What products to use

[michaelgordon]

I would like to think i know a little about detailing and have been using EZ Car Care for a couple of years now.  I generally like their products but i want to up my game a little.  Taking quite a lot from the forensic detailing channel im going to be moving to Bilt Hamber Autofoam for snowfoam, Surfex HD for APC and AutoWash for shampoo and their medium clay bar as they seem to come out very good on the best of videos, and price seems very good.

 

If anyone could help with a pre-wash, currently use EZ Citrus

 

Spray sealant, currently have EZ Fusion & Deflector shield depending on wash im doing.  For a proper sealant i use EZ Granite and TBH unless there is something amazing i do really like this.

 

Glaze?  Im not sure i really need this?

 

Fallout remover, Currently use EZ Reigning Iron was thinking Bilt Hamber korrosol

 

LSP / Sealant remover, currently EZ Reset

 

Panel wipe?  This seems to be a marmite use IPA / dont use IPA?

 

Wheel cleaner, use EZ Viper and its quite good

 

Wax, i really like the EZ ceramic wax so again unless there is something amazing ill stick with this, same for quick detailer EZ Gloss Boss & Voodoo do a great job.

 

Have i missed something?

[ilogikal1]

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

If anyone could help with a pre-wash, currently use EZ Citrus

You've already mentioned getting snow foam, that's your pre-wash.

 

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Spray sealant, currently have EZ Fusion & Deflector shield depending on wash im doing.  For a proper sealant i use EZ Granite and TBH unless there is something amazing i do really like this.

If you're happy with what you've got, stick with that. There's plenty available but it depends on what you value as to what will be "amazing", so stick with what you know and like.

However, that said; Gyeon CanCoat. Okay, not strictly (actually) a sealant but rather a very simple to use coating. Considerably better than spray sealants in every single way... if you can work indoors. 

 

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Glaze?  Im not sure i really need this?

No benefit if you're using sealant.

 

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Fallout remover, Currently use EZ Reigning Iron was thinking Bilt Hamber korrosol

Car Chem Revolt is better, but Korrosol is a good second place. You won't go wrong with Korrosol, so if it's cheaper to order it all together then go for that.

 

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

LSP / Sealant remover, currently EZ Reset

 

Panel wipe?  This seems to be a marmite use IPA / dont use IPA?

Decon reoutine and/or compound will do more to remove LSP's than Reset, panel wipe and IPA. The purpose of those three products is to remove any residual oils after polishing rather then removing LSP. However there's no point in removing old LSP if you're just going to put the same over the top again anyway, and as you've not mentioned polishes at all don't worry about this stage at all.

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Wheel cleaner, use EZ Viper and its quite good

Seal your wheels properly, as you do the panels, and you won't need any dedicated wheel cleaner. When you want to do a deep clean just use fallout remover and clay, otherwise just a standard car shampoo will be more than enough to keep your wheels clean. Save your pennies.

7 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Wax, i really like the EZ ceramic wax so again unless there is something amazing ill stick with this, same for quick detailer EZ Gloss Boss & Voodoo do a great job.

If you're happy with what you've got, stick with that, etc, etc. However note there's no benefit to using a ceramic wax over a sealant, so use one or the other instead of both, or get a cheap wax to be the sacrificial layer if you want to use both.

8 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

Have i missed something?

Only;

Shampoo - Car Chem 1900:1 for a pure shampoo or Gyeon Bathe+ if you want something to add some protection.

Degreaser - Bilt Hamber Sufex HD.

Tar remover - AutoSmart Tardis (don't get it from eBay unless it's a trusted dealer who happens to trade on there, you're unlikely to actually receive Tardis!).

Compound - depends on if you're polishing by hand or by machine... or at all. But Scholl copounds.

Glass cleaner - Auto Finesse Crystal or Gyoen Glass.

Tyre dressing - Gyeon Tire.

 

And then there's the interior, metalwork and engine bay....

[michaelgordon]

Cheers.  I was going with auto wash for shampoo but if either of those two are better ill look into them, always forget tar remover.

 

i cant work inside unfortunately so a lot of the things that need a proper cure are out.  I had sealed the wheels with an alloy sealer & wax EZ wheel armour & RIM but i was not impressed so will be doing the wheels properly, off and fully protect as can do that indoors, was planning on using gtechniq C5 after a full decontamination.  Unless you know about a different product. 

 

When i actually do get round to doing a polish which will likely be next year now the weather has started to turn, i was going to use Menzerna or 3M compounds but have seen the Scholl recommended more than once.  Will be doing it with a DA, used on previous cars with good results using only ultimate compound & ultimate polish but paintwork on this car needs sorting on bonnet and bumper before so its a little pointless at the moment as they are both really bad.

 

For the glass i was going to do a gtechniq G1 (i think) and use their cleaner and polish to prep it.  Cure time dosent seem to bad so can do outside.  Unless you know about a different product. 

 

Again, always forget tyre dressing, ill give that a go.

 

For interior i generally use APC (will be surfex) and then a dressing, EZ Sleek smells nice i like it.  could do with a good leather cleaner, its painted so no use for a conditioner.

 

What do you mean metalwork?

 

Engine bay i never really worry about.  APC every few months but not too fussed about it gleaming.

 

I was going to do a separate post but can i ask.  Grit guards, i never used them until this car as knowing i wouldnt polish for a while wanted to eep it as best i coul but ive gone through two wash mits using them, one 5 years old and never shown sines of use yet three or four washes with the guards and has holes.  A big mitt did the same after maybe 8-10.  Not being aggressive just up and down motions to free up anything trapped, am i doing anything wrong.  I was never a convert of the trwo buckets either until i actually tried it and saw the colour of the rinse bucket.  

 

Sorry about all the Questions but handy to ask someone who know what they are actually takilng about

[ilogikal1]

My apologies, you did indeed cover shampoo and degreaser already.

 

Autowash is good, personally I prefer Car Chem myself as you really can dilute it down to a hell of a lot, so it lasts forever! But Autowash is certainly not a bad shampoo or a waste of money at all.

 

If you can’t work inside and you’re happy with your current sealant, stick with that to be honest.

 

C5 would be my recommendation, however Gyeon Rim is almost as good and usually cheaper from PB once postage is considered - however one of our traders on here, Wax and Shine, might do a few products to interest you and negate the postage costs.

 

Menz are good polishes and are my second choice, however I have moved onto Scholl from Menz. Scholl are a little more forgiving and easier to work with, and being a little oilier tend not to dry out at all whereas Menz can occasionally if you’re not careful.

Scholl S20 & S30 on Lake Country Hydrotech tangerine and crimson pads are perfect combinations for the horribly soft Nissan paint.

 

G1 is a very good glass sealant, but be warned you’ll run out of G2 quickly. Personally I find Gyeon View a much better kit for deep cleaning and sealing glass, and it’s usually cheaper too. You’ll have plenty of Cleanse in the kit to do all the windows, inside and out, and some. Not ideal to apply any coating outside, but so long as it’s dry it shouldn’t cause much of a problem.

I’d still recommend something like Crystal for the interior glass though.

 

For tyres, degrease with Surfex HD first to ensure the tyre is clean, then force cure (heat gun or hair drier) for it to last a fair bit longer.

 

Leather cleaner - for deep cleaning then Gyeon Leather Cleaner, for more regular cleaning Dr Leather Wipes (wear gloves or smell like leather for weeks, it really gets into the pores of your skin!). You already seem to know it, so I’ll forgo the usual conditioner speech. 

 

Metalwork on the Z is pretty much just the exhaust, unless you’ve modified anything. That would depend on what the current state is and if you’re interested in cleaning it up and/or sealing.

 

Grit guards - can’t stand them. They promote poor technique at the very least; I don’t use them at all. If you’re using more than the top inch or two of water in the rinse bucket (and using the 2 bucket method) then you’re using too much. Use your other hand to loosen any trapped grit from the mitt if you feel it necessary but your mitt should never be anywhere near the grit towards the bottom on the bucket and there’s no need for the water in the bucket to be moving much, if at all, so the grit should never come back up to the surface even without grit guards. If the water is that dirty, it should be changed out.

If you feel the need to use them at all, leave them at the bottom of the bucket to “trap” the dirt (supposedly) and rinse your mitt in the top couple of inches of water only.

[davey_83]

2 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

I was going to do a separate post but can i ask.  Grit guards, i never used them until this car as knowing i wouldnt polish for a while wanted to eep it as best i coul but ive gone through two wash mits using them, one 5 years old and never shown sines of use yet three or four washes with the guards and has holes.  A big mitt did the same after maybe 8-10.  Not being aggressive just up and down motions to free up anything trapped, am i doing anything wrong.  I was never a convert of the trwo buckets either until i actually tried it and saw the colour of the rinse bucket.  

 

Sorry about all the Questions but handy to ask someone who know what they are actually takilng about

 

x2 buckets and grid guard is what I use. You don't need to touch the mitt against the grit guard. It's there to keep the dirt at the bottom of the rinse bucket and your hand can help release the dirt from the mitt. What I do is dunk, the fold the mitt like and sandwich and agitate then dunk again. Sort of like how you hand wash a piece of clothing if focusing on a stain. 

 

Also for a pre wash or to use out of a pump sprayer, use it autofoam at 10.1

Edited September 15, 2019 by davey_83

[michaelgordon]

cheers guys.  Really helpful as usual.  

 

Dont suppose either of you could recommend a place to get a colour coded pen from?  Got a couple marks that would be too expensive to get sorted just noticeable, ill be getting bonnet, bumper and side roof bits resprayed as there is not diy solution for that. 

[michaelgordon]

@ilogikal1

 

Have another quick question for you.  I decided to repair the stone chips and have done all the prep just waiting on the paint, i sanded the chips with 3000 grit paper to get them ready and when painted and cleared will wet sand again with 3000 grit to level off.  From what ive read i need a medium cut polish to best get the scratches out, ive not bought the scholl polish yet, will the S20 and the tangerine pad be able to get these sanding marks out? 

 

or is there a better option?  im already set on doing a 2 stage with the s20 & s30 and Ill be using my Argos xtreme da with a 5" plate unless either a das 6 v2 or pro would be that much better.

Edited October 22, 2019 by michaelgordon

[davey_83]

Should be fine and the longer you can leave the touch ups before wet sanding the better.

[ilogikal1]

5 hours ago, michaelgordon said:

@ilogikal1

 

Have another quick question for you.  I decided to repair the stone chips and have done all the prep just waiting on the paint, i sanded the chips with 3000 grit paper to get them ready and when painted and cleared will wet sand again with 3000 grit to level off.  From what ive read i need a medium cut polish to best get the scratches out, ive not bought the scholl polish yet, will the S20 and the tangerine pad be able to get these sanding marks out? 

 

or is there a better option?  im already set on doing a 2 stage with the s20 & s30 and Ill be using my Argos xtreme da with a 5" plate unless either a das 6 v2 or pro would be that much better.

S20 should be fine, so long as you're not too heavy handed with the sanding. If you are too heavy handed, S20 will still get fine sanding out but it may just take a little longer. I wouldn't go any heavier than you need to, but if you do find you need more cut the usual method of minor, progressive increases applies: i.e. don't immediately reach for the heaviest compound/pad you can!

 

There is probably always a "better" option, but S20 on medium pad, down to S20 on a fine pad and then (if you actually need to) S30 on a fine pad to finish should be plenty. To be honest, S20 finishes down quite well on it's own, so you might be able to skip one of the two later steps, but for sanding I'd definitely suggest that 2 stage is the way to go.

Your Argos polisher will be fine if your technique is good enough - good technique with bad tools is better than bad technique with the best tools - so don't spend more money than you have to... unless you want an excuse to buy a new polisher, then I can justify that for you too. 

You might also want to consider the smaller spot pads as well as the larger 5" depending on where you're polishing - a lot of the front bumper is much easier with spot pads, but then the bonnet & upper central part of the bumper is easier with larger pads.

[michaelgordon]

Cheers guys.  I've machined polished before but realised my technique was poor, after watching a lot of videos, i was going too quick and not doing enough passes, with poor pads as well.  Ive learnt my lesson, as punishment i think ill have to invest in a new polisher.

[ilogikal1]

Oh well in that case you’ll definitely need to “punish” yourself with a Flex or a Rupes. It’s the only way you’ll learn... 

[michaelgordon]

i got the das6 pro cant believe the price of some of them.  Im a weekend warrior at best.  ive also sprayed paint and lacquered the front bumper and roof side panels.  How long am i best waiting before polishing them?  used proper auto colour match paint and 1k lacquer.  i know not to wax them for about a month but not sure on polish.  Am i best wet sanding with 3000 grit before polishing as well?

 

I was hoping to do the stone chips tomorrow, polish  the sprayed panels Friday the do a full polish next weekend to do the bonnet and rest of the car to get all the chips polished out..  

[ilogikal1]

Realistically you're talking hours, not days (or longer) these days. Bodyshops won't be waiting around for long before polishing back when they've resprayed a car after all.

 

I'd only wet sand when absolutely necessary - always, always, always go with the least abrasive solution that will get the job done. Unless you have drips/orange peel/etc, I wouldn't be considering wet sanding as a matter of course. Although, that does depend on how good your painting skills are... mine are not. 

 

DAS6 is a good machine, I still use mine as I can't justify a (selection of) Rupes.

[michaelgordon]

Cheers, really appreciate all the help.  I'll be honest, I was not expecting as good a result as I got. There is orange peel but only slightly I've had much worse when painting stuff before and was a scary thought doing it but the way I'm looking at it is.

 

Is it a professional body shop standard - No, probably not even close.

 

Does it look better than it did - Yes definitely all my spots from factory primer or the white undercoat that were showing through have gone the marks and scratches in the bumper after filling are gone and the result is better than expected.

 

Would I do it again - Definitely, considering I was quoted £600 for a bumper and bonnet at a body shop I'm managed to do the bumper for about £30 and a few hours work I have something that hopefully when polished unless really scrutinised will look great, it all ready looks very good just a bit dull.