hello everyone.. just wanted to see if someone can give me some tips.. the paint on my car looks great.. and i have been strongly thinking about turning to machine waxing to cut down on time.. and maybe to get a deeper wax if that even exists.. I am worried, and people keep telling me not to do it, because i am going to take the paint off, or make lines in sharp areas or body lines of the car, and that i also risk taking the clear coat off..
i generally use zaino for all of my car care needs.. i was curious to know if all of my worries above are real? and if there is a way to safely machine wax a car without scratching it and / or taking the paint off...
and finally if so.. what machine waxer would you recomend for a novice..?

thanks i advance..

Steven

 

I commend you on taking this step to elevate your detailing skills

The info you've been given about polishers is somewhat correct. If you use a high speed polisher, you will have a higher probability of burning paint. But using a dual-action polisher will be the best choice.

DA polishers don't have the high revolution that a rotary has, therefor, not as much heat and friction. The most well-respected polisher for the DIY is the flex polisher:

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...olisher/Detail

This polisher corrects almost like a rotary but has the safety of a DA polisher. You use different pads for different products.

If you're going to wax, use our red finishing pad:

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...-Red%2C/Detail

Hope this helps answer your question.

 

thank you very much.. you have helped a lot.. I will do some research on the DA Polisher that you mentioned..

any other tips?

 

Just make sure you do a great job of prepping the paint prior to waxing. Make sure you clay to decontaminate the paint first. Then spend a good amount of time polishing the paint. The majority of the perfection comes from the polishing. If you get the flex, you should get some menzerna polishes and some other polishing pads and do awesome job of polishing first. You'll be absolutely amazed the difference it will make. So now, you can use the flex for both polishing and waxing.

 

another great question.. are the applicator/polishing pads reusable? washable? is it good for one use? do you keep reusing it?

 

Yes..they're washable and reusable. You can get about 7-10 uses out of them depending on what product and what pad you're using. Each color of our GP pads, made by Lake Country, is for a different application.

Yellow - compounding/polishing...for really deep swirls and scratches
Orange - Multi-purpose polishing. Great for most applications
White - Light polishing. Great for light swirls and/or polishing out light hazing from yellow or orange pad
Red - Finishing pad. Mostly used for waxes.

You can wash these with a mild detergent and let air dry. The key is to wash them right after use. Don't let them sit around for days or weeks to dry.

 

thank u very much

 

one more question moe.. i currently use zaino products, how do you feel about using them on an orbital? or should i be looking into the menzera products? like the power finish?

steven

 

I'm not sure if zaino makes a polish that would correct like the menzerna. It all depends on how the condition of your finish is. If you have time, take some picutres in the sun and post them or email them to me.

So, you could use the power finish to get the swirls out and then follow the zaino process. As far as waxing with the orbital using zaino, I think they prefer you doing the application by hand. But I know there are those that use the orbital.

 

thank you moe.. will do.. u were a great help..

 

Glad I could steer you in the right direction.

 

Zaino does have the Z-PC that is designed to be applied with a DA such as the Flex or the Porter Cable 7424. I personally don't care for it much because I like other products that are out there for polishing. Z-PC is also the only Zaino Product that does any polishing. The rest of their product line are different fillers. They work great for what they are and I have used Zaino for a long time (I actually used to be sponsored by them) The level of detailing that I now do, and that Moe does I'm sure focuses more on getting the paint to an absolutely flawless state before applying the protective step (Wax, sealant, etc.)

What Zaino does is fill in the imperfections and form a fairly hard barrier that lasts for quite a while. When I was using Zaino religiously, I would only need to apply it every 6 to 8 months. Currently I am using the Prima line and with their Epic wax, I can go around 4-6 months. But I do boosters in between with the Prima Hydro and Prima Banana Gloss (But those two don't last as long)

anyway... I digress. The reason you do multiple layers of Zaino is to layer the effect of the product. Please don't read me wrong here, Zaino is a pretty nice product, but in the eyes of a detailer who is focused on paint correction vs filling, it isn't my product of choice anymore.

Here are a couple of pictures to show what paint correction can be (These are of a 1991 Acura NSX that had previously been a Zaino only car)
Before (With the Zaino Protection on)


Before (after I stripped off all the protection - ie, the Zaino was gone. Taken under lights to show the true condition of the paint)


And after spending some time polishing that same spot (This is before I have applied any sort of protection to the paint)


That panel isn't done, but you get the idea.

I guess I'm being a little long winded here, but I really think that you are going the right route looking into machine polishing.

Just be careful.....it's addicting! And it only adds to any OCD that you may already have!


D!

 

thanks D, you helped me a lot.. the flex just arrived, waiting for the menzera super finish to arrive.. should be here today.. hopefully tomorrow i will put everything to use.. i am exciting and a little nervous.. the NSX looks amazing.. i ordered some uber foam pads from detailers-domain.. any opinion on them?

 

I have a lot of OCD i think my wife will kill me.. it will make me even crazier about the cars

 

Glad you got the right products...even if it wasn't from me