Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Bigger issue is that car is dangerously lame.

I had one as a loaner from BMW Gallery in Crowfoot circa 2012 and it wasn't bad to drive, but there really is nothing Mini about it.

[Sliver]

I'm gearing up to ceramic coat my car and I've never done it before. Was going to clay bar, polish, spray down with isopropyl alcohol, then apply the ceramic coat. Is it really that simple or is there a chance I'll royally fata it up? Should I do two coats of ceramic coat or is one good?

[zamler]

You have all the tools and products to do the job? Process is not difficult but can be very time consuming. Which ceramic coating do you have?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by zamler

You have all the tools and products to do the job? Process is not difficult but can be very time consuming. Which ceramic coating do you have?

I have one called Nano Age 9H. Maybe I bought it off amazon last year?

Is it a name brand or just some knock off?

[Sliver]

Googled around a bit on the stuff I bought and I'm losing confidence in its quality. I'm hoping I can diy this into a job that will last years. Any recommendations on a good product and where to buy it to have here for the weekend?

[zamler]

Never heard of that but it looks like generic stuff which means it will last 3 months. Get something like Carpro Cquartz UK. carzilla.ca likely has it.

[Sliver]

Awesome, will do. Thanks!

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Googled around a bit on the stuff I bought and I'm losing confidence in its quality. I'm hoping I can diy this into a job that will last years. Any recommendations on a good product and where to buy it to have here for the weekend?

When it comes to the polish and paint correction how bad is the vehicle now? Getting a good base to start with may not be very achievable with a poor quality polishers, without the right pads and the right compounds. If the paint is good you can give it a quick polish and get a reasonable finish with lower quality tools. As for the ceramic coating itself I've found that most of the products now are very workable and easy to apply. But the level of protection does not live up to expectations on a vehicle that isn't a garage queen. I do like CQuartz and their Reload spray though but I've also used some Chemicals Guys stuff that is good and much cheaper. I also like Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic for a quick application.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Small SUV / AWD car...

Max $$ around 15K

Are you asking what you should buy?

[Nufy]

No just looking for similar experiences of there are any.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

When it comes to the polish and paint correction how bad is the vehicle now? Getting a good base to start with may not be very achievable with a poor quality polishers, without the right pads and the right compounds. If the paint is good you can give it a quick polish and get a reasonable finish with lower quality tools. As for the ceramic coating itself I've found that most of the products now are very workable and easy to apply. But the level of protection does not live up to expectations on a vehicle that isn't a garage queen. I do like CQuartz and their Reload spray though but I've also used some Chemicals Guys stuff that is good and much cheaper. I also like Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic for a quick application.

The vehicle doesn't really need paint correction that I can see. Garaged its whole life, 100,000kms, well taken care of.

For polish...I am going to polish it just because the glossier the better IMO. I have an electric orbital polisher, but I usually do it by hand. Maybe that's dumb, but I seem to be able to get a better finish that way, although it's a metric fata ton of effort. I think I just suck using the polisher.

I'm hoping to have a better result than if I just wax like I normally do, and I'm hoping it sheds the dirt and stuff to stay looking nicer between washes. If I can accomplish all that without messing anything up, I think I'm good to go.

I will be picking up some higher quality ceramic coat today, though.

[TorqueDog]

I have Kisho Si-901 in my box of car detailing stuff, I'll put it on after the car gets properly detailed after the streets get cleaned. Apparently it's really good stuff.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Sliver

The vehicle doesn't really need paint correction that I can see. Garaged its whole life, 100,000kms, well taken care of.

For polish...I am going to polish it just because the glossier the better IMO. I have an electric orbital polisher, but I usually do it by hand. Maybe that's dumb, but I seem to be able to get a better finish that way, although it's a metric fata ton of effort. I think I just suck using the polisher.

I'm hoping to have a better result than if I just wax like I normally do, and I'm hoping it sheds the dirt and stuff to stay looking nicer between washes. If I can accomplish all that without messing anything up, I think I'm good to go.

I will be picking up some higher quality ceramic coat today, though.

Just pointing out that the vast majority of BRAND NEW cars would benefit from a paint correction, so even the most babied 100k car would need it. If you're going through the effort, you might as well do it all.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Sliver

The vehicle doesn't really need paint correction that I can see. Garaged its whole life, 100,000kms, well taken care of.

It's essentially impossible to prevent scratches your car has them, as pointed out new cars benefit from paint correction.

This is what I recommend
https://carzilla.ca/products/pf-2500...-finish-polish
https://carzilla.ca/products/lake-co...15154174033955

And a random orbital polisher ask the people at Carzilla what's best to use with the above. Trust me with that set of tools you'll be able to quickly remove minor defects and get a near flawless result. Menzerna 2500 is an incredible product and works on most paint types.

You'll wonder why you ever polished by hand.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by you&me

Just pointing out that the vast majority of BRAND NEW cars would benefit from a paint correction, so even the most babied 100k car would need it. If you're going through the effort, you might as well do it all.

Originally Posted by zamler

It's essentially impossible to prevent scratches your car has them, as pointed out new cars benefit from paint correction.

This is what I recommend
https://carzilla.ca/products/pf-2500...-finish-polish
https://carzilla.ca/products/lake-co...15154174033955

And a random orbital polisher ask the people at Carzilla what's best to use with the above. Trust me with that set of tools you'll be able to quickly remove minor defects and get a near flawless result. Menzerna 2500 is an incredible product and works on most paint types.

You'll wonder why you ever polished by hand.

Hmmm, paint correction, eh? I guess I don't even know what that means. I'm still thinking clay bar, polish, ceramic coat should look better than 99.9% of what other people do. I'm not sure I'm interested in going that extra mile so long as I'm not hurting the vehicle.

I like my stuff to be really nice, but I'm not a craftsman or artist when it comes to this stuff. I like it looking tight, but I don't strive for perfection.

Really appreciate the input, though. I'll watch a couple videos and maybe use my polisher since I already have it.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Hmmm, paint correction, eh? I guess I don't even know what that means. I'm still thinking clay bar, polish...

This is paint correction.

...ceramic coat should look better than 99.9% of what other people do. I'm not sure I'm interested in going that extra mile so long as I'm not hurting the vehicle.

What I'm suggesting is far easier and effective you're going the extra mile (effort) by not using them. Also consider an iron remover it chemically bonds to iron you'll be amazed at how much is on your car.

[Sliver]

Okay, paint correction sounds way fancier than polishing. Good to know I've leveled up.

Alright, Zamler. I'm going to use my polisher. Easier is better.

[81MC]

Is this your black Mercedes? Not to be that guy, but actually correcting paint is hard enough, black is next level challenging. I say actually because it’s reasonably easy to hide and fill the swirls, as lots of products contain plenty of fillers just for the purpose. Just be prepared to want to rip your hair out chasing swirls and halos. Taking a machine to your black luxury car is not something to be taken lightly.

[zamler]

Menzerna with a yellow or orange pad will make black look near perfect. Unless you want zero defects then you'll need to go with multiple compounds and pads. Of course the polisher Sliver is using could be good or something that shouldn't be used at all don't know what he has.

[Erick Estrada]

If are going to take a polisher to your paint and are not overly experienced make sure you use a polish and not a compound as you want re remove as little clear coat as possible to remove the swirls. It's easy to go overboard with a compound and remove too much clear coat.