detailing advise

[socommatthews]

alright right now i usually wash,clay bar,then put on a coat of TR-3 resin.now the resin protects great.for ex. ive got a 1" spot on my hood were a bird s*** and it left a spot after baking in the sun but the same thing happened after using the TR-3 and it just wiped off.but im concerned now because im not sure the resin is clear coat safe so id rather not use it anymore so i wanted to know what would give me good protection?i bought some Meguires #26 high tech yellow wax,is that any good?on sat. i plan on washing,using Meguires paint cleaner, turtle wax polish,and the #26 but do i need to do anything to get the TR-3 off?i was just going to wash w/dawn unless anybody has any suggestions.sorry for the long post.

 

[MSP#735]

Dawn will strip all the wax off of your car, it works great! next follow up with the clay bar, then re-wash (to remove excess), cleaner wax, polish waxthen a good carnuba (i use NXT). those are the steps i use and my results..well, just ask around. (peep)

 

[socommatthews]

cool man thanks alot.i read that carnuba was pretty much useless you do it every week or so but i dont have a problem w/that.

 

[Mr Detailer]

alright right now i usually wash,clay bar,then put on a coat of TR-3 resin.now the resin protects great.for ex. ive got a 1" spot on my hood were a bird s*** and it left a spot after baking in the sun but the same thing happened after using the TR-3 and it just wiped off.but im concerned now because im not sure the resin is clear coat safe so id rather not use it anymore so i wanted to know what would give me good protection?i bought some Meguires #26 high tech yellow wax,is that any good?on sat. i plan on washing,using Meguires paint cleaner, turtle wax polish,and the #26 but do i need to do anything to get the TR-3 off?i was just going to wash w/dawn unless anybody has any suggestions.sorry for the long post.

You don't need to bother washing with Dawn, because the paint cleaner or polish will strip off the TR-3 with no problem. I've never heard of this product though...got a link to it?

Which "Turtle Wax polish" are you referring to? Realize that many polishes (like rubbing compounds) are very time-consuming and effort-intensive to use by hand. If you don't have a decent polisher, you may want to stick with very light polishes and paint cleaners. The amount of effort to completely break down a rubbing compound is usually more than the average person wants to invest by hand. This will then lead to unsatisfactory results.

Your example is inconclusive to me, since different birds have different diets, and the same bird may have more or less acidic/corrosive s*** on different days. I've seen bird s*** wipe off of unprotected paint without causing damage, and I've seen bird s*** cause damage on well-protected paint. It all depends on the composition of that particular bird bomb.

Some carnaubas are quite durable, while others have terrible durability. This can depend on lots of things, including the composition of the wax itself, amount of drying/curing time you give it upon application, the strength/pH/concentration of wash soaps that you use, the climatic conditions in your area, degree of preparation of the paint surface before waxing, etc...
It's not correct to generalize that carnauba waxes are not durable. Try a wax like Meg's #16 or Collinite #845 Insulator Wax, and you'll see that a wax can be very durable...more durable than many polymer/acrylic sealants in fact.

 

[socommatthews]

alright well the polish i was talking about was turtle wax polishing compound,not the rubbing compound.its white and very smooth so im assuming its not abbrasive?i actually just bought some 3M hand glaze,i heard it was pretty good.so as of this time i plan on doing these things in this order:Meguires deep crystal paint cleaner,TW polish comp.,3M hand glaze,and then the #26 yellow wax to top it off.i dont know if the 3M glaze is concidered a "polish",if so then ill not do the TW polish.watchya think oh knowledgable one?

link:http://www.midwayautosupply.com/detailedproductdescription.asp?10135
i cant find a manf. site,this is the only one i could find.and i have an orbital buffer but the 3M or the TW polish comp. dosnt say its compatable with any buffer,just to put on w/ a pad and wipe off before it dries.

 

[Mr Detailer]

Any polishing compound will be abrasive, unless it's grossly mislabeled. Polishing compounds and rubbing compounds are meant for removing moderate to severe scratches and oxidation. They're often used by hand to remove isolated scratches. If you really want to use a polish too, I'd get some Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze, which is available locally at most Carquest stores and some others as well. The 3M glaze is similar, but I think it's non-abrasive, so it won't offer any polishing ability. Any glaze will contain fillers, which serve to *hide* scratches rather than remove them. Some glazes (like #80) contain both polishing abrasives AND fillers, so the product can remove light scratches and hide deeper scratches at the same time.

With those products, I would just do either:
TW P.C. in isolated spots --> Meg's Paint Cleaner --> #26
or
TW P.C. in isolated spots --> 3M Hand Glaze --> #26

That stuff reminds me of this can that one of my customers left in his car with a note "please use this if possible". I did not use it, because it had all kinds of skin contact and vapor inhalation warnings all over it. The smell of that stuff just screamed volatile solvents. Remember a basic rule of organic chemistry--Avoid breathing the vapors of volatile solvents. That can was probably manufactured way before VOC (volatile organic compound) regulations were put into effect and enforced. Besides, I told him it would cost the same amount whether I used my wax/sealant or not.

Strong solvents can be used to remove oxidized paint, which suggests that the product you mentioned probably does a fine job at removing oxidation. But that's just because the strong solvent dissolves away the oxidized paint, revealing the nice paint underneath.

The 3M glaze would be absolutely fine to use via orbital polisher. The TW P.C. though, I'd avoid using with a polisher unless you have a good deal of experience/knowledge with polishing. When using it by hand, do not merely wipe it on and off. There are abrasives in the product that must be broken down completely in order to get decent results. Incompletely broken down abrasives will leave scratches/hazing on the paint as you wipe them off.

 

[socommatthews]

i just got it and im itchen to use it.as long as its not raining sat. i plan on spending 3-4 hours out there.i take pretty good care of my paint and the only place that i have remotely any swirl marks is on my hood.is the #26 a good quality protectant or do i need something diffrent like synthetic?

 

[Mr Detailer]

#26 is a fine wax, but may only last a month or so. Personally, I haven't used it. Synthetic sealants are generally engineered to be more durable, and can also be engineered with other desirable traits in mind like easy application or superior slickness.

What are you using to apply and remove the products?

 

[socommatthews]

just noticed,i couldnt do:
meg paint cleaner-3M glaze-#26?

 

[socommatthews]

some foam applicater pads and i just got an orbital buffer w/ just the 3 pads it came with(wax applicater,remover,and buffer)i havnt got any replacements yet.

 

[Mr Detailer]

You could, but the Meg's Paint Cleaner contains fillers as well, so the 3M step would be pretty redundant. I don't think there would be any benefit to using both.

 

[Mr Detailer]

some foam applicater pads and i just got an orbital buffer w/ just the 3 pads it came with(wax applicater,remover,and buffer)i havnt got any replacements yet.

Where did you get the polisher?
What kind of towels do you have for removing the products?

 

[socommatthews]

well i got the polisher at oreilly,its a Vector 6".i dont have $100+ to spend on one so $30 was fine w/me.then i have terry cloth removing it up until now but im pretty sure the buffer cloth that came w/the buffer is terry also.its pretty thin so i have to get a better on soon.i have no microfiber tho.

 

[Mr Detailer]

That's fine, but remember that you get what you pay for. The cheaper polishers don't produce enough torque to remove any more than very light scratches/swirls. And they are often difficult to find replacement pads for.

 

[socommatthews]

well i do my thing on sat. and post results in here.the buffer is actually really strong.i used it to buff out my headlight with some Plastx and altho its not completly clear it is much better. it never bogged down and i was pressing pretty hard too.anyway i appreciate all your help and time.much respect.

 

[Mr Detailer]

Good luck with whichever products you choose, and I look forward to seeing your results.

 

[socommatthews]

alright well i used the paint cleaner only in trouble areas as you said,then i put a full coat of the 3M hand glaze and a full coat of S100 (P21s)actually i did 2 coats on the hood and front bumper for the bugs sake.looks good.a guy on autopia told me about it so i got it at the harley shop.its really nice wax.it took no effort at all to get it off.so easy in fact that im really curious to see how it performs in the elements.didnt even touch the #26.i like the no residue too.its awsome.probley wont use anything else from no on(if it performs well anyway)i went out and got some quality microfiber cloths and buffer pad and only used the orbital to buff with.i still have some very small scratches and very light swirl marks but im not comfortable enough with the buffer yet to use it w/some compound to get them out.

 

[Mr Detailer]

I said to use the TW Polishing Compound in isolated spots. You could have used the paint cleaner on the whole car, and actually, it'd probably have been a good idea to do so. Red Mazdas are single-stage paints, so there would probably be some amount of oxidation that could be removed. From your pics, it looks like the paint is pretty free of oxidation though.

Glad to hear you like the S100. It's definitely one of the most user-friendly products I have. You probably won't be impressed with the durability though...I usually get about a month out of it. I don't mind reapplying waxes every month, but during the winter I use several layers of polymer sealant topped with Meg's #16, which can easily last through several months of winter.

 

[socommatthews]

what polymer sealant do you use?i read that Klasse all-in-one lacquer stuff is awsome,but if its like Meg liquid glass then i dont know if i want something that strong.it says that you have to rub down/steel wool and some other things to get it off to repaint or something.i wax every month in the winter anyway cause it dosnt get that cold here and i dont mind doing it.its stress managment for me. lol

 

[Mr Detailer]

what polymer sealant do you use?i read that Klasse all-in-one lacquer stuff is awsome,but if its like Meg liquid glass then i dont know if i want something that strong.it says that you have to rub down/steel wool and some other things to get it off to repaint or something.i wax every month in the winter anyway cause it dosnt get that cold here and i dont mind doing it.its stress managment for me. lol

I use Klasse All-In-One as a base, and choose from various sealants like FourStar Ultimate Paint Protection, Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant, or Klasse Sealant Glaze (acrylic).

I'm not familiar with any Meg's product called Liquid Glass. I am familiar with a product called Liquid Glass, but it's not made by Meguiars. Any product claiming that only steel wool can remove it is a bunch of BS.