the steps of detailing

[unique autodetaling]

hey sorry guys im trying to get as much info as i can dont mean to be a pain, ive been on website and isee compunds,waxes,sealents,polishes and waxes, what are the steps of preping the car and what steps do you do to remove old wax and sealents and such??? i know you wash the car first tape off edges, but then what do you do from there use a polish first then follow that with a sealent such as klasse then wax plz help what steps do yo u do like if you have swirls clean the car of caurse then what use a swirl remover of your choice then polish, seal the paint and then wax??? im lost so plz help any info would be apprciated

[bert31]

hey sorry guys im trying to get as much info as i can dont mean to be a pain, ive been on website and isee compunds,waxes,sealents,polishes and waxes, what are the steps of preping the car and what steps do you do to remove old wax and sealents and such??? i know you wash the car first tape off edges, but then what do you do from there use a polish first then follow that with a sealent such as klasse then wax plz help what steps do yo u do like if you have swirls clean the car of caurse then what use a swirl remover of your choice then polish, seal the paint and then wax??? im lost so plz help any info would be apprciated

1) I start with the wheels. If this is the first time the car has been detailed, it is safe to assume the car is loaded with brake dust. I use two buckets soley for wheels, tires &wheel wells and use the two bucket method. In the wash bucket I use a stronger than normal dilution of soap and my use a cup or so of APC. I take the wheels off and start with the backs. I spray them with Danase Tire and Wheel Assasin and allow that to sit and work its magic on the wheels. I then wash the backs with the strong soap. If there is still some stubborn brake dust, I will use a medium strength clay to remove that. Finally rinse and dry the wheels, put them back on the car and apply a tire dressing. I repeat all this on the front of the wheel and repeat this for all the wheels. I then throw out the wash and rinse buckets and sit them aside so I don't use them to wash the paint.

2) Wash the paint. I use the two bucket method and use a wash a little stronger than for my weekly washes since not stripping the sealant/wax is not a concern. I may also add a cup of APC to assist in the cleaning and wax stripping. I will rinse the car off thoroughly and spray the APC all over it and then wash using the two bucket method. Washing an area at a time cleaning off my wash mitt or grout sponge in the rinse water and redipping in the wash bucket between each area to make sure my mitt/sponge is always clean to prevent even more marring. After the car is clean, I will thoroughly rinse but not dry because I will wash the car again when I clay in the next step.

3) I will wash again with two bucket method again using a little bit stronger wash than usual but no APC and clay while washing. The reason I don't clay on the first wash is that I want to remove any dirt or debris before I start rubbing the clay over the paint. It just feels safer. Also, it seems like claying is more thorough when the wax has already been stripped. Maybe that is in my head but it sure seems that way.

While claying, I will have the wash mitt or sponge in one hand the clay in the other and just clay areas as I wash them. I still wash an area at a time and clean off my mitt/grout sponge in between areas but I will let the areas get a little larger since the paint is pretty clean now. After the car is clayed I rinse it and dry it and it is now reading for polishing.

4) Now that I have moved to a rotary, all of my correction is done on rotary with wool rather than on a dual action polisher like the PC. However, since I saw you were getting a PC, I will tell you what I would do if I had a PC. Since you will be using a PC you don't HAVE to tape up the car but it is probably a good idea to. To correct the swirls, I would use a cutting pad such as Lake Country Orange no larger than 5 inches (possibly as small as four inches if the paint is hard) so I could apply some pressure to the PC while polishing without bogging down the polisher. For my polish, I would use a decent cutting compound. The kit you mentioned in another thread mentioned PB's SSR 2.5. That will work. Instead of my telling you what procedure to use while polishing, this video does a pretty good job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89323lmQ2LI

5) After removing all of the swirls, I would go to a finish polish and polishing pad to bring out the gloss of the paint. A white Lake Country pad and the SSR 1 in the kit you mentioned should do fine at that. Again refer to the video for the best method of polishing.

6) At this point, the paint should look pretty good. I would wash the car at this point to get the polishing oils off and any splatter before putting my AIO/Paint Cleaner/Glaze then my sealant or wax. Some detailer only do a wipe down with rubbing alcohol. I like to just go ahead and wash the car. Your preference.

7) At this point, the paint should look great and only needs some protection on it. If you want, you can just use a sealant or wax. Before I put down a sealant or wax, I look to use something under it like an AIO (All in One) or glaze. (if you use a sealant and want to use a glaze, make sure it is polymer based like Danase Wet Glaze and not oil based like the majority of glazes). Apply the AIO or glaze by hand with an applicator or with a soft finishing pad such as Lake Country Gray/Black or Blue or Red or the new Gold on the PC. It it your choice.

8) I would then apply your wax or sealant. The kit mentioned above has Poorboy's Natty's Paste Wax which will be fine.

[unique autodetaling]

hey bert thanks for the right up man rlly apprciated, ok so i should use the tire assin fron bob for the tirs rims got that,ima buy the grit guard as well, ok next step is to wash it of course then claybar the car that will strip the cars wax correct what was that "apc' you mentioned does that strip the wax ???then afteri clay it wash it agian??? what soap would your recomoned??

then use the cutting compund ssr2.5 for the swirls and then use the fininshing polish ssr1 then wash the car agian then use dannes wetglaze correct what does the glaze do btw??? then after that i can seal the paint and then use a good wax over it like the nattys past wax???

[bert31]

ok so i should use the tire assin fron bob for the tirs rims got that,

You can also use an APC (All Purpose Cleaner) but I think Tire Assassin will do a better/easier job.

ima buy the grit guard as well,

Good idea. Grit Guards are even more important when doing washes between details because once you have your paint swirl free, you want to avoid putting new swilrs in and the Grit Guards will help you.

ok next step is to wash it of course then claybar the car that will strip the cars wax correct what was that "apc' you mentioned does that strip the wax ???then afteri clay it wash it agian??? what soap would your recomoned??

The clay bar MAY strip the wax off. Like I said above, I like to strip the wax off before claying with the help of an APC "All Purpose Cleaner". An all purpose cleaners is a very strong cleaner that can be used for many purposes as its name implies. You can use it to strip your wax or sealant, clean dirty wheels and tires (should you forgo Assassin), the wheel wells, the engine, carpet, upholstery, the dashboard (diluted w/ water), leather (really diluted with water) and numerous other areas.

Soaps I have used that I like - Poorboys Super Slick and Suds, Poorboys Super Slick and Wax, Ultima Paint Wash Plus, and Durgloss Wash Concentrate. The Duragloss you can probably find at your local Napa or Carquest. During the winter when it is too cold to use the hose (like now in Louisville, KY) I use Optimum's No Rinse Wash and Shine. I lug two containers with 4 gallons each of hot water from my tub to my garage and wash much cars with out ever using a hose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYOAyxsEIuQ

Soaps I have not used yet but have heard are very good - Danase Gloss Amplifying Shampoo and Optimum Car Wash

then use the cutting compund ssr2.5 for the swirls and then use the fininshing polish ssr1 then wash the car agian then use dannes wetglaze correct what does the glaze do btw??? then after that i can seal the paint and then use a good wax over it like the nattys past wax???

You don't have to use a wax over your sealant. That is optional. Some people like the look it adds. Others don't like it because you cannot reseal the car with a sealant down the road, only add wax.

Basically a glaze gives the paint a "glow". You will notice the paint looks wetter and the reflections looks "deeper". I noticed a much bigger improvement on the looks of my paint with Danase Wet Glaze back before I moved to rotary. Because a rotary (if you know what you are doing) can finish the paint better than with a dual action polisher like the PC, the difference does not stand out as much but is still there.

A glaze does not have much durability so you will want to put some protection over it. If it is an oil based glaze, a sealant will not bond to it and you will have to use a carnauba wax. If it is a polymer based glaze then you can top it with a sealant, wax or both if you choose. Just make sure you put the wax over the sealant because a sealant will not bond with wax.

Edit
I wanted to come back to this post. When I stated a rotary will do a better job refining the paint than a PC, I hope you did not get the impression that you should go buy a rotary. Generally a noob should not go straight to rotary. A rotary in a noob's hands could result in burned paint or buffer trails or holograms that a noob would not know how to fix due to lack of experience. If you feel you absolutely want the best and therefore want to use a rotary, do you self a favor and watch ever single video on polishing with a rotary on YouTube and then go to a junk yard and buy a hood and spend hours practicing on it before you even consider using it on your car or someone else's car. Saying that, I would say you are better off starting with a dual action polisher like the Porter Cable 7224 or the Meguiars G110. Get a couple uses of a DA under your belt then if you feel the need to upgrade, start thinking about a rotary.

[unique autodetaling]

ok, well i dont feel comfy using an apc what car wash can i use to strip the wax off?? and then a good car wash to keep things nice and shiney. and u said you cant reseal the car only add wax whys that? cant you strip that off as well??and since i hear so much good stuff about the danasse i bliev i should just buy all the sam products becuase i want to be abel to wax over my sealent so plz tell me 2 car washed i need to strip wax and sealent and one to keep it looking nice, and what glaze shud i get and also wat sealent should i use??? agian the process is like this

wash
clay
polish
glaze/seal
wax???
agian thanks for all your help its rly helpfull

[bert31]

ok, well i dont feel comfy using an apc what car wash can i use to strip the wax off?? and then a good car wash to keep things nice and shiney.

No need to be afraid of APC's. Once I finish off my P21S Total Auto Wash, I will give Meguiars Detailers Brand a try since I can buy locally from a distributor in Louisville. If you still don't like the idea of an APC you have a few options to strip the wax off with a wash. The first (which is very contraversial in detailing circles) is to wash you car with a dish soap like Dawn. A few ounces of Dawn in your wash bucket will absolutely strip your sealant or wax. The contraversy is due to the arguement that Dawn harms your paint. Some people say it will harm the paint and dry out your trim, others argue so long as you are not doing it every week, you are fine. I have used Dawn twice but do not anymore, I just use an APC.

If you want to avoid APC and Dawn, two washes that were made to strip sealant or wax at the right dilution are Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss and Citrus Wash and Clear. If you use two ounces to one gallon of water of each of these strip your sealant or wax (they also dry out my skin to the point where they peel a few days later - I think I will wear rubber gloves next time). You can also use Citrus Wash and Gloss and Citrus Wash and Clear and much weaker concentrations as your normal wash. I believe the maintenance wash dilution is one half ounce to two gallons of water but I will need to read the instructions to confirm it.

I still sometimes wonder if at the weaker dilutions if these washes are to a small degree harsh on waxes and sealants. I don't know but to be on the cautious side I use a different wash for my weekly washing. The ones I mentioned a few posts earlier are fine weekly washing: Poorboys Super Slick and Suds, Poorboys Super Slick and Wax, Ultima Paint Wash Plus, and Durgloss Wash Concentrate, Danase Gloss Amplifying Shampoo and Optimum Car Wash

and u said you cant reseal the car only add wax whys that? cant you strip that off as well??

Yes, you could just strip off the wax and reseal, I apologize for not being clear. I meant if after several months had gone buy and you just wanted to add a fresh coat of sealant (and not strip what was on there at the moment), you could not do so with a wax on the car, you would have to strip that wax off first. Stripping the wax is fine, but many people just want to touch up their sealant without having to strip their protection off.

and since i hear so much good stuff about the danasse i bliev i should just buy all the sam products becuase i want to be abel to wax over my sealent so plz tell me 2 car washed i need to strip wax and sealent and one to keep it looking nice, and what glaze shud i get and also wat sealent should i use??? agian the process is like this

wash
clay
polish
glaze/seal
wax???
agian thanks for all your help its rly helpfull

Going with Danase Products are a fine idea. The moderator of this board (Bob Daniels) is the owner of Danase. If you order from Danase, you could order your maintenace wash (Danase Gloss Amplyfying Shampoo), your clay (Danase Fine Grade Detailing Clay or Medium Grade Detialing Clay), your polishes (Danase Swirl Abolishers 1 and 2 or pay $5 more and get 1,2 &3), your Glaze (Danase Wet Glaze), your Sealant (Danase Paint Sealant) and your Wax (if you choose to get one) (Danase Classic Wax).

If you do go the Danase route, you may want to jet get the PC or the Meguiars G110 and not the entire kit you mentioned.

[unique autodetaling]

ya ima take that step becuase why shud i mix and match products i hear so many good things about danase so all this is what ill need and i can put wax over the sealent with all of danses products???

[unique autodetaling]

what kit should i get this one http://www.chemicalguys.com/Porter_Cable_Dual_Action_Random_Orbit_Polisher_p/buf_201.htm or this one what do you think? http://www.chemicalguys.com/PORTER_CABLE_LAKE_COUTRY_CCS_PADS_p/buf_203.htm

[bert31]

what kit should i get this one http://www.chemicalguys.com/Porter_Cable_Dual_Action_Random_Orbit_Polisher_p/buf_201.htm or this one what do you think? http://www.chemicalguys.com/PORTER_CABLE_LAKE_COUTRY_CCS_PADS_p/buf_203.htm

Both of those are pretty good packages. With the one from Superior you would need to add a cutting pad so they are both priced pretty close. I have been moving more and more to Edge flat pads because I like how you can use both sides of the pads and you don't need a backing plate. But keep in mind, that is MY opinion. I am in the minority, most people use Lake Country or pads similar to them. I would highly recommend you continue reading on boards like this BEFORE you make a purchase. Otherwise you could do like I did and buy stuff you really didn't need.

You may want to look on E-bay. That is where I bought my used Makita rotary. With shipping I got it for about $90 and it has worked great for me. I would guess you could get a PC on there. Just make sure to pay with a credit card incase the auction is a fraud you will get your money back.

Both of these packages include a PC, another very good polisher which is more powerful than the PC and therefore won't bog down as easily is Meguiars G110 and is another option.

[unique autodetaling]

ok bert i have made my desion im not gonan buy anything yet its winter here in ny, i have a freind thats great with photoshop i gotta sit down with him next sunday and where gonna desgin a kickass flyer and then ima have those printed and were gonan make a template for buisness cards that are gonna be in full color price i know but i want them to pop when ppl see them after i get some buisness with just cleaning and waxing the car and such ima buy"poorboys portercabel kit" "danase wet glaze' and danase sealent along with a grit guard and chemical guys citrus wash