Need some advice on different products, please.

[1lum1nat1]

Hey Gents

I've got some bad swirls and a scratch on the passenger door and boot seems as if it took some paint off & I'd like to get rid of it.

I don't want to spend a few grand on a polisher now, I can't really justify it at the moment. Now I know I won't be able to achieve the same results with my hands, but I'd like to try.

Now, this is my problem. I don't know whether I should even bother to try. I know I won't get very far by hand, but is it worth it to use a decent filler/glaze product and a good sealant?

I did some reading and I got to a site posted by Carn, "polishedbliss".

From what I could gather is, I've got a medium to hard paint, so polishing by hand will yield very little results.

They suggest using a glaze to "fill" the swirls and light scratches and then to use a decent sealant. They suggested using Poorboy's world wide diamond show glaze, and I saw Poorboy's also got a sealant named EX-P Pure Sealant. Are these good products and what other better alternatives can I use?

Then, what should one use to apply the glaze/sealant if it's an option? From the bit of searching I've done I saw these: http://www.CD.co.za/index.ph ... cts_id=572 any other suggestions?

Can you please give me a break down of the essential products, shampoo (something I can use weekly), tyre dressing, mag cleaner, trim dressing and something to clean the dash/other panels and to protect it (seams like aerospace303 is the way to go hear?) that you'd want to use on your daily drive, please keep in mind that I'm a novice and that I don't have a huge budget.

I've got a white Audi A3. I'll get some pics up of the problematic areas the moment we have some decent sunshine and the moment I have time. Will probably be Wednesday afternoon.


Sorry for the essay. Thanks for your time and advice. Lance

---

I realized I took a few pics the other day. Sorry for the lack of other pics, but I was in such a haste to get some work done that I neglected to take decent before and after pics. I'll make sure it won't happen again.

The only two pics with decent lighting I have are these:





I'm pretty new to most of the terms used, and If I recall correctly, the "Stripes" are buffer trails, but I can't recall the other word they used.

The bonnet does'nt have this, the dealer had the roof resprayed, due to a roof rack that lead to some scratches. I'm guessing thats where the buffer trails came from.

I'll get more pics up as soon as I get them.

[flarkitwo]

Having recently jumped onto the "newbie detailing" wagon myself, I found the following to be essential:

A good shampoo, such as Meg's Gold Class, Sonax Gloss Shampoo, AutoGlym Bodywork are all fine, with Meg's being available at many large stores (including PnP, Makro and Builder's).

You should complement the wash with good kit too though. A wash mitt is great; after using cotton "mutton cloth" and then a microfiber-covered sponge, I love the wash mitt immensely. Combine this with the "2-bucket method" (one for shampoo and one for rinsing the medium each time) and you're off to a good start. I also used a chamois to dry my 9-yr old Astra and then I merrily invested in cheap microfibers, only to discover the pleasure of a proper waffle-weave MF towel.

Rim cleaners can pretty aggressive, so you should watch out for something which can damage unpainted brake callipers (if applicable), or is damaging to brake pads. Cheaper brands tend to use an acidic fluid, warning against contact with brake pads, whilst the alkaline (non-acidic) types like the well-regarded Sonax Xtreme Rim Cleaner could mess up the callipers. If you have unpainted callipers, a ph-Neutral cleaner may be wisest, like Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner. I'm still curious whether a diluted all-purpose cleaner (anything from Clean Green to automotive makes like Adams's APC) would be adviseable if your rims are in good nick and you apply rim wax once a month.

Tyre dressing may be leave a glossy finish, or a matte one. Meguiar's Endurance has had good reviews, as has TurtleWax's Platinum series. The latter leaves a neat matte finish after one application, whilst additional layers and a buff yields a shinier effect

For the trim on my new car, I do a quick wipe with a damp MF cloth, followed by Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant. I like the fact that it's recommend for interior and exterior trim. One fewer bottle on the shelf!

In addition to the above, try and invest in some good quality MF polish applicators, a few decent MF polishing cloths, dedicated MF cloths for glass, a rim brush or 2 and a tyre dressing foam pad.

I follow a routine of washing every weekend (cleaning the wheels and rims first) and applying wax every 4th weekend if possible.

If you shop carefully the above lot can cost about R1,500 or even less and needn't be bought in a single go. If you have the budget, the next level would include grit-guards for the buckets, a pressure hose, rotary or dual-action polisher plus pads, more brushes and on and on


Hope that helps and the experts here can assist you with those swirls and scratches

[calypso]

@flarkitwo - Great first post
Yes you have some nice holograms from some bad machine work. Im not too clued up on hand applied products, but I would think that Megs Ultimate Compound or Scratch X will be the more aggressive hand applied products and can hopefully help the situation. Then follow up with a nice filler rich LSP like Autoglym SRP or Megs cleaner wax.

[TOGWT]

Audi paint is considered to be 'hard' to you'll have to work at removing scratches by hand. Use a polish like Menz PO 203 Power Finish and an SFX hand polishing foam applicator

"The dual-purpose Sonus SFX Professional Applicator is two applicators in one. The yellow side is designed to work with the cutting power of SFX-1 Restore Polish to remove defects. The black side is ultra-fine for high gloss polishing. The applicator is large for ease of use and the size and shape makes for comfortable hand polishing"

Or a Sonus Hand Polish Bundle (SFX polishes and a SFX polish hand applicator)

[Torres1]

Nice post Flarkitwo.

You've covered most of the good points. To add I would suggest looking at the following:

Washing:
Chemical citrus wash and clear
A lambswool wash mitt

Wheels:
Wheel brush as mentioned and some latex gloves.
Sonax xtreme rim cleaner or CG Diablo gel. Haven't tried mine yet but the reviews have been excellent. Hope to use it this weekend if the weather holds.
Rimwax

Claying:
Only learnt about this from this site and what a difference it makes.
Allows you to remove contaminants from the surface of the car. A must if you are looking to get a great finish from your detail.

Polish:
AG SRP as suggested followed by AG glaze as a sealant.

Wax:
Collinite 845 - fantastic products and easy application and removal

Foam pad applicators for the waxes and polish and MF cloths to remove.

Interior:
303 has to be the way to go. You can use it on rubber seals, dash, even tyres if you wanted, not advisable tho. This stuff is gold!

IF you have leather seats you will need a good leather cleaner as well. I have the Raceglaze leather kit which I got from Carn and I love it.

Hope this helps.

[flarkitwo]

Just noticed one very important ambiguity:

(06-07-2010 08:15 AM)flarkitwo Wrote:  You should complement the wash with good kit too though. A wash mitt is great; after using cotton "mutton cloth" and then a microfiber-covered sponge, I love the wash mitt immensely.

DO NOT use "mutton cloth" at all on your Audi! Those were part of my first car-wash routine, when I had a white 9-yr old Astra. Since I bought a new car, it's microfiber or wash-mitt all the way.

[Carn]

"They suggested using Poorboy's world wide diamond show glaze, and I saw Poorboy's also got a sealant named EX-P Pure Sealant. Are these good products and what other better alternatives can I use?"

Poorboys glaze for lighter colours is White Diamond and not World Wide Diamond :wink:

I have used EX Sealant and whilst it goes on and off quite nicely, I found the durability to be lacking compared to the likes of Jetseal and even M-Seal to some extent.

In terms of alternatives to the glaze's I can highly recommend the Autoglym SRP (Super Resin Polish) topped with EGP (Extra Gloss Protection). The SRP has mild cleaners in it and will help to mask some of the minor swirling and possibly the hologramming (holograms are tiny scratches). The EGP is a sealant and will help lock in the fillers contained within the SRP to extend it's effect.


In terms of poducts and further info, I will add some recommendations later when I have more time

[1lum1nat1]

Thanx guys, appreciate the info.

I'm already familiar with the 2 bucket technique. I've got some low budget products already. A few from megs, that pink soft wash gel, paint cleaner, some or other polish and carnauba wax, trim detailer, quick detailer, turtle wax mag cleaner, shield tyre gloss a micro fiber noodle sponge and some cheap micro fiber cloths al courtesy of Builders Warehouse in Bloem.

I've only recently became aware of the vast amount of products available on the net in SA, so I'll upgrade my small colection as my budget permits.

I'll definitely make use of Carn at the end of the month for a decent mf towel or two and a few other products to get that shine back. I just want to make sure I get the best value for money products from the suggestions you make.[/align]

[1lum1nat1]

My bad Carn, It is indeed White Diamond and not World Wide Diamond.

So from what I can gather.

Shampoo - It's either Megs NXT or Gold Class (I'm sure I can get these locally - which I think is a bonus). Would any of these strip a LSP or wax? CG citrus seems to be harsh and removes protectants, so I'll give it a skip for the moment. I would need a good size MF towel - or two, what would a pretty decent one go for? (Not those that Lambchop likes - I don't like any towel which costs more than a R1K (tbh actually a lot less than that), I don't even spoil myself that much I think my MF noodle sponge effect will suffice for the moment.

Wheels - The mag cleaner I'm using at the moment seems to do a decent job, but I'll be able to get some other products, like Sonax, locally so I might just get something else when mine is done. Two small nifty brushes might do the trick, one for the wheels and another finer one for cleaning the badges. I'm sure Carn has something he can help me with here.

Claying - I've got a Autoglym clay bar I've used in conjunction with Megs QD, it did an amazing job getting rid of some tree sap on the roof and bonnet.

Polish - TOGWT recommended Menz PO 203 Power Finish and an SFX hand polishing foam applicator. Calypso mentioned Megs Ultimate Compound or Scratch X. I'm not scared of some hard work, so if I have to sit and polish till my arms fall off and then use my legs I will. For applicators, I've only had one suggestion - The dual-purpose Sonus SFX Professional Applicator - I'm guessing three applicators would be required, considering the polish, glaze and LSP?

Stupid question. One would use the applicator to do the actual polishing and then a MF cloth to remove the residue, correct?

Glaze - AG SRP seems to be the most recommended and great value for money and the other one was Poorboy's white Diamond Glaze.

WAX/LSP - I've read you can apply both a wax and LSP. From what I understand waxes consist of carnauba and LSP of synthetic chemicals/materials. If I remember correctly Waxes looks better on darker colors, right? Would'nt a good quality LSP leave a pretty decent watery (for lack of another word) look/shine on my white Audi? The two most highly recommended was Jetseal and EGP.

Now from those listed what would your personal choice be?

Carn could you please be so kind and pm me a quote for the items you would suggest. And if I were to change one or two of the items due to the guru's here I'll get their pricing from you.

Thanks again and sorry for the essay.

[Carn]

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Shampoo - It's either Megs NXT or Gold Class (I'm sure I can get these locally - which I think is a bonus). Would any of these strip a LSP or wax? CG citrus seems to be harsh and removes protectants, so I'll give it a skip for the moment. I would need a good size MF towel - or two, what would a pretty decent one go for? (Not those that Lambchop likes - I don't like any towel which costs more than a R1K (tbh actually a lot less than that), I don't even spoil myself that much I think my MF noodle sponge effect will suffice for the moment.

Most shampoo's if used at too high concentrations can potentially strip the LSP. CG's CWC (Citrus Wash Clear) is a firm favourite of mine and works really well. Providing you stick to the safe dilution ratios your LSP will be fine.

If you wanting something that is safer still then look at either CG's Maxi Suds, or the Meguiars Hyperwash. As an added bonus both are available in bulk sizes (CG's @ 3.75l and Meg's @ 5lt) which will save you money in the long run.

As far as microfiber towels go I think you get what you pay for. There are many cheap towels available, but most end up loosing their shape and going wonky after a few uses.

For drying the Chemical Guys Miracle Drier is nice, whilst for general polishing/waxing their Elite towels are also nice.

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Wheels - The mag cleaner I'm using at the moment seems to do a decent job, but I'll be able to get some other products, like Sonax, locally so I might just get something else when mine is done. Two small nifty brushes might do the trick, one for the wheels and another finer one for cleaning the badges. I'm sure Carn has something he can help me with here.

The Sonax Extreme is still a firm favourite of mine and is both inexpensive and readily available from most BW's

As far as brushes go you have a few options. The Daytona wheel brushes are nice, but can be prone to failure if used vigorously. The Raceglaze XL brushes are skinnier but longer and so far appear to be more robust. Splatter is a problem with both.

The Mothers wheel brush is a nice addition for cleaning wider/broader spoked sheels. Finally a set of small detail brushes would complete your arsenal and allow you to clean around emblems, inside lug nuts and other tight areas.

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Claying - I've got a Autoglym clay bar I've used in conjunction with Megs QD, it did an amazing job getting rid of some tree sap on the roof and bonnet.

There are numerous clay's available on the market. My current favourite is the Smartclay.

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Polish - TOGWT recommended Menz PO 203 Power Finish and an SFX hand polishing foam applicator. Calypso mentioned Megs Ultimate Compound or Scratch X. I'm not scared of some hard work, so if I have to sit and polish till my arms fall off and then use my legs I will. For applicators, I've only had one suggestion - The dual-purpose Sonus SFX Professional Applicator - I'm guessing three applicators would be required, considering the polish, glaze and LSP?

Foam applicators work pretty well for polishing by hand, as do microfiber ones. In some instances microfiber applicators can be more effective, whilst in other a firm foam pad is required. Be cautious when polishing by hand as you exert alot of pressure on a small area.

Ideally you would want to keep your applicators seperate to avoid cross contamination of product. Your glaze and LSP applicator could be interchanged but I would avoid using a polishing applicator for LSP/Glaze application.

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Stupid question. One would use the applicator to do the actual polishing and then a MF cloth to remove the residue, correct?

Correct

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Glaze - AG SRP seems to be the most recommended and great value for money and the other one was Poorboy's white Diamond Glaze.

SRP is quite popular due to it's ease of use, as well as the excellent results that can be obtained from it. See this thread for an indication as to the results achievable with SRP

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  WAX/LSP - I've read you can apply both a wax and LSP. From what I understand waxes consist of carnauba and LSP of synthetic chemicals/materials. If I remember correctly Waxes looks better on darker colors, right? Would'nt a good quality LSP leave a pretty decent watery (for lack of another word) look/shine on my white Audi? The two most highly recommended was Jetseal and EGP.

A wax is an LSP.

The acronym LSP stands for Last Step Product and encompasses both waxes and sealants (synthetic or otherwise) and can be extended to include glazes as well.

Generally speaking waxes suit darker colours better whilst the opposite is true for sealants. Many waxes these days however contain synthetic polymers that are designed to increase durability and give the waxes a more synthetic look.

On white's and light metallics my goto LSP is the Werkstat Acrylic sealant system (Prime topped with Jett). Of all the LSP's I have used on whites, the Werkstat duo has always given me the crispest finish. Collinite 845 on white is also nice but gives a slightly warmer, less shiny surface.

See these 2 threads for a visual explanation as to what I mean...

Werkstat on white

Audi S4 in white topped with Werkstat duo

Collinute 845 on white

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Now from those listed what would your personal choice be?

If you have the $$$ burn get the Jetseal. If you going to go the SRP route then go for the cheaper EGP.

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Carn could you please be so kind and pm me a quote for the items you would suggest. And if I were to change one or two of the items due to the guru's here I'll get their pricing from you.

Will do

(06-07-2010 06:25 PM)1lum1nat1 Wrote:  Thanks again and sorry for the essay.

No hassles


To answer the rest of your initial question...

Shampoo : CWC or Hyperwash
Wheels : Sonax or AG Custom Wheel Cleanr (Acid Free)
Trim (Inside and Out) : Werkstat Satin Prot (Factory finish much the same as 303 but better durability)
Tires : Endurance Gel for the glossy 'wet' look, or the Wheel Wax Extreme Black tire dressing for a more natural look

[1lum1nat1]

Sjoe dude, thanks for all the info, you deserve a beer or two for that amount typing.

/facepalm/ - I confused LSP with sealant.

So we've narrowed it down to the following

Shampoo - CG Maxi Suds / Megs Hyperwash

Towels - One big ass one for drying (I see CG have some in three packs, so might be better value for money) and 3 smaller MF towels for polish and LSP

Wheels - Sonax extreme / Raceglaze XL brush / small set of detailing brushes / Endurance Gel

Polish - I'm still unsure whether or not I should use something like Megs scratch X/ ultimate compound or something else to try and remove some of the defects and only then use SRP and EGP? If I should try a polish first 2 applicator pads

Then lastly, another 2 applicator pads and SRP and EGP.

I think that seems like the best combo for the moment. Mr Carn, when you get some spare time, please forward me a quote, including shipping to Bloem.

Thanks again to each and everyone for all the info and advice, I really appreciate it.

[xcalibur]

Some good advice here. I'm also a strong believer in CG's shampoo and found Maxi Suds II slightly more "lubricating" than the Megs Hyperwash which now gathers dust in my garage. I use it for routine washing as it's very gentle on polish, waxes and the likes.

Seeing that you will probably start from scratch, I think a good wash with CWG (mixed for stripping wax etc.), followed by a thorough claying will be a good idea. This will give you a good base to start from. Thereafter, what's been said on here regarding SRP etc. should help you improve your paint substantially.

I've experienced through trial and error (more of the latter) that a good base is very important. Simply adding one product on top of another do not always produce the wanted results, and sometimes even make things worse.

Good luck, hope you get those holograms sorted!!!

[Jughead]

and ... The detailing bug has bitten ... it's a never ending list ...