Continuation from previous:

Car Care & Detailing [V1]

Car Care & Detailing [V2]

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- DIT (Do It Together) 15 December 2013 - CONCLUDED

- Detailing TT 7 February 2014 - CONCLUDED


This post has been edited by KrisMas: Feb 18 2014, 10:35 AM

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Can share what car, year and color please.

You mentioned the swirls followed the directions you wipe. Does the direction of the swirl change if you wipe in another direction WITHOUT polishing again? If so, then it could just be that you didn't remove the polish properly and they're just streaks from the residual polish. It could also be that the mf cloth you're using was saturated with the polish. Have you tried changing to another clean cloth and see whether it makes any difference? You can also try wiping them off with the help of a quick detailer or water or even a *very* weak mix of dishwashing detergent+water.

Not sure which TW polishing compound you're using, but it could also be that it's a very coarse compound and if you're using too much of it, the access compound would be picked up by the mf cloth and acts as though you're 'polishing' instead of removing.

And btw, the mf cloth could also be the cause. The mf cloth comes in many grades and quality. I find that those that are commonly found in shopping centre aren't that 'friendly' with cars clear coat - can easily induce some swirls.

Another question I need to ask: did you apply any pressure while buffing off/removing the polish? You're not suppose to need much pressure. Not sure about the TW that you're using, but normally, if done correctly, most polishes just needed a gentle wipe to remove.

If you want to DIY, try doing some troubleshooting as above. Hopefully it's not because the paint is very soft and easily damaged. I haven't heard of Proton's paintwork to be that soft though....

Not sure how to answer that one. Some say you can roughly tell how hard/soft the clear coat is by the gloss it produce - the softer ones are glossier than the harder clear. Maybe the pros who detail cars day-in-day-out have a better say. But for me, I can only tell when I'm trying to remove defects or finishing. It was quite a task to finish hologram/swirl free on the soft clear of my friend's Vios whereas it took quite a few passes of a compound with a wool pad to remove some minor swirls on a Z4 that we once did a DIT. But, in general, the small community of detailers do share some info on how soft/hard the paint is on those cars that they've worked on. I'm just relaying the info.....

errr....hrrrmm....doesn't sound like you doing it right.

I google and found these:

http://www.turtlewax.com/shop/products/tur...ishing-compound

http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T-241A-Po...d/dp/B0009JKGJ2

Is the 1st one the one that you're using? Or the one in a can? Either way, it's the same and judging by the description/instruction, I think you need to check your method/technique.

Polishing/compounding is for removing defects/swirls. If the TW polishing compound is meant for that, then you should be using it with the applicator pad with a little pressure (passion) to remove defects. Working on a small (around 1' x 1') area at a time, work the polish with a little bit of pressure then gently wipe off immediately after finished working it. Unless the instruction on the label says otherwise, that would normally be how to work a polish/compound. If you needed a lot of pressure to remove the polish, it's either you're using too much product or you're not working it correctly. You're not suppose to wait for it to dry.

Slowly bro...slowly. In order to achieve the 'mirror-like' shine, you'd need to remove as much defects as possible. Megs Ultimate Polish and the B&D is a good start. That is quite a safe combination, but it's also a very mild one. Maybe you should try a few more rounds on a small section of the car and see whether you can improve or not. Again, the more defects you remove the flatter the clear coat would become and the shinier it would be. Don't worry about harming the paint. If the car is new or had never been polished/compounded before, you should be safe using that combination for quite a few more rounds.

You're quite right about removing orange peel. Only start thinking about that when you're confident that you are able to remove sanding marks.

Step 1 - wash & clean thoroughly
Step 2 - clay
Step 3 - wash (a simple one would do)
Step 4 - dry
Step 5 - polish with the TW Polishing Compound (with a little pressure) until you're satisfied (or too tired to continue.... ) and immediately *gently* wipe off
Step 6 - wash again (a simple one enough, I mean...the car is already clean right...)
Step 7 - dry
Step 8 - apply TW Paste Wax -> leave to dry -> buff off

If the car had never been clayed before or recently polished before, I DEFINITELY recommend to clay it.

Good luck.

ps. you'd most probably need more than one sponge; don't let the cloth come anywhere near the car and get a few more mf cloths.....

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.

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.

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

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.

Here's an OCD way of putting things into perspective: The more you touch the paint, the more the chance of instilling swirls/marrings onto it. If you do need to wash often, I'd suggest you research on washing and drying techniques, tools and products so that you would MINIMIZE instilling damages incidental to your washing/drying.

My suggestion:

Firstly, have a good protection (wax/sealant/coating) on and keep it healthy by whichever way recommended (spray wax/topper/'refresher'/etc.) on the product's label. Do this every week or every time or as many time as necessary during your 'proper' wash program/routine. This would ensure that dirt or any contaminant can be easily clean off without requiring 'aggressive' method (like stronger shampoo mix, more passes with a wash mitt, stubborn stain, etc.). In between you routine washes, what you can do is just douse or spray your car with water and dry it. Safest way of doing this (if you're really OCD) is to get yourself one of those electric leaf blower and blow the water off instead of wiping dry with a cloth. DO NOT...i repeat...DO NOT even attempt to use one of those drying 'blades' or wiper blades to 'wipe' the water off. Another good machine to have for this is a pressure washer whereby you can just 'shoot' most and more of the dirt off as oppose to normal garden spray hose.

Going even deeper, afterwards you can use those 'waterless' or 'rinseless' wash, spray them on and wipe. Ecowash, Optimum No Rinse, Megs Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, etc. are example of products that are available here that you can use for this purpose. Actually, if your car is not-so-dirty, the 'waterless' or 'rinseless' washes would be a better choice in cleaning up as oppose to using plain water.

Again, the more you touch the more the risk, there are products and tools available to minimize this but nothing can beat good technique & knowledge.

After saying all that, personally, if my car is dirty or been exposed to dirty rainy days, I would either do a proper wash if I have the time or just let it be and wash it properly during my weekend routine wash . Knowing that, if anything, most of the damages caused by this kind of weather are easily corrected with the tools and products that I have.....

Bosch has one: Bosch Electric Blower

But I see plenty of brands have them too, brands like Skil, B&D, Makita, DeWalt, etc., also (as usual) the cheapo brands. I see them in plenty of normal hardware shops and also ACE Hardware. I think they're quite common item.

I have both and both are good quality, top notch polishes. Only you personally can define which one is 'better' because both has their own individual strength and weakness? So, what are the comparisons that you're looking for?

....ps....though I have to say that my Menzerna is the 'old' 106fa and not the newly labeled SF4000....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Dec 6 2013, 04:09 PM

With the Bigfoot? Then the PF 4/6 would be better suited for the task. My 106fa is not that 'Bigfoot' friendly - works better on a rotary.

Bro, are you sure you've fully recovered.....

DIT time - https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3051620 post #2

xffght5829, Sugizo, Brijesh & anybody else who are interested. Put your name down. Due to the location, it might be necessary to limit the crowd. But let just see how it goes.

Regards.

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Dec 9 2013, 04:59 PM