Ok, let me get down to the fun business of making some general recommendations for everyone. I’ll list some common problems and give some solutions. I’ll then list some of my products and give you an idea of what to get to make your car look its best.
Rough Paint – This can be from a number of things. The paint could have industrial fallout, sap, bird dropping residue and the like on it. You could use a clay bar on the paint. Clay acts like an eraser. It removes overspray, fallout and other junk on the surface. The result is a smooth surface ready for polishing. Oxidation is another source. This will cause the paint to look dull. A good paint cleaner or even a polish will remove oxidation. Typically, I like to clay a car first unless the paint is badly oxidized. At that point, I chose to use a paint cleaner to get the oxidation off, then clay the surface.
Swirls, Scratches, Cob Webbing – These are those shiny marks you see in your paint. They are caused by improper washing or drying techniques. Also, poor wax application and removal methods will cause problems. There are two ways to tackle this. You can remove the swirls, or you can hide them. I prefer the option to remove them myself. I like to use abrasive swirl removing products like Poorboy’s SSR series or Four Star Ultimate Swirl Mark Remover to accomplish this. These products work by rounding off the top edge of the swirl. This reduces the light reflection and therefore makes the swirl disappear. Glazes and some swirl removers fill in swirls to “hide” them. Users of Zaino’s Z-5 will know what I mean. I like these types of products for the final light swirls that are left.
General ideas for items you may need:
SSR2 or SSR2.5 for most swirls. They do apply by hand or machine (machine is quicker) and will not leave any hazing from being too aggressive.
SSR1 is a nice final polish or follow-up for SSR2 or 2.5. The SSR line contains no fillers or oils, so it works well under Zaino. They also work better than Z-f for swirl removal.
Dark non-metallic colors. The Clearkote Killer Combo is an easy choice here. Easy on and easy off. The Vanilla Moose adds depth while Carnauba Moose wax adds the gorgeous wet look.
Dark metallic colors: Two great combos here. Vanilla Moose topped by EX-P is great. Vanilla Moose adds the depth while EX-P allows the metal flake to really shine through. Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection when paired with Vanilla Moose is another great option. Both UPP and EX-P are pure sealants, so durability is great.
Light colors and light metallic colors: Definitely the Poorboy’s World Favorites Kit. Polish with Carnauba cleans, polishes and add a nice carnauba Look. EX-P is the pure sealant that gives the gloss and sharp reflections that are needed with lighter colored cars to make them stand out.
Remember, there is not one miracle product that do everything in one coat. It is the prep that is the key in making your car look its best. The more you clean and polish the surface, the better your wax or sealant will look. Typically, I’ll do three or more steps when detailing customer cars. On my own car, it gets much crazier.
When I last did my car, I first clayed the surface. I then used SSR2.5 with a rotary polisher to removes the swirls. After than, I went after the minor rotary holograms with SSR2 and my Porter Cable polisher. I then did a final polish with SSR1.
I topped everything with two coats of Poorboy’s EX sealant with Carnauba. My car is black, so I chose to go with carnauba. Once that had cured for a day or two, I topped it with Poorboy’s Natty’s Paste Wax. The car looks very wet and the mirror look is great.
I’m sure not everyone wants to spend that much time on their car, but I am a little on the crazy side.
If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I didn’t even get into tires and interior yet.