| Author |
Message |
nick mrozinski (Nickm)
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2001 - 11:21 pm: | |
I just received the "Griots Garage" catalog a few days ago, you can buy the yellow towels (and white ones) in that catalog. They're for sale on pages throughout the catalog. They work awesome for that final wipe (and all wipes for that matter) as Mike said. |
Mike Dunn (Madferraristi)
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2001 - 10:26 pm: | |
For that final wipe, try using a 'Meguiars Ultimate Wipe' or any other brand of 'Micro Fiber' cloth.
I thought it was all smoke and mirrors until I received one as a gift. On my 500 Superfast, (see www.500superfast.com) using the micro fiber cloth appears to change the color as it removes the annoying final haze that is so difficult to remove on any dark color. |
1989 328 GTS (Vilamoura2002)
| | Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2001 - 4:22 am: | |
I buy tones of hydrofile white cotton at the chemist and it works fantastic.
Are terry cloth or bright yellow cloth better? |
nick mrozinski (Nickm)
| | Posted on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 11:09 pm: | |
Some profesionals use terrycloth I guess, all the professionals I know out here in Southern California use diapers. |
Danny R. West (Dan_West348ts)
| | Posted on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 5:40 pm: | |
The professionals use a terry cloth towel. That's also what I use. It works well.
Dan |
nick mrozinski (Nickm)
| | Posted on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 2:11 am: | |
Perhaps the most important piece to the swirl puzzle is missing... what do you use to wipe off the waxes, polishes and glazes? If you use the wrong piece of cloth to remove the hazed-over residue, no matter what brand of polish or wax you use you will be left with swirls.
From my expierience, the only thing to use is... a VERY SOFT diaper or (this is going to sound cheesy but they work excellent) Bright yellow cloths that are sold at PepBoys with a red stitching around the edges. They work awesome! I have done around 75 custom paint jobs (90% on Porsche 911's)and I'm VERY picky...
Couple more tips: If you are using an electric buffer, take your time, buffing a 1 square foot area at a time. DONT RUSH! or you are guaranteed swirls. All diapers are not created equall! FEEL the diaper, you will notice some are softer and fluffier than others, those are the ones you want. If you dont find a SOFT diaper, Go directly to PepBoys! Also it's best to wax indoors as we all know, but a sure way to have your car come out looking awesome is to wax it in-doors with florecent lights on and ALL outdoor light shut out. ie close your garage doors. The florecent light will show off EVERY "defect". When you take you car out-doors it will look AWESOME! |
magoo (Magoo)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 10:38 pm: | |
If you are using a electric buffer, orbital or professional high speed buffer you should always put masking tape on the high spots of the body. On the peaks or high edges on the body you should run masking tape in a linear fashion over those edges. These areas are the most vulnerable to cut through because the paint runs off those edges when sprayed. After you have finished buffing you can remove the tape and polish gently by hand, not using compound. |
Michael A. Niles (Man90tr)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 9:52 pm: | |
Martin, out of curiousity -- do you know how that paint guage works. What is it using to read the paint and what is it reading in the paint? |
Martin (Miami348ts)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 7:35 pm: | |
Remember when you are using a tool you take mor eon one spot that the other and especially on the corners that can bring donw the paint in no time.
If you do not know how many times your car has been buffed you can run the risk of ending up with no paint at all. Detailing a car is not an easy job. Way underrated by the $49.95 specials you get on the street.
My detailer has a paint gauge that tells him exactly how much paint is left on a pannel before he buffs. You would be amazed how little there in in some spots and find parts where your car has been "blended in". |
Scott Anderson (Srandrsn)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 7:24 pm: | |
Gerrit.
I think the Black & Decker unit I use is a DP900. I just threw away the box the other day but I looked on the unit itself and thats what it said. Its just a little single speed 5" or 51/4" orbital buffer, nothing to fancy. I bought it so long ago I don't even remember the price but I don't think it was too expensive like maybe $40-$60? You could probably find one at like Home depot or maybe Target. It really isnt anything to exotic but I like how the small size lets you work the contours of ferraris and corvettes and it doesn't have the speed to burn through the paint. Oh and the pads - I just use the ones that they make for that model, they have a thin blue faom pad and you can get soft fabric ones too but I use mostly the foam because it is easy to get on and off, no strings to tie or get in the way. Good luck |
Gerrit Visser (Gerritv)
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 9:34 am: | |
Scott,
I have had good success with Meguiars as well, albeit by hand so far.
What model Black & Decker polisher are you using? I keep looking longingly at the Porter Cable units but the price is just more than I can justify at present.
Also, did you get the pads from Meguiars or are you using another brand? |
Scott Anderson (Srandrsn)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 11:58 pm: | |
Argyle,
I use mostly Meguiars stuff; They have all those numbers which I can't remember right now but Meguiars calls them Fine cut cleaner, Machine Glaze or New car glaze (same thing), Swirl remover, High tech yellow wax. The paste I have been using lately is'nt meguiars though I think it might be Kiwi (like the shoe polish company Kiwi). The fine cut cleaner definitelly has a grit to it and should only be used with a machine and only if its truly needed. After you've done the Fine cut the finish has sort of a satin to dull look to it like something went wrong, its only after the other steps do you get the luster. A compound like that should never be the only step. The machine glaze also really only works with a machine, you can't seem to work it fast enough by hand to keep it "liquid". Its hard to describe what the machine glaze does if you try to do it by hand - it sort of coagulates, gets stiff and you can't spread it. The machine must give it enough heat to keep it fluid; its wierd. I tried 3M products but wasn't very happy, and I've never heard of Zaino.
I'm sure there are other good systems out there I just like to stick with what works best for me. I haven't tried that clay bar thing that Meguiars and others have I've heard that works great for cleaning the surface of impurities.
I really want to be carefull on giving this kind of advise. I know how much my cars mean to me and I'm sure everyone else feels the same about theirs. You just have to be carefull on picking the right product/system for your car and type of paint. I am very pleased with how this system works for me and my cars (red, yellow, grey). Just be careful, paint jobs are expensive! Talk to guys at car shows, body shops & detailers. Get a professional opinion if you have any doubts. But I think these multi step programs give you a depth and luster that you can't get from an all in one wax, its just a matter of finding whats right for you and your car. |
Ben Lobenstein 90 TR (Benjet)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 7:28 pm: | |
Klasse is good too...the one in the red bottle will remove a slight layer of finish ( to remove oxidation etc.)...again use BEFORE Zaino.
-Ben |
Leonardo Soccolich (Lens)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 7:16 pm: | |
Thanks all.
Ben, I think you hit the nail on the head. Zaino results are only as good as what you start with. Have you guys heard of, or had any experience with Klasse arcylic sealant?
In the meantime, I think I�ll just enjoy the car (with winter on the way, it doesn�t make much sense to worry about swirls and scratches), and turn my compulsive attention to the engine bay. |
Argyle Co (Argyleco)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 3:07 pm: | |
Scott,
What products do you use for each step |
Scott Anderson (Srandrsn)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 2:53 pm: | |
I agree with Danny on this one. I also use a small (5") random orbit waxer on all my cars. Its a Black and Decker unit and its right around that 1000 rpm range, not nearly fast enough to damage the paint.
About once a year I each of my cars a good once over. I use Meguiars products and do the following.
1. Obviously give it a good wash
2.Use a fine cut cleaner to basically "exfoliate" the paint.(getting rid of any oxidation, minor scratches, surface irregularities etc.)
3. Re-moisturise the paint with whats called a Machine glaze or New car glaze. A really vital step because with the fine cut I am basically removing a fine layer a paint and you really need to get some oils, silicones whatever into that newly exposed surface. I read somewhere that red cars absorb as much heat as a black paint job, so you need that moisture to give your paint that flexability.
4. Apply a swirl remover
5. Apply their High Tech Yellow wax (Liquid w/ some Carnuba)
6. Finish with a high quality Paste Carnuba
I use the machine to save time but also it gives you a much better result. The pressure is more evenly distributed on your applicator, the random orbit produces less swirls and gives greater luster.
None of my cars have clear coats or anything so I don't know much about dealling with them. All of the wax manufacturers I believe have help lines and of course body shops and detailers can give good advise so make sure you are using the right materials and steps for your application.
Once I get the swirls out (or minimised) and the luster I want all I have to do is maintain it with a wax that is designed to protect the finish from ultra-violet, light dirt, etc. which is usually a paste carnuba. |
Mark C. Gordon (Markg)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 2:08 pm: | |
Did the 308 series have a clear coat? |
Danny R. West (Dan_West348ts)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 1:08 pm: | |
An automatic buffer kept to approximately 1000 rpm will take the swirl marks out. That's how professional detailers do it. Make sure to keep the buffer flat and pull it toward you only.
When I purchased my 348ts 1 1/2 years ago, I had deep swirls in the paint. Craig at Ferrari of Los Gatos showed me how to get them out using an automatic buffer and waxing the car. I do not have visible swirl marks now.
Dan |
Ben Lobenstein 90 TR (Benjet)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 11:04 am: | |
Zaino stuff is great, but only once you are happy with the paint that you are going to coat with it.
-Ben |
stu cordova (Balataboy)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 10:28 am: | |
Len,
I was unhappy with deep swirls that wouldn't come out, so I took my car to a body shop and had them wet sand the whole thing. If your 328 has a high quality paint job, then you could do this - however, it will undo all of your polishing hard work, and it's a fairly extreme measure that can only be done once or twice (depending on the quality of your paint). My paint quality was pretty poor so I had only one shot at a wet sand, which came out very well.
I then took it to a high quality detail shop and had a winter coat of polish and wax applied, which keeps it nice and shinny and gives it that soft/creamy feeling. |
Christian Kienle (Christiank)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 9:29 am: | |
I was also obsessive when I was younger, swirl marks, scratches etc. If you want to drive your car, you can't avoid it. The only way to remove stuff like that without damaging the paint is to go to a professional body shop. I found that they do it in 5 min what I need 1 hour for. |
Burnell P. Curtis (Burnell)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 9:25 am: | |
The swirl marks will almost always be there. I am not familar with Zaino products but with Meguires products here is what I do. After buffing, I then apply the finest compounding product they have (#9 for Meguires) in ONE DIRECTION ONLY. Wipe in off in ONE DIRECTION ONLY. Then apply the wax in ONE DIRECTION ONLY. All in the same direction of course. Now the faint scratches(not swirls now) will only be visable in a certain orientation with the light. They will be almost impossible to find. Try it out on a small panel and you will be delighted.
Burnell |
Willis Huang (Willis360)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 9:18 am: | |
I used to be obsessive about the swirls and scratches like you. If you don't see swirls and scratches under sunlight then the paint is just fine. What are the chances that your car will only be seen under fluorescent light?
I use Griot's Garage products on my black 360. The swirls and light scratches are practically gone by applying a fine hand polish and 2 coats of wax. Deeper scratches will require professional help.
Obsessing about these things make life miserable. Just forget about it and enjoy driving the car. |
Leonardo Soccolich (Lens)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 8:28 am: | |
I just spent alot of time applying Zaino polishes (Z1, Z3, Z5, and Z6) to my red 328. I�m very impressed with the depth, lustre, and �wetness,� but I haven�t been able to get out very faint scratches and swirl marks which are only visible under direct fluorescent light. I spoke with Sal at Zaino and he recommended 3M�s Swirl and Scratch Remover for dark paint. I tried that, with little effect. Its almost as if the Zaino has left an impenetrable coating on the paint. The car looks absolutely fantastic, but I think I�m obsessed with getting these scrathces out. Any advice? (Not psychological.) |