normank

It's probably been asked before (and maybe answered), but can anyone give a step by step list of the products and procedures for a full detail (wash to final polish) using a PC. I have never done this before and do not want to do anything to ruin the finish. It's a 997 GT3 with a clear bra. All help will be greatly appreciated.

mooty

high concentration of dawn (yes the dish soap) with water to strip off all wax.
wash it again with car shampoo.
dry with towel (everyone has their fav., i like 100% cotton large towels)
clay the car ( i use griot garage's clay and their speedshine as lubricant, mcquire and zymol are good as well)
shampoo car again with car shampoo rinse and dry completely.
with PC i run their machine polish 3 (fine grain) 2x
with pc i run machine polish 4 (finest grain) 2x
then wipe off excess, if polish dried, use speed shine to help wipe off.
then look over every inch of paint some area will stil have blemish, repeat above as needed.
then i hand apply P21S cleanser, wipe on wipe off, microfiber towel or 100% cotton tower (the red bordered 100% cotton from griots is great, you have to wash them 3x or so before they are really good)
finally i hand apply p21s carnuba to finish it off.

i prefer mequire pro series, zymol, griots and p21s.
i like carnuba wax for warmth, but others like zaino for a more briliant saran wrap type of cold shine, your pick.

you want to tape off the rain gutter, vent on hood/bumper, sun roof felt and other black stuff b/c your PC will be rubbing all over those and leave lint and wax if you dont tape them.

if you are nuts, you can clay and wax your wheels too. i like to have the car on jack stands when i do this so i dont have to crawl all over the floor and break my back. the underside of the bumper has about 18" (facing the ground) that has paint, i wax those too ;-)

remember you need to clay and wax all the door/hood/engine lid edges. do it slowly or else you will bang your fingers off in great pain.

int, just vacuum and apply your fav leather lotion.

blk on blk

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER wash a car with Dawn or any other dish soap. It is called dish soap for a reason. The PH is all wrong for a car. It will dry out the rubber seals around the doors, windows, lights, which can lead to leaks, rattles, and eventually rust from water getting through seals into places it should not be.

P21S makes a wash for cars that is effective in removing the wax. Use that, and then follow the rest of the above or check out the procedures recommended by www.autopia.com

Stephenwz968

Claying the car and using polish actually removes all the wax and bonded contaminants, no need for dawn.

Steps:

Wash
Clay w/ mild claybar and lube (I use a solution of carwash soap and water as the lube)
Polishing pad (I use meguiar's 8006 on the PC) with a mild polish (like megiuar's 80)
if you don't like that, step up the polish to a more aggresive (such as meguiar's 83)
Wipe off all excess polish
I like to seal the surface with a synthetic sealant (such as meguiar's 20 or 21) on a finishing pad (meguiar's 9006)
Then a carnuba on top of the sealant (I like meguiar's #26)

Steve

normank

Which pads do you use with the PC? I have a clear bra on the front. Can you use the above instructions on that or is there some other process for plastic (AccuGuard)?

normank

That's one funny link.

Stephenwz968

I use meguiar's pads-check out
www.autodetailingsolutions.com

perfectlap

you're car is brand new! I'd go easy with the abrasive polishes and the PC...unless you have been doggin it.

I'm not driving a garage queen, its parked outside all the time and its not a stranger to autocrossing. Yet people can't believe it's soon to be lucky 7 years old. Believe me it didn't get that way by spending hundreds of hours a year detailing. Allot of guys do more harm than good by excessive detailing. In this regard less is more. You have to learn to wash it a little less, touch the paint as little as possible, never rub on dry paint and use products that require the least amount of maintenance.

1-avoid doing the full bucket and hose wash every time. "wipe down" using a waterless wash like Optimum No Rinse, QEW, Poorboys, Chemical Guys etc. This has become very popular with high end pro-detailers because its saves them time and the car comes clean, and they can do more cars.
2-Don't use cheap Pepboys or Walmart towels!!! And try to employ waffle weave as much as possible. Micro Fiber towels with those furry prickly hooked ends get used way too much on well maintained surfaces. It's overkill and marrs the clear coat. Buy a couple of dozen towels in different color try and avoid paying more than $4 a towel, lots of competition out there now. I recommend the Poorboys waffle weave towel (threads never snag like most waffles) and Chemicalguys.com have some good ones too. I haven't checked out any of the sponsor towels yet.
3-For a white car I would use an acrylic (synthetic) paste wax, maybe a few layers with a sponge applicator. Lubricate the surface with a quick detailer, let haze, relube surface and buff out using speed not pressure. That sets up a good base. Maintain it with a good spray wax like Aqua Wax (great on Light colors) from Duragloss.com ($8 NAPA stores or online),no need to spend allot on a wax booster.
4- And to avoid too much messing with the paint I highly recommend anti-static sprays as your LSP (last step product). They go on everything but leather...paint, glass, dash, wheels, trim. I swear by FK1usa.com's #425 spray and get it by the gallon. Since I started using this about a year or two ago its significantly cut down on the soot that waxes attract, it won't increase the shine on its own but just prolongs shine from your fave wax and keeps the paint clean by keeping the paint dewey slick.

as for the PC, most of the use of this on a less than one year old car should be buffing so you would use a Lake Country Country Blue Finnesing pad or black finishing pad. Once or twice a year go to the white pad to clean the paint. If you have swirling and the white pad doesn't work with more abrasive swirl removers at getting the surface swirl free..

go to orange light cutting pad with the mildest abrasive swirl remover and work your way up the swirl remover ladder if needed. Always remember to finish with the least abbrasive SR to "cover your tracks", if you don't they'll still be there.

p.s.
Detailcity.com have a newsletter email that's good for a 10% coupon code each month.

cdodkin

Suggest you look at the online guides at Autopia - excellent step-by steps, with pictures

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html

Great resource, and FREE!

cdodkin

Oh, and don't use the PC on your clear bra!

As for products - you'll get a million answers here, each likes his own.

My personal faves are Sonus products from Autopia and their Ultima range for final finish.

Here on my 986 and 996 - nice and easy to apply and maintain using a PC.













Chris.

normank

I see that the more you learn the less you know. I really appreciate all the suggestions. It's going to take some time to sort this all out, but I now have a solid starting point. Thanks to all.

mooty

from griot
orange pad for polish
red pad for waxing
lake country makes some very nice pads, i plan to try those once track season is over

i do the same to my clear bra as the rest of the body. no harm.

AndyK

I plan to use a Lake Country orange pad and Meg # 83 polish on my swirled and spider webbed '02 silver Accord.

Do I need to use a finer polish before waxing? Or, will Optimum Poli Seal "cover my tracks"?

PS--That is the nicest black 996 I've seen Mr. Dodkin! Looks like you soaked it in oil!

perfectlap

not familiar with Poly Seal but you should always finish a two step or more de-swirling with the mildest swirl remover as this will actually get out the swirls rather than just covering them up.

MoeMistry

Well said. Dish soaps are very basic in pH and will robb the finish of its natural oils.