Any Other Car Detailing Fanatics?

[choppstixxx]

Sounds like a great vision with your business. I detail maybe 2-3 cars a month during the summer, at this point in my life it's more a hobby than a main business.
I actually despise Black cars to be honest, I only bought another one since it was going to be a summer only car. My daily is a Red Metallic Ford Fusion and allows me to not really care about keeping it perfect.

[Mark_UK]

I used to be into it quite heavily when I had a black car. I bought it with quite badly swirled paintwork. It was immensely satisfying getting it back to showroom standard.













A combination of Menzerna polishes to remove the swirls, Chemical Guys EZ Creme glaze for the wet look and topped with Victoria Concours wax. Spritzed with Dodo Red Mist in between details to keep it looking sweet.
A combination of white car and 12 week old in the house mean my detailing is severely restricted now. I use Duagloss products now which are great on white. 501 to polish and a mixture of 601 and 105 to seal.

[JB]

I used to be into it quite heavily when I had a black car. I bought it t with quite badly swirled paintwork. It was immensely satisfying getting it back to showroom standard.













A combination of Menzerna polishes to remove the swirls, Chemical Guys EZ Creme glaze for the wet look and topped with Victoria Concours wax.
A combination of white car and 12 week old in the house mean my detailing is severely restricted now. I use Duagloss products now which are great on white. 501 to polish and a mixture of 601 and 105 to seal.

Love their EZ Creme glaze. Fantastic product.

[Mark_UK]

Love their EZ Creme glaze. Fantastic product.

Anyone with a black car, or even dark car should have it in their armoury without a doubt!

[N54tt]

I haven't touched my porter cable and menzerna products in 2 years. I just haven't had time. That and my maintenance routine has kept my car relatively swirl free. My routine has been wash once a week(maybe two weeks), two buckets with grid guards, high quality microfibers, air dry with blower and a quick spray with zaino z8 to finish it off. Even the dealer knows not to wash my car when I bring it in. Oh and garage kept helps too lol.

[Junkyard]

I wouldn't call myself a fanatic, but yes I have spent the money on all of the tools & toys needed to properly maintain a vehicle. My biggest problem is living in Canada when the weather is good enough to detail the golf courses are open, and I don't need to tell you which wins out :-)

That being said, I just picked up a brand new F150 a few weeks back and plan on rekindling my love for keeping it clean.

[JB]

A new car always brings me back too.

[Howzat]

I plan to get back into this big time this year. Got a boat to maintain along with a new to us tow vehicle and my 1987 Mazda RX-7 is in the shop over the winter getting all the little door dings taken out and a brand new paint job. Need to start getting my supplies together.

[JB]

I plan to get back into this big time this year. Got a boat to maintain along with a new to us tow vehicle and my 1987 Mazda RX-7 is in the shop over the winter getting all the little door dings taken out and a brand new paint job. Need to start getting my supplies together.

I got a list covered for you brother. You are going to love the Porter Cable. While I switched to Rotary for a while, the PC is a machine that is near effortless.

[Howzat]

I got a list covered for you brother. You are going to love the Porter Cable. While I switched to Rotary for a while, the PC is a machine that is near effortless.

Expecting it to make the job easier and a lot more fun for sure.

[T0AD]

OK, so speaking of swirls, what do I need to do/learn to get the smooth back in this paint?


It still looks good after a good cleaning, but I see those swirls and it irks me a bit.

[tahoebum]

I used to detail boats for a summer job as a teenager but haven't been detailing too much at home since I drive a company car that gets replaced every 18 months. My wife's car I will detail a couple times a year but I planning on a lot more detailing when we take delivery of our Tesla at the end of March.

i have found the fastest and easiest way to get a show car finish is to use a 6" DA sander with an interface pad and 3M Trizact 3000 and 5000 grit abrasives followed by 3M polishes and wax/sealer. If I have any deep scratches to remove I'll use a 1500 and or 2000 grit abrasive first. The 3M Trizact abrasives are super expensive and only available at an Automotive paint store but they save a bunch of time. I have Flex and Makita buffers and use 3M 6" dual action sander with a 5/16" throw and also a 3M 3" DA. The 6" DA makes quick work of applying wax as well.

[JB]

OK, so speaking of swirls, what do I need to do/learn to get the smooth back in this paint?


It still looks good after a good cleaning, but I see those swirls and it irks me a bit.

Rotary is the easiest way, but there is a learning curve and more damage can be done. A Porter Cable can get rid of swirls with a good use of effort as well as the right supplies. If you want to try it yourself, I recommend getting a good filler instead of removal at first. Try something like a glaze or AIO (all in one) product and then top it with a sealant. You will get weeks of coverage looking swirl free and a simple rinse is all that you will need.

If you want to try your hand at removal, you are going to need a device (mentioned above) and some sort of light abrasive (very light). The Porter Cable is idiot proof in a lot of ways because burning or further damage is tough to do.

[tahoebum]

Rotary is the easiest way, but there is a learning curve and more damage can be done. A Porter Cable can get rid of swirls with a good use of effort as well as the right supplies. If you want to try it yourself, I recommend getting a good filler instead of removal at first. Try something like a glaze or AIO (all in one) product and then top it with a sealant. You will get weeks of coverage looking swirl free and a simple rinse is all that you will need.

If you want to try your hand at removal, you are going to need a device (mentioned above) and some sort of light abrasive (very light). The Porter Cable is idiot proof in a lot of ways because burning or further damage is tough to do.

Good advice hear. Rotary buffers take some practice and can burn through the paint if you don't have good technique. The porter cable is a great way to start. Stay away from the last half inch of the edge of any panel or better yet using masking tape to protect the edges when your first starting. The porter cable can remove swirls with the right products but will take at least 2 steps. Mequiars and many others make good products that are widely available for someone new to detailing and most have an informative website showing you how to use the products.

The quickest way to remove swirls is with a DA sander and wet abrasive but this is best left to a body shop or a good professional detailer. IMO, good detail shops are hard to find. If you were going to pay someone to detail your car, A reputable body shop is more likely to be able to deliver a swirl free finish because they are dealing with new paint jobs where waxes that hide swirls can't be used. It's easy to hide a swirl but takes more steps, expertise, and better products to remove a swirl.

[Mark_UK]

A rotary buffer is by far the quickest way to remove paintwork defects, but as mentioned, these should really not be used by someone just starting out. The plate spins on its axis meaning it's terribly easy to burn the paint if you don't know what your doing as said above.
A Dual Action polisher is far safer. Porter Cable's as have been mentioned were the first popular brand to enter the market, other companies have now released their own DA polishers, notably Meguiars. The Dual Action polisher oscillates as it spins. This means less heat build up which in turn means a safer process. It does also mean a slower process though.
Then there are the pad polish combinations to consider. Different manufacturers have different levels of paint hardness. BMW and VW for instance are renowned for having a hard paint that will take a more aggressive combination to correct. Honda is known for having softer paint and does not require the cutting power needed to correct a VW. A great resource is www.detailingworld.com ;)