Noob, with many questions...Info Appreciated

What's up everybody,

So, I'm hoping you will not hate me after this assault of questions, but I'm new to much of this and have been receiving requests by friends, family, etc to do some detailing. Let me say I have read through the Sticky of Detail Articles by DB, they were super helpful! I just have some more narrowed down questions that I would like to know more info about.

:sorry:

Since I'm very new here, I will intro myself a bit. I'm a college student going to school at Monmouth U in Jersey. I'm from Queens NY where everyone and their brother are "detailers" that rack up your car worse than it already was. I love cars and have planned on getting into detailing for some time, but with school I never had time. This is my senior year finally, and next year I will be moving on in school but will have very light courses, so I will have some time to lose my detailing virginity over the summer and into next fall.
So, I myself have a 2010 camaro SS which is my first true love and will be my biggest detail as it is my pride and joy:

To practice I have my DD '99 Honda Civic and my parents trucks, a 97 suburban and an 08 silverado (I know, they're huge).

That all being said, I would like to start by telling you what I have collected thus far to start off:
-Ton of Adam's (All polishes, pads. APC, sealant, interior cleaners, 2 bucket system, etc.)
-PC
-From Phil: Gilmour Foam Gun Kit (needed all the hose attachments, fire hose sprayer, quick connects, mit, etc)
-Megs APC
-Collinite 845 for wax.
-2 dozen silk edged MF towels from a kind member on here - mrgolfrider THANKS!

That is basically what I have to begin with and am still building my supplies. I have waxed cars for a few years, nothing beyond one or two layers and also have been 2 bucket washing a long time... So, my questions are as follows:

1) I read all about dilutions etc, my biggest question with that is knowing how much to dilute certain products and when?

2) I have used a foam gun before, and know the shampoo idea, but I have seen on here members use other products in there as well. What else can be used through the foam gun? And what can these various other products be used for?

3) Simply, when to use IronX or TarX or a Decon? What are good signs to know such decon is needed?

4) Wax - best quickest way to get it on and off? how long sit? - Layers - waiting time in between? needed?

5) This may be a serious NOOB question, but I'm still not understanding what you guys mean when you say RIDS or Marring? lol.

6) Door Jambs - APCs or Shampoo?

7) Porta Cable - aside from polishes what can be applied with it?

8) This question I had asked and received excellent answers from many of you, but I want to make sure I explore all my options with this: Caring for Matte Black Paint (I have blackouts on my camaro that are matte black no clear coat) Suggestions have been: CG Matte Detailer, and Wash (the wash is no where to be found?), Swissvax Opaque series, but that's a little beyond what I want to spend.

9) When Masking for polishing - I have seen through all of your write ups, which are incredible, that often time you mask the whole car (I know the basics) but many also mask those door/side trim pieces...Not sure what to call them, they look like stick on pieces but are often painted car color, I have them on my civic. Why do they get covered? and best way to care for them?

10) I have Adam's pads and polishes....What should I expand to? Size pads? Compounds?

11) Brief description of how to use Touch Up Paint? I have used it, but many of you make it look like it never existed in scratches, chips. I have many microscopic chips on my camaro, and filling them, I can often see them still...what's your secrets? haha

12) IPA/ISP wipedowns...when and how?

13) I see many of you soap and suds up interiors and seats etc...how do you 'rinse' it off as obv you cannot spray water? lol

14) Best advice to do a little mobile detailing (very small)...what's best to buy? money savers? bulk? Any info would be great!

THANKS YOU to anyone who reads this through and has any advice for me. Like I said, I hope no one hates me for all these questions as I truly respect all of you on here for the incredible work you do. I have learned more from this site in a month than I have searching the web and other forums.

:applause:

Again, thank you.

Sean

 

Hi Sean.
I'm new to detailing myself so I have some of the same questions that you have. Some of the other questions I think I can help with from what I've read on various sites:

1) Since you have adam's products, you may want to check the adam's forums. I remember seeing an article on APC and SVRT dilution. I've read that distilled water should be used for dilution.

7) You can apply glaze and waxes with a dual action polisher. Make sure you have the right pad (finishing). I also heard it's good practice to have dedicated pads if you can ie. don't use a pad that you used for waxing to apply glaze.

8) Again check out the adam's forums. There was a video on there on how to car for camaro matte stripes.

11) I just bought some Dr.ColorChip touch up paint. I haven't used it yet but my buddy used it on his bmw and it looked great.

14) Detailer's Domain (and Adams for that matter) usually have deals of the day along with % Off coupon...if you time it right you should get some pretty good savings. I'm also a beginner so I haven't bought much bulk but I hear it's the way to go.

Hope this helps.

 

Unlike most detailing sites that will link you to other 'answers' or hammer you for being a 'n00b' you will notice DB members jump at the opportunity to help out a fellow detailer.

1) I read all about dilutions etc, my biggest question with that is knowing how much to dilute certain products and when?
Check out what the bottle recommends; also search on the forum by using the words “dilution <product name>".

2) I have used a foam gun before, and know the shampoo idea, but I have seen on here members use other products in there as well. What else can be used through the foam gun? And what can these various other products be used for?
The best foaming soaps are the ones that have low viscosity (thick). Some forum favorites include Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds, Meguiar’s Hyper Wash, and Dawn (only use if you plan on removing old wax and applying new wax).

3) Simply, when to use IronX or TarX or a Decon? What are good signs to know such decon is needed?
Decon products are meant to aid in the claybar stage. Like with claybar, if you feel roughness on the surface you should decon the paint.

4) Wax - best quickest way to get it on and off? how long sit? - Layers - waiting time in between? needed?

5) This may be a serious NOOB question, but I'm still not understanding what you guys mean when you say RIDS or Marring? lol.

Marring is a term to describe very minor clear coat scratches; marring is usually best seen under daylight or bright work lights. Marring is easily fixed with polishing.
RIDS is an acronym for Random Isolated Deep Scratches. RIDS are fairly deep surface scratches that simple polishing will not remove. A stronger wet-sand, compounding, or leveling will be required to remove these defects.

6) Door Jambs - APCs or Shampoo?
Either will work

7) Porta Cable - aside from polishes what can be applied with it?
Porter Cable is a brand of dual-action polisher. The two commonly used models are 7424 and 7424xp. Dual action polishers (or DA) are very safe for novice detailers as they provide a safe and effective polish. The strenghth of the polish is largely dependent on product used (compound, polish), pad choice (density of foam, material (foam, microfiber, wool, synthetic), pressure, and work time). You can use a DA to apply sealants (and waxes) with the appropriate pad.

12) IPA/ISP wipedowns...when and how?
Recent findings are showing you should dilute IPA to around 10% as the OTC 70% and 91% is far too harsh on the clear coat. There are other products on the market (like Menzerna Top Inspection) that are meant to remove polishing residue and allow better adhesion of the sealant/wax.

13) I see many of you soap and suds up interiors and seats etc...how do you 'rinse' it off as obv you cannot spray water? lol
Generally what you see is a leather cleaning product for either leather or cloth. Most people remove (or extract) the cleaner with hot water extractors (like the Bissell Little Green Proheat).

 

^^^ pretty much covers it LOL

one thing that has helped me perfect my craft is watching the Adams videos, i would consider myself as a Noob, or a pro, im somewhere in between, but what has helped me the most is not really the products, but the efficiency aspect, and economy of motion.

one tip I have is get good towels, and some off the shelf towels.In #13 you asked about interiors. Have a separate armada of towels for interior and a set for exterior. I use the yellow towels from costco, cheap and do an outstanding job on interiors, or if I have dropped or ruined one of the exteriors, ill use it under the hood or on wheels.

by having separate towels, you reduce the chance of marring the finish, or spreading interior products to the exterior.

 

Guys, I can't thank you all enough for your time and patience with me. Other forums have not been so pleasant in their responses and are quick to laugh at someone with no experience. I'm glad I found the right place to ask questions!

RQ-5, I have some Dr. ColorChip and GM touch up paint for my camaro, haven't used them yet, but let me know when you use it and how easy it is to get it smooth.

Chaseme, thanks for breaking down the questions. All the info was super helpful. I'll have to look into applying wax and sealants with pads as you guys mentioned, because that seems like it was save me a whole lot of time haha.

And Kilo, I have watched the Adam's Videos many times, it's what gave me the spark to start doing this haha. And thanks for the advice on towels. I just scooped up a few from mrgolfrider on here and I'll have to grow my collection to start having separate towels for all different jobs.

Again, thanks guys, I appreciate it

 

First off, welcome to the site and congrats on what seems to be a solid plan. I have read through a few of the answers but rather than simply answering only a few, I'll give my input to all of your questions.

That's a great start. Seems like you know where you're going and what you are looking to do in the detailing world.

Normally, if you can/should dilute a product, it will be written on the bottle. Essentially, any high concentration product could be diluted. It will really depend on the product and situation as there are very many that can be diluted very differently.

I have used anything from dish soap, to car soap, to APC to regular old water. If it's something that can foam, or that you want to spread on the car, you're pretty much good to go.

I use Iron-X when I can visually see that there is rail dust/iron particles beginning to rust in the clear coat. I also use it when the car feels very contaminated by passing my hand over it. I clay after I have used Iron-X - simply wanted to note this for you

With the wax you listed (845) I apply it with a DA or PC on a red or blue pad. I let it sit until it hazes over, so roughly 15-20 minutes if you've applied it thin enough.

RIDS is the acronym for Random Independant Deep Scratches. Those are the ones generaly caused by something accidentally rubbing against the car. Keys, nails, shoes, ice, etc.

Marring - is the term used to describe light scratching, generally caused by repetition of washing, claying etc. Think of spider webs in the paint.

I use APC since there is a lot of grease that build up there normally. Car shampoo just doesn't cut it to get those cleaned up. However, once the car has been properly cleaned, car shampoo will do more than enough to maintain it

Waxes, polishes, selants, glazes. Anything really.

Regular car soap will be fine to clean it, maybe a very light APC, and Adam's super VRT is what I would recommend since you've got the Adam's line-up already.

I think you're talking about the rubber add-ons that are there to protect from other opening their doors into yours. When painted, masking them off would be a good idea so not to burn through them when polishing that section of the door.

I am a fan of Lake Country CCS pads and Meguiars polishes. There are some interesting Menzerna polishes as well.

While I don't do much of this, I've noticed some people using the touch up paint, then wet sanding and polishing over the area.

After polishing, to remove polishing oils. Microfiber cloth and IPA mixture. I personally rather wash the car with degreaser once again.

As mentioned, Hot Water Extractors work wonders. Little Green is very good as well.

A decent sized box to carry everything helps. Whatever you would use at home should be readily available on a mobile detail as well, IMO.

No worries, we all started out somewhere and paying it forwards is the best way to go about it in my books. One thing I've noticed is that by simply reading write-ups and posts from other members here, you will learn a LOT. Especially from some of the big guns. Hopefully, I helped out as well. Now, get detailing!

 

Joey, thanks for the input! I appreciate the positive attitude you guys have in the sense of helping others.

I'm definitely going to look into one of those hot water extractors, maybe a bit pricey but it seems like a good tool to have and it will last.

 

I have a little green, and a carpet extractor used for cleaning in home carpets with a hand held attachment...... I like the little green better, its very good performer for the money..

I think it has been mentioned too, buy folex. You can get a gallon pretty much anywhere, its great for pre treating, then go over the carpet with the little green.

 

I'm going to grab some Folex over the weekend if I can find it. And good to hear about the little green, I'm gunna have to save up and make that investment. My trucks at home could really use a good carpet cleaning for sure

thanks