I've washed/clayed/waxed many cars all by hand With what I have considered before to be great results. Now I own a brand new 2012 world rally blue WRX. I have almost no scratches (opted for the dealer to not wash my car). I have a tiny tiny scratch on my hood that is unnoticeable unless your nose is to the car. I also have a hologram from the factory. As a guy who doesn't use a machine (although i have a slow speed sears OB i think its a random because it doesn't just spin like a grinder would. [its my fathers. He's used it for years. Did auto body/paint for decades.. Gave it to me so I could practice.]) I want to and have purchased Opti-Coat 2.0. I've watched hours of videos on waxing/claying/polishing.... (1.) Should I stay to what I am comfortable with or try a hand at my new car with the OB.... Hereis a List of the products and tools I have. They are all meguiars products due to cash and availability. Tools: Gilmour Foam master 2 Multiple microfiber towels. Some thicker and of better quality of others 2 buckets, no grit guard cheapo mitts and a dreadlock sponge leaf blower Old Sears OB no pads but have those clothy things that you put on. AR Blue Clean 1500 PSI Electric power washer Products: Meg's Gold class wash and conditioner Meg's Quick detailer (use for lubricant for Meg's clay) Meg's Clay bars (new bars) Meg's Ultimate Compound (i dont know if i have the polish....) Meg's Ultimate Liquid Wax Meg's Quick wax (dont use anymore) Meg's NXT Gen 2.0 wax (I like a lot. I had great success with it.) Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 I think that is about it. So besides the obvious steps... (foam, foam, rinse, 2BM, rinse, clay....) (2a.) After the clay should continue with the compound by hand or is that compound too aggressive for the paint? (b.) what about with the buffer? (3.) After that should I wash again or go right to wax? I think that is all the questions for now. Thanks in advance.
If your paint really is in that good of condition I wouldn't bother polishing. Just clay bar it and protect it with wax or sealant. Or at the very least just do a spot polish on the affected areas. Opti-Coat is essentially a professional grade product and it is generally recommended the car be in the best condition possible before application as it is much unlike traditional sealants; it is a permanent coating that would require polishing to remove. From my understanding Subarus all have very soft paint that marrs easily and is very sticky and is difficult to achieve a great finish. I would practice on a different car first. Compounding/polishing by hand will be time consuming compared to machine but it would be okay for spot polishing. I wouldn't recommend the machine you mention you have. Paint correction has changed a ton since that machine probably came out.
I Actually used the compound on the scoop of the car (the part is plastic) because there were deep scratches from the OEM protective covering. And after that I put the NXT. It was the smoothest pannel I have ever felt. This is why I am asking if I should go this rout. I will almost have to use it on the hologram though. And I figure the opti-coat can allways be buffed off by an expert when I have the time and the money.
The hologram will come off relatively easy. I recommend a lighter polish. I have some items for sale in the sale section. Others do too.
My suggestions: Get grit guards, cheap insurance against swirls. The Sears OB is a wax spreader and will not do much correction if any. I have converted wax spreaders to accept hook and loop pads by removing the foam backing from the backing plate and using velcro strips. This gives you many pad options but the ROB's don't have the power to correct. Plus they are messy bc most have one speed on and off. With a DA you have several settings for different product applications. Either get a DA polisher or do it by hand. Adams sells nice hex grip foam applicators with different foam types for compound, polish and wax. They are easy to hold, keep your hands clean and work great. Phil sells them too.
Yea. I think I am just going to bite the bullet and buy the Adam's Essentials Detail Kit. And here is a new question.... with the 3 step kit. Referring to step 3 and 4 in this link. http://www.adamspolishes.com/showproduct.aspx?ProductID=99&SEName=adams-essentials-detail-kit. I would definitely do step 3 but would I also do step 4 if I were to OC? In reading step for it says that there are oils in that polish and before OC you must IPA ridding any oils left behind. Correct?
For 190 I would just get a Griot's Garage Dual Action, a couple of pads, and some polishes for roughly the same price. You don't need the wax or paint cleaner and I highly prefer Menzerna over Adam's.
Well because I had a panel to work with thanks to my license plate relocation kit I applied OC to that small cover leaving the inside part uncoated for later comparison. What I did. small dawn wash/rinse then clayed... It was really clean. Didn't pick anything up from it. polished with Meg's compound another dawn bath/rinse IPA wipedown and then OC So far it looks great. And I now understand the too much part of it. Even after it looks even with no rainbow streaks after it dries slightly there can be a small amount of residue you will need to wipe off....
