detailing procedure

L

liquidtiger720

New member
Tell me what you guys think of my detail procedure and what i should do different or add to my list.



Detailing procedure

Wash with mothers gold class shampoo

Clay bar with pinnicle poly-clay

Rinse car

Polish with 3m Finesse it 2 Machine Polish (until swirl marks are un-noticeable)

- if un-removable on dark car- 3m swirl mark remover for dark colors.

Polish with Klasse All-in-one

Rinse car

Apply Klasse sealant (synthetic wax) or Mothers Pure carnauba wax or Pinnicle Paste Glaz (light cars only)





- All polishing will be done using a Porter Cable and Lake Country Polishing Pads.(3mfi2- yellow, aio- white)

- Wax, sealant, and others will be applied by hand.

- Window will be cleaned using Stoners Invisible Glass, followed by Rain-x.

- If car has black trim- I will use mothers back to black.

- Tires will be shined using Meguiars High Endurance Gloss or wolfgang diamond tire gel.

Vaccum carpets

Dust interior
 
No ned to rinse vehicle after the polish AIO will take care of everything for you and any residue you missed when buffing it off.

You may want to try the polishing pad first before using the yellow pad (cutting). If there is still marring on the paint you can step up to the cutting pad. Other than that looking good.
 
I realize its usually not smart to start with the cutting pad, but most of the cars i will be doing will have no record of exterior care besides a hand wash and maybe the occasional wax. - loads of swirls. - i still need practice. ive done 2 cars, and still havent been able to get it perfectly swirl free.



thanks for you comment scottabir.
 
:welcome to the board! It's great to see you.



You have a nice list, but here's what *I* would change.



Do away with your current 3M choices and go with 3M PI III RC and PI III MG instead. You will be MUCH happier with the results. RC with the orange pad, and MG with the green pad (Sonus DAS).



Instead of the LC pads, go with the Sonus DAS pads. I just have better results with these.



AIO - green Sonus pad



SG - apply with the PC and grey finishing pad for a more even coat and use a spray bottle to mist the product on the pad. Wait 24 hours and apply another coat. The more coats you put the better, but 3 seems to be the magic number. Just remember to keep the coats very thin for easier removal.



After all your coats of SG are on there, top it with a carnauba of your choice.



EDIT: I almost forgot. If you don't think a car is all that bad, polishing with just the MG and the green pad will be enough, so skip the RC and orange pad.
 
Thanks for the nice welcome.



As soon as i finish my current supply of waxes, i will go with 3mPI3 RC... but I cant find it!!!



As for the pads. If i can get my hands on one and try it, i think i am going to stay with LC...i bought too many (4 yellow and 4 whites) to just throw away. Maybe after these are worn out I will try sonus.





do you think the RC will do okay with the lc yellow pad?
 
Oh sure, the LC pads are great. I just *prefer* the Sonus pads, that's all. I didn't realize you already had LC pads. By all means, stick with what you have.



The RC will work with the orange pads with no problem but be prepared to clean them frequently with a nylon detailing brush and/or swap to a fresh pad as soon as they begin to cake. Don't polish after the pad is caked because it will just induce hazing.



Everywhere I said, green pad, replace that with your white pad and you may want to go ahead and buy one or two of the grey pads to apply sealants with. Applying your sealants this way really does make the end result look better.



Look in your local telephone book for bodyshop supply stores, they will have the 3M products, along with NAPA.
 
You will most likely need something more abrasive than FI-II MG. JDookie has some good advice, or you can use DACP and #80.



AIO should be used on trim so you may not need the Mother's Back to Black. However, if you do decide to use it, make sure the trim is clean first (you can use a mild APC or the Magic Eraser for this).



BTW, I'm assuming you are using microfibers for product removal?
 
I will try AIO on trim, and ill do the eraser first. Never thought of that. And yes, im using mf towels to remove the products. i need some better ones though. Going to order from pakshak soon. I think as soon as i find 3mfi3-RC, ill be find for my abrasive. Then i could go down to AIO or even 3mfi2- machine polish after correct?







My local napa store didnt even have 3m fi2-machine polish.



Do you have a link to an online store possibly? ...you said orange...will it work with yellow lc or are we refering to the same type of pad?





sorry about the questions. im still a little knew to this stuff. And fyi- all the stuff i listed i already have.
 
just for kicks



Before

19817dsc01981__small_.jpg


AFTER

19817dsc01989__small_.jpg






this was on monday on my gf's honda crv. there are swirls...but just not visible. I was able to get a majority out, but just didnt have the time.
 
Oops, still stuck on Sonus terminology. Yes, I meant to say yellow. Yellow LC = Orange Sonus



After PI III RC, I would recommend PI III Machine Glaze but if you want to try what you have, give it a whirl. All that can happen is it will be too mild and not produce the desired results. Then after your MG step, go to the AIO step, and then on to protectants.



There are plenty of online 3M dealers, just do a Yahoo or Google search for 3M Perfect It III and they should come up.
 
JDookie said:
Oops, still stuck on Sonus terminology. Yes, I meant to say yellow. Yellow LC = Orange Sonus.......
Click to expand...

LC does make an orange pad which I believe is very close to the Sonus orange. It is rated as a light cutting/polish pad where the LC yellow is a bit more aggressive and rated as a cutting pad. I have an LC orange in both 6.5" and a 7.5". Iâ€â„¢ve never used an LC yellow pad yet so I canâ€â„¢t say how it compares to the orange.



Itâ€â„¢s becoming a bit more confusing now because LC has different styles of pads out as well as different colors depending on which vendor you buy from (6â€Â�, 6.5â€Â�, 7.5â€Â�, VC, CP, etc.). They now make the following color pads (depending on the size, style and vendor): yellow, orange, white, green, grey, black, blue, and red.



Jason is right on about the 3M RC and MG, they are my two favorite polishes. Here is another site that carries the 3M products:



http://www.premiumautocare.com/3m.html
 
Those pads will do great. Actually, that is my pad of choice when using 3M RC because they don't cake up anywhere near as fast as the flat pads do.
 
Oh, don't worry, you will. The whole process is trial and error. Just remember to have fun......AND POST PICS!!
 
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