Detailing options - advice needed

[mazda6mps]

Looking to detail the car over the coming weeks, working a panel at a time. Have washed and inspected the car, and have found some minor swirls and water etching on most panels.

I have a RO that I can use, and have most LC pads available to me. All products I already own (thanks to Joel at Zas).

Here what I am planning on doing, but would like some advice:

1. Clay Bar - Zas bar with Megs Quick detailer;
2. Cutting using LC Yellow or Orange pad, Prima Cut;
3. Polish using LC Yellow pad, using Prima Swirl, then LC Orange pad, Prima Swirl again, Finish with LC White or Black pad, Prima Finish;
4. Polish using LC Red Pad, Prima Amigo;
5. Coat of Epic, 30 mins 1st coat, 24 hours 2nd coat;
6. 2 coats of Banana Gloss.

I am not sure about the LC pads though, whether these are appropriate, or whether these need to be mixed up with others, in case whether the etching and swirls are hard to get out.

[Caffeine Fiend]

With regard to any sort of paint correction, it's always best to start off with the least aggressive pad and compound you think you can get away with. Work with that for a while and if you're not getting the result you're after, then move to a more aggressive pad or compound.

I would personally start with the orange and only switch to the yellow if you really really need to. The Lake Country pads are great (I use them too), but you could end up creating more work for yourself by going too hard too quickly (the yellow pad in particular should really only be used in fairly extreme circumstances as it will generally cause some hazing of its own accord which will have to be taken out with lighter pads). Not to mention that the more aggressive the pad/compound, the more clear coat you remove, and you only want to remove the absolute bare minimum to get the job done.

Regarding polishing (post paint correction), I tend to do that by hand. I never use a machine. This is purely a personal choice, but I have a few good reasons for doing this:

1) Once the paint has been corrected and is swirl/scratch free, I want to use the lightest, least possible force when applying anything over the top of it lest I introduce more swirls etc. Polishing by hand gives me better control in that regard
2) Hand polishing gets me naturally closer to the car, thereby allowing me to better spot any blemishes that may have been missed in the paint correction process.
3)It's quicker and easier to get into awkward areas around the car, such as under door handles, around mirrors, fiddly bits around the grille etc

Regarding Epic, you're probably better to give the first layer longer to cure/bond than 30 mins. I normally leave the first layer overnight (min 8hrs) before applying the second layer over the top. I'll then leave it again for min 8hrs before polishing off

Not sure what the benefit would be of applying Banana Gloss after the Epic goes down. My understanding is that you want to get as much shine out of the clear before applying Epic, as it effectively seals in the finish. I've not used Banana Gloss before though so there may be a benefit to doing it after the Epic, I don't know. Someone might like to add more on this.

Hope this helps

Dan

[mazda6mps]

So i've tried what you suggested, have started the boot.
Claybar, then White pad with Prima Swirl - 1 pass, no impact, so I switch to Orange Pad, Prima Swirl again. 3 passes seem to have taken most swirls out, but there are still some minor lines in the clear.

I am not sure if I need to make another pass with the Orange Pad and Swirl again until all lines are gone, or should be going with a more aggressive compound like cut to get those last lines out, and then go back to the orange pad with swirl.

For now, i have finished up for the day, and have patched with BG as i need the car. I'll give it another try tomorrow to get the remaining lines out, but hopefully by then there will be more threads in this topic with informative advice.

[ZAS]

Your process is correct mate and Caffiene's advice is solid. If the Swirl + Orange is removing and only slight swirls remain, use that combo again. Changing might cause more issues with compounding haze etc. Sometimes these things take a long time to get perfect, but that is the cost of perfection!

Regarding Banana Gloss - make sure it does go on after the Epic has cured. It contains carnauba, so if it is on the surface before Epic, it may cause bonding issues with the sealant.

[Caffeine Fiend]

Cheers Joel.

So does BG add further shine/depth to an already paint protected surface?

If so I might give it a go

Dan


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[ZAS]

I know the process you use and it would be difficult to add any more to that. If anything, the BG will add to the finish by concealing any swirl marks present. This will then give the appearance of a greater shine.

[Caffeine Fiend]

Ok thanks mate.

[Yeldarb]

Dan, my mate just bought a V50 T5 in Black. It's a beautiful car, same engine (detuned) as the Focus RS.

I'd like to pass onto him some of your techniques. Managing black deco...any suggstions?

[Caffeine Fiend]

Hey mate,

What sort of info do you think he'd be after? Paint correction advice? Or more maintenance and upkeep advice (washing, polishing, waxing etc)?

Joel's done some pretty comprehensive documentation in his detailing library here:

http://www.zas.com.au/detailing_library.php

An absolutely awesome place to start


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[Yeldarb]

Cool, good point. I'll forward this to him. He has 2 kids, 2&3, so not a lot of time. But I'd hate to see that beautiful duco start to glaze.

Thanks Dan.