Ticked Off - Need Detailing Advice

A little long, but I need to blow off some steam...... Things have been very busy with work and home, and I am looking for ways to spend more time with the family. At the same time, my lack of time is not allowing me the opportunity to keep the cars as clean as I like. Since moving to Cleveland, I have always been looking for a good auto detailer that could come to my home on a consistent schedule. Clay and polish the cars twice per year and the rest of the time wash inside and out with touch up etc. I have a local Audi/VW group where we meet up and such. Over the past couple of years a guy at the group has been mentioning to me that he has a mobile detail business and he would like to do my cars. With everything going on, I setup a time for him to come out, take a look at the cars and give me a price. I let him know that if he does a good job, then I would like him on a 3 week schedule etc. Talk about nice easy consistent money. This guy totally screwed up my car. Lucky for me, he was never allowed to touch the 911. I had several small spots of fallout on the hood of my 2001 Jetta. I am not sure if he used a brillo pad or what, but he put scratches into my hood. Not to mention that after he was done, I was finding sections of the car that still had wax on it, black moldings have wax on them, and there is wax in the cracks. The fine attention to detail was lacking. When I am paying for a service, I expect a better job than I can do. He obviously never pulled the car out of the garage to check it in the sunlight and give it a last wipe down. We had to leave the house and he was taking a long time, therefore I was not able to inspect the car at the end. I called him the next day and told him about the problem. He told me that he would take out the scratches next time he was out. Well, he came out a few weeks later and did the car again. The scratches are much better but are visible in certain angles of light. He still did not get the wax off all of the car, and my windows were still not clean. I am afraid to call this guy again and have him really screw something up. I am going to get the correct tools, fix the scratches, and just detail my own cars from now on. What equipment and materials do I need to fix these scratches? The seem to be in the clear and not down to the paint. I plan on using clay on my cars a couple times a year. Do you recommend a good single application product (wax, polish, etc.) that I can put on after the clay? Just a spray wax detailer the rest of the time? What do you guys use? -Ryan P.S. - I will see if I can get some pictures that show the scratches and post them here.

P21S Polish should get the scratches out of they are not to bad, than a good carnuba wax.

After the clay bar go with Zaino or something similar. A little "elbow grease" intensive initially but very easy later on.

Check Craigslist for a Cable-Porter dual action orbital polisher. You'll get professional results and save a bunch of time. I use mine spring & fall and only brief touchups in between. I wouldn't call that guy back!

I need to buy a dual action polisher. I think I am going to buy the Griot's Garage products. The sell them at Tirerack. I believe Porter Cable actually makes the polisher for Griot's. If you don't have a polisher or would prefer to do it by hand, I have had good luck with Meguiar's Scratch-X also.

pretty much all the single head dual action polishers (PC / UDM / Griots) are Porter Cable random orbital sanders If you're serious about this, and paint correction is what you're looking for, you will need compound, polishes, potentially glaze and then sealant or wax. In order to apply correctly, you will want the polisher (any random orbital will do) and a set of pads from heavy cutting to soft buffing I recommend, unequivocally, Menzerna compounds and polishes, particularly: Compound: Powergloss Heavy Polish: Super Intensive Polish Finishing Polish: PO85RD or Nano Polish For sealant, I truly believe the best value for money is Ultima Paint Guard Plus, phenomenal product and finish especially on dark colors, lasts forever, easy to apply, and you don't risk introducing marring by adding a dry buffing step at the end. A cheaper alternative which works similarly (but I can't say looks quite the same) is Optimum Opti Seal. Remove old wax on the panels with dawn dishwashing detergent. If you're talking about white residue, thats much harder to advise you on. Some people swear by peanut butter, others simple green. I use a q tip and solvent. The only real solution is to stop using wax and move on to sealant (which leaves no visible residue). Also, make sure when you polish you use painters tape to mask off areas like rubber trim and panel gaps, keeps the polishing crud out. For your weekly washes, buy Optimum No Rinse car wash soap. Phenomenal stuff, will cut hours off your maintenance each month. And just make sure you use two wash buckets, one for clean water/detergent and the other for dirty water/cleaning off your sponge or mitt.

Technically, I don't think the Porter Cable can be called a dual action polisher. A d/a switches between orbital and rotary and the Porter Cable is orbital only.

I looked in my garage. I have a bunch of zaino stuff. It is at least 4 years old. Should I ditch it and buy new? - Clay - Z2 Polish - Z5 Polish - Z6 Spray - ZFX - drops If I can use this stuff? what should I used after the clay? Should I call Zaino for instructions? Can I use these as polish after I use the porter cable and compound? Can I use the porter cable with the Zaino polish? I want to cut down on my time needed to get this done.

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From autogeek.net: "Dual action polishers are characterized by the motion of the head. It spins on a central spindle, and this spindle rotates around an eccentric offset. A good metaphor for a dual action polisher is the earth�s orbit. The earth itself spins and it also orbits around the sun. Dual action polishers are also called random orbital polishers for this reason."

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Oh nooooooooo! Griot's Garage may have used to be a Porter-Cable, but now it is not. My buddy bought one last year and it looks and sounds nowhere near my PC 7424. It's waaay overpriced, but feels cheap. IMO, if you just want to wax your car, then Griot's Garage will be fine. ScratchX is awesome; it's meant for spot treatment, but I've used it on my entire car before. Another good consumer off-the-shelf product that is ColorX; it's an all-in-one that I used on my M3 (the C4S only gets NXT Tech 2.0). Both products have diminishing polishers that may require multiple applications applied with some effort. ///Michael

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Ahhhh the Internet... That's the definition for a random orbital. If you go into a body shop and ask for a d/a you will get a machine that can switch between orbital and rotary.

Ryan, Check out this thread I started a couple of years back. The first post will give you a lot of info. Removing scratches

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So the sad reality Tim, is that you polished your 911 away to nothing?

Ryan, there are great free how-to articles on the autopia website here: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html They'll tell you everything you need to know about process and technique. Product choice is totally subjective - ask 10 people, get 10 different suggestions - prep & technique is the key and the basis of any good shine.

Being that I have lots of Zaino product, I feel it would be best to use it. This is the process I am thinking of using on the Jetta after it has been washed and there are no surface contaminants (might need a little clay): 1. Menzerna Power Gloss - Use Yellow Pad - http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-pow...mpound-16.html 2. Zaino Z5 Polish - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino 3. Zaino Z2 w/ ZFX - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=11 4. Zaino Z6 Spray - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=13 The Zaino products seem to go on very easy by hand with no need for power. Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEX6-rulyH8 I figure that I will clay and apply the Zaino products 2 times per year (Fall & Spring). In between that time I will wash with the Optimum No Rinse and apply the Z6 spray. ---------------------- Questions: 1- I need a porter cable or circular polisher. The Menzerna product page recommends a circular polisher as it will take less time than a porter cable. What are the pro's and con's to this? What model and where should I buy it? 2- Towels for buffing - What to use? Zaino recommends these: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...roduct_Count=1 I also just picked up a huge package of new microfiber cloths from costco and I was going to use them for the car. Specifically for buffing the polish and cleaning windows.

you will need at least one abrasive polish finer than powergloss (which is real compound and will leave a much duller surface as it gets out scratches.) Zaino Z5 is not actually polish, no abrasives worth mentionng. If you will only buy one, Super Intensive Polish would be the way to go, and just use multiple passes (without seeing the severity of the scratches, it's hard to make a definitive recommendation, but the rule of thumb is if your fingernail catches in it, its too deep for anything but compound) Since you have the Zaino use it, definitely good stuff, lasts forever. DO NOT use a rotary/circular polisher if you are not very experienced, it is far to easy to burn the paint. Do multiple passes with the Random Orbital if you need more cut. Towels: Zaino is all about cotton, most everyone else swears by microfiber, and the answer is it doesn't matter so long as its clean and fine. A lot of people buy microfiber from pak shak.

I just took a look at the scratches. My fingernail is not catching any of them. I guess that is good news as they are not too deep. Thanks for the advice on the polisher. I will be sure to use the porter cable 7424. Here is my revised process: 1. Menzerna Power Gloss - Super Intensive Polish - Orange or White Pad http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-sup...ve-polish.html 2. Zaino Z2 w/ ZFX - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=11 3. Zaino Z6 Spray - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=13 I already own a bunch of microfiber cloths and will just use those. Should I use the Lake Country 6.5 Orange or White pad? Anything else I am forgetting?

I also have a lot of time constraints and understand where you're coming from. And the best advice when trying to remove scratches and blemishes with polishers is to always start with the less abrasive polish/pad combo first, inspect and work your way up from there. A porter cable type polisher with at least 3 different pads (scratch remover, polishing and waxing) should be a good kit. Plenty of microfiber towels (WITH TAGS REMOVED) and a few microfiber aplicator pads/sponges will complete your setup. I have been using P21S products since I got the car from new. I like the ease of their use and I especially like the wax. Easy to apply and clean, and doesn't stain dark plastic or rubber. I also put a coat of Klasse All in One glaze after polish and before waxing (once or twice a year). And throughout the year I use Meguair's Quick detailer. To maintain the plastics I use 303 Aerospace protectant spray - work slike a charm and easy. I go through the car at least 3 times a year. Lexol also has a vinyl protectant spray that does a good job, and can be used on the tires as well. (non-glossy finish) For leather maintenence I use Lexol cleaner and conditioner sprays - quick and easy to use - and do a pretty good job. I do this at least 2 times a year. For wheels and chrome I like to use Blue Magic. Many people like to use Rejex. I use it on my other vehicles not the 911, and it is easy to apply with great results. Here's how my car looks after a good dose of Klasse + P21S wax:

Here's Gary's 7 steps to a spectacular surface. 1. Prepare the surface. Wash your car with a mild liquid dishwashing detergent or if that makes you squeamish, several washes with car wash detergent, to strip off the wax, and get down to the uncovered paint finish. 2. Remove embedded foreign material. Go over the finish with a clay bar to remove the surface residual and embedded gunk in the paint. If you have Stone guard or any of the protective films on the front of your car, do not clay the film as it will scratch. (This is a shortcoming with films, there is not an easy way of giving them a deep cleaning, and by function, they will get the brunt of impact damage and absorb much of the airborne material that your car hits while in motion. This is why I recommend bras like the ones from Speed Lingerie to protect the front of your car.) 3. Fill the micro-imperfections. Give the finish a covering of glaze applied with an orbital buffer and non-cutting (orange or red colored) foam pad. 4. Level the finish for a specularly flat surface. Apply a coat of swirl remover with a Orbital buffer and non-cutting foam pad. This will insure a mirror-like finish. Some may skip this step if the finish is already in good shape. 5. QC your work. After you have buffed out the above, Go have lunch, wait at least 2 hours and buff it again to remove residual oils, glaze, and swirl remover. Do this in bright light, as you will be amazed at how much you did not get with the first buffing. 6. Seal the finish with a high release, high reflective coating. Apply a coat of Rejex, include windows and rims, buff, and let cure overnight. 7. Finish it with depth and make it tough. Next day give it another coat, let cure at least 8 hours. This will make the Rejex coating last much longer. If you do this process once a year, then touchup at 6 month intervals is all you need. In addition, some folks apply a coat of their favorite wax like P21S on top of the Rejex (Never before Rejex) to add some additional slide and to re-level the paint micro-scratches. HINT: Harley Davidson sells P21S waxes branded as S100. Same wax, same container, half the price. To see the results, click on "check out my 996" below.

Check out the Porter cable 7424xp at Gloss-it. http://www.gloss-it.net/7424XPG220PO...ADS-tp2-9.html Their stuff looks good although I haven't tried it yet. "Old Guy" on the 997 forum recommends them though. They have a nice video for the novice, on how to get out scratches... http://www.gloss-it.net/index.php?id=51&manprev=z

BTW: The Porter Cable random orbital buffer is available at Lowe's Hardware.

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As others have stated...PowerGloss is VERY agressive (and often needed for hard VW paint) and requires at least one, if not two polishing stages afterwords to clean up. After using PowerGloss and an Orange or yellow pad the paint should look cloudy and hazy. You're not doing anything wrong, it's a byproduct of being agressive enough to actually correct the damage done to the paint. What you have listed as #1 should really be broken out to two or 3 different steps like this: 1 - Menzerna PowerGloss w/ Orange pad (assuming LC pads) 2 - Menzerna SIP w/ white pad **optional 3 Menzenra finishing polish (choose one..I like 85RD) with black pad for ultimate finishing gloss. Then the Z2 Then the Z6 Too bad you're not a little closer...I'd gladly help. I hate when hacks give all us detailers a bad name. Andy p.s.. Coastal Tool is the cheapest you'll find the PC if you don't already own one. AutoGeek will price match that price and still allow you to get the best price without needing multiple retailers to get everything you want in one shopping experience.

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BAWAHAHAHAHAH! Good one!

You live in Cleavland? Well there's your problem. j/k, good luck with the scratches.

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Yea, I know. Would you believe that I moved here from Fort Lauderdale!!!

I apologize, as I made an error. My fingernail is not catching any of the scratches. I was thinking that I would not need the Power Gloss. Am I correct? If so, here is the process I was thinking: 1. Menzerna Super Intensive Polish - White Pad http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-sup...ve-polish.html 2. Menzerna Finishing Polish - Black Pad http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-fin...sh-po85rd.html 3. Zaino Z2 w/ ZFX - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=11 4. Zaino Z6 Spray - http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=13 Questions: Should I apply the SIP (Step 1) to only the scratched areas, or should I do the entire car?

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Thanks for helping me out. Yea, too bad you are not closer. If you are ever in Cleveland, be sure to drop me a line.

It's really so hard to say without seeing it, but you could buy the powergloss and accompanying pad just in case the SIP+additional work time doesn't take it out. One thing to note, SIP finishes down to a very smooth look, and while it does not contain silicone, it does have some kind of oil or other filler in it that will temporarily hide scratches from your eyes. In order to reveal them, you'll need to wipe down the areas you polished with isopropyl alcohol solution or prep-sol. You have two choices with scratches, hide them temporarily and repeat every few months, or level them permanently. I realized a long time ago that no matter what I do to prevent swirls and scratches when the car is within my control, it all gets undone when the dealer decides to ignore my "Don't Wash" instructions or a valet or my garage attendant or another parallel parker does something silly. My car needs to be polished at least once a year, so I just use SIP, recognize that it fills in scratches a little, then use 85RD, top it off with Ultima PGP, and maintain it with a mix of optimum no rinse w/ distilled water and an occasional booster coat of ultima PGP. The right way to do it is get the car stripped down and masked off, use the SIP on the scratches only initially (watch some video tutorials on random orbital polishing first). Then buff off residue and wipe down the work areas with isopropyl alcohol. Anything that still has scratches that you can't live with, use the powergloss, repeat the inspection process, DO NOT be tempted to try taking out a stubborn scratch with your hands and some powergloss, you run a very high risk of burning the paint that way. If you have to compound anything, just repolish those areas with SIP until they are glossy, then run over the whole car with SIP, then 85RD, then wash it / wipe it down with alcohol, then apply Zaino.

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If we were talking Porsche paint you could probably get away with just SIP on an orange pad as it's soft and fairly easy to work with from a detailing perspective. However Audi / VW paint is well known as some of the hardest paint in the industry. With some time and effort the SIP and organge pad may do the job it'll probably just take multiple passes. Oh...and the above comment about SIP having fillers is spot on. Inspect your work in the sun with an alcohol wipe down to make sure you're really getting the results you're after.

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I think I am just going to clay the whole car, stick with the SIP on the scratches, use 85RD on the whole car, and then Zaino. Keep in mind that this car is a Silver 2001 Jetta GLS that just turned 100k miles. It is by no means a show car, but it does not deserve to have these scratches. I will post some pics in a few min.

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Thanks.

Here are some photos that I just took of the car. As you can see, not bad shape for 100k miles. You can see some lighter color marks in the hood. Much more noticeable in the sunlight with your eyes.

Griot's has a distribution facility just outside of Indy. Been there for a 'How to" and came away with $650 of stuff. I went 1/2's with my neighbor. We have two porter Cable buffers 3" and 6" all the polishes, rags, dry towels, micro fibers and much much more. They called it the "I want it all kit". We had suckers written all over our face. But it actually was a great buy. This was 2 years ago and we both use this stuff on a regular basis. Have to say the key is the quality of the clay bar. That stuff is priceless.

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I would like to order everything tonight. Does this look ok?

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Add an orange pad. As a matter of fact...you're better off with 2 pads in each color (orange / white / black). They will saturate with product before you're finished with the car and they're less effective once they get to that point. This way you can change up the agressiveness with both pad and polish. Orange / SIP being your most agressive combo where it's needed. Andy

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Thanks. I will get extra pads. Should I apply the SIP (Step 1) to only the scratched areas, or should I do the entire car? How should I was all of the pads and applicators?

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I would first apply the SIP to a small area regardless of whether there are prominent scratches. Try to work a small area, no bigger than 2 square feet. IF you can choose an inconspicuous are first to get used to the technique and pressure that would be best. Then use it on all the scratched areas. You can use it on the whole car, (probably advisable, but wait until you've seen how different your 2x2 SIP work areas look compared to the unpolished sections of the vehicle, and then make a decision), then jewel the finish with the 85RD Soft bristle brush and water should be all the product you need to keep pads clean, provided you clean them immediately after doing the work.

Thanks. The paint is in really good shape, considering age and miles. I am going to try just the SIP on the scratched areas on the hood. If it turns out well, then I will just use the finishing polish on the whole car.

One last tip - expect there to be a learning curve even with the PC. You can't just expect to turn it on, glide it across the surface even with the right pad and polish and have great results the first time. If you're not getting the results you desire play around with applied pressure (usually just bogging the machine works best for defect removal), working time for the polish and number of passes / attempts. I always use speed 6 for cutting as well. Andy

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I was taught: weight of the machine is max pressure and lift slightly for the final pass, any more and you should use a more aggressive product. It is much safer with a PC to use pressure though. I would recommend as little pressure as possible and if the scratches don't come out, take the car to a professional. Believe it or not, done correctly, color sanding is safer than buffing for scratch removal.

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it only takes about 5-10 lbs of force to bog a pc even on speed6. Rotary you're correct you should just let the weight of the machine do the work. In my personal and professional experience its pretty common for first time users to actually be disapointed at how much work is required to do correction work with a PC. When it comes down to it you almost have to TRY to damage paint to do so with a PC. There's been alot of findings as of latge in how to be much more effective with a PC. Search on Autopia for the "Kevin Brown method". This has come about with the new polishes that no longer contain diminishing abrasives but can still be applied with conventional polishes as well. Andy

I am a huge fan of 3M products, as I think they work better than anything else. They are a little tricky to work with at first, but once you get it down, you will never be disappointed with the results. Since you are a VW guy as well, there is a really good detailing forum with some extremely knowledgeable people here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=24 You can see my detailing thread about my 911 here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...cs-inside.html - Anthony

Andy did Kevin Brown ever publish the paper that those guys over there were making such a big deal about?

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I've never seen a copy of it and I was supposed to be on a list of people who would get it. You can get the jest of it if you search through the threads and only take the informaiton from credible people. One of my buddies in Atlanta was an early adopter and swears by it. I still feel there's quite a few situations where I need to use a rotary in order to keep cutting time down but do understand the value in the KB method.

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I haven't used these new non degrading abrasive polishes, and I have so much product already (I only have our four cars to deal with, and it's really an annual thing at this point) that I'm not sure I can justify taking up more room in the garage! But it does look interesting (and suspiciously like a Meguiars ad) and I'm sure it's faster than standard PC polishing, which for professionals like yourself must seem excruciating!

There just seems to be to much product out there. Since I just painted my side skirts I now have 5 coats of clear orange peeel and need to color sand, but have ordered a product by System One which is one 2 sided pad wool/foam and one water based substrate called cut X because my back just can't take it anymore. This guy tried it over at: http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/d...ita-9227c.html and have to admit it looks great with less work and decision making, but will test it out unless someone here has already tried it also.

YOu make a very good point there. Once you get your car to a maintainable level it's pretty rare that you'd want to be very agressive with it THAT often. My personal cars see a buffer once a year unless there's a specific problem area...and even then it's generally with a mid grade polish and polishing pad. Andy

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Honestly, as bad as this summer weather has been this year in NYC, I haven't even been washing the cars. Can't wait to head back west for a little bit next quarter! you know whats funny, my standard rocker panels are finished in that bumpy 3M stoneguard paint or film, so any peel you see might actually look "factory" to most eyes!

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Now that I ordered this stuff I suppose I have to do something with it, but just could have said it was custom stoneguard finish...

I placed my order and everything should be here soon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Qty Product Code - Product Name Price ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 PC-7424XP1 - Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher 119.99 2 LC-76-6165-152 - 6.5 Inch White Polishing Flat Pad 19.98 1 MEN-PO83Q - 32 oz. Menzerna Super Intensive Polish 44.99 2 LC-76-7165-152 - 6.5 Inch Gray Finishing Flat Pad 19.98 1 MEN-PO85RD - 32 oz. Menzerna Polish PO85RD 29.99 1 MP-100 - Cobra Microfiber Applicator Pad 3.99 1 DIA-730 - Diamondite Perfect Vision Glass Master Bundl 24.99 2 LC-76-2165-152 - 6.5 Inch Orange Light Cutting Flat Pa 19.98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sub-Total: 283.89 Tax: 0.00 Shipping & Handling: 23.95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL: 307.84

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Once I get the cars taken care of with the process polish and Zaino, what should be my maintenance process? Just clay and Zaino? Maybe just use PC with Menzerza PO85 on spots as needed?

well remember that every time you polish, you will need to repeat all the zaino steps (polishing is abrasive, will remove all layers of protection). I would probably just stick to: a) washing it as frequently as necessary, b) buying some distilled water and mixing it with optimum no rinse to create a quick detailer for light dust removal between washes if necessary, and c) applying your last step of zaino after every 4th to 8th wash depending on how well it still beads (if it's starting to bead poorly, top it up and protect the finish) honestly, i think the best finish care advice I was ever given was "Don't touch the car!" Every time you rub the car you risk marring the finish, it just takes one grain of sand or bit of grime caught in a mitt or sponge or drying cloth to screw up hours of polishing work. everyone has their own wash ritual, and there are many methods and steps to mitigate this washing/drying marring, but they can only mitigate, only by refusing to touch the car do you eliminate the risk. Of course you can't get the car as clean in a touchless method as you can by scrubbing it, so there's a tradeoff. There are also things you need to remove by hand, carefully, but by hand, like bird bombs, bugs and tar, or you risk major damage to the paint by etching. For these spots, I use a quick detail solution and a towel to soak them, sometimes several times, and remove gently. In the winter I follow a two bucket method using a grout sponge and frequent grit removal, touching is generally unavoidable during that time of year due to the heavier grime from the weather (at least when I'm back east) My typical fast fast wash process in the summer (when I have a full garage, equipment and water sources) is as follows: 1) pre-soak car with a foam lance / pre-soak wheels with wurth wheel cleaner 2) power wash car with regular water and a pressure washer 3) spray car with quick detail solution (distilled water + ONR) and let sit in shade for a few minutes 4) rinse the car off w/ distilled water (I can get by with as little as a gallon) 5) dry by one of three methods depending on time and sunshine: a) leafblower b) hit highway and go 0 to 80 back down to 40 to 80 and repeat for a couple of miles c) absorber towel you'll invariably have a spot or two with 5b, but it takes no work and is fun. If you must rub the car, you can QD/microfiber out the last streaks when you come home from your drive. I do windows and lights with invisible glass and a clean towel, and will touch up the wheels with a rag. Distilled water is cheap cheap cheap in gallons, although when I build a new house I will likely add a spotless type water softener to the spec sheet.

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Great post. I've got nothing to add other than my preference for Microfiber waffle weave over your use Absorber towel. Neither tool is wrong as we've all got our preferences on products.

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Thanks so much. This is exactly what I will do. I have a couple questions about your proposed process: 1- What is a foam lance, and how do you pre-soak with it? 2- I really like your idea about using the pressure washer. I already have one, but never thought about using it to replace my wash mit. I really like the idea and will give it a try. I have noticed sometimes that there can be a light film or residue of grime on a vehicle after a touchless method. What is your recommended next step? Microfiber with quick detail? 3- What is two bucket method? 4- Grout sponge for tile?

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If you don't mind...I'll help 1) Foam Lance and foam guns are attachments that literally throw soapy foam on the surface of the car and allow the mixture to dwell and loosen dirt on the surface before any washing takes place. Technially a Lance is used on a pressure washer and a foam gun is used on a garden hose. I use a foam gun made by Gilmore...it's the same one autogeek sells. http://www.autogeek.net/foam-gun.html 2) Microfiber and quick detailer should clean up any residue left behind. As stated earlier mixing up distilled water and ONR is a GREAT quick detailer for next to no money involved. 3) Method of washing cars using two buckets. One bucket has a grit guard in the bottom with just clean water in it. this is your Rinse bucket. The other bucket has youre soap / water wash mixture. The long and short of it is: Dip wash mit in soapy solution and wash a small portion of the car. Go to your rinse bucket with the now dirty mit and use that bucket to aggitate and clean the mit before dipping it back into your soapy solution. This keeps all the dirt you're taking off of the car out of your primary soapy solution bucket to keep that water from being contaminated. 4) This is another personal preference item. The Theory behind the grout sponge is that it's very porus and great for pulling dirt away from the surface of the car and into the wash media. The sponges are then very good at releasing that dirt into your rinse bucket because they're porus. You have to be careful with the sponges as there's only a few on the market that are soft enough to be used as a wash media. Both Lowes and Home depot have such sponges but you need to know exactly what you're going after to get the softest ones. Search on Autopia and you'll find a few threads on this pointing you to the right ones. I've tried them and they're not bad but I've gone back to lambs wool mits as they're my preference.

Quotes source post: 6820527

Andy hit this all right on the head, so I'll add the following You can never get everything off (believe me, I have owned and still own way too many black cars), but my recommendation is to remember that this fast wash is just to keep the car looking reasonably clean as fast as possible, and can be done to as many as 4 cars almost simultaneously (if you dry with a leaf blower) It won't be concours condition, it'll be car wash condition, but without the swirls and scratches. And if you've polished it earlier and sealed it w/ several coats of zaino, it'll look like new every time since you aren't marring the surface each time you wash it. What I do personally is spray any remaining grime/film with QD, let sit, pressure wash again if necessary, then rinse car off with distilled water before drying (really helps minimize spots, and is cheap). There's something about the polymers in optimum no rinse that really seem to kick up the underlying shine in these synthetic sealants. Then what I do, when resisting the urge to rub the car to remove the last bits of grime, is remember that the moment I drive it, heck even while it sits, dust will begin to accumulate, dirt will be magnetically attracted to it, and nobody will be able to tell but me staring at it from 3 inches away looking for dirt. Using my hands just isn't worth the time or risk (to me) considering it'll be marginally dirty in 10 minutes, so I like to get it good enough with these weekly washes (which is pretty spectacular from five feet away). The only time I worry about a perfect surface is when I have to polish or add sealant, which is really long intervals with Zaino or Ultima, and the polsihing should also be once a year if you keep the car clean without swirling it up! Now obviously if there is something that presents an etching risk, or something stubborn like gum or tar, you need to manually remove that, by soaking soaking soaking and then slide off wit as little pressure and motion as possible! Clay can help with this too, but again, you have to be very careful about clay and marring! Good luck w/ everything Ryan Best, Hans

Good to see you here Andy! After using a rotary for 3-4 years, I have not picked one up since early this year for correction. All of my corrections have been done with a PC using M105 and M205 via the KBM. When extreme correction or something like removing wetsanding marks is needed, I use a surbuf pad with the PC. Kevin is also who told me about this process. This link should show you what the process is capable of.