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Today was my first Prima detail on my 08 Nightfire Red MC. I had two coats of Meguiars #26 on the car so I started with a dish soap wash to remove some of the wax. From the wash I clayed the entire car including the windshield (thanks for the suggestion Heather) and was quite happy that the paint was looking excellent; no swirls, spiderwebs, just a few scratches from the dealer or myself from the first wash a few weeks ago.
On to the Prima goods. The paint looked good and that was in my mind when I ordered the Prima Finish. Instead of Swirl. Should have listened to Richard. The few scratches I have must be deep enough that Finish with the white pad will not remove them or (most likely) it's my technique. I'm leaning towards the technique. Although I was working with the PC on 4.5 and was using a very slow arm speed the scratches did not budge. I was seeing something I thought was odd; lots of small specks of Finish splattering around within one minute of starting a 2X2 area in few spots. I thought I had the right amount of product on the pad and was using the correct technique (thanks for the DVD Richard). This is what I was getting:
I decided to continue with Finish thinking even if I was not exactly getting the Finish to work as intended at least I was probably doing some good.
Next was Amigo. On and of very easily but another technique issue; those scratches were still visible. Maybe I'm asking to much but I do not think so. The scratches are not visible unless you really look for them with the correct light at the correct angle. Outside of the scratches as I Amigo'e away the paint was clearly turning into a wet, glossy finish. Very cool.
Finally Epic. No questions there. On and off very easily with about 60 minutes of drying time. Paint darker, more "wet" gloss, outstanding stuff. A bit of Black Wow here and there and I'm done.
All in all a successful first attempt. Some lessons learned. This stuff takes time to learn. I'm positive many folks here could have pulled those scratches right out with Finish or filed them with Amigo. I'm keeping my eyes out for the Prima edition of the DVD. One other lesson; a set of 4 inch pads would have made many spots on the car (especially where the front quarter panels drop down to the hood) much easier to work on.
We went on a club ride this weekend and I got my first chance to see your color - awesome! I really like Nightfire. Our club member had it on her cabrio and it was stunning.
So anyway, Finish is very fine and I hardly ever find a use for it. The black A-pillars are the only parts I use it for. As for splatters, these should be minimized if you don't lift the pad. Start the machine with the pad down and only lift it off the paint after you turn it off. You may have done this, but I really don't get much fling while polishing (Cut is the exception).
Amigo will fill the fine swirls, but it won't perform miracles. It will help to minimize the larger scratches but nothing beats getting them out if at all possible.
Oh and I agree that the 4" pads, while not a must, do make my life much easier for the pillars, boot and swoopy areas around the headlights.
Nice work, good results and beautiful color!
We went on a club ride this weekend and I got my first chance to see your color - awesome! I really like Nightfire. Our club member had it on her cabrio and it was stunning.
So anyway, Finish is very fine and I hardly ever find a use for it. The black A-pillars are the only parts I use it for. As for splatters, these should be minimized if you don't lift the pad. Start the machine with the pad down and only lift it off the paint after you turn it off. You may have done this, but I really don't get much fling while polishing (Cut is the exception).
Amigo will fill the fine swirls, but it won't perform miracles. It will help to minimize the larger scratches but nothing beats getting them out if at all possible.
Oh and I agree that the 4" pads, while not a must, do make my life much easier for the pillars, boot and swoopy areas around the headlights.
Nice work, good results and beautiful color!
You know now that I think back the splatters were in areas that I was moving the pad around quite a bit and most likely not paying attention. Good call!
btw, i've a question.. when i run my hands over my car surface..i can feel very very tiny bumps or tiny dust stuck on my car surface... is it normal or is it juts my car? how do u remove it? i try to clay it but did not work or maybe i use wrong method.
claying would be the right thing to do.....do a search on clay.
it takes multiple passes over the same area to get all the junk off the paint..especially if you are using non-aggressive clay
__________________ 2003 CR MCS One Ball Exhaust / Alta CAI / Alta 15% Pulley / M7 STB / 05-06 Xenons / ATE Slotted Rotors and Hawk HPS Pads / Weds Sport TC-005 with General Exclaim UHP 215-45-17/ Full JCW CF Dash / K40 Front and Back Radar Detector with Lasar Diffuser / JCW CF Shift Knob and E-brake Handle with both JCW Alcantara Boots / JCW CF Boot Handle / and of course ...White Viper Stripes
I used to use Mother's Clay. Can be had at Wal-Mart...But I now use Griots. Basically you want to first wash your car of all loose contaminents and use Dawn or other wax stripping soap if you have a coat of wax on. Then use a quick detailer spray (a good 16oz size comes in the mothers kit) and lube up the area before sliding your clay over your car. Do one area at a time. Not very difficult and shouldn't take more than 45 minutes for the entire car. Also check out youtube.com. there are some videos showing how to properly clay on there as well.
__________________ 2003 CR MCS One Ball Exhaust / Alta CAI / Alta 15% Pulley / M7 STB / 05-06 Xenons / ATE Slotted Rotors and Hawk HPS Pads / Weds Sport TC-005 with General Exclaim UHP 215-45-17/ Full JCW CF Dash / K40 Front and Back Radar Detector with Lasar Diffuser / JCW CF Shift Knob and E-brake Handle with both JCW Alcantara Boots / JCW CF Boot Handle / and of course ...White Viper Stripes
oh i see.. what brand clay is good? i cant find it i my autoshop... how do u use clay? what the procedure? after washing?
A claying Noob's thoughts:
I don't own a MINI yet, but I was keen to find out about this "claying" thing that gets so much attention. I went to my local Autozone and bought some of this (first one listed):
Not sure how it ranks versus the other clay's listed in the detailing forum, but for my purposes it was fine.
I have a 1991 Honda Accord wagon and a 2000 Chrysler T&C that have seen next to nothing in the way of hand washes. They had been done periodically at your typical car wash over the years, and I just assumed that was a good thing.
I handwashed the cars, clayed them and then waxed them. Don't have a polisher so that step was omitted, so I may not have the mirror surface that others see in their metallic paint.
What was clear, however, is that if you don't clay your car, your car just isn't clean. Claying isn't hard or harsh (with the clay I used), but it does take some time. Definitely worth the effort. The clay is like slightly hard Silly Putty, though a bit more rubbery and sticky. Using the lube spray and a properly formed blot of the blue clay, I worked my way all over the cars, from top down, careful to keep the surface of the car lubed up and the surface of the clay free from too much junk. The stuff really works. Without any gritty feel at all, it gently smoothes and picks up all sorts of grit from the car's surface which gets washed away with the lube and subsequent wash/rinse. You'll get the hang of it quickly. I cut the clay into pieces about the size of an Oreo and re-squished it after each panel. It takes some time, especially if you have many years of bugs, sap, road tar and so forth speckling the lower half of your doors and lower bumpers. Getting rid of that stuff felt great. The finished surface was silky smooth, and the cars are cleaner than they've ever been. You want to touch a clayed (polished) and waxed vehicle because it is just so slippery smooth.
So the long and short of it is...it isn't hard, expensive or difficult. Common sense rules. Don't use the clay if you drop it, because you'll pick up sand & grit. Just cut off another piece of clay and start again. I ran out of the lube on my 2nd car, so I used diluted car shampoo in the sprayer with good results. The original lube was a little better (slipperier) but no problems with sticking with the shampoo fill in.
Getting all that stuff off feels so great that you'll hardly mind the extra time that claying takes. Huge payoff for whatever work you put into it.
Won't take my cars to the car wash again...well, as long as the weather's nice, anyhow. Not sure I could wash, clay and wax a car in my NH driveway in January.
Get some clay and try it on a car that has a few exterior flaws...like mine. You won't hurt the surface if the clay is decent, the car is clean and you use plenty of misty spray lube.
Good Luck
__________________ CROC#450, '09 CR/B MCSa, non-HiFi Channel-swapped JL Audio TR650/400-Cxis & Polk db691s. I Got a Fever...and the Prescription is More Cowbell!
I don't own a MINI yet, but I was keen to find out about this "claying" thing that gets so much attention. I went to my local Autozone and bought some of this (first one listed):
Not sure how it ranks versus the other clay's listed in the detailing forum, but for my purposes it was fine.
I have a 1991 Honda Accord wagon and a 2000 Chrysler T&C that have seen next to nothing in the way of hand washes. They had been done periodically at your typical car wash over the years, and I just assumed that was a good thing.
I handwashed the cars, clayed them and then waxed them. Don't have a polisher so that step was omitted, so I may not have the mirror surface that others see in their metallic paint.
What was clear, however, is that if you don't clay your car, your car just isn't clean. Claying isn't hard or harsh (with the clay I used), but it does take some time. Definitely worth the effort. The clay is like slightly hard Silly Putty, though a bit more rubbery and sticky. Using the lube spray and a properly formed blot of the blue clay, I worked my way all over the cars, from top down, careful to keep the surface of the car lubed up and the surface of the clay free from too much junk. The stuff really works. Without any gritty feel at all, it gently smoothes and picks up all sorts of grit from the car's surface which gets washed away with the lube and subsequent wash/rinse. You'll get the hang of it quickly. I cut the clay into pieces about the size of an Oreo and re-squished it after each panel. It takes some time, especially if you have many years of bugs, sap, road tar and so forth speckling the lower half of your doors and lower bumpers. Getting rid of that stuff felt great. The finished surface was silky smooth, and the cars are cleaner than they've ever been. You want to touch a clayed (polished) and waxed vehicle because it is just so slippery smooth.
So the long and short of it is...it isn't hard, expensive or difficult. Common sense rules. Don't use the clay if you drop it, because you'll pick up sand & grit. Just cut off another piece of clay and start again. I ran out of the lube on my 2nd car, so I used diluted car shampoo in the sprayer with good results. The original lube was a little better (slipperier) but no problems with sticking with the shampoo fill in.
Getting all that stuff off feels so great that you'll hardly mind the extra time that claying takes. Huge payoff for whatever work you put into it.
Won't take my cars to the car wash again...well, as long as the weather's nice, anyhow. Not sure I could wash, clay and wax a car in my NH driveway in January.
Get some clay and try it on a car that has a few exterior flaws...like mine. You won't hurt the surface if the clay is decent, the car is clean and you use plenty of misty spray lube.
Good Luck
Wow they actually let you buy a claybar kit!?! I ran into trouble when I tried...
__________________
05 JB MCSc - Alta V2 15% pulley l Alta CAI l TCSportline exhaust l NGK Irridium colder plugs l M7 Ultimate Grills l LvS b/o headlamp rings
"IMALIMY"
90/10 all the way, That's the spirit! I hate airconditioning. Period.
Wow they actually let you buy a claybar kit!?! I ran into trouble when I tried...
Guess your ride wasn't old enough.
My smokin' 1991 station wagon rocks, dude.
__________________ CROC#450, '09 CR/B MCSa, non-HiFi Channel-swapped JL Audio TR650/400-Cxis & Polk db691s. I Got a Fever...and the Prescription is More Cowbell!
is that white Epic? (left pict). if so, that's a lot of product.
Close...that's Finish. I think Mini MiniMaybee and you are on to something. I certainly could have been lifting up on the PC when polishing. I also think I was probably using to much product. I've never tried to remove swirls (only hide them with glazes on white cars). When the light scratches were not disappearing I tried several "sessions" on each area to try and remove them, using more product each time. Rookie move on my part. Next time I will hit the scratches with Swirl and hopefully get them all removed with less product. So...how's that Prima DVD coming Richard and Heather?
Close...that's Finish. I think Mini MiniMaybee and you are on to something. I certainly could have been lifting up on the PC when polishing. I also think I was probably using to much product. I've never tried to remove swirls (only hide them with glazes on white cars). When the light scratches were not disappearing I tried several "sessions" on each area to try and remove them, using more product each time. Rookie move on my part. Next time I will hit the scratches with Swirl and hopefully get them all removed with less product. So...how's that Prima DVD coming Richard and Heather?
I spent a day with Richard and learned that it depends on the depth of the scratches. The car we worked on needed an orange pad at first pass, followed by a white pad. When I got home and worked on my Chili Red, I found the same combo to be quite effective, orange first, followed by white. I now have no swirl marks anywhere on the car - period.
__________________ 2007 Cooper S Factory JCW Convertible - Chili Red, Premium, Sport, Cold Weather, M7 strut tower covers, 17" Web Spokes, 3M Paint Protection Film, I am a Prima believer
bet took lot of elbow grease..
2003 CR MCS One Ball Exhaust / Alta CAI / Alta 15% Pulley / M7 STB / 05-06 Xenons / ATE Slotted Rotors and Hawk HPS Pads / Weds Sport TC-005 with General Exclaim UHP 215-45-17/ Full JCW CF Dash / K40 Front and Back Radar Detector with Lasar Diffuser / JCW CF Shift Knob and E-brake Handle with both JCW Alcantara Boots / JCW CF Boot Handle / and of course ...White Viper Stripes
what brand clay is good? i cant find it i my autoshop...
how do u use clay? what the procedure? after washing?
CROC#450, '09 CR/B MCSa, non-HiFi Channel-swapped JL Audio TR650/400-Cxis & Polk db691s. I Got a Fever...and the Prescription is More Cowbell!
I ran into trouble when I tried...
2007 Cooper S Factory JCW Convertible - Chili Red, Premium, Sport, Cold Weather, M7 strut tower covers, 17" Web Spokes, 3M Paint Protection Film, I am a Prima believer
