General Cleaning and Care

Which coating do you recommend that I can do myself?

I really like the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped with Gtechniq EXO, very easy to apply and lasts the longest of the consumer friendly products. Another good one that I recommend is Optimum Gloss Coat.
 
I actually have that Harbor Freight DA. It is loud as hell, so I tried to do that mod where you replace the grease, but some of the screws were in so hard that I stripped them out, so that's a bust. And the vibrations hurt the hell out of my left hand after a while.

I had little success with it, so I will try the smaller backing plate and new pads. Do you have recommendations on what to get? And what speed setting should I be using?
 
For the amateur detailer DA is where it's at. I think some pros may even use them as well.

I use http://www.meguiars.com/en/dapowersystem/ on a cordless drill. Pretty cost effective way to get a machine polish on the clear, and definitely makes waxing a easier and faster job.

The Griots garage polisher would be a step up, but also more costly.

Like you said, though. What is your time worth? I had a local detailer quote me around $175 for only a outside detail with a polish and I think he was going to seal the paint as opposed to waxing it.

Pro's are definitely using DA's the most common being the Rupes LHR Bigfoot MkII either 21mm or 15mm. I would stay away from a rotary polisher unless you know what your're doing. Used improperly an rotary can do more harm then good.

As far as having a dealer do an exterior detail with polishing, I would personally stay away. Find an actually detailer in your area instead. Lots of time the dealership detailers are all about speed, how fast they can get it done and move on to the next one. I've seen some really messed up cars after being "detailed" by a dealership.
 
Pro's are definitely using DA's the most common being the Rupes LHR Bigfoot MkII either 21mm or 15mm. I would stay away from a rotary polisher unless you know what your're doing. Used improperly an rotary can do more harm then good.

As far as having a dealer do an exterior detail with polishing, I would personally stay away. Find an actually detailer in your area instead. Lots of time the dealership detailers are all about speed, how fast they can get it done and move on to the next one. I've seen some really messed up cars after being "detailed" by a dealership.

Yeah I don't even let the dealership wash my car. I had a quote from and independent detailer.

Still good info to get out there. The car wash guy at the dealer probably isn't the best if you want your paint to look as good as it can.

I've had good results with polishing with the meguiars system on a drill. Wasn't too time consuming since I try to keep my paint in good shape.
 
I actually have that Harbor Freight DA. It is loud as hell, so I tried to do that mod where you replace the grease, but some of the screws were in so hard that I stripped them out, so that's a bust. And the vibrations hurt the hell out of my left hand after a while.

I had little success with it, so I will try the smaller backing plate and new pads. Do you have recommendations on what to get? And what speed setting should I be using?

Those screws can be in there rather tight, I remember mine were. I use a new bit and had to push really hard to get enough bit to break them loose. If they aren't stripped to bad try putting a rubber band over the tip of your screw driver, the rubber provides more grip. You can also try grabbing them with a locking pliers and turning them out. I think I changed my screws to cap head hex screws if memory serves me right.

As far as backing plates go, I know the Meguiars 5" backing plate fits, I have that on mine, or rather had that on mine as I now have a 3" BP on that machine. I'm a fan of the Lake Country flat pads and microfiber cutting pads from either Megs or lake country. I would get at least two of each of the orange and white LC pads. You can get 6-packs where you pick your pads, in that case get three of each. The Orange is there medium cut for use with either a compound or polish and the white is there low cut finishing pad for using polishes like M205 or Ultimate polish. If you wax with the machine the black pads are nice since they have no cut at all. For heavier correction use the microfiber cutting pads with a compound or polish. Depending on the paint you'll be amazed at the results you can get with M205 on a microfiber cutting disc.

Speed kind of is dependent on how the paint reacts to what your doing. Usually speed 5-6 is what I'm at for the first stage and I leave it there if I'm doing a two step polish to remove any micro marring. If the paint allows do your last 1-2 section passes at about speed 3-4 for better finishing. It's really a car to car basis.

When I polished the dealer induced swirls from my new CX-5 I used a LC orange pad with Megs Ultimate polish at speed 4 on my HF DA. That removed all that I needed it to and finished down very well for me. I recently did my wife's new to us black Mercedes GLE350 and used Megs 5" microfiber cutting pads with M205 to remove the swirls and about 90% of the deeper scratches (RIDS = randomly induced deep scratches). That step left slight hazing from micro marring but that was ok cause I followed with carpro essence on the white LC pads. The results were stunning!!!
 
Those screws can be in there rather tight, I remember mine were. I use a new bit and had to push really hard to get enough bit to break them loose. If they aren't stripped to bad try putting a rubber band over the tip of your screw driver, the rubber provides more grip. You can also try grabbing them with a locking pliers and turning them out. I think I changed my screws to cap head hex screws if memory serves me right.

As far as backing plates go, I know the Meguiars 5" backing plate fits, I have that on mine, or rather had that on mine as I now have a 3" BP on that machine. I'm a fan of the Lake Country flat pads and microfiber cutting pads from either Megs or lake country. I would get at least two of each of the orange and white LC pads. You can get 6-packs where you pick your pads, in that case get three of each. The Orange is there medium cut for use with either a compound or polish and the white is there low cut finishing pad for using polishes like M205 or Ultimate polish. If you wax with the machine the black pads are nice since they have no cut at all. For heavier correction use the microfiber cutting pads with a compound or polish. Depending on the paint you'll be amazed at the results you can get with M205 on a microfiber cutting disc.

Speed kind of is dependent on how the paint reacts to what your doing. Usually speed 5-6 is what I'm at for the first stage and I leave it there if I'm doing a two step polish to remove any micro marring. If the paint allows do your last 1-2 section passes at about speed 3-4 for better finishing. It's really a car to car basis.

When I polished the dealer induced swirls from my new CX-5 I used a LC orange pad with Megs Ultimate polish at speed 4 on my HF DA. That removed all that I needed it to and finished down very well for me. I recently did my wife's new to us black Mercedes GLE350 and used Megs 5" microfiber cutting pads with M205 to remove the swirls and about 90% of the deeper scratches (RIDS = randomly induced deep scratches). That step left slight hazing from micro marring but that was ok cause I followed with carpro essence on the white LC pads. The results were stunning!!!
Wow, very well written. Thank you for the advice!

For the screws I did try a different bit and a rubber band to no success. So not sure what to do about it.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
Wow, very well written. Thank you for the advice!

For the screws I did try a different bit and a rubber band to no success. So not sure what to do about it.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

If you have a dremel with a cutting wheel you can cut a slot in the screws and use a flat blade to remove them, a flat blade can provide much more torque then a Philips. In all actuality Philip heads are kind stupid if you ask me, they are deisgned to cam out under to much torque, which just leads to stripping them if your bit doesn't fit 100%.

You could also try getting some ACR bits, anti cam out bits
 
I finished my wife's new car a few weeks ago because I wanted to get some sealant on it quickly. Her office has trees dropping clear sap on the car. She says there is no where else for her to park so I had to get it done. For my CX-5 I am past due and trees at my work are also creating issues even though I park in between the canopies.

Since her new car was fairly clean (not detailed) from the dealer it was not a full day effort.

Two bucket method with new microfiber mitts and Optimum No Rinse
Carpro Iron-x - it was amazing to see the contaminants come out of new paint.
Nanomitt with detail spray to clean a bit more
Carpro Eraser with new microfiber towels
Wolfgang 3.0 High Gloss sealant on the paint, glass and wheels (because that's what I have at the moment)
Buffed lightly with microfiber towels
All microfiber towels were tossed in the laundry and not used twice during the process

Mine I expecting to be a two full day effort. I had not heard of the Carpro Essence so I may look into that. I have Menzerna 4500 with various pads with a Porter-Cable 5" DA. I've used on the CX-5 on the last time I detailed. I've let it get way too dirty this time. The Iron-X is some pretty amazing stuff and makes claying/nanomitt easier.

If I put in a solid effort I may consider Carpro Cquartz and I will also get a bottle of Carpro Reload. I have a friend at work that is also a DIY fanatic in detailing his new GTI. He just put the Cquartz and Reload after a solid prep effort and it looks amazing. We were talking about it using the coating and he was nervous about the timing of how to apply it and take it off. It turned out with the temperature and humidity of the day it was 3 minutes for him. I am a bit nervous about getting it right as well. Amazing to see his car looked freshly detailed even after driving to work in the rain.

I figure I should be putting in the same prep work regardless if it is a coating or a sealant so I might as well consider giving the sealant a try.

Edit: and I am having trouble convincing my wife not to wipe her paint with a dry towel. The first time I caught her she was about to wipe off the dust with an old dirty rough wash towel. The next time she told me she wiped it with a dry microfiber towel. I told her she was essentially sanding the car hoping it would scare her, but it doesn't. I told her to wait until I could wash it with ONR. Ugh!! If one of you guys were to tell her maybe she will listen :)
 
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If you have a dremel with a cutting wheel you can cut a slot in the screws and use a flat blade to remove them, a flat blade can provide much more torque then a Philips. In all actuality Philip heads are kind stupid if you ask me, they are deisgned to cam out under to much torque, which just leads to stripping them if your bit doesn't fit 100%.

You could also try getting some ACR bits, anti cam out bits

Agreed on the philips.

Thanks for the advice. I will try it out.
 
Would you recommend 303 protectorant for the dash on 2017 CX-5? The Dash has a "sticky" texture so I want to be sure to use the right product to keep it clean Thanks
 
Would you recommend 303 protectorant for the dash on 2017 CX-5? The Dash has a "sticky" texture so I want to be sure to use the right product to keep it clean Thanks

Yes, 303 protectant is great on the dash and doesn't leave behind any residue that will attract more dirt like some other cheap protectants out there.
 
What is the best cleaner I could use on the interior A pillars that is an off white fabric material. Rather than having to buy a whole bottle of some product would Dawn soap and water be an acceptable option? Or is the coloring in Dawn an issue?
 
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