Detailers?

[darkonion]

Originally Posted by EzyBrzy

Yeah in my head I've gone over the process as you stated.

Wash > clay > polish > glaze/finishing polish (or is this too much?) > Sealant > wax.

Not sure about the glaze part. It's another step but if I'm going all out anyways, there no harm.

Depends if you want to do the work. You shouldn't need to use a glaze if you did a good job correcting the paint. What is a glaze exactly. A glaze is a product that has fillers in it to fill microscratches and swirls. Yes... it might have some abrasive properties and may polish a little bit, but if you do a good job compounding and polishing, you shouldn't need to use a glaze. Glazes are usually used in volume environments (dealers/auctions) where they just need to make the car look clean and get them out.

It really depends on your car and how wrecked/finicky the paint is. If the paint is easy to work with, you can get away with a single step paint correction. If the paint is finicky, you might need to do 2+ steps. The norm seems to be 2, but there are times where you need to do 3.

[darkonion]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Where are you plugging it in?

I plug an extension cord into the 3 prong outlet in my kitchen that goes out the kitchen and side door. I do that when I need to use my polisher or if I need to connect the vacuum cleaner.

[darkonion]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

This was just from a small, 8"x3" section of my rear bumper using a clay bar (decided to go with a more risky bar, the blue bar, since my car is not parked in a garage).

https://instagram.com/p/8i7T9TGyzR/

Sorry, I don't know how to get just the picture from an Instagram post.

Make sure you use a quality quick detail spray and not just water when you clay bar. Trust me, a friend didn't listen to me and ended up scratching and marring his paint, and had to spend hours fixing all the scratches.

The blue clay bar is probably a medium grade clay bar. It is more aggressive than the yellow ones you can find at the auto store. It will pick up grime a little quicker, but is more capable to mar the paint. There are a lot of things that play into that though, just not the color.

Clay bar could have been contaminated. The paint could have already been marred. Weather could be cold and the bar is tough/hard. Paint is super soft... Lots of factors.

Tips: Use a clean clay bar. Make sure you handle it for a little bit before having it touch paint. Even try claying the windshield first. As you work with the bar, it will loosen up.

In regards to the clay lube, you can use water or detail spray or any combination of. I like to use water and a few drops of car wash soap in a spray bottle. Seems to work just fine for me. I doubt water caused your friend to scratch the paint. I have a feeling it was something else.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by darkonion

The blue clay bar is probably a medium grade clay bar. It is more aggressive than the yellow ones you can find at the auto store. It will pick up grime a little quicker, but is more capable to mar the paint. There are a lot of things that play into that though, just not the color.

Clay bar could have been contaminated. The paint could have already been marred. Weather could be cold and the bar is tough/hard. Paint is super soft... Lots of factors.

Tips: Use a clean clay bar. Make sure you handle it for a little bit before having it touch paint. Even try claying the windshield first. As you work with the bar, it will loosen up.

In regards to the clay lube, you can use water or detail spray or any combination of. I like to use water and a few drops of car wash soap in a spray bottle. Seems to work just fine for me. I doubt water caused your friend to scratch the paint. I have a feeling it was something else.

Correct, it was the mild bar vs the light duty white bar that comes in their off the shelf kit.

I have a feeling it's the nutrients in the water that caused the scratches and marring of my friend's paint. He redid the claying step, with quick detail this time and another new bar, iirc, and no scratches or marring. I'd rather play it safe and use QD spray.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by darkonion

I plug an extension cord into the 3 prong outlet in my kitchen that goes out the kitchen and side door. I do that when I need to use my polisher or if I need to connect the vacuum cleaner.

Ah, my apartment unit is no where near my covered parking spot

[EzyBrzy]

Just picked up a dual action polisher from Harbor Freight, $55~ after 20% off black Friday coupon. Also picked myself up some Chemical Guys stuff, just the small bottles to test out their product. Going to dedicate one of my days off for a full detail when all my stuff comes in.