GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Critique my newb detailing plan

GolfRRRR1

Go Kart Champion
Location
Michigan
I have questions as I prepare for my spring cleaning and thinking seriously about ceramic coating my car for the first time, do you use Iron X each spring to decontaminate the paint...even after you use a ceramic coating?

My current twice a year routine:
Wash
Clay
Heavy cut compound to remove scratches (specific areas)
Medium/low cut compound over entire vehicle to smooth out paint
Polish paint to get as much shine as possible
use a sealant (Adam's Paint Sealant)

All this takes me about 8-10 hrs and kicks my a$$ even using my DA but I know pro detailers can do it in a matter of 3-4 hrs if not less.
I'm thinking of buying Iron X to make claying (my least favorite job) easier/faster
What else can I do to make it faster/better.
Going back to ceramic coatings, do you do all these steps twice a year to keep the finish tip top like I do now? What steps do you need to change? I guess I've avoided ceramics because I don't know how to care for them.
 

eXult

Ready to race!
Location
Online
Car(s)
'17 GTI SE 6MT
I was under the impression the iron particles become embedded in the top of the clear coat and Iron-X draws them out. Dunno where I read that but what you are saying makes more sense than them being stuck where the Clay can't pick them up.

IronX does not draw anything out. It dissolves iron and other contaminants, but its still on top of the clear coat.

The whole point of clay is that it removes particles and holds on to them without scratching, it doesn’t drag them around!

It removes particles but it 100% mars the paint, depending on its state. This is why professional detailers will say that you almost always wants to polish after claying to remove the micro scratches and marring.

100% never on surface of clay again?
Any negatives to Iron-X first? If not then small issue.

You 100% want to do Iron X first. Detailing a car is always about using the least aggressive method first. Iron X is strong but its not "rubbing clay on your paint" strong.

I have questions as I prepare for my spring cleaning and thinking seriously about ceramic coating my car for the first time, do you use Iron X each spring to decontaminate the paint...even after you use a ceramic coating?

My current twice a year routine:
Wash
Clay
Heavy cut compound to remove scratches (specific areas)
Medium/low cut compound over entire vehicle to smooth out paint
Polish paint to get as much shine as possible
use a sealant (Adam's Paint Sealant)

All this takes me about 8-10 hrs and kicks my a$$ even using my DA but I know pro detailers can do it in a matter of 3-4 hrs if not less.
I'm thinking of buying Iron X to make claying (my least favorite job) easier/faster
What else can I do to make it faster/better.
Going back to ceramic coatings, do you do all these steps twice a year to keep the finish tip top like I do now? What steps do you need to change? I guess I've avoided ceramics because I don't know how to care for them.

Really no need to use two compounds. Find the one that takes care of it on one go, then polish afterwards. If you get a ceramic coating, you won't be using clay or IronX anymore until the ceramic coat is gone. Whether you go with a ceramic coating or not, I have no say (because I still haven't decided if I want to do it), but I would suggest adding a layer of wax on top of the sealant (specifically Collinite 845).
 
Last edited:

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
It removes particles but it 100% mars the paint, depending on its state. This is why professional detailers will say that you almost always wants to polish after claying to remove the micro scratches and marring.

Thanks good advice. My car is black so it shows every little defect. I do not think it has ever been professionally detailed and is 4 years old. I bought a DA polisher last summer along with various pads, a couple different compounds, and some polish but never got around to using them mostly due to it being a pain in the butt living in an apartment complex with no real area to do the job.

Since my car is in such bad shape would it be better to use an orange cutting pad over the whole car first, then finish it up with white? I know you advised another poster that one go around is fine but I think my paint is much worse than most.
 

eXult

Ready to race!
Location
Online
Car(s)
'17 GTI SE 6MT
Thanks good advice. My car is black so it shows every little defect. I do not think it has ever been professionally detailed and is 4 years old. I bought a DA polisher last summer along with various pads, a couple different compounds, and some polish but never got around to using them mostly due to it being a pain in the butt living in an apartment complex with no real area to do the job.

Since my car is in such bad shape would it be better to use an orange cutting pad over the whole car first, then finish it up with white? I know you advised another poster that one go around is fine but I think my paint is much worse than most.

Orange pad for compound, white for polish. One go for compound, another for polish. If you notice the compound didn't take care of most of the major issues, then another go of compound. Polish really is gonna take off the fine layer of issues.

Watch this for a quick reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z63QAlLMgSM
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
IronX does not draw anything out. It dissolves iron and other contaminants, but its still on top of the clear coat.



It removes particles but it 100% mars the paint, depending on its state. This is why professional detailers will say that you almost always wants to polish after claying to remove the micro scratches and marring.



You 100% want to do Iron X first. Detailing a car is always about using the least aggressive method first. Iron X is strong but its not "rubbing clay on your paint" strong.



Really no need to use two compounds. Find the one that takes care of it on one go, then polish afterwards. If you get a ceramic coating, you won't be using clay or IronX anymore until the ceramic coat is gone. Whether you go with a ceramic coating or not, I have no say (because I still haven't decided if I want to do it), but I would suggest adding a layer of wax on top of the sealant (specifically Collinite 845).

^ This is all the right advice. I personally spend about 40 hrs doing paint correction before doing a ceramic coat, and then use a variety of synthetic sealants/waxes in a specific order to create a softer and softer shell around the ceramic coat that wears throughout the year and keeps the ceramic from oxidizing too much (I live in a heavily salted state).

Orange pad for compound, white for polish. One go for compound, another for polish. If you notice the compound didn't take care of most of the major issues, then another go of compound. Polish really is gonna take off the fine layer of issues.

Watch this for a quick reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z63QAlLMgSM

When you say orange, I'm going to assume you mean the hex-logic orange pad. That's a medium pad, and on colors that show a lot of defects (dark gloss colors) you'll likely need at least 2 passes for heavy swirl marks. I always start with a lighter pad and move to heavier pad/compound if the larger marks aren't coming out. You're basically sanding the paint, and you want to take as little off as possible. Most pros don't care about taking the time to make your paint shine for ten years, so they hit it with a wool pad and take off 4-5 times more per pass than you would with a standard DA and medium abrasive. I forget all the colors, but i numbered my pads. Orange is a 6 and the finest pad is a 1. I believe all the final polish pads are the 1-3 range. If I have swirls I'm working on, I start with the 4 and a mild compound, then check where I'm at after 2 passes. If it doesn't look much better, I run to the 6 pad and a medium compound, run a pass, and check again. When all of the bigger marks are out, I move to the lighter pads/compounds one by one. moving to lighter pads slowly is the only way I've ever been able to get a straight reflection on the car, otherwise I've ended up with something that looks 99%, but under a harsh light you can see where the heavier pad has been...looks like nothing unusual to 99.99% of people though...

Remember to keep the pad wet/lubricated, clean it after each 1-2 panel run to avoid pad glaze, keep the pad moving and provide even pressure. Also, VW may be German, but this paint sure isn't...so be careful about hitting it too much.
 

eXult

Ready to race!
Location
Online
Car(s)
'17 GTI SE 6MT
When you say orange, I'm going to assume you mean the hex-logic orange pad. That's a medium pad, and on colors that show a lot of defects (dark gloss colors) you'll likely need at least 2 passes for heavy swirl marks. I always start with a lighter pad and move to heavier pad/compound if the larger marks aren't coming out. You're basically sanding the paint, and you want to take as little off as possible. Most pros don't care about taking the time to make your paint shine for ten years, so they hit it with a wool pad and take off 4-5 times more per pass than you would with a standard DA and medium abrasive. I forget all the colors, but i numbered my pads. Orange is a 6 and the finest pad is a 1. I believe all the final polish pads are the 1-3 range. If I have swirls I'm working on, I start with the 4 and a mild compound, then check where I'm at after 2 passes. If it doesn't look much better, I run to the 6 pad and a medium compound, run a pass, and check again. When all of the bigger marks are out, I move to the lighter pads/compounds one by one. moving to lighter pads slowly is the only way I've ever been able to get a straight reflection on the car, otherwise I've ended up with something that looks 99%, but under a harsh light you can see where the heavier pad has been...looks like nothing unusual to 99.99% of people though...

Remember to keep the pad wet/lubricated, clean it after each 1-2 panel run to avoid pad glaze, keep the pad moving and provide even pressure. Also, VW may be German, but this paint sure isn't...so be careful about hitting it too much.

I use orange Lake Country pads for compound, but not their hex logic ones. The regular flat ones. The hex ones annoy me as all they do is store product in the little pockets.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
I use orange Lake Country pads for compound, but not their hex logic ones. The regular flat ones. The hex ones annoy me as all they do is store product in the little pockets.

I think you're right. I do think the hex logic pads are more forgiving around/over body creases. They came as part of my most recent "kit" purchase, when I got a new PC DA polisher. Whatever small advantage the hex pads have, they lose because they need to be cleaned more frequently.
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
I bought the TORQX last year when it was on sale for a crazy low price at Amazon. I am now reading it probably isn't powerful enough to remove more than the lightest of swirls and scratches. Do you think I should try to sell it and purchase something more powerful? I was testing it the other day and it seems pretty useless with the orange cutting pad and M205 without doing a million passes. I was testing it on my bumper so I dunno if that could be why.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
I bought the TORQX last year when it was on sale for a crazy low price at Amazon. I am now reading it probably isn't powerful enough to remove more than the lightest of swirls and scratches. Do you think I should try to sell it and purchase something more powerful? I was testing it the other day and it seems pretty useless with the orange cutting pad and M205 without doing a million passes. I was testing it on my bumper so I dunno if that could be why.

It's like any other polisher, it will do a good job as long as you're doing things correctly.

I'm not sure what you're doing without watching you, but I have noticed people newer to polishing (this was me 4 years ago) tend to make a few simple mistakes:
1. Putting too much pressure on the polisher. This causes the pad to use more center, which doesn't spin as fast, and can push your compound out, causing glaze and burn in, in extremes. Use the weight of the polisher to do the work.
2. Angling the polisher at all. Keep it level and parallel to the body work... Same reasons as above.
3. Not allowing the pad to spin. The pad needs to be spinning fast, so bodywork creases, pad angle, and pressure can all make it stop spinning quickly. Easy over creases and try to slow down in those areas and focus on transitioning with the crease.
4. Using too little water or lubricant. You want a moist, but not wet pad. I typically buy chemical guys pad lube, spray 3 sprays on a dry pad, put 5 dime sized drops across the pad in an "x", then spray 2 sprays of lube on it again. You can use water too, but for me I've found some compounds don't like water, and some pads (like the hex logic) allow the water to run all over the pad and even spray out at higher speeds.
5. Not cleaning the pad frequently enough. Dry compound will not do well on paint. If it soaks in, it can dry inside the pad as well as on the surface and it just doesn't work well (can even damage paint). Use a pad cleaning agent every 4 to 5 compound applications (if using light applications) or every panel. Once you've gotten your technique down, you can go longer, but there's not much reason to.
6. Using the wrong compound and pad combo. You want a heavy compound with a heavy pad, and a light compound with a light pad.

If you've followed all that already, then your paint might just be that bad... Get a heavier compound and heavier pad, or even go to a wool pad. Be careful with wool as it is extremely aggressive.

Edit: oh, and bumpers are typically a tougher area because of all the creases and nooks. Start out on a door, the roof, or the hood. Those are all much flatter and easier to start on.
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
2. Angling the polisher at all. Keep it level and parallel to the body work... Same reasons as above.

5. Not cleaning the pad frequently enough. Dry compound will not do well on paint. If it soaks in, it can dry inside the pad as well as on the surface and it just doesn't work well (can even damage paint). Use a pad cleaning agent every 4 to 5 compound applications (if using light applications) or every panel. Once you've gotten your technique down, you can go longer, but there's not much reason to.

Edit: oh, and bumpers are typically a tougher area because of all the creases and nooks. Start out on a door, the roof, or the hood. Those are all much flatter and easier to start on.

The problem might have been the area of the bumper I was working on then. It was pretty much impossible to hold the polisher 100% level. I thought a bumper would be a good place to practice. I guess I will try again on a flat area of a panel. I doubt I'll be able to find the forum again but I did read people saying the TORQX is under powered.

When holding the polisher sideways say against a door panel, do you really not need to apply pressure? In videos I've watched of people polishing their hoods they usually say to only use the weight of the polisher itself and perhaps a tad more BUT if the polisher is sideways obviously the weight will be in your hands.

I have both the chemical guys lube and cleaner. It sucks you have to clean the pads that often I better order extras.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
The problem might have been the area of the bumper I was working on then. It was pretty much impossible to hold the polisher 100% level. I thought a bumper would be a good place to practice. I guess I will try again on a flat area of a panel. I doubt I'll be able to find the forum again but I did read people saying the TORQX is under powered.

When holding the polisher sideways say against a door panel, do you really not need to apply pressure? In videos I've watched of people polishing their hoods they usually say to only use the weight of the polisher itself and perhaps a tad more BUT if the polisher is sideways obviously the weight will be in your hands.

I have both the chemical guys lube and cleaner. It sucks you have to clean the pads that often I better order extras.

When you get better/faster/more consistent you can clean less. You'll also learn to use the right amount of compound per panel over time. It just takes practice.

When working on vertical surfaces, I hold the back/bottom of the polisher and then use my palm to gently press the top of the polisher, just enough to keep it from falling back and to slow the pad slightly. What you can do is use a sharpie to mark a small line on one side of the pad attachment base, and then you can see the speed of the pad pretty easily. Try out just gravity pressure on the hood and you'll get an idea of how fast the pad should move. You can then eyeball the speed when you're working on vertical surfaces.

I wouldn't worry about the polisher power yet... That's more of a concern when you're running larger or heavier pads.
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
I wouldn't worry about the polisher power yet... That's more of a concern when you're running larger or heavier pads.

Just to give you an update I ended up having to use a heavier yellow pad and M105. Followed by a white pad and M205 the test section I did looks great. I think I am going to try the medium orange pad with M105 and see if it has similar results. I probably should have done that first but an instructional video I watched on youtube said to always match the compound grade to the pad grade. The orange pad and M205 is definitely not strong enough for w/e reason.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Just to give you an update I ended up having to use a heavier yellow pad and M105. Followed by a white pad and M205 the test section I did looks great. I think I am going to try the medium orange pad with M105 and see if it has similar results. I probably should have done that first but an instructional video I watched on youtube said to always match the compound grade to the pad grade. The orange pad and M205 is definitely not strong enough for w/e reason.

Typically that video would be right, but one compound up or down with a pad isn't an issue. It's a technique I use to get a more even polish when going from heavy work. I've gotten dark blue to look like a nearly perfect mirror that way. If you really wanna go ham on perfection you can even use the super light pads intended for waxes and sealants with super light compounds. It almost looks like nothing is happening until you compare your work against where you started, but that's really a ton of effort for that 0.01% benefit... :/
 
Top