Help me with my detail kit, please!

[sciphi]

I am looking for some help with my detailing kit. I am trying to cut down on the amount of time it takes to get a good coat of wax onto the paint. Doing 2 cars by hand takes way too long.

Right now, I have:
Collinite 476
Duragloss 105
clay bar kit and QD spray
an assortment of microfiber towels for buffing
an old terrycloth towel for applying waxes
grout sponges
2 buckets with grit guards
Turtle Wax No-Rinse carwash
a synthetic chamois

I would like the ability to do some correction, such as light scratches and hologramming. HF sent me a coupon for their DA polisher for $50, so I am thinking of adding that to my kit.

Thus the question: What else should I have on hand for the DA polisher, specifically for paint correction and applying the waxes and sealants? I know a set of pads and some compound will be needed, but which ones?

Here are some pictures of things I would like the ability to correct:

Scratches not through the paint:


Hologramming from bodywork done a few weeks ago:





Our Fit has paint in slightly worse condition, but thanks to the shade it is the imperfections are hard to tell from 10 feet away.

 

[Donald]

Read through various posts. I am not sure people are that hot on the HF DA polisher.

 

[sciphi]

I have read through many posts, and am clear as mud on what I need product-wise to do what I want it to.

 

[bourne]

HF DA is pretty good for the price especially with a coupon. Almost everyone will upgrade a backing plate which eliminates one of the reasons there are complaints. Some have gone as far as repacking the inner assembly with higher quality grease after thoroughly removing the old one. I recommend 5 in backing plate from amazon and lake country flat pads for compounding/polishing work im 5.5/6.5 in sizes. For your car color I, Wolfgang Duo 3.0 combo followed by some Wolfgang Fuzion Wax will definitely produce some head turning results.

 

[sciphi]

Thanks for the recommendation on pad and backing plate! That was the information I was after, along with better compounds.

 

[FastEddie]

That Harbor Freight ROP will do just fine, I have one and have used it on 25-30 cars already and it's still going strong. Like mentioned above, I do use a 5" backing plate with 5.5" pads most of the time except when I use the ROP for applying waxes/sealants. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound (comparable to m105) and Ultimate Polish (comparable to M205) would work for an over the counter approach or heck... I think you can even buy M105/M205 at autozone now last time I checked.

Follow that up with your Collinite or your duragloss 105 (or 501) and you'd have a fine durable finish that would satisfy most people.

I must say, that car does have some wicked holograms, someone took a rotary and a gnarly compound to that bad boy and just did a disservice to the poor finish.

 

[sciphi]

Sounds like I should plan on spending about $150 on paint correction stuff. I read over the Meguiars forums, and they emphasized finding the right product for the finish. Eh, that is fine with me. If it does not get used on one car, it will get used on the other.

My insurance rushed the shop by refusing to extend my rental at the last minute, so the shop cut corners getting the car prepped for me. Now I get to correct their mistake. At least it is only paint, not the parts themselves!

 

[jimbrewer]

As a highly satisfied owner of an expensive Flex dual action polisher--I wouldn't hesitate to get a Harbor Freight one. They didn't have them when I was looking. Its not a precision instrument, so there's no reason why HF can't do the job. Also, with these highly durable sealants, like Duragloss and Collinite, you can get by just fine with two or three real waxings per year per car. You will get your money's worth out of your little DA. How can you not?

I found that the dual action really made short work of the 476 Collinite. You aren't supposed to do the whole vehicle at once with 476, but I was moving so fast I did. Yeah, the last couple of panels were a little hard to buff off. One of the surprises of using a DA was that it just did a better job than I did with hand application. I think DAs work best with harder paste waxes.


You already have the no-rinse car wash. Something I found to be a time saver was to get a Home Depot bucket with a lid. Mix up your two gallons of hooch and then mark the level. Put a bunch of your MF towels in it. Leave it in your garage with the lid on until you are ready to clean. Get a spray bottle and fill it with water with two or three capfuls of the Turtle Wax no-rinse. Thats a 2X 3X solution. Some weekday night when nothing good is on TV, or when it is raining, pull the car into the garage, Wring out a towel from your pickle-barrel and put it in one pocket. Put a perfectly dry microfiber towel in the other. Spray a panel with your concentrated hooch, then follow up with a saturated towel. Toss the saturated towel into an empty bucket at the drop of a hat when then it starts to look dirty. No less than one towel per panel, max. Follow up with your wrung out towel, then your dry towel. Of course you have to change your wrung out towel and your dry towel once in a while too. You use some extra MF towels, but otherwise, it works great. Some guy on Youtube named Garry demonstrates the technique.

Finish off with a little spray wax. Just a few extra minutes. The Duragloss product, Aquawax works real well, but there are others.

I don't know about the abrasives. I would resist the temptation to do that just because I had a new DA, know what I mean?

 

[FastEddie]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I read over the Meguiars forums, and they emphasized finding the right product for the finish. Eh, that is fine with me. If it does not get used on one car, it will get used on the other.

Well this is true and I think Meguiar's was VERY smart for offering M105 and M205 in smaller 8oz sizes for home consumers only doing a few cars. And while I have darn near ever "major" compound and polish offered by various manufactures, I have gotten by with M105/205 with different pad combos many, many times when doing mobile work. As long as you have a decent selection of pads, the 105/M205 combo is super versatile.

It seems you have done quite a bit of research and I have no doubt your car is going to turn out fantastic, post pics when it's done.

 

[sciphi]

I heard for pads that it was better to have clean cheap ones than one expensive dirty one. The HF pads have gotten good reviews, so with a better backing plate those will be what I will use.

 

[qwertydude]

It's not to hard to wash the pads. Generally you shouldn't be clogging them up to the point where they're ineffective when doing a single car. If you are it means you're using way too much product.

 

[sciphi]

Thanks for the input!

It is decided, I will get smaller quantities of the following and see how they work. Sticking with Meguiars products since I seem to have luck with them:

SwirlX
ScratchX
Ultimate Compound
Ultimate Polish

Between those and the pads, I should be able to find something that will work on the different paint on my Cruze and on our Fit.

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Thanks for the input!

It is decided, I will get smaller quantities of the following and see how they work. Sticking with Meguiars products since I seem to have luck with them:

SwirlX
ScratchX
Ultimate Compound
Ultimate Polish

Between those and the pads, I should be able to find something that will work on the different paint on my Cruze and on our Fit.


You really don't need all four. Try with the bottom two and round foam applicator pads and microfiber towels. You will spend about 25 dollars at Walmart. Then pick up 1.5x1.5ft section on the hood or trunk and spend about 10 minutes with each chemical. Once you get the results you are looking for, then start shopping for DA so that that 20 minutes can be reduced to 2 minutes.

 

[bourne]

Ultimate Compound + Ultimate Polish should be enough without needing the other two. Also make sure you top it off with a high quality long lasting sealant. Collinite 845 is excellent for OTC long lasting sealants. Some even use it out of a spray bottle after melting it.

 

[sciphi]

Sweet, glad I checked before setting off! That saved me a bit of money.

Just ordered the Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Compound from Wal-Mart. Now off to HF to get the DA and pads.

I have Duragloss 105, which is a light cleaning sealant. After that is applied and cured, it will get topped with Collinite 476.

 

[1kickbuttranger]

The HF da is fine. You shouldn't put wax on the freshly painted areas until some time has passed though.

 

[sciphi]

Just got back from HF. Picked up a polisher and 6 pads, 2 each of the orange, blue, and black pads. I will be re-packing the head with grease before its trial run on the car, since it sounded like a box of rocks in there turning it on.

I am being patient. The fresh paint will have been on there for about 4 weeks by the time I get around to detailing the Cruze. The Fit is up first since the hood is some kind of nasty.

 

[RTexasF]

In case the HF pads are not what you thought they were give these a look over:

http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-edge-pads.html

Orange and white were my go to pads when I detailed for a living, only once was yellow required. That was along with a few black for wax/sealant application. You're getting some good help here, lots of knowledgeable folks.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
In case the HF pads are not what you thought they were give these a look over:

http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-edge-pads.html

Orange and white were my go to pads when I detailed for a living, only once was yellow required. That was along with a few black for wax/sealant application. You're getting some good help here, lots of knowledgeable folks.


Thanks! If the HF pads do not work with the 5 inch backing plate I ordered after spending the afternoon reading horror stories about the HF DA backing plate chewing up the HF pads, I will give those a try.

I figured since I am a comparative noob at detailing, I would ask first instead of blowing hard-earned cash on products that would not do what I wanted to achieve.

 

[Vikas]

You will have to post lots of pictures