Lights finally done. Ample of shine even during night time detailing sessions http://twitpic.com/dnkk31

hey guys. I just finished washing my car 1 hour ago.

I bought the liquid clay by TW. not sure if i am using it right. i put on the sponge and scrub the car, but still can feel some bits on the body (not smooth).

Then i washed the car with detergent and then dry off and prepare for polish compound. Applying the compound with damp cotton cloth was not a problem, only wiping it off almost broke my hand. hahaha....I literally had to use pressure and 3 strokes to get the marks off. Does this means i am using too much compound ?

I then waxed the entire body panel. So waxing have to leave it for 30min then wipe off right ?

Some how have the feeling i am not doing something right as during polish i feel its very dry and hard. Only during waxing i felt it shined more. I fear i might have screwed up the polishing part and end up making more scratches.

Guys, any reviews of the foam gun sold at Duragloss' website? This one operates with your hose pressure and not with a PW but will it create thick nice suds? Looking to expand the arsenal a bit...

http://estore.duragloss.com.my/webapp/wcs/...isplayErrorView

Look 'shining' for the reflection but is it swirl free (try park your car under street (yellow) light) and check it out.

Detailing is not only talking about how 'shining' - layman term...we will talked about how GLOSSY, WET Gloss is it + how good is the water beading/sheeting the surface and how long the protection can last.

1. Before/After Clay...wrap your hand with a clean plastic bag or finger into a cigarette pack wrap (if you are a smoker ), glide against the surface and feel the smoothness of the surface.....our hand is too 'rough' to determine the smoothness of the surface

2. What kinda of 'compound' are you referring to ? Is this product workable with hand or only machine ? I am suspecting you either put too much or too little product where it didn't really breakdown or dried up....thats why you have a hard time buff off.

3. Generally the misconception is apply as much (thicker layer) of wax as you can - the fact you dun need ANY pressure at all, and apply as thin layer as possible. If you can apply until no buffing require (got to feel with your hand/pad)...you are

4. Starting detailing sometime is trial and error

Yes if you do the job , partially depend also on the type of shampoo + dilution ratio you use...check out google, tonnes of foam gun video - you might wanna check out what is 'foam lance "

oh no that car has not been washed for more than 2 months.
it's actually very dirty and there's nothing worth mentioning about.

just showing pictures of my new house lighting as house renovation is just done.
it is to prepare for my new car and of course i'll be using that parking lot for my detailing sessions

Thank you for your advise. the compound i am using is the Polishing compound by Turtle wax. How you suggest i use the compound ?

I am really not sure how to handle the liquid clay bar. Do you know where i can buy a normal clay bar ?

I believe you are using this. If i were you i will stop using this since i have experience long ago with my previous car with this product (that time zero knowledge of detailing) somehow its left the paintwork a severe damage. I was using it with hand.



For clay, you can get it easily from Aeon or Aeon Big at normal price Rm29.90, sales time usually around Rm26.90



* There is Clay No.1 , 2, and 3 according to paintwork condition and colour.

Hope this help

Think of it this way. Imagine something like sandpaper. A compound as heavier grit (like 1000 grit) and a polish is lighter grit (say 3000 grit). A compound is more aggressive and will cut more (and faster) but would leave heavy marks. A polish is lighter and has lesser cut but better finish. For heavier defects (like scratches, heavy water etchings, severe oxidation, etc.) a compound would work faster in removing them but, itself, would leave what we call 'compounding marks', which is in a way, also a form of defects. So you'd need a lighter polish to remove and refine the finish to give it a higher gloss. A light polish would also be able to remove the heavier defects but would take longer time and more applications. Therefore, if the surface has severe defects, it's a good idea to start with a compound (faster) and finish with a lighter polish. If just very mild defects, a light polish would do.

It's a bit difficult to describe how to work with a compound/polish. Better if you look for videos on the net. Plenty of them out there. I suggest you start with something like 'how to use Meguiars Ultimate Compound' and 'Meguiars Ultimate Polish'. That should cover the basics about compounding and polishing. You can also search for 'Meguiars Ultimate Wax' for the basic method of application of wax.

Oh...it's not the TW ICE liquid clay is it? Sorry to say, I've tried it before and it doesn't work as good as traditional clay bar. Next time around, get yourself some soft99 clay bar or those from established brands like Meguiars, Duragloss, Mothers, 3M, etc. Also, plenty of videos on the net on how to clay your car.

Again, for the rest, plenty of videos on the net, search for them, watch and study. Afterwards, if got anymore question shoot away.

You won't get suds as thick as a 'foam lance' used with a pressure washer:

FOAM GUN WITH GARDEN HOSE


FOAM LANCE WITH A PRESSURE WASHER


But remember though, both has their own pros and cons.
For example, the foam lance would give thicker foam and cling better. Also uses lesser product. But expensive and takes more time to set up.
Foam gun gives out thinner foam, uses more products but less expensive and easier (can just use normal quick coupler).
I can list out a few more differences but, in general, the foam gun is more practical for 'normal' use. FYI, nowadays I seldom use my foam lance anymore.....

Oh...take note though...my house water supply pressure is very high. Even with normal sprayer on jet setting, I can shoot the water all the way onto the roof of my 2-storey house and can easily reach a horizontal distance of 50' ~ 60'. You'd get lesser foam than the picture I posted above if the pressure is lower.

Talk about product aggressiveness/abrasiveness, there are account alot of comparison charge available on the next - which majority compare about all the branded professional series product.

Here is one of the example (view in full screen)



Not only product have aggressiveness/abrasiveness rating (the more abrasive = the more cutting power but hardly can leave perfect (no swirl finishing) even PAD also have aggressiveness/abrasiveness level.

Are you all getting more existing ?

Check out here
http://www.autogeekonline.net/index.php?pageid=Charts

Black car....hehehe....are those LEDs or normal ones? SO BRIGHT!!!

Anyway, a couple of suggestions.

1. Looks like the lighting is just at one side. You might want to consider setting one up on a tripod/stand for mobility sake so that you can carry it around the car. Also for working at the lower panels. Also good to have one for outdoor activities like barbeques, etc....

2. I think it's time to get yourself a decent torch light for inspections. They're good for emergency situations too, like during black-outs, night time travels, temporary blinding 'unwanted' visitors, etc. Or maybe even a headlamp.

are you guiding them to become hardcore detailer like you sifu ?

eh i told you my car color during proton bola event? or you reading my mind? XD
and nah, they are just normal Philips Fluorescent lifemax with brightboost tubes at highest color temperature 6500k:
http://www.ecat.lighting.philips.com.my/l/...27982286536_eu/
so far should suffice... then there's the "xtreme" versions rofl:
http://www.ecat.lighting.philips.com.my/l/...27982386514_eu/

i think the brightness is due to phone cam not able to capture light properly and just glare the whole thing up

1) yes i got a tripod halogen spotlight too for serious works

the only missing lightining are on the gate direction past the awning.
theres 1 left of the car (middle pillar, hiding behind the drain pipe) and 1 right of car underneath a covered/weather proof enclosure
2 on the back, 1 on the edge of the top awning (that round one)
so if i want to focus on the hood, generally i'll go in hood first, else the ass first as i got a lot more space to work with.

but yea the whole place lights up like a chrismas tree compared to neighbors so it's kinda attention grabbing in a way; more so i only turn em on during night detailing session and my house would be the only xtra bright one lol

2) ah good reminder, gonna start shopping for one from amazon or something. that famous damn bright one? iinm also not using conventional batteries? i remember we talked about it, just can't recall it at the moment on the brand name...

i was fortunately (or unfortunately? ) under his guidance for quite some time already

Most efficient one (power/runtime) would be something that runs on Lithium-ion polymer/LiPo rechargeable battery cells size 18650. One decent brand battery + charger (not including torch light) would cost around RM120~RM150...expensive? Maybe la. But if you can afford it, let me just tell you that I have one Eagle Tac battery which is more than 5 years old and is still in good working condition, so it's a worthwhile investment.

Plenty of decent brands available over here, Fenix, Eagle Tac, Nitecore, Zebralights, Armytek, Jetbeam, iTP, Solarforce, etc....just to name a few (I dare not mention Surefire or even some other brands which are the Swissvax of torches ). I had bought a couple of cheapo brands torches before but, just wanna say, the amount of money saved is the amount of money wasted with those....

You can look around at this guy's thread: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showuser=164040

Danny's a great guy and should be able to 'guide' you and recommend something that would suit your budget....

oh...oh...and careful ya. This one could also developed into another addiction...don't ask how I know....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Dec 5 2013, 12:45 PM

good please don't mention LOL!

anyways thanks for the info! will check it out once i clear more on my debts from singapore/car/house reno

i find it soo hard to take care of my solid red paint even when new :/ theres already swirl marks and i also find it hard to dry properly (water marks)...thinking of doing coating.

If you're up to it (financially) go for it. But just remember one thing, as far as I know coating won't prevent re-occurrence of what you've mentioned. It's all actually come down to PROPER MAINTENANCE - eg. washing, drying, etc., which include products, tools and method/techniques. Even the best coating would require maintenance and that's why most of the places that do coating would sell you packages which include maintenance, of which you'd need to abide else the warranty would be void.

is there anywhere in KL to buy ONR and OCWax in gallons?

Also can the Scratch X 2.0 by meguiars be a polish replacement?

I am currenly living in a condo and can only do correction by hand so trying to find a good polish that is forgiving to CC if applied by hand.

Thanks!