... and this is the results of my 4.5 hour clean-fest on the little lady's BMW. Yeah, I know it's not truck related, but I'm darn proud of the job and want to share what I did and the results.

1. Wash w/ Turtle Wax soap (love that stuff)
2. Mothers California Gold Clay Bar
3. Mothers Pre-Wax Cleaner/Polish
4. Mothers Sealer/Glaze
5. NXT

All done with the 'ol Craftsman Orbital buffer I got last week. The mothers products are a part of their three-step system, the 3rd being thier pure carnuba wax, but I changed that out for the NXT. I love mothers products, but after last weeks NXT application to the F-150, I figured I'd try this out.

 

Geesh. Get your neighbor a hose reel. That wadded up hose on the side of his house looks like ****!

Secondly, question for ya...

What kind of pads are you using to apply? Bonnets to remove?

I ask only because I think I'm seeing a buffer mark on the back quarter of the bimmer.



Might be a reflection however, the marks that I'm seeing tend to be horizontal to eachother and thus, I was curious to hear what you were using. Like I said though, it very well could be a reflection and/or my eyes playing mean tricks on me.

Just curious...

RP

 

I saw that it the pic too and it freaked me out... went out for a closer inspection - must have been a reflection or wierd camera tricks. They have 'wax application' bonnets, and I used terry cloth bonets for step one & two of the mothers products, then a polish/buffing bonnet to remove the NXT.

Oh, I'll go pummel the neighbor for his poor hose management.

 

Camera tricks.... no problem man.

You really should try some microfiber bonnets for removal. They are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. To date, the only concern I have is about them loading. Because, as you all know, if it loads up, it's going to have less effective area to remove the product and, ultimately, probably leave very light marring on the surface. To date, I've done no such thing and it makes removal a snap and really polishes to a high-shine. I have to watch it like a hawk though...

Nice work buddy.

RP

 

Nice work, dzervit!

John

 

Thanks for the kind words guys.

RP - Thanks for the tip - I will find some for the next job. Sears only makes the lambswool bonnets, I'll have to find a 3rd party bonnet to fit the 10" pad. Any peticular brand or are they all pretty much the same? I have a few MF towels for tight spots and touch-ups, and I do like them. I share your concern about a MF bonnet loading up, the lambswool has all the nooks and crannies to store the wax & it can take the whole car w/o any issues.

 

dzervit
excellent job, though i have to admit there's a vehicle just to the
left of ( and in the reflection of ) the bmr that i think is a little
more bettera ( ya there is )

' 04 f-150 xlt 4x4
reg. cab flareside
drk toreador red

https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=4362

 

Not sure what size your orbital is but, there are several good ones available out there. premiumautocare.com or meguiars.com would be two of my personal starting points for finding them.

Also, you're using wool to apply? Are you not seeing any marring or similar with the wool?

The last time I utilzed wool, I was working on removing 2000 grit marks and the additional swirling and such that it was causing really made it a nightmare to remove. I mean, 2000 grits aren't a cake walk to remove but, with the right tool/pads/products, they come out okay but, then you have to worry about removing the additional swirls that you've caused with the wool. In short, I'm wondering if the wool might be creating additional problems as it doesn't sound like you need much cutting action.

RP

 

I use these to apply the polish/wax/whatever:


These to remove the polish & sealer/glaze:


And these to remove the NXT:


I can't find a single swirl mark...

 

Suprising...

Wool can be pretty darn agressive. I guess, if it works.....

 

Huh... I just read "Do not use to apply or remove wax" on the package... WTF? What do I use them for then?! I guess I'm lucky? I don't get it...

 

Generally speaking, I've always utilized wool for compounding or agressive polishing. Wool has a much greater degree of 'cut' and thus, I can't imagine using it for wax application or, for that case, removal.

 

*dzervit promptly switches to MF bonnets & counts his blessings he didn't ruin any paint yet*

So what about the terry cloth bonnets for removing the cleaner/polish & sealer/glaze? Should I be using MF bonnets for each step in the process?

 

An awesome shine!

 

Depending on your paint situation (which it sounds like it's in pretty good shape), I'd be using:

1. Foam for wax/polish application
2. MF for removal

Terry isn't bad but, there are so many varying levels of terry out there on the market (from very nice to ultra crappy) that I'm hesitant to suggest that it's okay.

RP