Hey guys,

I consider myself to be pretty decent at keeping my cars clean and looking good. I've ordered a lot of stuff from Phil, Moe and other detailering companies, but I've never ventured outside of the world of Meguiar's polish and wax (I've used other waxes such as Poorboy's and Zymol and haven't been impressed).

I think I'm more of a Meguiar's person b/c I took their class at their HQ in Irvine and frankly, I don't know any better or what else to use.

My regimine is after the wash and clay has been done, to use Meguiar's Speed Glaze to polish the car using the Meguiar's version of a Porter Cable and their W8006 Soft Buff Foam Polishing Pad (many pads). After the polish, I put on 2 coats of Meguiar's NXT 2.0 tech wax again using the d/a machine with a Meguiar's W9006 Soft Buff Foam Finishing Pad.

After a day or so, or after the first wash after this treatment, I've recently began to use Optimum Spray Wax on the car as a "topping" of sorts.

My question is, what other products, specifically pads, polishes and waxes would you recommend for me to use that are just as easy to use and apply as the Meguiar's products and leave better gloss, shine and protection?

Here are some pics of my cars fresh after a detail:





Thanks!

 

Your cars are looking good. I would recommend to upgrade your polishes, and polishing pads first. Zymol will be a lot more impressive than NXT 2.0 on a perfectly prepped surface Get yourself some Menzerna polishes.

Menzerna SIP
http://www.metropolitandetail.com/ecProduct_104_28

Menzerna Super Finish
http://www.metropolitandetail.com/ecProduct_105_28

Lake Country CCS pads. Orange and White should do the trick.
http://www.metropolitandetail.com/ecProductListing_34

The Optimum spray wax is a great topper, and will keep them looking good. Best of luck.


John

 

Awesome, thanks, John!

With regard to the Menzerna products, I'm worried that they may be a little too harsh? I see that the SIP contains diminishing abrasives, so I'll have to use multiple pads on that due to them being saturated, correct? Then, with the Super Finish, it looks like I can use a single pad?

Thanks again.

 

Actually, you won't need to use two different pads with SIP. It just has a nice cut when you start working it, but the abrasives break down, and finish swirl-free unless in direct sunlight. The Super Finish will take over where the SIP left off, and finish down beautifully without any swirls. You can check your work afterwards with a 50/50 dilluted isopropyl alcohol, and see there are "no fillers", as you are performing actual paint correction.


John

 

oh wow, so you can technically use SIP and Super Finish on the entire car using just one pad?

 

No, Super Finish should use a white pad, and orange for SIP. You will need two pads total, but not two pads for SIP. These polishes are also safe on your ceramiclear paint.

John

 

John is spot on.

 

A clean or fresh pad will restore the intended abrasive ability, were as a saturated foam pads abrasive ability will decrease (note dried or caked on polish will increase risk of surface scratches) clean often with a soft fairly stiff brush or pad spur.


It is very important that you keep your working pad clean; as you go over the surface the abrasives and oxidized paint residue tend to accumulate onto the pads membrane structure, becoming absorbed, they will pack together and become large abrasive fragments and will interfere with the cutting ability of the abrasives


Specific Paint types / Polish and Foam Pad Combinations:

a) Dark, Single Stage or Soft Paint Finishes - PO 85 RD 3.01 Super Intensive Polish (F) black or dark coloured paint surfaces, and 'soft' paint - 1200 RPM -White primary (softer less dense foam (70 PPI) with a light abrasive cutting action) LC CCS foam pad followed by a secondary Blue finishing (very soft 100 PPI) LC CCS foam pad - 1100 RPM

b) Light / Medium Paint Correction - Power Finish (PO203S) and PO 85 D3.01 polishes (LC CCS Green / LC Blue foam or Micro Mesh TufBuf ® black lamb’s wool pads 1500 - 2000 RPM) should be all you need.

c) Paint Renovation - PO S100A Power Gloss (LC Purple wool pad 1500 – 1800 RPM) it has a short work time and slow cut

 

awesome, thanks for the help guys!

 

Clean (or replace) you pads frequently
All pads have a performance cycle, meaning you will get the desired results only to a certain point on that curve. The point of declining performance is typically reached by polish / compound pad being overloaded with product; you should always be able to see the individual cells or texture of the pad, with proper, regular cleaning pad overload can be avoided.


Pads are easy to clean; the slotted pad face actually makes it easy to clean. Do not use the same pad to apply differing products as cross contamination will reduce the effectiveness or completely negate their purpose altogether. A new or freshly cleaned pad must be used with each type of car care product.


It is very important that you keep your working pad clean; as you go over the surface the removed polish and oxidation is being absorbed, which will become large abrasive fragments and will interfere with the cutting ability of the abrasives During the polishing process, trace amounts of paint and / or oxidation is removed; this can cause the debris and the polish to ‘load-up the foam’. This can cause a haze to the paint surface, or the hardened polish could cause scratches, a wipe-down or a paint cleaning product will eliminate this.


Most car care products contain polymer or oils that serve as surface lubricants. Even if you rinse the pad immediately after using it, the oily residue remains because oil and water are not miscible. To properly clean the wool or foam pads, you need to use a fairly strong cleaner that contains a degreaser; especially for pads that have been used for wax or sealant application as they are formulated to be detergent resistant

Using (P21S®® Total Auto Wash or Optimum™ Polymer Technologies - Power Clean diluted 2:1 (or stronger) soak the foam pads in hand-hot water for about an hour. Then gently work the surface of your pads with your thumbs for a minute or two. Compress the pads individually under the water with the flat of your palms a few times. Drain the water and rinse thoroughly with warm water and compress the pads to drain the excess water. Place pads between two terry cloth towels and compress to remove water. You can also put them in the dryer using the setting for air dry (no heat) or spin them on a rotary by placing the pad in an empty bucket until excess water is removed.

A clean or fresh pad will restore the intended abrasive ability, were as a saturated foam pads abrasive ability will decrease (note dried or caked on polish will increase risk of surface scratches) clean often with a soft fairly stiff brush or pad spur.

It is very important that you keep your working pad clean; as you go over the surface the removed polish and oxidation is being absorbed, which will become large abrasive fragments and will interfere with the cutting ability of the abrasives