detail. ALL the swirl and light scratches are GONE. There is a couple of pretty deep scratches (enough to catch with finger nail) left on the trunk and roof by the PO of the ES350, and the orange pad/Flex/V36 was enough to remove 80% of these deep scratches. To get them all out, I would have to use a heavier cutting compound, but it just wasn't worth the extra time for a daily driver...

 

[ModdedMach]

Just finished detailing my wife's ES350 and here's my $0.02 on polisher. I have a Porter Cable, and a Griot's DA polisher. Porter Cable just can't handle anything bigger than a 3" pad so I have it set up to work on tight spots. The Griot's polisher is very strong, except it's not smooth and transmits a LOT of vibration to the hands.

I bought a Flex DA but never had a chance to try it out until today. The Flex is a BEAST. Every heavy pressure on setting "5" doesn't even begins to slow/bogs it down. I used an orange foam cutting pad with CG V36 and it was good enough for a "daily-driver" level detail. ALL the swirl and light scratches are GONE. There is a couple of pretty deep scratches (enough to catch with finger nail) left on the trunk and roof by the PO of the ES350, and the orange pad/Flex/V36 was enough to remove 80% of these deep scratches. To get them all out, I would have to use a heavier cutting compound, but it just wasn't worth the extra time for a daily driver...

Flex is a beast and my tool of choice. I have a flex 3401 and a PE14 and I love them.

The 3401 is direct drive, so you'll never bog it down, be sure to lubricate the valvet ring behind the backing plate.

If u think it's a beast with orange foam, get your hands on some Tufbuf wool pads or lake country foamed wool pads. ....that'll be a better bet than trying a new compound- that being said, having tried MANY compounds, I find chemical guys to perform mediocre at best (I actually have a review featured on their site). Their stuff isn't bad but isn't nearly as versatile in performance on multiple kinds of paint and the ability to both cut and finish.

If you haven't tried these I'd absolutely recommend them:

Meguiars 101: simply one of the most aggressive SMAT compounds around. Cuts HARD, especially with wool but finishes down well enough to final polish with most paints, it's also a piece of cake to work with, low dust, wipes off super easy and has a buffing cycle like a polish.
Menzerna Fg400: One of the best combos of cut and finish available. Will finish lsp ready on most paints with proper pad selection, it's a DAT compound, so properly breaking down the abrasives is important to final result. Not quiet as easy to work with as M101 but not hard by any means.
HD Adapt: SMAT adaptive compound that Cuts and finishes similarly to Fg400. You can also use this "leveling polish" to finish even softer paints as it changes character with pad selection.

I'm buying some M100 as well soon too, designed to work with wool. Super cheap. I'm interested to see how it does.

 

[B2B]

I'll have to try Meguiars 101... M105 and M205 are still my choice for heavy correction, but they dust like crazy and I've been avoiding them unless absolutely necessary.