Washing/Detailing

bus driver always fends me off when trying to wax the bus

i work in a car wash / detailing shop AMA

It's literally illegal to wash your car in your driveway down herebin commiefornia so I just take it down to the self wash with the bays and such. Recently clayed and waxed my car, so its looking really nice. Looking to pick up the harbor freight DA polisher to get all the spiderweb scratches out

>>14853778
How to get the best finish without scratching shit? Recommended products? Is an angle grinder with a buffing pad a bit too sanic for paint?

>>14853443
two bucket wash
wax by hand if it needs it
use microfibre towels

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Wash with Meguiars
polish with 3M and my Rupes buffer
i need to get some wax but the 3M polish can just be wiped off and works almost as a wax

>>14853778
I recently buffed/waxed my car with shit-tier products, but still got a decent result.

2500 rpm polisher, $25
Turtle wax polishing compound, $7
Some weird brand of black car wax, $15

Removed the swirls and made it shine, that's all I cared about.

I have a few deeper scratches, and machine marks from the previous owner, that didn't come out. I worked at them (in circles) for about 15 minutes, but they were clearly deep, and I wasn't sure how far to go before I could damage the paint.

Any advice on technique/products to get the deeper stuff out?

>>14853808
>Is an angle grinder with a buffing pad a bit too sanic for paint?
Probably. It might work with light pressure and not too aggressive cutting pad and compound.

Proper Rotary polishers have a soft start up and are variable speed.
DAs are even kinder as they oscillate as well as rotate

>>14853830
>Any advice on technique/products to get the deeper stuff out?
You might get a better result with a more aggressive cutting pad and a harsher cutting compound. Then refine the finish with the stuff you used previously.

>>14853830
Me again. Kind of curious. There's clearly a lot of snobby opinions about products/machines/techniques, but my first time doing it with shit-tier products, I got probably 90% of the result that a pro could have. Looks brand new, except for the aforementioned scratches.

I know you get what you pay for, but why does the detailing industry act like it's all rocket science? I respect that there's a bit of an art to it, but why all the ego about "X product is the best" when the products +/- have the same result?

>>14853796
As it should be. If you wash your car on the driveway, all that wastewater is going to the stormdrain, which is not treated before it goes into the lakes and rivers. If you go to a carwash, the water goes into the sewage, which is treated at the treatment plant before being discharged into a river.

>>14853866
By "cutting pad" do you mean the bonnet I put over my polisher? Total noob here. Cutting compound=polishing compound? I was under the impression that polishing compound was course, and would aid in paint-repair.

>>14853868
people get a brand and get attached to it because it's what they know how to use best so to them it is the best

>>14853888
there are bonnets and pads that you can put on the buffer and there are varying degrees of them that make it easier to get the cutting power from a cutting compound which is the coarse past you use there are varying levels to compounds each with their own purpose

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i got this buffing agent
i also got this buffing agent
then i use some buffing agent
sometimes i use color restorer

if you're the former owner of this car please kill yourself

>>14853868
>why does the detailing industry act like it's all rocket science

The first 90% is relatively easy.
People get obsessed with getting that last 10% though, and then pride gets involved. Elitism and snobbery follow, which turns everyone into a dick head.

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>>14853808
>angle grinder
you will most likely fuck your paint up if you don't know what you are doing

it depends what the desired result is, if you want to get rid of swirls you can just wax it every weekend
just clean it good with regular liquid soap, dry it with a big cloth without much pressure so you don't damage the clear coat and use your hands, its better that way because you can wa the edges but it takes more time

if you want to buy a machine get a dual action, watch this vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSLEVi_SPg&list=PL96D52AF54166C886&index=2

we just use standar soap and armor all, nothing special

>>14853830
it depends on what type of scratch it is

you can just touch it up with a small brush and paint, but if the clear coat is damage you might need a respray

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>>14853976
these 10% also disappear as soon as you move the car. i sometimes clean it two times a day

seeing a detailing thread makes me shit my pants about how my paint is doing after the winter. had to park it in a shed because the 3.5 is fucking unrelyable and starts leaking coolant whenever it wants to.

>>14854026
Get a silver car mate.
No more worrying

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>>14854060
then i wouldn't notice the scratches and that is even more terrifying

>>14854008
It's a small scratch, I thought it was a white hair and tried to wipe it off. It's about an inch long, and the driver door. There's some stuff on the bumper, I think the previous owner took some machine to it, and left DEEP swirl/scratches in it. The polish/wax got probably 60% gone, but in the right light it's still obvious.

The scratch, I'm pretty sure it goes through the clear coat on the driver door. Would they just respray clear coat on the driver door? Is there anything else I can try?

On the bumper, I believe the correct pad/polish would do the trick. My polisher ($25 shit-tier polisher) doesn't have a removable pad. So all I can do is put bonnets on it. Is there a polish/bonnet combo you'd recommend for the bumper work?

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>wash car by leaving it outside in the rain

>>14854077
>My polisher ($25 shit-tier polisher) doesn't have a removable pad. So all I can do is put bonnets on it. Is there a polish/bonnet combo you'd recommend for the bumper work?

Next level polishers are quite expensive.
What I would try first is getting some velcro and glue it to your polisher.
You can get velcro tape on ebay.

Then buy a few cutting/polishing pads off ebay (cheap chinese ones, no need to spend any real money) the same size as your polisher pad .
Look for a set with heavy, medium and finishing pads.

Guy some meguires ultimate compound (or similar) and use it with the Heavy pad.
Use your current T cut with the medium pad.
Apply your wax with the finishing pad, and buff off by hand with a microfibre towel.

All your neighbours will think you're insane. But you'll have the shiniest car in town.

>>14854139
Does this work on plastic too? I wanna buff up my crappy scooter a little.

>>14854162
probably

>>14854173
What should I do for vinyl stickers? I got some from the /osg/ and I don't want to blast them off with the polishing machine.

>>14854139
Neighbors already know I'm car-batshit-crazy. Not concerned.

Velcro is an awesome idea.

My polisher is a 10", not ideal, I know.

I found these on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/3inch-80mm-white-blue-black-orange-yellow-Diamond-Polishing-Pad-select-set-/301731611032?hash=item46409b0198:m:mAc4ie1PUcEBIDSzg-HLNDg&item=301731611032&var=&vxp=mtr

Will those suffice?

My car is kind of off-black (Jerez Black) and the black-specific wax I used provided kind of a dull shine. It doesn't look "fresh off the showroom floor" new like I've seen. After I did "paint correction" with the polishing pad, I went straight to wax. Should I have used an actual polish before wax to get that shine? Or was it because of the wax I used?

>>14854182
I just saw that the ones on ebay only really go up to 7 inches. I may consider trying to cut the pad on my polisher. I just don't feel like forking out the $100 for a quality polisher.

>gas station carwash when evey once in a while

feels good to drive a beater

>>14853885
if you wash your car INSIDE THE GARAGE

the drain that is in the center of the garage floor goes to the sewer

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>>14853443
>Washing car in rain to save water cuz muh drought
>Parents see me washing car in the rain and think they raised a retard
Did they?

I've been working my car over top to bottom trying to get the paint back into decent condition. I think the last owner washed it with a scotchbrite pad or something, the swirls really show on black paint.

I start with a thorough wash using meguiars soap and a microfiber wash mitt. I don't have a hose filter yet so avoiding water spots is pretty difficult, but I use a shammy to get as much water off as possible. I've then been using a bottle of quick detailer and clay to work over a panel, then using a 6" orbital buffer and polish to work the panel over quite a few times. Most of the swirls are removed by that. I then give it a good coat of wax which I let dry for at least 10 minutes before rubbing it back off.

Washing and waxing once monthly is my minimum goal, with a good wipe down using microfiber towels and quick detailer about every other day. It gets dusty so fast.

>>14854193
Those pads are just the thing. You can get 8" (200mm) pads.
With your polisher, it should be okay if you're careful. See you get on before cutting anything.

I would try applying your wax with a finishing pad then buffing off with a wool mop on your machine.
Or look up reviews of it online and see what people say about it.

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>>14853443

> Rinse
> Snow foam exterior
> Two bucket method + grit guards + MF Mitt
> Rinse
> Clay with soap and water to lubricate
> Rinse
> Dry using waffle weave MF towel
> 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and wipe down
> Start correction here if needed (PC7424XP)
> Wax/Sealant of choice
> Dress trim/tires
> Vac interior
> Clean & dress leather if needed
> Spot clean carpet or break out extractor if required
> Wipe down interior with appropriate cleaner
> Clean interior and exterior glass
> Exterior final wipe down using spray detailer

Wheels are painted so they are treated the same as the paintwork. I have a specific wheel wax I prefer and do not share wash buckets with the body and wheels.

>>14854178
cover entire scooter in stickers
finish is now brand new
there, done

>>14854368
>car now looks brand new
>car is a 1995 deville
>cry self to sleep in trunk