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Off topic, but I saw a Pulsar driving around a few days ago, Sportback and all. Same colors too, red with silver rear. You don't live in the Orlando area by any chance, do you?
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Mar 30, 2014 22:48
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ratbert90 posted:That looks fantastic! What products have you used? Thanks! I start off with 1500 grit finishing paper, then 3000, then onto Meguiar's 105, 205, 3, and lastly 20 which is the sealant. Bought a clay bar kit too to keep it nice and smooth. EDIT: ^^^ California. Good to hear there's another running around though, never seen another one driving around here. PhoenixWing fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Mar 30, 2014 |
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Mar 30, 2014 22:51
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ratbert90 posted:Single bucket car washes can be good for light amounts of dirt. If your car is really bad I suggest taking it down to a non-automated car wash and spraying it off there first with a high pressure nozzle and soap. DO NOT USE THEIR BRUSHES. Then you can bring it back home and do a single bucket car wash. Yeah, I'll usually stop by an automated, touchless wash or one of these places to rinse the car off before I hand wash it. I wish claybarring wasn't so tedious. The Mazda3 hatch has so much surface area.  Full Circle posted:I just did my first hand wash of the year since moving into an apartment. I used Optimum No Rinse with a bucket/gritguard and 4 microfiber towels. The whole process took under 20 minutes and had just as good results as when I had hose access and used normal wash liquid. That's the brand I've been looking at. Where did you pick yours up, and are there any coupons or discounts for Optimum stuff?
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Mar 30, 2014 23:58
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I happened to find some for sale at a local auto body place for the same price as amazon, otherwise it seems like autogeek is the only other good option.
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Mar 31, 2014 00:21
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meatpimp posted:The brushes themselves are not bad, they're very soft bristles with nice foam. What's bad is the grit and dirt and crap that gets in them from people cleaning their mud trucks, wheelwells, etc. One piece of missed grit could scratch your paint. Not worth it IMO. metajew posted:
Got a DA polisher? http://www.amazon.com/Nanoskin-AS-003-AutoScrub-Medium-Polisher/dp/B005RCD9L8 Enjoy! PhoenixWing posted:Thanks! I start off with 1500 grit finishing paper, then 3000, then onto Meguiar's 105, 205, 3, and lastly 20 which is the sealant. Bought a clay bar kit too to keep it nice and smooth. Nice! It looks fantastic for sure! 
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Mar 31, 2014 02:54
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The only thing that touches my paint is clean microfiber. (Not including DA pads) Seriously there is no reason to ever use a brush on paint and those brushes are usually filthy.
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Mar 31, 2014 03:07
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Repost from my project thread: I love single stage paint.    
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Mar 31, 2014 23:48
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Looking good. Better take the Mazda badge off, or you'll never be able to finish, though!
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Apr 1, 2014 00:16
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EVERYWHERE 
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This one is for you Rhyno (and Adiabatic): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah9JTgv-5wAxdE1qWUl3VF90X2J3T3RrN2Fac00tT0E&usp=sharing Note: this is what it cost me, so yeah... Also, this looks like a really decent deal if you're looking to start assembling a kit: http://www.detailersdomain.com/Griots-Garage-6-inch-Random-Orbital-Polisher-Swirl-Remover-Kit_p_704.html Double also, Detailer's Domain has an S2Ki forum coupon floating around. Phone fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 00:16
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I'm looking to get a new set of pads and polish for my PC. All the stuff I used to have (polishing-wise) has either been lost or mislabeled in a few recent moves. So what I need is maybe three pads and two stages of polish. IIRC there was a link in this thread to a deal where you could get LC pads and the appropriate polishes as a kit, but I can't seem to find it. I have everything else, so a lot of the packages on AutoGeek aren't what I'm looking for, unless I missed something.
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Apr 1, 2014 02:15
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Have you looked on chemical guys? They have a lot of pads for the PC, and a kit for microfiber pads + polish if you're looking for a two stage set up. I believe they also carry the LC pads as well.
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Apr 1, 2014 13:53
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So now that the Mazda's back on the road, I want to clean off the layer of grime from sitting in the garage for a year. I'm gonna Dawn wash and claybar it later today. There's some swirls from terrible rag washes past, so it's gonna need polishing at some point. I don't really have budget for a DA right now; what would be the best way to go about hand polishing? I've got spare time at the moment, so I can do a panel at a time if need be.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:09
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Phone posted:This one is for you Rhyno (and Adiabatic): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah9JTgv-5wAxdE1qWUl3VF90X2J3T3RrN2Fac00tT0E&usp=sharing Thanks for the effort bud!
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Apr 1, 2014 15:13
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Stultus posted:Have you looked on chemical guys? They have a lot of pads for the PC, and a kit for microfiber pads + polish if you're looking for a two stage set up. I believe they also carry the LC pads as well. Thanks for the tip. I ended up buying the Chemical Guys three pack of hex-logic pads along with v34, v36, and v38 polishes. I'll post some before/afters with details about the products and combos that I used once I get some time.
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Apr 3, 2014 03:55
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I recently made an effort to hand wash my car in hopes to fix this lovely paint situation on my hood. (This is an after picture, roughly 2 months after) My process was basically: wash with car soap, leather shammy dry, clay bar, a three stage wax solution from mothers and then a carnuba wax to top it. The spots in my paint didn't go anywhere. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the compound solution that Meguier's makes until after I washed it. I bought some, but before I spend another three-four hours washing my car, will that fix the spotty paint on my hood? Also the headlights. I've spent about two weeks researching how to clean them up but I always got mixed results ranging from "only use chemicals", "don't screw up the UV protection layer!" to "Use compound", "wet sand them, then buff the poo poo out of them". As far as I know, they're plastic headlight cases and that's about as much as I know about them.
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Apr 3, 2014 20:14
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That is what's called "dead paint." You may be able to buff a shine to it, but it'll never be right. For the headlights, just wet sand, then polish. If that doesn't work, just get new ones on eBay for cheap. It's a VW, they're everywhere.
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Apr 3, 2014 20:20
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puberty worked me over fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Jun 24, 2019 |
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Apr 3, 2014 20:32
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I never understand the "damage to the UV protection" angle. Look, they're hosed anyway, have at them.
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Apr 3, 2014 21:34
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InitialDave posted:I never understand the "damage to the UV protection" angle. Look, they're hosed anyway, have at them. The point of that is that once the UV protectant is off of them they will end up looking just as hosed forthwith (like 3 to 6 months depending on where you live) so then you have to do it all over again. Or just spray it with a UV protectant to begin with and get some more time out of all of the sucky labor you did.
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Apr 3, 2014 21:51
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I know. I mean people seem to say it as a reason not to fix them in the first place.
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Apr 3, 2014 21:54
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InitialDave posted:I know. I mean people seem to say it as a reason not to fix them in the first place. Oh....sorry then. If they're that screwed up the UV protection has been long gone for quite some time. Also, unless you're driving something a bit exotic you can get repros pretty drat cheaply. I think the last set of headlights I put on a Camry were like $65 including new bulbs from Rock Auto (the dealer wanted like $200+ for the factory parts).
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Apr 3, 2014 22:01
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Fucknag posted:So now that the Mazda's back on the road, I want to clean off the layer of grime from sitting in the garage for a year. I'm gonna Dawn wash and claybar it later today. There's some swirls from terrible rag washes past, so it's gonna need polishing at some point. I don't really have budget for a DA right now; what would be the best way to go about hand polishing? I've got spare time at the moment, so I can do a panel at a time if need be. Hand polishing is unlikely to remove swirl marks unless you spend hundreds of hours on your car. Orbital machines work around 6k orbitals per minute (100 orbits per second), which is roughly 100 times faster than you can do by hand. It takes at least 2 hours to do one pass with a machine, so...expect 200 hours (which is absolutely absurd). The best you can do is use some sealant and then wax your car after claying it. Your car will look a lot better after this, but this process will never remove the swirl marks. Wash your car regularly and save up for a DA polisher.
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Apr 4, 2014 04:59
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 Will do, guess I underestimated just how much those things do.Just handwashing and (gradual) claying has already made a huge difference, though. I don't think this thing's gotten anything more caring than drive-through wash with hand wax the entire time we've had it.
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Apr 4, 2014 05:17
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DevCore posted:
I had similarly bad headlights on my Forester, and got really good results with a Sylvania headlight restoration kit. I think it cost me about $15, and took about 30 minutes to do both headlights. After about 16 months (much of that in Arizona, without covered parking), there are a couple of small spots that are starting to haze up again (probably because I didn't get the sealer on them very well initially), but the lenses still look really good overall.
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Apr 4, 2014 06:03
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Does anyone have any experience with ultrasonic paint thickness meters? I was looking at the high-dollar ($300+) at autogeek, but then started to look elsewhere. Seems like Harbor Freight used to sell one under the Centon name, still available on eBay. Also, there are a number of Chinese tools, some obvious knockoffs of others. See: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Biao...1714069010.html http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pc-...1708002751.html http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Pai...=item2a3a3ea121 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Ult...063813438&rt=nc I've seen that the cheap knockoffs are virtually just as accurate as name brands with IR thermometers, digital calipers, etc. Are ultrasonic paint thickness meters the same way?
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Apr 4, 2014 23:17
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Anybody know of the best method for fixing large chips in clear coat and whatnot? Is paintscratch.com still a good source for materials?
Knot My President! fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Apr 5, 2014 |
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Apr 5, 2014 06:12
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meatpimp posted:Does anyone have any experience with ultrasonic paint thickness meters? I was looking at the high-dollar ($300+) at autogeek, but then started to look elsewhere. Seems like Harbor Freight used to sell one under the Centon name, still available on eBay. Also, there are a number of Chinese tools, some obvious knockoffs of others. See: I have a buddy with one of the Harbor Freight ones. He's a professional detailer and it works fine for him. He's checked it against other high dollar ones before and found little to no difference in the readings.
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Apr 5, 2014 18:35
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So i've got a 97' e36 328i with a matt strip forming down the middle of the roof of the car after the sunroof. The matt section looks fine if the car is wet. I'm pretty new to all this detailing stuff so but i get the gist of it. Any help would be much appreciated. Here is a pic to sum it all up. Is their anything that can be done to make it look respectable again?
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Apr 6, 2014 06:44
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Phelan posted:So i've got a 97' e36 328i with a matt strip forming down the middle of the roof of the car after the sunroof. The matt section looks fine if the car is wet. I'm pretty new to all this detailing stuff so but i get the gist of it. Any help would be much appreciated. Here is a pic to sum it all up. There probably is. The matte section looks like someone was doing a wet-sand or deep compounding and missed polishing that section back out.  Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and a DA polisher and go to town on it.
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Apr 6, 2014 11:44
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I don't have anything to buff with except some microfibre cloth. That has done me 'mostly' well, except for when I spend two weekends claybarring and cleaning the car afterwards. I really want to get my (stupid plastic) turn lamps nice and bright and shiny - like the ones they just replaced. Is there anything I can use over the counter to buff them up nice and shiny by hand? They're not UV destroyed - just old and a bit dirty, with no luster. 
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Apr 7, 2014 01:57
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West SAAB Story posted:I don't have anything to buff with except some microfibre cloth. That has done me 'mostly' well, except for when I spend two weekends claybarring and cleaning the car afterwards. Tape off around the headlight. Wet sand with 600grit sandpaper and spray with clearcoat. Or just buy one of those 3M headlight restore kits.
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Apr 7, 2014 01:59
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Brain Issues posted:Tape off around the headlight. Wet sand with 600grit sandpaper and spray with clearcoat. Or just buy one of those 3M headlight restore kits. I think I'll pop them back out to do it, since it requires two screws (for both sides)  I figured that was the solution, but was hoping for something a bit less invasive. Thanks!
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Apr 7, 2014 02:01
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West SAAB Story posted:I think I'll pop them back out to do it, since it requires two screws (for both sides) Meguiars 10 and 17 when used together will make a clear finish without sanding. The "cleaner" is abrasive enough to remove significant hazing, you just need to put A LOT of friction into it to work it. The "polish" is almost unnecessary, but it does help to make a final shine.
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Apr 7, 2014 12:15
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meatpimp posted:Meguiars 10 and 17 when used together will make a clear finish without sanding. The "cleaner" is abrasive enough to remove significant hazing, you just need to put A LOT of friction into it to work it. The "polish" is almost unnecessary, but it does help to make a final shine. Guess I'll have more goodies to add to my queue. Thanks, Detailpimp. Can you recommend any cheapish random orbitals? I'm looking for a basic "starter" kit that I can hurr-durr cut my teeth on.
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Apr 7, 2014 17:11
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I posted one last week.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:32
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Thanks for the info! I'm ordering the Sylvania kit.
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Apr 7, 2014 22:43
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I received my Autogeek starter kit with the PC7424XP and pads. I had some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Polish on hand as well as some wax. I've been playing with my technique this week on the car after work. So far the work has been limited to the trunk lid as I want to be confident in my technique and materials before doing the entire vehicle. Even with the PC it's still time consuming, between washing and claying the car between attempts to trying to go slow and make enough passes over the area. First I didn't have the speed high enough to be effective so I watched the YouTube videos again for a refresher and made adjustments. The area I've been working on still isn't perfect but it's vastly improved. Here are some pics: Unwashed and untreated. Note the swirl marks and spiderweb effect everywhere. This isn't very noticeable from 10 feet away but up close it's everywhere.   Fairly noticeable scratch:  More spiderweb:  Taping the area off:  What happens when you freak out trying to answer an important phone call while polishing your car:  Here were the results after the first attempt. Not the best lighting but definitely improved.   Taken the next day in bright sunlight, you can still see a good amount of spiderweb/swirl marks:  Attempt 2: Taped off a square in the middle of the trunk lid and tried again. Much bigger difference this time.     Attempt 3: This time did the entire trunk lid again. Pics in bright sunlight:   The swirls are getting to the point to where they are hard to photograph, at least on my phone. However, the pics are a little misleading and I'm still not satisfied with the final results. There are still visible nicks and swirls on close inspection. My process has been wash, clay, several passes w/ yellow pad and compound, several passes with orange pad and compound, several passes with orange/pink pad and polish, and finally wax. Should I step up to the M105 compound at this point? I can't imagine spending this much time going over every body panel, it would probably take 40+ hours at this rate.
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Apr 9, 2014 16:52
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You are moving into RIDS at this point. You can step it up with m105/205 and LC orange/white pads for sure, but if you want it perfect, then sanding is going to be your only option. RIDS = Random Isolated Deeper Scratches http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/24045-rids-definition-rids-story-behind-term.html
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Apr 10, 2014 07:08
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What do you guys think of the interior on this S2k I'm looking at? It looks worn a little harder than I'd expect from 33,000 miles on the car. I wonder if the sun has been hard on the leather, or if it's just glare/flash in the photos. The carpets do look worn/soiled, any suggestion there?     
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Apr 16, 2014 06:17
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blk posted:What do you guys think of the interior on this S2k I'm looking at? It looks worn a little harder than I'd expect from 33,000 miles on the car. I wonder if the sun has been hard on the leather, or if it's just glare/flash in the photos. The carpets do look worn/soiled, any suggestion there? That perforated leather can be a tough one. It doesn't look that bad in the pictures, though. The biggest concern I'd have is in the picture above. It looks like the door was opened until it smacked the adjacent car... and looking at the door on the adjacent car, well... looks like it has happened, a lot. If you look, there's a consistent grouping of chips in the adjacent door, one row and then another row about 1" down. It looks like the S2000's door was hit into it when it was opened to get in, and to get out. If the chick driving it is somewhat of a  (quite possible from the reflection in the last picture), then it would match perfectly. Also, the end cap of the window wiper molding is just about out, which is odd.And the scuffing on the sills and the seatbelt wound up outside of the holder is evidence of giving no poo poo whatsoever. meatpimp fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Apr 16, 2014 |
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Apr 16, 2014 10:44
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