Detailing Steps and Product Assistance

I'm not a detailing professional, just a newbie amateur trying to understand enough to maintain my own vehicles. I’ve got an older car to practice on, but wanted to get the opinion of you pros before I get too deep into this.

Here are the products I’ve managed to acquire over the past year or so:

Wolfgang Auto Bathe

Turtle Wax rubbing compound
Turtle Wax polishing compound
3M 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper

Meguiar’s Scratch X2.0
Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax
Pinnacle Crystal Mist Carnauba Detail Spray

XMT Polishing Pad Conditioner

And a Flex 3401 D-A Polisher

I know, an impressive array of products given I don’t know what I’m doing.

So, I imagine this process:

1. Wash vehicle with Dawn (if I want to remove existing wax), or the Wolfgang Auto Bathe (if I don’t).

2. To remove scratches, apply either the Meguiar’s Scratch X2.0 or the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover.

3. Then, to polish out the dullness I’ve induced with the above, I follow with the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, using the pad conditioner on the pad first.

4. End with the Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Wax, then the Crystal Mist?

If the Scratch X2.0 or the Advanced Swirl Remover doesn’t work to get rid of the scratches, move first to the TW polishing compound, then if that doesn’t work, the rubbing compound. Followed by the sandpaper if the above steps don’t work?

Does this look like the right order of things? Are the Scratch X2.0 and the Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover interchangeable?

I’ve already dulled the finish on one fairly large area of my good car by jumping in to fix a scratch with the TW polishing compound (by hand) before I got the other products. The good news is the scratch is gone (I think) under all that dullness, but I’m afraid to touch the thing again before I a) Get some advice from you pros, and b) Practice on my old beater first.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Being that most posters on this forum are professional detailers who make a living detailing cars I suspect that is why you are not receiving any replies.

If you want some professional knowledge on all aspects of detailing including:

Paint Finishes
Paint Finish Problems
How to Correct the Problems
Tools and Technology of the Detail Trade
Professional Supplies
Generic Discussion of Chemicals
How to Properly Clean Carpet and Fabric Upholstery
Identifying Leathers
Identifying and Cleaning Wheels
And Much More

Our company sells a DVD set on "The Technical Aspects of Detailing" for $119.95 and these will provide you all the information you need to professionally car for a car in and out, top to bottom, front to back and all the different materials you are working with.

Regards
Bud Abraham
buda@detailplus.com

It took me a moment to realize you weren't joking. I think I'll pass on the DVD, but thanks for the reply.

Lifes... :
You aren't doing too badly. Grab your Flex and a soft foam pad or cotton bonnet. Hit the dull area with a fine polish such as Meguiars #9 2.0 or Swirl Free Polish or Zaino Fuzion or Griot's Machine Polish #3. Wipe the residue off with a cotton or micro towel.
When you use a product that contains diminishing abrasives, such as Scratch X, you should work the product enough for the abrasives to break down and polish to a smooth surface.

Avoid getting deep into paint correction as a hobbyist ; You could remove too much clearcoat etc.


Read the archives of this Phorum, paying special attention to the stuff I wrote and you'll learn a lot ( LOL).
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2010 02:34AM by Doug Delmont.

Doug,

Yours was the kind of reply I was hoping for. After experimenting a bit, I think I have a better appreciation for the degree of aggressiveness of the different compounds and polishes.

Fortunately, the finishing polish removed the haze I'd created with earlier steps (and revealed that I never removed the original scratch LOL).

I have a science background, so I'm going to get very deep into paint correction. In a few years, I hope to be answering questions as well as still asking them.

Oh, by the way, I have been reading this Phorum for quite some time now, and have learned to separate the insightful posters from the enigmatic (sorry, Charlotte) and the merely tedious (you know who you are). And yes, I have learned a lot from your posts.

Thanks again.

LIITD

Life-
Glad I could help.

Note : If you can kind of catch your thumb nail in a scratch, it is too deep to remove entirely. All you can reasonably do in such cases is to make the scratch less noticeable.
Doug

sanding it down a little will help