rubbing compound

[LETZRIDE]

Re: rubbing compound

should I clay bar the car once more before I finish polish and wax it then as well?

I remember my polishing waxing and what not took like 6-7 hours last year...So I think this year the body is gunna get done in increments...

[HokieBird]

Re: rubbing compound

This thread is getting confusing fast. Do you have any idea what products you will be working with? That would help us tell you the order you need to work in.

You want to do this:
1. clean the paint
2. remove defects
3. protect the paint

1 generally consists of washing, claying, and possibly using a chemical cleaner if you feel it is necessary

2 is were polishes and compounds come into play. This can get confusing fast. Different brades call their products different things. Just because it says polish doesn't mean it is actually abbrasive.

What you need to do is use the least aggresive product possible that will still get the paint to where you want in a reasonable amount of time and work. If your paint is pretty bad you may need to use an aggressive product and work your way down to a less aggressive product. GM clearcoat is generally pretty hard so a more aggressive product is usually needed to get the majority of swirls out.

3 is a wax or a sealant. This will come down to how much you want to spend and what you are looking for as far as looks and durability.

Another option instead of removing the defects is they can be covered up. A glaze or filler wax can cover up swirls and some scratches until the product wears off. NXT wax is a good example of a product that will cover up minor defects for a limited time.

[zpwn06]

Re: rubbing compound

Did you just say you can't tell they did a crappy job because it's black? What kind of black are you talking about? flat? Because black shows everything.

no its the gloss with a REALLY thick clearcoat, but step back from more than 2 feet away and you can't tell. Thats a nice thing about black, low contrast. Whoever owned this car last cleared and waxed the hell out of it. I think it was in some kind of fender bender and had some body work done. It probably will need a repaint eventually, but I'll wait until I put some more miles on it.

[F1GT]

Re: rubbing compound

should I clay bar the car once more before I finish polish and wax it then as well?

I remember my polishing waxing and what not took like 6-7 hours last year...So I think this year the body is gunna get done in increments...

A clay bar just removes the surface contaminants on the paint, therefor leaving a smoother surface for a better reflection, thus a shiney car. If after you have just completed step 1)Wash/dry, they you should start claying. It takes a lot of elbow grease if there are a lot of contaminants built up thru the years. So try to maybe do sections at a time (i.e. frt bumper cover, hood and fenders or whatever you can handle up to). If you have a smooth surface after this claying, you don't need to do it "once more" as there is nothing to remove any longer. If you have never clayed before, it's just a lump similar to Playdoh, you have to spray the detail spray it comes with to help it glide on the paint, other wise it will not move. So you spray it on the freshly cleaned car and just glide the clay back and forth until you feel nothing but smoothness.

Then you go on with step 3)cleaning the paint. No one knows how swirley or scratchy your paint looks. Therefor, start out with something weak first, so you won't do any unreversible damage. So start with the "step 1" paint cleaner from Meguiars and do a spot first. If it seems to work a little, then do some more and you can see if it's too weak or not by how much you have to spend on one spot.

I forgot step 4)protect the paint. You can use wax or sealant. Sealants are man made wax(a synthetic wax). Sealants last longer than carnuba waxes, they are shiney but they have a hard cold shine to it, like an eggshell. Waxes don't last long, but has more depth and warmth to it. You can layer wax on top of sealants to get the best of both worlds, but at this point, it is too "advanced" for you. So, just choose an off the shelf wax. Typically, people like NXT and Gold Class. Both by Meguiars. Wax a spot first and see if any new light swirl develops. If you see it try to apply the wax in one direction.
At this point, you've just started the waxing part, if you want just to another section and try the "cleaner/wax" and see how it affects the swirls. You can also buff/wipe it off in a single direction to see how it affects your paint as well.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: rubbing compound

A clay bar just removes the surface contaminants on the paint, therefor leaving a smoother surface for a better reflection, thus a shiney car. If after you have just completed step 1)Wash/dry, they you should start claying. It takes a lot of elbow grease if there are a lot of contaminants built up thru the years. So try to maybe do sections at a time (i.e. frt bumper cover, hood and fenders or whatever you can handle up to). If you have a smooth surface after this claying, you don't need to do it "once more" as there is nothing to remove any longer. If you have never clayed before, it's just a lump similar to Playdoh, you have to spray the detail spray it comes with to help it glide on the paint, other wise it will not move. So you spray it on the freshly cleaned car and just glide the clay back and forth until you feel nothing but smoothness.

Then you go on with step 3)cleaning the paint. No one knows how swirley or scratchy your paint looks. Therefor, start out with something weak first, so you won't do any unreversible damage. So start with the "step 1" paint cleaner from Meguiars and do a spot first. If it seems to work a little, then do some more and you can see if it's too weak or not by how much you have to spend on one spot.

I forgot step 4)protect the paint. You can use wax or sealant. Sealants are man made wax(a synthetic wax). Sealants last longer than carnuba waxes, they are shiney but they have a hard cold shine to it, like an eggshell. Waxes don't last long, but has more depth and warmth to it. You can layer wax on top of sealants to get the best of both worlds, but at this point, it is too "advanced" for you. So, just choose an off the shelf wax. Typically, people like NXT and Gold Class. Both by Meguiars. Wax a spot first and see if any new light swirl develops. If you see it try to apply the wax in one direction.
At this point, you've just started the waxing part, if you want just to another section and try the "cleaner/wax" and see how it affects the swirls. You can also buff/wipe it off in a single direction to see how it affects your paint as well.

I have the mothers 3 step stuff...wax cleaner...then sealer and glaze, then carnuba wax

Thats why I asking to make sure I have the order down right...so would this be ok

1. wash/dry car
2. clay car
3. use a product like scratch X or possibly stronger depending on results
4. apply sealer and glaze (no need to use wax remover cause Im assuming scratch X would do that)
5. apply wax

Do I got it?

[F1GT]

Re: rubbing compound

I have the mothers 3 step stuff...wax cleaner...then sealer and glaze, then carnuba wax

Thats why I asking to make sure I have the order down right...so would this be ok

1. wash/dry car
2. clay car
3. use a product like scratch X or possibly stronger depending on results
4. apply sealer and glaze (no need to use wax remover cause Im assuming scratch X would do that)
5. apply wax

Do I got it?

Yes pretty much, but you have the step 1 PreWax Cleaner from Mother's already, so that can take the place of ScratchX if you did not buy it already. Also, don't forget to clay your glass as well and yes, you can wax your glass.

I have a question for you. I am heading up to Vancouver BC next month, I am wondering what gas prices are up there as my girlfriend keeps mentioning that her aunt says it's $7.xx. Isn't it in the $4 range?

[LETZRIDE]

Re: rubbing compound

right now its $1.20 a litre regular over here....next month were expecting it to be probably somehwere between $1.40-$1.50 a litre....regular....if you driving your f-body and are putting regular in expect to pay around $78 to fill up assuming you put in 52 litres like me...(I never let the tank go completly empty...52 litres is on red in my car so...