[matthatchett]

Can someone point me in the right direction? I'd love to get into detailing. I'm trying to compile a list of things I will need to get started and so far I think I have a good idea. Before I jump in and get to work though, I would at least like to know what the hell I'm using. Compounds, polishes, glazes, sealants, waxes, etc. I have no clue what the difference is in all of those and which ones I will need. Can anybody give me a quick breakdown of what exactly those things are and why I need them? Or can you provide a link so I can do some reading?

[SLCGoonski]

http://www.detailedimage.com/

[TheEd]

Washing:

- Two five gallon buckets, doesn't matter where they come from, one will be filled with clean water for rinsing your wash mitt, the other will have your wash mix.
- Grit Guard, placed in your rinse bucket: http://www.detailedimage.com/Grit-Gu...t-P119/RED-S2/
- Gilmour Foamaster gun (If you do not have a pressure washer), put some wash mix in it to give your car a nice foaming pre-wash: http://www.detailedimage.com/Gilmour...allon-Tank-S1/ (There are different versions of this gun, they all work the same and can be had much cheaper through Amazon)
- If you do have a pressure washer: http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Acce...am-Lance-P770/
- Invest in a good wash mitt, again nothing special needed, just make sure it is soft, can hold a decent amount of suds and does not have an exposed stitching or tags that could scratch your paint while you wash.
- If you have hard water, you may want to invest in a water softening system, this one has a rechargeable cartridge by soaking it in salts you can get at any hardware store: http://veloximo.com/shop/index.php?r...&product_id=86

Drying:
- Use an electric leaf blower, the less touching you have to do, the less scratched and swirled your paint will come out. You could invest in a fancy Metrovac Master Blaster if you had money to burn.
- Any remaining water spots, wipe clear with a good quality microfiber towel, again, no exposed stitching or tags, Zaino Borderless Blondes are a favorite of mine: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/..._Code=Z-BBFT-3

Claying:
- Buy only Simoniz/Body Magic Clay Magic clay bars. It is the cheapest clay bar you will ever buy and it's the same clay bar you get whether you buy it for a few dollars in their package or $20+ in a Meguiars or Mothers or (Insert boutique detailing website's name here) package. They own the patent on detailing clay and take great pleasure in taking other companies to court for patent infringement when someone releases a clay bar that they did not source from Simoniz/Body Magic.

Polisher:
- Get a good DA polisher, personally I use a Meguiar's G110 V2 DA. There are two other good ones, Porter Cable 7424XP and Griott's Garage does their own. The Meguiar's is very easy to use for a beginner, doesn't bog down.

Pads:
- Pads can be very confusing to a beginner, you have finishing pads (To apply sealant or wax, these pads are the softest, usually have no cutting power), polishing pads (With varying levels of cut, run your fingers over the surface and you can feel the difference), compounding pads (With even more cutting power than polishing pads). I recommend Lake Country and Chemical Guys Hexlogic pads.

Compounds/Polishes/Sealants/Waxes:
- When it comes to compounds and polishes, most are paired, and for the best results, it is wise to not switch brands between a compound and polish, unless through experience you have found it works for you. For me, I use pair Meguiar's M205 and M105 together for compounding and polishing. They both utilize the SMAT (Super-Micro Abrasive Technology) that made their Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish famous with retail clients. M205 and M105 are from Meguiar's professional end of the business.

- Sealants for the most part are wax that lasts much longer than traditional wax, some may have some fillers or polishing agents. For the past few years I've used Chemical Guys Blacklight, a great sealant for black or dark colored cars.

- Wax is wax, wax does not shine nor does it add depth, don't spend much money on wax. Just find one that goes on easy and comes off easy for you. To see if the wax is ready to be buffed off, take a clean finger and swipe the panel, if the area you swiped is clear and not streaky, then your wax had cured and is ready for buffing.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is technique trumps product every time. Below is a link to the best YouTube series to teach technique in everything car detailing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Junkman2000/videos

[matthatchett]

Originally Posted by TheEd

Washing:

- Two five gallon buckets, doesn't matter where they come from, one will be filled with clean water for rinsing your wash mitt, the other will have your wash mix.
- Grit Guard, placed in your rinse bucket: http://www.detailedimage.com/Grit-Gu...t-P119/RED-S2/
- Gilmour Foamaster gun (If you do not have a pressure washer), put some wash mix in it to give your car a nice foaming pre-wash: http://www.detailedimage.com/Gilmour...allon-Tank-S1/ (There are different versions of this gun, they all work the same and can be had much cheaper through Amazon)
- If you do have a pressure washer: http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Acce...am-Lance-P770/
- Invest in a good wash mitt, again nothing special needed, just make sure it is soft, can hold a decent amount of suds and does not have an exposed stitching or tags that could scratch your paint while you wash.
- If you have hard water, you may want to invest in a water softening system, this one has a rechargeable cartridge by soaking it in salts you can get at any hardware store: http://veloximo.com/shop/index.php?r...&product_id=86

Drying:
- Use an electric leaf blower, the less touching you have to do, the less scratched and swirled your paint will come out. You could invest in a fancy Metrovac Master Blaster if you had money to burn.
- Any remaining water spots, wipe clear with a good quality microfiber towel, again, no exposed stitching or tags, Zaino Borderless Blondes are a favorite of mine: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/..._Code=Z-BBFT-3

Claying:
- Buy only Simoniz/Body Magic Clay Magic clay bars. It is the cheapest clay bar you will ever buy and it's the same clay bar you get whether you buy it for a few dollars in their package or $20+ in a Meguiars or Mothers or (Insert boutique detailing website's name here) package. They own the patent on detailing clay and take great pleasure in taking other companies to court for patent infringement when someone releases a clay bar that they did not source from Simoniz/Body Magic.

Polisher:
- Get a good DA polisher, personally I use a Meguiar's G110 V2 DA. There are two other good ones, Porter Cable 7424XP and Griott's Garage does their own. The Meguiar's is very easy to use for a beginner, doesn't bog down.

Pads:
- Pads can be very confusing to a beginner, you have finishing pads (To apply sealant or wax, these pads are the softest, usually have no cutting power), polishing pads (With varying levels of cut, run your fingers over the surface and you can feel the difference), compounding pads (With even more cutting power than polishing pads). I recommend Lake Country and Chemical Guys Hexlogic pads.

Compounds/Polishes/Sealants/Waxes:
- When it comes to compounds and polishes, most are paired, and for the best results, it is wise to not switch brands between a compound and polish, unless through experience you have found it works for you. For me, I use pair Meguiar's M205 and M105 together for compounding and polishing. They both utilize the SMAT (Super-Micro Abrasive Technology) that made their Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish famous with retail clients. M205 and M105 are from Meguiar's professional end of the business.

- Sealants for the most part are wax that lasts much longer than traditional wax, some may have some fillers or polishing agents. For the past few years I've used Chemical Guys Blacklight, a great sealant for black or dark colored cars.

- Wax is wax, wax does not shine nor does it add depth, don't spend much money on wax. Just find one that goes on easy and comes off easy for you. To see if the wax is ready to be buffed off, take a clean finger and swipe the panel, if the area you swiped is clear and not streaky, then your wax had cured and is ready for buffing.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is technique trumps product every time. Below is a link to the best YouTube series to teach technique in everything car detailing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Junkman2000/videos

Thanks! I appreciate all of the info! So far I think I understand most of the basics. The only thing I really don't understand is what a glaze is exactly and when it should be applied. Also the sealant and wax thing, from what you said and what I've read, they generally do the same thing which is protect your finish correct? Only difference is one lasts longer and adds to the finish right? Again, I appreciate the info. Guys like you who take the time to explain things made me join this forum. THANKS!

[TheEd]

Originally Posted by matthatchett

Thanks! I appreciate all of the info! So far I think I understand most of the basics. The only thing I really don't understand is what a glaze is exactly and when it should be applied. Also the sealant and wax thing, from what you said and what I've read, they generally do the same thing which is protect your finish correct? Only difference is one lasts longer and adds to the finish right? Again, I appreciate the info. Guys like you who take the time to explain things made me join this forum. THANKS!

Glazes are a bit of polish and sealant usually with a lot of fillers. It's the preferred method of the used car lots, who want to hide all the swirls and holograms in the paint without spending time on actual paint correction. It will wear off like a wax and expose the paints true condition in short order.

Every time you compound and polish you remove a microscopic layer of clear, so you want to minimize every time you do this, plus it's a lot of time and sweat to invest. Always take the least aggressive method possible, for example, say you have some swirl marks, don't go straight to compound and your heaviest cutting pad. Instead start with polish and a light cutting pad, work a 2x2 area and see if that took care of it. Only then go to compound if it did not.

As you gain experience you will be able to judge paint and what correction steps are needed.

[TheEd]

Yes. Sealants and waxes serve the same function, protecting all that hard work you put into paint correction. Sealants usually have polymers and silicone in it which allow it to "bond" to the paint, giving it a longer service life.

Putting a wax on top of a sealant is often referred to as a "topper" it will help extend the life of the sealant.

[SLOWER]

This is a very good writeup that touches on everything.

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

[matthatchett]

I think I'm starting to get a better understanding of everything. The link the two guys posted above has A TON of good information. I was reading on there all night last night. I do have one last question though. Just to explain myself a little better I will give you an example. So last night after doing some reading about the Meguiar's M105/205, I went to their website just to see what else they have. All I saw was a bunch of numbers. Every description for each product was only a little different. How am I supposed to know what each one of those is? They have (just to name a few) the Microfiber Correction Compounds, M105, M205, and all of these other numbered products. I don't really understand how to tell the difference. Also, the M105 and M205 that I see everyone talking about is labeled as Mirror Glaze on their website. After reading about glazes and compounds and all of that, a glaze isn't really what I'm looking for. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how do you know what each product is used for? Here is the link for the website. Maybe if you see the selection of products you will understand my question better. http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/

[psnt1ol]

Here are some info straight from the horses mouth. Keep in mind that these products were originally designed for the pros so there will be some learning curves on all of them. I, personally, have not use M105 in over a year. There are products that are much more user friendly than M105 in the market place. I am still a big fan of M101 and D300. Menzerna FG400 is also pretty awesome.

Meguiar's M105, M101 and M100 Compounds Round Table Discussion

Meguiars Microfiber DA Correction System

Meguiar's DA Microfiber Correction System Part II - Enhancement

[matthatchett]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

Here are some info straight from the horses mouth. Keep in mind that these products were originally designed for the pros so there will be some learning curves on all of them. I, personally, have not use M105 in over a year. There are products that are much more user friendly than M105 in the market place. I am still a big fan of M101 and D300. Menzerna FG400 is also pretty awesome.

I did watch all three videos. I appreciate you taking the time to show me some info. However, I still don't understand lol. I believe I am just overthinking it though. I'm the type of person who wants a straight answer when I'm buying something and that doesn't seem to be the case. I realize every application is different but there should be some kind of standard. Use this product for extreme imperfections, this one for moderate, and this one for mild. I'm so lost.

[psnt1ol]

If you are looking for a "Formula".....then you will have a hard time finding an answer. Unfortunately, a formulated approach generally doesn't work due to the variables being way too numerous (such as pad combinations, technique, the paint system of the vehicle, paint thickness (CC), etc).

Before I start to work on any vehicle, I always do a test spot to determine the process that I will be using. The following is a polish aggressiveness chart that would give you an idea on how these polishes rank on a scale of 1 to 10. The only way you will know how a product will perform for you is to work with it.

Like I stated earlier, there are other factors that would affect aggressiveness. The pads combinations, work area size, and technique will all play a role. Paint corrections is both an art and a science. This is the "ART" part.



http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autopia/polish-chart.pdf

[Otruba_843]

Compound-Heavy cutting for deep defect removal, hard clear coats, and cuts faster. It's not always necessary.

Polish-Light to medium cut depending on which one you are using. Polish adds the gloss and removes the haze from compounding or it can be used by itself (one step correction) for removing light to medium swirling.

Glazes- Fill in swirls and hides a majority of them. When the glaze wears off, the swirls will show more again.

Wax- Used to protect the car from the elements. It makes cleaning bugs and dirt off easier. It's generally around 5-10% of the look. The rest of the look comes from the compounding/polishing step. It also looks the best compared to sealants.

Sealants- Basically the same idea as wax, but it will last much longer. It doesn't look as good but it is slicker.

[SgtGoldy]

Originally Posted by TheEd

Washing:

- Two five gallon buckets, doesn't matter where they come from, one will be filled with clean water for rinsing your wash mitt, the other will have your wash mix.
- Grit Guard, placed in your rinse bucket: http://www.detailedimage.com/Grit-Gu...t-P119/RED-S2/
- Gilmour Foamaster gun (If you do not have a pressure washer), put some wash mix in it to give your car a nice foaming pre-wash: http://www.detailedimage.com/Gilmour...allon-Tank-S1/ (There are different versions of this gun, they all work the same and can be had much cheaper through Amazon)
- If you do have a pressure washer: http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Acce...am-Lance-P770/
- Invest in a good wash mitt, again nothing special needed, just make sure it is soft, can hold a decent amount of suds and does not have an exposed stitching or tags that could scratch your paint while you wash.
- If you have hard water, you may want to invest in a water softening system, this one has a rechargeable cartridge by soaking it in salts you can get at any hardware store: http://veloximo.com/shop/index.php?r...&product_id=86

Drying:
- Use an electric leaf blower, the less touching you have to do, the less scratched and swirled your paint will come out. You could invest in a fancy Metrovac Master Blaster if you had money to burn.
- Any remaining water spots, wipe clear with a good quality microfiber towel, again, no exposed stitching or tags, Zaino Borderless Blondes are a favorite of mine: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/..._Code=Z-BBFT-3

Claying:
- Buy only Simoniz/Body Magic Clay Magic clay bars. It is the cheapest clay bar you will ever buy and it's the same clay bar you get whether you buy it for a few dollars in their package or $20+ in a Meguiars or Mothers or (Insert boutique detailing website's name here) package. They own the patent on detailing clay and take great pleasure in taking other companies to court for patent infringement when someone releases a clay bar that they did not source from Simoniz/Body Magic.

Polisher:
- Get a good DA polisher, personally I use a Meguiar's G110 V2 DA. There are two other good ones, Porter Cable 7424XP and Griott's Garage does their own. The Meguiar's is very easy to use for a beginner, doesn't bog down.

Pads:
- Pads can be very confusing to a beginner, you have finishing pads (To apply sealant or wax, these pads are the softest, usually have no cutting power), polishing pads (With varying levels of cut, run your fingers over the surface and you can feel the difference), compounding pads (With even more cutting power than polishing pads). I recommend Lake Country and Chemical Guys Hexlogic pads.

Compounds/Polishes/Sealants/Waxes:
- When it comes to compounds and polishes, most are paired, and for the best results, it is wise to not switch brands between a compound and polish, unless through experience you have found it works for you. For me, I use pair Meguiar's M205 and M105 together for compounding and polishing. They both utilize the SMAT (Super-Micro Abrasive Technology) that made their Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish famous with retail clients. M205 and M105 are from Meguiar's professional end of the business.

- Sealants for the most part are wax that lasts much longer than traditional wax, some may have some fillers or polishing agents. For the past few years I've used Chemical Guys Blacklight, a great sealant for black or dark colored cars.

- Wax is wax, wax does not shine nor does it add depth, don't spend much money on wax. Just find one that goes on easy and comes off easy for you. To see if the wax is ready to be buffed off, take a clean finger and swipe the panel, if the area you swiped is clear and not streaky, then your wax had cured and is ready for buffing.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is technique trumps product every time. Below is a link to the best YouTube series to teach technique in everything car detailing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Junkman2000/videos

I seriously couldn't have compiled it any better myself. Also with Jankman linked! Junkman is a wealth of knowledge.

For wax though I recommend a polymer sealant instead. Last 10x longer, looks better, but is more expensive.

[matthatchett]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

If you are looking for a "Formula".....then you will have a hard time finding an answer. Unfortunately, a formulated approach generally doesn't work due to the variables being way too numerous (such as pad combinations, technique, the paint system of the vehicle, paint thickness (CC), etc).

Before I start to work on any vehicle, I always do a test spot to determine the process that I will be using. The following is a polish aggressiveness chart that would give you an idea on how these polishes rank on a scale of 1 to 10. The only way you will know how a product will perform for you is to work with it.

Like I stated earlier, there are other factors that would affect aggressiveness. The pads combinations, work area size, and technique will all play a role. Paint corrections is both an art and a science. This is the "ART" part.



http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autopia/polish-chart.pdf

That is exactly what I was looking for! This may just be me overthinking things again but is there a reason that Meguiar's calls a lot of their compounds and polishes a "Mirror Glaze"? I also noticed that Mother's did the same thing with some of their polishes. My understanding is that a "glaze" is not a "compound" because it doesn't actually remove the swirls/imperfections.

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by matthatchett

That is exactly what I was looking for! This may just be me overthinking things again but is there a reason that Meguiar's calls a lot of their compounds and polishes a "Mirror Glaze"? I also noticed that Mother's did the same thing with some of their polishes. My understanding is that a "glaze" is not a "compound" because it doesn't actually remove the swirls/imperfections.

As an industry....there is really no standard on what a "glaze" is so don't get caught up with all of names. Concentrate on what the product does and not what it is called.

[matthatchett]

Thanks again for all of the help. I think I've got enough information to get started and hopefully not screw up my car lol. Appreciate everyone's input!

[TheEd]

Originally Posted by matthatchett

That is exactly what I was looking for! This may just be me overthinking things again but is there a reason that Meguiar's calls a lot of their compounds and polishes a "Mirror Glaze"? I also noticed that Mother's did the same thing with some of their polishes. My understanding is that a "glaze" is not a "compound" because it doesn't actually remove the swirls/imperfections.

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze is the trade name for their professional series. They have their retail consumer series (Ultimate Polish, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Detailer, Gold Class Wax, etc) and they have their professional series Mirror Glaze (Usually identified with M*** or D*** for their Detailer series).

[matthatchett]

Originally Posted by TheEd

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze is the trade name for their professional series. They have their retail consumer series (Ultimate Polish, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Detailer, Gold Class Wax, etc) and they have their professional series Mirror Glaze (Usually identified with M*** or D*** for their Detailer series).

That's what I was wondering. I assumed they must have just labeled it like that, not that it was actually a glaze. The chart that the other guy posted solved all of my problems I wanted something to show a general application for the products and that's exactly what it does. I'm guessing that the rest of it will just come to me through trial and error.

[Rival]

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

Compound-Heavy cutting for deep defect removal, hard clear coats, and cuts faster. It's not always necessary.

Polish-Light to medium cut depending on which one you are using. Polish adds the gloss and removes the haze from compounding or it can be used by itself (one step correction) for removing light to medium swirling.

Glazes- Fill in swirls and hides a majority of them. When the glaze wears off, the swirls will show more again.

Wax- Used to protect the car from the elements. It makes cleaning bugs and dirt off easier. It's generally around 5-10% of the look. The rest of the look comes from the compounding/polishing step. It also looks the best compared to sealants.

Sealants- Basically the same idea as wax, but it will last much longer. It doesn't look as good but it is slicker.

sealants are synthetic, and they can look just as good was wax. but mainly you will need a higher quality sealant to match the look.

you always can let a sealant cure for 12-24hrs and top with 1-2 coats of wax.


something that was left out would be swirl removers....which you could consider light compounds or powerful polishes.

Most true compounds will remove quite a bit of clear so you really dont want to use them unless you have to.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Rival

sealants are synthetic, and they can look just as good was wax. but mainly you will need a higher quality sealant to match the look.

you always can let a sealant cure for 12-24hrs and top with 1-2 coats of wax.


something that was left out would be swirl removers....which you could consider light compounds or powerful polishes.

Most true compounds will remove quite a bit of clear so you really dont want to use them unless you have to.

Sealants give a "cold/cool" look to the paint while a quality wax has a "warmness" to it. They also don't bring out the metallic flake. In general yellow waxes mute metallic flake but have an extremely dee, wet glow whereas white waxes bring out metallic flake and produce a brilliant shine.

[Elliott@DetailAddict]

Watch out for products with "filler" properties, what that does is it hides the "light" scratches (in general,) so after a couple of washes where it "filler" comes off, you'll see the swirls again. Assuming you detailed it properly, and the washes after that properly as well. haha

So, if you're worried about that. Before you do the final step, do an alcohol wipe down (diluted), and bring it out into the sun or use a strong light to check your work before you put a wax/sealant. (Sometimes wax/sealant can hide the scratches too.)