[Motastic]

I have decided to pull the plug and buy detail equipment for the car.

Riograndevalley came to my house a few months back and did an amazing job (Tomato is magnificent at what he does) but now I have decided to pull the plug and buy some equipment to detail the car.

Now all you Detailing Guru's what all should I buy.

I need to know the rotary's to buy, the polishs, pads, and everything. The whole 9 yards

Background on what I am detailing

Black Saphire 335 - Minor swirls on it
Black & Red Infiniti g37 - Heavy on swirls

Let me know what compounds and Wax's work great for this

[Envious Eric]

PCXP
5.5" pads
5" plate
4" pads
3.5" plate
lots of MF towels
Meguiars D300
Menzerna 106
Menzerna SIP
sealant of choice - BFWD, powerlock
claybar and clay lube
wash media - sheepskin mitt, chenille mitt, sponge
two buckets, grit guards
foam gun
CGhoneydwew snow foam shampoo
CG anti-static quick detailer
etc...

total cost will be in the 500-600 range if you want to get it all at once

[SpecC]

Forget the PC! I have a Makita 9227c that I hope will last me forever.

I hear the Flex rotaries are very good. They were also specifically designed with detailing in mind. They're quite a bit lighter than your construction ones. They are more expensive though. My used Makita was $150 shipped.

As for polish, SIP and 106 are way outdated. I would grab some Menzerna Power Finish (PO203S) instead. It'll take care of all your medium swirls and finish down very well. If you care enough, I would also get 3M Ultrafine or Menzerna PO85RD for your last finishing polish. It just brings out some more pop.

For your heavy polish, I recommend Meguiar's M105.

[TOGWT]

Post #2 - wait until you have some experience with a PC before you think about buying a rotary (you'll probably stick to a PC like the rest of us and and use Megs M105 / Menzerna 85 and Megs Microfiber pads

[dday]

OP ignore SpecC and stick with the Porter Cable, you can do way more harm than good with a rotary if you're new to detailing, that and it just isn't needed.

[zaxjax]

Polishes that I make sure I have at all times

M105 and M205
Menzerna Power Finish
HD Uno
Ultrafina

Sealants

Zaino
HD Poxy
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant

Wax

P21S
Pinnacle Souveran
Natty Blue

Lots of MF towels and lots of pads

[Glim]

HD Uno polish works very well with my Ti Silver, finished with Collinite 845.

[Motastic]

well all is great in this thread but can we someone give me a step by step on what to use in what order with what pad. I know this is a n00b question but dont want to ruin the car while in the process. I mean I know how to make the passes in the order, but what pad and what polish goes on each pad.

also what is good for the rubber moldings around the window's and what not.

What should I use to prewash the car, to strip the old wax and what not. Do I need a foam gun for this as well?

If someone can give me the whole process what all to buy and where and how to use it, it would be magnificent. Sorry for being such a pain

and please keep the "use the search button" comments to yourself, I plan on using this thread for future reference and possibly for other members as well on here.

[dday]

Originally Posted by Motastic

and please keep the "use the search button" comments to yourself, I plan on using this thread for future reference and possibly for other members as well on here.

The reason people say that is this exact question has been asked many times before.

Head over to detailed image and read the how-to's there

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/

[electricjet]

Automobile Detail – Schedule – Products – Detailing Reference / Vendors

Products used and listed have been compiled by recommendation and personal use

This list will eventually be narrowed down to just a few product lines (ex: Chemical Guys, Leather master, Swissvax or alike)

- Following work flows have been compiled with help of professional detailers and information furnished by vendors and BMW forum members
- Miniature product pictures with small text are also preferred products but take second place due to specific usage

Format of document:
- Work flow
- Schedule
- Products
- Pads

Websites for products, “how to’s”, etc.

www.detailedimage.com Greg
www.chemicalguys.com George
www.detailersdomain.com Phil
http://shop.unitersna.com/collections/leather-master
www.amazon.com


www.toddcooperider.com Todd Cooperider
www.detailbyvinny.com
www.enviousautodetailing.com Eric Schuster

Detailing Guide:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

Experience at its best: A MUST READ
http://togwt1980.blogspot.com/

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...l?daysprune=45


Wheel Well:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...ys-bare-bones/

Exhaust polishing:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...polish+exhaust
… and yes … “been there, done that” …  … it looks “sick”

Detailing Schedule

April - Complete detail - Wash / Dry -> Clay -> Polish -> Sealant -> Wax

May - Wash -> Wax

June - Wash -> Wax

July - Mini detail - Wash -> Assess for polishing -> Sealant -> Wax

August - Wash -> Wax

September - Wash -> Wax

October - Thorough detail – Wash -> Clay -> Polish if needed but usually I do because I'm so anal -> Sealant -> Wax

November - Wash -> Wax

December - Wash -> Wax

January - Mini detail - Wash -> Assess for polishing -> Sealant -> Wax

February - Wash -> Wax

March - Wash -> Wax

April - Repeat Routine

I usually wash once every 2 weeks


STEP 1 - Rinse

Rinse entire automobile with water

STEP 2 - Tiers & Wheels & Wheel-wells

Products:
Tires: TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner (initial thorough cleaning before applying TUF SHINE Sealant)

Wheels: If wheels are not severe dirty use any ph neutral cleaner or soap

Chemical Guys Diablo Gel Wheel & Rim Cleaner
SONAX Wheel Cleaner (severe brake dust accumulation)
BMW Wheel Gel
P21S Wheel Gel
Meguiar’s Wheel Cleaner

Wheel-wells:
Cleaner: Chemical Guys Grim Reaper A.P.C.
Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner D103
Greased Lightning
P21S Total Auto Wash


Tools: E-Z Detailing Brushes (regular & mini size)
Lug Nut brush
Long handle brush for wheel wells

STEP 3 - Wash:

Products:
Soap: Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II (used with Gilmour Foam Gun)
For maintenance wash:
Fill foam fun canister with soap and use setting A (1oz to 1 gal)
1 cap to 1 gallon water

Chemical Guys Glossworkz (used for wash with 2 bucket method and wash mitt)
For maintenance wash:
1 oz to 4-5 gallons water

Chemical Guys Citruswash & Gloss (used for wash with 2 bucket method and wash mitt)
For Sealant & Wax removal:
1 oz to 1 gallon water


For Grime, Bug removal:
P21S Total Auto Wash (100% or 50/50)

Tools: Gilmour Foam Master II
Grit Guard with 2 buckets (wash – rinse)
Sheep-skin wash mitt for top portion of automobile
Micro fiber wash mitt for lower portion of automobile
Microfiber waffle towel for drying

STEP 4 - Surface Preparation - Clay Bar:

Products: CarPro Iron X Iron remover
Aquarx Iron Cut
Chemical Guys Lite Clay Bar (blue)
Chemical Guys Lubber (lubricant)
Meguiar’s Mild Detailing Clay
Meguiar’s Quick Detailer (lubricant)
ONR Wash (lubricant)


STEP 5 - Wash - Dry:

Wash - see Step 3

Tools: Microfiber waffle towel
Electric blower (do not use gas powered unit)


STEP 6 - Tires & Wheels & Wheel-wells dressing:

Products:
Tires: Dry tires completely before applying sealant

TUF SHINE Tire Sealant
Chemical Guys G6 Hyper Coat

Wheels: Chemical Guys Wheel Guard Wheel Wax
Poorboys World Wheel Wax
Swissvax Autobahn

Wheel wells:
Dressing: Chemical Guys Back to Black
Chemical Guys Bare Bones Under Carriage Spray (requires wipe down after application)

Tools: Foam applicator
Cotton Terry Towel for wipe down


STEP 7 - Taping of Trim and Emblems:

Products: Meguiar’s Detailing Tape (0.75”)
Painters Blue Tape

STEP 8 - Polishing:

Products:
Chemical Guys V38 use with CG black pad
Chemical Guys P40 use with CG green or white pad
Meguiar’s 205 (2500 grit) use LC white pad
Menzerna 106FA (2500 grit)
Menzerna SF 4500 (3000 grit)

Polishing Pads: use 4” for more control or 5.5” for larger surfaces

Lake Country: White 4” (light cut) Black 4” (finishing) Blue 4” (polishing)

Chemical Guys: Green 5.5” (medium polish) White 5.5” (light polish) Black 5.5” (finishing) Blue 5.5” (polishing) Red 5.5” (Sealant)
Meguiar’s: W8006 6” (polishing) W9006 6“ (finishing)

Tools: Porter Cable Orbital Polisher/Buffer
Flex


STEP 9 – Wipe down:

Products: Isopropyl Alcohol
Use 90% IPA at 1 part to 10 parts distilled water


STEP 10 - Sealant:

Products: Chemical Guys Black Light - apply by hand
Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 - apply by hand
Blackfire Wet Diamond Polymer Sealant - apply with LC blue pad
Menzerna Polymer Sealant

Tools: Red or Yellow foam applicator (hand) or blue with PC


STEP 11 - Waxing:

Products:
Chemical Guys 50/50 – apply by hand
Swissvax Glacier (used for white paint) – apply by hand
Chemical Guys Wet Butter Wax
DoDo Juice White Diamond Hard Wax

Tools: Lake Country red foam applicator


STEP 12 - Final Wipe Down:

Products: Chemical Guys V7

EXTERIOR TRIM:

Products:

Cleaner: Leatherique Prestine Clean (use on soft and rubber trim)
Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner D103
P21S TAW

Protection:
Plastic Trim: Chemical Guys Back to Black

Rubber Trim: Einszett Gummi Pflege Stift
Meguiar’s Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner

Residue on rubber and plastic trim: Use Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner D103 or greased Lightning with a Tooth brush


INTERIOR DETAIL:

Products:

Leather: Keep in mind you are working with the protective layer of the leather and not with the leather itself!
>> Thank you TOGWT for your info <<

Leather Master Universal Cleaner
(Leather Care Universal Cleaner)
(Leather Care Vital) used on older leather
Leather Care Protective Cream
http://shop.unitersna.com/collections/leather-master

Swissvax Leather Cleaner
Swissvax Leather Milk

Leatherique Prestine Clean
Leatherique Rejuvenator

Trim:
Cleaner: Meguiar’s Interior Quick Detailer
For Fabric:
303 Fabric & Vinyl Cleaner

Protectant: 303 Aerospace Protectant

Carpet:
Cleaner: 303 Fabric & Vinyl Cleaner
Protectant: 303 High Tech Fabric Guard
Scotch Guard

Glass: Stoner Invisible Glass


ENGINE BAY:

Products:
Cleaner: Chemical Guys Grim Reaper A.P.C.
P21S TAW
Meguiar’s Super Degreaser D108
Greased Lightning

Dressing: 303 Aerospace Protectant

Plastic Trim: Chemical Guys Back to Black


…. Enjoy the work ! ... and be assured the wife will kick you out

pm me your email ... i will gladly email you the document which also includes info for all the products used

[electricjet]

... and if you really wanna go nuts ... get some "FLITZ" and 0000 steel wool and polish the exhaust ... it looks "sick"

[Motastic]

electricjet OMG that was amazing.

I will PM you now

and i have not so much of a wife to worry about and more of a girlfriend issue, where im spending more time with the car than her hahahah

[electricjet]

... glad to help ... would not have been possible without the help of many forum members and vendors (you guys know who i mean ) ...

... by the way ... Chemical Guys V7 ...

[Motastic]

^^^^ He Da Man!!!!

[Detailed Image]

Some excellent information above that should definitely help you out. As mentioned previously the Detailed Image detailing guide and our Ask a Pro Blog, both will provide you a wealth of detailing knowledge.


Wash/Dry - most swirls come from this process so quality products and techniques are critical. Check out our detailing guide for this step and other steps to maximize your efforts. Here are two awesome kits if interested.
DI Packages Washing and Drying Basic Kit
DI Packages Washing and Drying Starter Package
I've also incorporated the CarPro Iron X Iron Remover in my washing process and it's a huge help that improves the results not only here but every step afterward.


Clay Bar - This step deep cleans the paint so it's free from stubborn build ups not removed by the washing process. This may seem complicated or different but it's pretty simple and basic. In short spray some clay lube on the paint and glide the bar side to side and picks up micro contaminants in the paint. Here is an excellent value on a clay bar and lube - DI Packages DI Gentle Fine Grade Clay Bar 100g & Clay Lube.

Polish - This is the step where you really restore the paint to like new again. You can permanently remove swirls, oxidation, etc. not just temporarily hide them. I highly recommend you consider getting a Porter Cable (PC) as they are so easy to use, vastly improve your results while saving you time and energy. We have some affordable kits that give you the PC, backing plate, pads and polishes you would need here DI Packages Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's Polishes and Hydro Pads Starter Kit or DI Packages PC 7424XP with M105, M205 and 5.5" pads. Both kits give you the M105 and M205 polishes with the PC that are going to help you really restore the paint to like new. Best of all the PC is easy to use and completely safe even for a first time user. Check out our detailing guide for step by step instructions and other helpful hints.

If you prefer to do a hand application I generally just recommend a one step process with a foam applicator and Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205.

Protection - After polishing protect and enhance the shine with a sealant or wax. Waxes last about 2 - 6 weeks so we generally recommend a sealant which lasts 3 - 6 months. The Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger is my favorite sealant. It provides a remarkable shine with durable protection while easy to apply. You can apply it by hand or use a blue pad and your buffer. If you really want to you can apply a wax on top of the sealant for added protection and shine. The Poorboy's World Liquid Natty's Blue Wax is a great option for a quality liquid wax that works on all colors. If you want a bit more gloss from a paste wax try the Chemical Guys 50/50 Limited Series Concourse Paste Wax or any of the Dodo Juice waxes. These options are applied by hand only but the exceptional gloss makes it well worth it.

I hand remove all of the excess product with a clean DI Microfiber All Purpose Towel. These towels are paint safe and help quickly remove the left over clay lube, polish, sealant, etc. I'd suggest getting about 5x - 10x of them.

Now step back and admire how awesome your vehicle looks. If you have any other questions please let me know!

Take care!

Greg @ DI

[Envious Eric]

the other thing about telling you what steps with what pads that is difficult is the fact I can probably get better results with 105/orange pad than you can, because I have used so much of it, so I can go to 106 on a black pad where you might have to go with a middle step on the same paint. Or your paint/defects might need 105 on a white pad instead of an orange pad and then 106 on a white pad instead of a black pad...

...there is no set standard, every car situation is different! I carry 120+ combos with me on every detail "just in case". Heck, one detail I ended up using 203 on surbuf, 203 on white, 203 on black, then 85rd on black....it was a royal PITA repainted black car.

so the order is:
wash
decontaminate
clay
tape
correct defects
polish to remove haze
polish to restore gloss
clean paint
sealant application
wax if you want

[electricjet]

... greg, i have the feeling you might just think i have gone bananas ...

detailedimage has my business

[Motastic]

Originally Posted by Envious Eric

the other thing about telling you what steps with what pads that is difficult is the fact I can probably get better results with 105/orange pad than you can, because I have used so much of it, so I can go to 106 on a black pad where you might have to go with a middle step on the same paint. Or your paint/defects might need 105 on a white pad instead of an orange pad and then 106 on a white pad instead of a black pad...

...there is no set standard, every car situation is different! I carry 120+ combos with me on every detail "just in case". Heck, one detail I ended up using 203 on surbuf, 203 on white, 203 on black, then 85rd on black....it was a royal PITA repainted black car.

so the order is:
wash
decontaminate
clay
tape
correct defects
polish to remove haze
polish to restore gloss
clean paint
sealant application
wax if you want

well see that is the issue that i need help with really is....the swirls and what pads to use with what polish

i heard there is 1 - 4 for polish's, 1 being worst and 4 being new car...

if i can get help with what polish's or compound (might be used the wrong terms) to use to get swirls out (2 steps?) than I know i wash but than after hat what do i use?

[Envious Eric]

meguiars 105
meguiars D300
Menzerna SIP
Menzerna 203
Meguiars 205
Menzerna 106
Menzerna 85rd

PFW pad
surbuf
orange
hydrotec tang
white
green (detailers domain - love that pad!)
black
blue

those are my options for polishes and pads via rotary and DA

so from there I would try out SIP on a orange pad and see where that gets me. If not enough, I would step up to 105 or D300 depending on how far off I was with SIP. If I am still not getting enough correction for the first step, then I would jump up to surbuf and 105 or orange and 105. If that was too much, then step down to surbuf and D300 or orange. Once I was getting the correction needed, I would then test the second step, and then the third step so that I have a game plan on what steps I would be taking the whole way through. Once I figure that out, I then go around the whole car with each step through its entirety; meaning top to bottom, front to back with 105 and surbuf, then all around with power finish on white, then 8rd on black.

BUT, your car could be different and not even need 105 or an orange pad, you could use D300 and a white pad or D300 on a Microfiber pad and then 106 on a black pad and be happy with those results...

There is no single answer that you are looking for...

I just went and gave an estimate the other day...guy told me it has minor swirling all over the car on a black car. Once I got there and put the LED light on it, I told him straight out, its a three step process because the car doesnt have LIGHT swirling, its actually one of the top 10 cars that I would be correcting in terms of damage to the paint. (ive polished over 800 cars) It was horrible! Thats the difference in what you might think is light or moderate and what a detailer might think is light or moderate. Typically, a novice's good is my bad, and his bad is my horrible...different definitions/expectations. So after I am done with the car, it looks great to me, but amazing to him!