Electric Buffer

Black03

Black03

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I got one of these last Christmas and have yet to use it. The LS is in desperate need of a wax and wanted some input. What's a good product to use that can be found in most stores and not too expensive. And are there any tips or tricks to doing this? I have never waxed or buffed a car unless it was by hand.
 
I used mothers pre-wax cleaner for step 1. Then Mcguires Deep Crystal Polish for step 2. And finally Mothers Reflection wax for step 3. I use an electric buffer which makes it a lot easier. Takes about 2 hours to do it but it really makes the car shine. I wax my car a lot now that i saw how good it looks. Not too much though cause it could mess up the paint.
 
I think have used those products before when I did a clay bar on my truck. Is there any trick to the buffer?
 
Black03 said:
I think have used those products before when I did a clay bar on my truck. Is there any trick to the buffer?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't use a buffer on black paint....no matter what, and I've tried nearly all the products out there so I don't need a lecture from anyone. I detailed cars for nearly 10 years and managed a detail shop for an Audi/Mercedes dealership for nearly 5 of those years. No matter how careful you are, there will be swirls in the paint.

Best thing for black if you use something with power attached to it is to use a random-orbital buffer with a compund like nano-wax or a good machine polish. But the most important step is to prep the paint for the rejuvination.
1-wash
2-claybar
3-remove heavy scratches by hand with a light compound
4-polish with random-orbital buffer (nano-wax)
5-polish by hand
6-wax with carnuba and repeat (no cleaner wax)
7-the more you wash your car, the more you wax.

I'm sure I'll catch some hell for posting this, but when you detail a mercedes SL65 that costs 3X as much as a LS, you tend to pick up on what works and what doesn't.
 
Yea the buffer i have is a random orbital buffer. Sometimes i will get streaks from the wax if i dont wipe it off enough but when i pull it outside in the sun then you can see the streaks and wipe them off. its pretty simple but takes a lot of time and effort.
 
DLS8K said:
I'm sure I'll catch some hell for posting this, but when you detail a mercedes SL65 that costs 3X as much as a LS, you tend to pick up on what works and what doesn't.
Click to expand...

good advice and great post.
 
DLS8K
Do you have any tips for cleaning your car with a Clay Bar? Mine has some overspray speckles on it. Any clay bar better than others?
 
mharrison said:
DLS8K
Do you have any tips for cleaning your car with a Clay Bar? Mine has some overspray speckles on it. Any clay bar better than others?
Click to expand...
Any clay bar will work just fine....stay away from the heavy duty stuff though as it is too abrasive for many applications. As for the tips on how to clay bar, I'll list how i always did it.

1-wash the car
2-use a oil and tar remover of some sort and remove any heavy areas you may find on the lower half of your car. Then wipe that off with some water and a rag so the clay bar will work well.
3-take a spray bottle of gloss enhancer or even a bottle filled with soapy water and spray a section.........like half the hood, or a door, or the trunk.
4-use the clay bar in back and forth motions using a firm but not too heavy pressure. Make sure the paint has pleanty of lubrication on it and mead the clay bar often to prevent scratching the paint with built up contaminents.
5-Wipe the area you just did with a wet chamois and proceed to the next area.
6-DO ALL OF THIS IN THE SHADE OR IN A GARAGE.

Keep in mind, after you do this, you will have no wax left on your car. So, you should then polish the paint (by hand or random orbital buffer) and then wax it with a carnuba wax (several times). From there, wax your car after you wash it a few times.....the more you wash, the more you wax. If you do it right and maintain the surface, you shouldn't have to clay bar the car for quite some time. I did my Lincoln LS once with the clay bar/polish and kept up on waxing and my paint was smooth 15 months later as it was the day I first detailed it. Hope this helps......don't hesitate to ask if you need anymore help.
 
the mercedes and european cars have a harder clear that is supplied by either spies hecker, herberts standox, or glasurit....a lot of them are harder to buff and more resistant to scratches from car washes and stuff...i used to use some polishes from a company in chicago il, called a and r supply...they cater to hight end dealers and detail shops...they have products made by hi-temp which were awesome...i usually just use the meguiar system and a good paint sealant or turtle wax hard shell wax....that stuff works pretty good...you have a good system and advice for the average person...i always wax and grease remove everything before the last polishing step and that pulls all the buffer residue out of the pores of the paint and helps eliminate the swirls...i buff on the last stage before wax with meguiars swirl remover or 3m finesse it 3000 but that stuff is super expensive...and get no swirls in black....i have lots of experience in high end paint jobs on bikes and older vehicles...but for the average guy, if they arent going to buff it, a meguiars clay bar would be a good idea for getting contaminates and the like out of their paint
 
DLS8K said:
Best thing for black if you use something with power attached to it is to use a random-orbital buffer with a compund like nano-wax or a good machine polish. But the most important step is to prep the paint for the rejuvination.
1-wash
2-claybar
3-remove heavy scratches by hand with a light compound
4-polish with random-orbital buffer (nano-wax)
5-polish by hand
6-wax with carnuba and repeat (no cleaner wax)
7-the more you wash your car, the more you wax.
Click to expand...

You say to "polish" with Nanowax then polish by hand...and then wax with carnuba. can you please explain the difference between "polishing" and "waxing"? i dont understand "polishing" with a wax product (Nanowax). thanks.
 
DLS8K said:
I wouldn't use a buffer on black paint....no matter what, and I've tried nearly all the products out there so I don't need a lecture from anyone. I detailed cars for nearly 10 years and managed a detail shop for an Audi/Mercedes dealership for nearly 5 of those years. No matter how careful you are, there will be swirls in the paint.

Best thing for black if you use something with power attached to it is to use a random-orbital buffer with a compund like nano-wax or a good machine polish. But the most important step is to prep the paint for the rejuvination.
1-wash
2-claybar
3-remove heavy scratches by hand with a light compound
4-polish with random-orbital buffer (nano-wax)
5-polish by hand
6-wax with carnuba and repeat (no cleaner wax)
7-the more you wash your car, the more you wax.

I'm sure I'll catch some hell for posting this, but when you detail a mercedes SL65 that costs 3X as much as a LS, you tend to pick up on what works and what doesn't.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to argue with you or say you are wrong, but with the right products and the right machine and pads, black can me made to look fantastic with no swirls.

I use my Porter Cable 7424 with nothing but Zaino products from start to finish on all three of my black vehicles and the shine is unmatched. It's not cheap and it's not fast, but it's the best product I've ever gotten my hands on. I detail cars on the side for people, but don't have your experience, but I do know how mine turn out. I would have no worries at all taking the most expensive, darkest Mercedes on the lot and putting the Porter Cable to work. It's a very forgiving machine, unlike an straight rotary.

Just my .02.
 
^^^I agree. I've only been detailing for a couple months and using the right products you can definately get swirl marks out on black paint. Not deep scratches, but definately swirl marks. You need the right pad and polish combination. I also have a Porter Cable 7424 and it's a great tool. www.detailuniversity.com/forums
 
Pinnacle makes a good poly-elastic clay bar. There's different cut (abrasiveness) of polishes that you want to use depending on how bad the swirl marks are. When polishing, apply about 20lbs of pressure to the machine (like pressing it on the paint), and when waxing use about 4-6, practice on a bathroom scale.

Here's a hint where you might find say...everything you need including products. Good luck, detailing can be a lot of fun.

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html
 
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