I used to be a Pro detailer & concourse prep guy. I have just about every wax, sealant, towels or anything else you can think of.

If any of you guys have questions about detailing, just post'em.

The $30 drying towel? It's kind of worth it. However, you can get the same results from a normal high quality $6 towel, it just takes longer, & doesn't have the pockets.

All of Griot's stuff is quality & mostly does what it should. But none of it is aggressive in any way. So you use more product, & they all take more time. There are far better products out there for less $$.

 

Dude you may think about moving if it is that bad. Glad you are safe and the other guy wasn't packing a;so.

 

I use Zaino on my FX. It works very well, but my reference point is like Turtle Wax or whatever paste wax was handy so I'm certainly not an expert. Zaino is just a PITA because to do it best, you need 2-3 layers with the Z6 spray in between each. Although it seems you really only need to do that twice a year. How do you like it relative to Griot's or other products? Do any pro detailers, local or otherwise, use Zaino?

The Griot's guys had their power buffer out and to me, it looked like a Milwaukee grinder or something. Same disk and dust port as my Dewalt orbital sander, though the sander is single speed. Are these things even necessary? They seem to do a good job and if it makes those coats go faster, it might be worthwhile. I will definitely need to do some swirl removal and haven't the faintest how to go about it.

The Griot's drying towel is nice and I've only been using a towel towel that was like an old bath towel, so I'm sure its better. I suppose thinking of it as $15 per pocket might make it seem like a better deal to me.

 

jeff,

the towels are nice. don't worry that you bought one. hehe! they don't leave lint behind on your paint like the bath towels can do. besides....it was fun having you come along today. =)

 

$30 for the drying towel? Whoah! When I bought those a year ago they were about $20 bucks each. Good thing I bought a bunch. I can definitely say that they work well.

As for having a multi-adjustable orbital. From my experience, it can be very useful being able to adjust the speed of the orbital. I usually use faster speeds to apply the polish and a slower speed to apply the wax. Of course when I bought mine from Griot's, they were still using the Portal Cable orbital.

 

IMHO, Zaino sucks. I'll tell you why, it has no polish, it has a very sterol shine, & as you know takes a very long time to get there. If you mess up at all, it's back to the start! Lastly, if you paint is not perfect, it will enhance any imperfections.

Really, there are no other products like it. I think of it more of a disposable clear coat. No Pro detailer will touch it. If they do use it, you will be looking at a multi day detail, & my price would be well over $1000.

A random orbital polishers is very necessary, some times not even enough, again this is the mild way to go. Most cars need to be polished with a rotary polisher, that can remove paint. The Griot's one is very nice, that fan blows air on the bad, to keep it cool & attached to the unit. A lot of RO guys will literary throw the pad off the unit, due to the very high heat build up between the pad & backing plate. The Griot's unit has a smaller orbit over the Porter Cable, but runs much smoother & cooler then the Porter Cable.

I only use my PC when the paint is in good shape, & just need a quick wax, it's very good at applying a thin even coat. It can remove swirls, but will take time, depending on the paint. Also it's very hard to break down the polishing products with a RO. It will take some time to get all the swirls out, & your hand will be vibrating when you are done. But if you want to remove swirls, you need a power buffer of some type. You can do it by hand, but it's going to take even more work.

When I polish my car, it takes about 1hr on the buffer, then another 30-45 min or so after that to remove any holograming form the buffer, then a coat of wax.

If you want, we can do some side by side test on your car, so you can see the differences.

Hose towels, are never good for the car. They will have polyester threads some where, & scratch the paint. ONLY use your drying towel to dry, don't use it for anything else. If there is any dirt on it, don't use that section, & then wash it after. NO FABIRC SOFTENER IN ANY CAR TOWELS!

 

so, what's a good towel to use, besides the $30 griot's towel? i purchased 2 microfiber mits to wash my car. i use one to wash it and the other more as a duster. couldn't i use the extra mit that i have, as a drying mit/towel?

 

Stealth, thanks for the advice.

I really need to figure out what I want out of a detail. I have a hard time reconciling trying to make a museum quality shine, and then taking the car out into the wild and driving 100+ mph into who knows what is flying around out there. I guess I want a good, long lasting shine that's not too much of a pain to get. Like a once or twice a year full out effort and then a wash and single coat of something every few weeks.

 

I'd consider moving if you feel the need to stock up on assault rifles to protect your assets.

Your new name is "Thug Life" =P

 

uhhh... speak for yourself there missy!

Sounds like you guys had a good time.

Sorry to hear about the break-ins. Tacoma? Move out of Hilltop, mang! j/k

 

Any quality MF towel will be fine for drying. I use a couple of super plush 24x18 MF towels & the Griot's one. I would not use the mit to dry, it can catch dust & dirt & scratch, it's not really absorbent.

I should also preface, that I have a duel stage water filter & softener for washing the car. So I don't get water spots, my soap works better, & the car is easier to dry.

Here are the ones I have
http://detailersdomain.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=85
He also sells drying towels for $10, & we get 10% off.

 

Well, for a DD, that is parked out side, you are going to have to wax it at least 3x a year. I wax My S4, about every 5 weeks.

Did you like the shine of my 993? It's just normal sealant/wax on it. It takes me about 15 min to wax on/wax off. If I keep it up, I can do a simple polish in about an hour, then go straight to wax. So a complete start to finish inside, outside, engine, takes me about 3-4hrs, if I do it every 4-6 weeks.

This is where I get most of my supplies from, he give us all 10%. This is the kit I would buy ( I have it all)
http://detailersdomain.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=129

 

I just feel violated, it's the 2nd time now, & it was less then one day after I spent 6hrs installing all the gear. For some reason, the EVO is just a target.

I'm always felt safe in my "hood", we live in a very nice area, that's on par with all the expensive Seattle area's.

I don't keep any of the guns loaded, or around, they are in the safe, just the 9mm is accessible. Dam losers, will always want what some one else wants with out trying to work for it themselves.

 

I lived in Ruston for like 6 months. Never. Looked. Back. once I moved up here.

 

I live in the North End, just up the hill form Ruston.

We are going to build a 24X48 garage, so all will be well, I think I talked her into putting in a lift!

I did the opposite move, lived in Magnolia, then moved down South. Lived in just under 1000sqft, with a 1000sqft garage for over $400,000, to a 2000+sqft Craftsman house that cost much less. Maybe in a few years, when the market gets better, we will move back into the City, but I only want to live in Greenlake, Ballard, Magnolia, or upper QA.