Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

I try to put the tape just on the areas that need to be protected, so the clear coated areas are covered as little as possible. Typically I don't have to hand apply sealant to the areas underneath the tape because they are so small. However you will need to go over those areas with microfiber towel to remove any excess residue built up on the edge of where the tape meets the clear coat.

The tape will be a huge asset to you during a detail. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

zman2

iTrader: (12)

My car has severe water spots on the red hood. I have tried many products without success.
Will anything remove these completely.

PS: I use a Porter Cable buffer.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

Watermarks can generally be buffed out completely with the right products, techniques and tools. With a Porter Cable 7424 and the right pads and polish you can usually get rid of light to medium etchings. If they are deep or easily noticeable by sight and feel then you may need a high speed rotary buffer.

What are some of the more aggressive pad and polish combinations you have used thus far? How much pressure do you apply to the buffer? What speed to do you polish at? Once I have that information I should be able to provide you with more specific advice.

Greg @ Detailed Image

zman2

iTrader: (12)

Orange pad, highest speed possible before my hand goes to sleep using:
Griots Polish 1,2,3
Zaino Z-AIO All-in-one
Zaino Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner Swirl Remover - all with as much pressure as possible.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

Thanks for the info, it sounds like you tried a lot of good options that I would recommend with a PC. Depending on what brand of pads you used the only more aggressive pad is the yellow cutting pad (all pads are on sale for $7.99) if you're using the Lake Country Mfg brand. I think you could potentially get slightly better cutting power from the Menzerna line of polishes however it seems like we're still far away from getting out all of the watermarks. I think you're best bet is to use a rotary buffer or take it to a professional who knows a rotary buffer well. With a moderately aggressive combination of pads and polishes you should be able to remove the watermarks. Rotary buffers generate so much more heat and pressure that can really work the polish in to the clear coat. They are fantastic buffers but also very dangerous if you're inexperienced. If you'd like to Find a Professional Detailer Listing please check out this link, which I already filtered down to the detailers in FL. If you'd like any more information or advice please let me know.

Greg @ Detailed Image

zman2

iTrader: (12)

Thanks, but none of those detailers are located near me and I prefer to do it myself.
What Menzerna product should I try?

Do any metal polishes remove the yellow coloring from my chrome exhaust tips?

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

I really like the Menzerna line of products and find them to have excellent cutting power and very high gloss. However I want to make sure you have a realistic expectation for their capability. They should be an improvement from the other polishes you tried however it may only be slight. As for my recommendation I would at least get the Menzerna Power Gloss and a Yellow Cutting Pad. This is our most aggressive combination at this time. If you want to follow it up with the Menzerna polishes you can use the Intensive Polish and Final Polish II or use the Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (SIP) and PO106FF. Both of those sets of polishes have a medium and light cutting polish. The major difference is the SIP and PO106FF have more fine cutting particles that are more densley clustered. This gives these polishes more cutting power and even more gloss and less haze, however they are more expensive. On a side note: don't under estimate the importance of having a clean buffing pad to when it comes to the cutting power. I clean the pad 1 - 3 during the application of one coat of polish. Some of my friends who detail professionally use a new pad per pannel to keep the maximum cutting power. FYI: All pads are $7.99 this month.

Sometimes its difficult to gauge how much exhasut tips have been burned or oxidized. If it can be removed I've had the best success with the P21S Finish Restorer. This is my go to metal polish for the worst stains, oxidation, etc. All of our metal polishes are on sale for $7.99 for October.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

jmark

iTrader: (1)

Greg, Your site is great. I plan to order some products soon.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

Thank you for supporting Detailed Image, I greatly appreciate your purchase. I'm glad you liked visiting our site and were able to find the products and information you need. I added in the products you mentioned and your order is shipping out ASAP. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the products!

Greg @ Detailed Image

jmark

iTrader: (1)

How does the Pinnacle Product line compare to Poorboys?

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

Both brands are very good and have lots of great products. I think if you're choosing between the two lines you probably have to compare each product individually. I think each brand and individual product has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Let me know if I can help you any further.

Greg @ Detailed Image

jmark

iTrader: (1)

I am talking about the items in this kit:

http://www.autogeek.net/liqsouvconwa1.html

vs. the Poorboys Natty's Red Paste Wax - 8 oz & Polish with Sealant - 16 oz

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

First and foremost I don't think you can go wrong with either. I think the biggest differences to me is that there is not a sealant in the pinnacle package and liquid vs. paste waxes. The Poorboy's World Polish with Sealant will leave a coat of sealant behind and clean the paint in one step. I prefer to have a sealant as my base coat for extended durability. Waxes are a strong form of protection but they typically last 2 - 8 weeks. Sealants will often protect for 3 - 6 months so I prefer to have a base coat of sealant year round and top it with carnauba waxes. Liquid waxes generally have to add in more ingredients to pure carnauba so it stays in the liquid state, which can detract from the gloss/depth. I prefer paste waxes because they have a deeper shine and more gloss generally speaking. Liquid waxes are probably a little easier to use but the Poorboy's Natty's Red spread quite easy and much easier than the Blue and White from Poorboy's. It's a tough call but I think you'll be pleased regardless. Let me know if you have any other questions I can help you with.

Greg @ Detailed Image

gabez33

iTrader: (7)

HI, I have a question...what do I do for hazing/hologram type swirls on SUPERBLACK?? What product do you recommend? Ive tried zaino and other stuff with a somewhat temporary fix. I just bought some scratch doctor that am gonna use tommorow Looks almost exactly like the first pic you posted...thank in advance!!!!

jmark

iTrader: (1)

Good stuff Greg. I have been doing a little reading at Autogeek as well. They also recommend a sealant & wax combo for the ultimate shine & protection.

http://www.autogeek.net/carwax.html

This kit looks good. But might be more work than I want. You basically wax the car 3 times (cleanse, seal & carnauba paste wax).

http://www.autogeek.net/wg8001.html

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

That kit is basically three steps doing the same basic task as the two products I recommended to you (Poorboy's World Polish w/Sealant and Poorboy's Natty's Red). The Polish w/ Sealant chemically polishes the surface and seals it in one step and both recommendations have a paste wax now. Doing those tasks separately will probably give you slightly better results but it's an extra step. In my opinion if you're going to add a third step I would get a light polish with abrasives (i.e. Menzerna Final Polish II). It will help remove very light imperfections (swirls/scratches), oxidations, etc. However polishes are typically require more arm pressure for better results and can be a little harder to remove. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

Are you applying these products by hand? If you're using a buffer, which ones specifically and with what pads?

First and foremost it's important to have realistic expectations. Polishes can typically remove just about any imperfection depending on what tools you can use. If you use a high speed rotary buffer you can remove a lot of swirls and scratches and get the paint near perfect. However rotary buffers are potentially very dangerous if you don't have lots of experience. With a good orbital buffer you can remove a lot of the imperfections but some of the deeper ones will still remain. Orbital buffers are generally very safe and easy to use. Hand applications are far less effective because it's hard to generate enough heat to thoroughly breakdown and work in a polish. This requires lots of heat and pressure consistently delivered over a small area.

To remove light swirls, fine scratches, haze and buffer marks you’ll most likely want to use two polishes for best results. If you really want to be aggressive you can add a heavy compounding polish like the Menzerna Power Gloss. First we recommend you apply a medium cutting polish like the Menzerna Intensive Polish and follow it up with the Menzerna Final Polish II. This will help eliminate the swirls permanently, not just hide them. After applying any medium cutting polish (Menzerna Intensive Polish) you should always follow it up with a lighter polish to buff out any haze that may be left behind and restore surface gloss. I recommend using the Menzerna Final Polish II next to get a very smooth clear coat that looks clean and crisp. After applying this product the surface should be optically clear so you can get the deepest reflection possible. I highly recommend applying these polishes with the Porter Cable 7424 because it gives much more even coverage of product and heat. This ultimately means that the product will break down better and buff out more imperfections in the clear coat. When you do these applications by hand it's difficult to give your paint constant pressure all the way around and throughout the entire detail (especially with multiple coats). Also the buffer has different textured pads which allow it to work in to the surface better.

Let me know if you have questions about these products or how to use them. We also have a Detailing Guide that takes you step by step through each product with the buffer. I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing from you.

Greg @ Detailed Image

jmark

iTrader: (1)

I like the idea of the added protection given by a sealant even if the wax wears off. To your point I am not sure I like the added 3rd step however. The silver Nismo Z is brand new and garaged when not driven. I may experiment on our light blue Honda Pilot which is outside all the time.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (27)

It's a tough call, you have to weigh so many different factors and obviously time is a big part of that. Again you can't go wrong with either choice but naturally we all want to maximize our purchases. When we originally started this discussion and still now it seems like time commitment is important to you. This is part of the reason I recommended those two products. They are very easy to apply and remove and give you great results each time. Plus you only need about 1oz or less per coat from the Polish with Sealant and probably .5 or less ounces from the Natty's Red. Therefore I think these products are a great value as well.

Greg @ Detailed Image

kwiker

iTrader: (17)

Man....i'm freakin going crazy trying to find a vacuum...i went out and bought a Ridgid vacuum that was 6.5hp, 16 gallon with a detachable blower and i vacuumed out my car and just didn't feel like it was the best one...so i returned it the next day. I might end up with either the WD1450 or the WD1850.

So my questions is...what vacuum do you use? I don't care if it is a wet dry vac, i just want to vacuum my car with it, it doesn't need to be a blower also...i think i'm going to buy a small makita cordless blower to do the cracks...i'm just using compressed air from my compressor right now. I have been thinking about getting a Metro, but I'm not sure if they are really worth it, and i can't really return it after i have it and realize that the Ridgid works better.

Whatcha' got?