griots garage random orbital
 

so my GF was very nice to get me a early b-day present, and got me a random orbital with polishing pads from griots.
so in the very near future i will be detailing my car with it (and probably her black MB that needs some care)

my questions is what procedure should i follow, meaning washing, dawn, clay...you know..

which polish should i use? also i am unclear on sealants(when to apply ), and i also have Z2 that i love.
so should i then wash the car, use dawn to get rid of all the stuff from before, then polish, seal, and THEN wax or?

any help is appreciated, im posting this early so that i can get the idea before i start doing things out of order.

i use to work for a detailing shop (4yrs) and one of the worst colors to compound was a black car. I forget if for some reason the clear or something in the paint makes it almost scratch easily . The worst is the fact that black shows so much swirl marks depending on what compound or wax you use. I have 3m protects (compound ,swirl remover, and wax) . I had a blk mb too and used the the swirl remover when i compounded the car. I do suggest one thing that using like dawn to wash you car is a no no . The reason i say this is if your just using it to clay the car with then it's ok . After you compound it for any fine scratches then wax it you have pretty much sealed the paint. Now the next time you clean your car you have to use a soap make for car washing cause by using dawn or any other soap may very well strip the layer of way you put on your car . The wax may not come on that wash but slowly you will lose that the wax smooth feeling on your car. Go to pepboys or where ever and look for a car wash soap with wax in it to it adds another layer of protection on top of your already waxed car.

well no, i do not plan to use dawn regularly, just for the purpose of claying the car.

dj, do a thread search. There has been a TON of posting on the entire process of what to do and what to use etc.

Hi,

Dawn is a High Alkaline Surfactant, not one you want to use regularly, or even biennially. The Griot's system is a positive thing - one which Mrs. MNBoxster is going to bestow upon me next month on my B'day...

Happy Motoring... Jim'99

my bday is may 7th, but im getting it as a early b-day present, so kinda neat.

and Randall, i tried searching, but didnt come up with anyhitng that i can use....got a link?

Perfectlap seems to have the most experience on this subject so you're likely to find his posts in most discussions on the subject here.
At http://www.autopia.org/ you can spend a lifetime reading about car detailing.
Z.

Here is some great info from Charles. I got to know him on SUV World as he has done some amazing work. He was the sites resident Guru and does video how to for alot of the detailing sites.

http://melncal.com/detailing/

lucky guy...

The nicest gift I ever got from a female that was male-interest related was..well aside from that one ahem cough...oh yeah a book about Porsches.

your lady friend must be very perceptive, that is a very good 1st rate polisher.

this covers all the bases very well
http://www.paintcare-n-detailing.com/

thx for the responses guys, that site is awesome, love the videos and everything on there
and, yes shes a keeper.
last b-day i got 2 of these james dean limited numbered cookie jars among other things
http://www.angelicdreamz.com/store/G...72041-copy.gif

but she will get her car detailed for free so i guess it pays off hehe
plus i love to keep my cars clean, so its a GREAT gift :cheers:

dj-
sounds like your gfriend knew what she was doing, kill 2 birds w/1 stone. she gets you car detailed and her's. Win.. win situation...kudo's to your gfriend :cheers:

Use polish #3 from Griot's

doing your lady friend's car shouldn't be a problem because you can knock out a car in no time with a proper orbital buffer. Doing her car by hand would be a real favor. But don't tell her that. Maybe she'll give you the remote control. Try the FK 425 on her car, I think its a nice for most cars but a must have for dark colors.

Removing swirls is another matter. That should take you at least one hour per car since you want to moving as slooowly as possible left to right.

you may want to buy a multi pack of velcro pads. One for cutting, one for polishing, one for sealing and one final buffing. The lake country pads seem to be the most popular. Try detailcity.com if you sign up for the newsletter they'll give you a 10% discount.

p.s.
there seems to be something very wrong with a James Dean 550 cookie jar. That was his coffin! Well I guess he wouldn't mind.

maybe ill polish that as well hehehe.

thx for the response tho man, and i love the site you gave me, all the videos and step by steps.

so far i am sure i can handle all this, but my only question is still the pads.
how many times can i use one pad...can it be washed...

so far i only have the orange one, well 2 orange ones from griots, will i b able to do the job w just that one, or SHOULD i get different ones from LC?
im kinda unsure about what red,orange, white means when it comes to pads...other than color lol

Got one of the Griot's ROBs myself for xmas. Very nice product.
The pads from Griot's are a pretty good deal. I think it's about $30 for a set of three, plus shipping.
If I were to do it over again, I'd definately get the set of pads with the buffer to help a little on the ship cost.
Maguire's has a velcro pad that is almost the same as the Griot's, a tinge thicker and maybe a 1/4" larger in diam. Price is $12-something each as I recall, and they have both wax and polish varieties. They are part of their "Professional" line of products and I haven't found them in the auto parts stores, just the shops specializing in products for the body shop business. Auto paint supply stores in other words.
Haven't tried mine yet on the Box, but I was pleased with the job it did on my '64 MGB.

PS - the red wax pad is a higher density foam than the orange ones.

blue and grey pads tend to be non-abrasive buffing pads for top waxes like Carnauba or finishing sprays.

White pads tend to be polishing pads for cleaning the paint using a polish like Klasse All in One, WErkstatt Prime or the Zaino polish(forget the number).

Yellow/maroon pads tend to be cutting pads for deeper cleaning or swirl removal.

I've never been brave enough to use a wool pad.

But each maker has its own color choices so its varies.

How long to use them depends but if the edges start to lose their roundness its time to ditch them. I scrape them off with a soft toothbrush and dunk them in microfiber detergent so they never get dry before washing.

p.s.
Always spray the surface for lubrication before touching it with the buffer. Same goes for manual detailing.

DJ, here is a chart from Lake Country. I have used their pads since I've started. I have the 6.5 with the velcro backing. If you want the plain flat pads, Auto geek has a great close out price, $39.99 for a six pack of orange(light cutting) or white(polishing).

You can re-use them. You will want to get some cleaner and a tool. I tried to soak and wash them out the first time without those and you just can't get all the produtc out.

http://www.lakecountrymfg.com/2006ApplicationGuide.jpg

http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html