[liquid]

whats the difference? i have a 2007 3 series in sparkling graphite? sadly for the last two years it is parked outside in the sun all day. i do own the car and plan on keeping it a few more years. i know i have to wax it after i do one or the other. also please recommend brands that i can buy locally since i plan to do it next week.

thanks

liquid

[dday]

totally different use cases.

clay: removes surface contaminants but does nothing at all to remove scratches/swirls

compound: removes or minimizes swirls/scratches

When doing a full detail you need to do both not one or the other, you would clay your paint and then use compound, usually followed by a polish and then add sealant or wax

With that said you need to do more reading. Using a compound without a porter cable is a fools errand, you simply physically can't do enough without a machine to make a difference.

given you've not done any of this for a couple years the next question is are you willing to spend a few hundred dollars on everything you need to do this job right or are you better of just paying someone to detail your car? Lastly, you likely won't find quality products at a local store, most good supplies are only available online.

Probably not the answers you were hoping for but hope this helped.

[McMuffin]

What Dday said!!

[liquid]

thanks for the info. i guess at this point i have two options get it done or keep it simple by just compounding and waxing it.

[jmen11]

Originally Posted by liquid

thanks for the info. i guess at this point i have two options get it done or keep it simple by just compounding and waxing it.

This might just be a case of getting your terminology mixed up here but I'm guessing what you are talking about is polishing right. Compounding is a really aggressive form of polishing the paint. It is typically used after wet sanding or on severe scratches and is followed by a medium and then a light polish. Unless you have prior experience I would not recommend you do that yourself, you could do more harm than good.

[dday]

Originally Posted by liquid

thanks for the info. i guess at this point i have two options get it done or keep it simple by just compounding and waxing it.

I don't think you read my first response correctly. You need to use a machine to use compound and this is for aggressive removal of swirls/scratches. This will take you many hours and is not a "keep it simple" option.

You need something like this to use compound http://www.detailersdomain.com/theub...erbasekit.aspx

But again, it sounds like you don't know enough to do this job yourself and will likely do much more harm than good.

[Envious Eric]

you need to save your "buying products" money and use your "take it to a pro" money. You obviously have no idea what is involved, so why would you waste the money buying products you dont need, or dont know why you need them.

if you dont know the difference between claying and compounding, dont even attempt to do paint correction on your car, which is what it needs...stick to the waxing every 2-3 months on your own, and take it to a pro every 6-12 months for polishing.

[liquid]

i have done it before on cars in the past. i just washed it applied the compound took it off then waxed the car. i used something like this.

http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,14

[hipnotic]

clay compound sealant wax

[dday]

Originally Posted by liquid

i have done it before on cars in the past. i just washed it applied the compound took it off then waxed the car. i used something like this.

http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,14

please don't do that. just because you've done it in the past doesn't mean it was ever the right thing to do.

honestly at this point though do whatever you want. everyone has told you the same thing but you're ignoring the advice so there's not much we can do.

[Envious Eric]

Originally Posted by josh06lau

clay compound sealant wax

WRONG!

wash, clay, compound, polish, polish (opt 2nd polish, I always do it), Paintwork cleanser, sealant, and finally optional wax next day.

wash - removes loose dirt and debris from the car
clay - removes bonded contaminants
compound - used to remove oxidation, heavy swirls, scratches, and it will leave the finish hazy
polish - used after a compound to remove the micromarring from the compound and restore the shine and gloss
paintwork cleanser - used to remove all polishing oils and leave the surface bare allowing a true bond between the sealant and the paint
sealant - more durable and better protection vs a regular wax
wax - purely for beautifying the finish for that last 5% in looks (optional)

I would rather lightly polish a car 10 times rather than wax a car 20 times!!!

[liquid]

i guess i will just wash and wax the car then.

[Bobble]

Honestly if the car has been sitting outside for the last 2 years and you've not done much to the finish it will need a pretty agressive polish to clean it up to 90% and beyond. If that does not matter to you I would suggest at least claying after washing and before waxing so you are not grinding those embedded bits into your paint. Claying is simple, you can buy decent clay kits (like Megs or Mother's) at any big box auto parts store. Do yourself a favor though and read up on how to wash, clay and wax properly as the extra 30 minutes you spend reading that will really help in the long run(DI has some good how to info as well as the other auto detail websites). Good luck.

[AWD Addict]

WHy not just use a cleaner wax instead of compound? A car would have to be in pretty rough, neglected shape to require a compound over a good cleaner wax.

I do a cleaner, polish then finish wax once a year, and otherwise just wax once per season (sometimes 2 coats).

Admittedly, now approaching 4 years into ownership, it's time for a clay bar, but otherwise, unless the car has been pretty well neglected, I'd stay away from compounds.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

WHy not just use a cleaner wax instead of compound? A car would have to be in pretty rough, neglected shape to require a compound over a good cleaner wax.

If the OP is wanting to clean up any RIDS, oxidation or swirls a cleaner wax will not cut it, he'll need to polish. Outside for 2 years it'll need a polish if you want it to be "Sparkling" Graphite again. Really it's what the OP finds acceptable as far as corrections and then the effort required is based on that.

[Envious Eric]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

WHy not just use a cleaner wax instead of compound? A car would have to be in pretty rough, neglected shape to require a compound over a good cleaner wax.

I do a cleaner, polish then finish wax once a year, and otherwise just wax once per season (sometimes 2 coats).

Admittedly, now approaching 4 years into ownership, it's time for a clay bar, but otherwise, unless the car has been pretty well neglected, I'd stay away from compounds.

why do you use a cleaner wax, then polish, then wax again...??? you know thats wrong right...????

a cleaner wax is just going to fill in defects and remove oxidation...its not going to remove swirls/scratches since there is no abrasive in it. How can it cut if its a chemical cleaner wax? (thinking about meguiars #66 cleaner wax)

cleaner waxes have their place, and its for those people who dont want to take the time to do things with a dedicated polish, then wax (you will get better results this way). They are not supposed to be used before a polish.

[ScheerSpeed]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

WHy not just use a cleaner wax instead of compound? A car would have to be in pretty rough, neglected shape to require a compound over a good cleaner wax.

I do a cleaner, polish then finish wax once a year, and otherwise just wax once per season (sometimes 2 coats).

Admittedly, now approaching 4 years into ownership, it's time for a clay bar, but otherwise, unless the car has been pretty well neglected, I'd stay away from compounds.

Omg... So let me get this straight... You use a cleaner WAX that slightly cleans the surface, fills in swirls, and adds protection... Then polish it which is an abrasive that wears down the clear coat... Then wax it again? The cleaner wax was totally pointless after you polished it...

And 4 years without claying your car?!? I feel bad for your paint... Must be full of contamination and rust spots.

And nothing is wrong with compounding... Just as long as you don't do it Too often, because each time you do you remove a tiny amount of clear coat.

And beware of turtle wax compound... That has to be the absolute worst product on the market. I had a customer who tried using it by hand to remove a small scratch, and I ended up having to do 3 passes with M105 and a yellow compounding pad to remove the scratches the "compound" left behind...

Cheers

[Philz BMW]

Originally Posted by Envious Eric

you need to save your "buying products" money and use your "take it to a pro" money.

I agree here, and do the same. I like to wash/clean/wax my car, but realize that there are also people out there (professionals) who can detail my car much better than I ever could. There is also a convenience associated with this, in that I drop my car off, they do their thing and I pick it up complete.

There are some guys who take pride in being able to work on their own cars, in every aspect, to include detailing. That's great. I am not one of those people, and who says you have to be? Could I spend lots of time reading/researching online, buying all the necessary equipment and then get really good at it? Sure I could. But I'd rather not.

[McMuffin]

Originally Posted by Philz BMW

I agree here, and do the same. I like to wash/clean/wax my car, but realize that there are also people out there (professionals) who can detail my car much better than I ever could. There is also a convenience associated with this, in that I drop my car off, they do their thing and I pick it up complete.

There are some guys who take pride in being able to work on their own cars, in every aspect, to include detailing. That's great. I am not one of those people, and who says you have to be? Could I spend lots of time reading/researching online, buying all the necessary equipment and then get really good at it? Sure I could. But I'd rather not.

I, also like to wash/clean/wax my car. Doing something beyond that is annoying, but I'll do it to save myself something ridiculous like 500 bux!!
Although MuttGrunt is the SHIT!!! If I were rich, AutoLavish would be my detailer.

[Envious Eric]

see, I used to change my own oil and filter and rotate my own tires back in the day...now, there are more important things for me to do, so I take it in since they can get it done while I am on my phone catching up on emails, answering questions, etc. same thing with having someone else detail the car who is more proficient at doing so; you can sit at home and work on something else and at the end of the day (usually), you can come out with a lot more done for the day AND have a freshly detailed car!