Ok so I'm getting ready to wax my vehicles and I read the sticky and numerous threads here, I spent hours reading. Just when I think I'm ready to go pick up some products I get to the store and I feel like I'm back at the beginning. LOL.

My F150 is oxford white and is pretty good condition, no swirls, no chips, but does have a scratch all the way down the passenger side from where someone keyed my truck. I have used clay in the past and I know there are a few areas that the clay couldn't get all the contaminants off. So here is my plan, chime in if I'm heading in the right or wrong direction here. I have chosen to go with Meguires products as I've used them in the past and liked them a lot.

1. I'll start off with a wash with the gold class soap.
2. Dry
3. Claybar horizontal surfaces (roof, hood, and any other spots that need it)
4. Since I don't have swirling and some areas of stubborn contaminants I was thinking of hitting it with this: not too aggressive but should remove anything the clay missed


5. Then hit the truck with polish:


6. Apply a wax. Got confused between these three:




Am I on the right track? Also I plan on doing our 2013 Explorer which is also white but the paint is near new so it won't require nearly as much work. For the scratch in my truck should I throw in scratch x before the mirror glaze?

 

First question: Are you planning on applying these products by hand or with a machine?

Second question: Are you sure your truck doesn't have any swirling or surface marring? Anything but a brand new truck will have some marring.

Third question: How long do you want your shine / protection to last?

 

I plan on using a machine, a Porter Cable random orbital to be exact.

I cannot see any swirling, if it does it's very light. There are a few spots that show some marring, nothing serious.

Forever. I want to do this once and never have to do it again. But seriously I'd like it to last a couple months. I've always done wax by hand, apparently incorrectly too as I have read and learned, so now that I have a machine I hope to keep up with it more often.

 

OK, given your answers, let me offer my opinions. (Others may have different opinions BTW.)

Since you have very little marring / defects to remove and you will be using a Porter-Cable machine for your work, you should be fine. (You can't correct much with a PC, but you can't do much damage either.) And although you only want to do this once, general wear and tear that comes from even the most careful washing will re-introduce marring over time. I generally end up polishing at least once a year.

Start with a good wash and clay (with appropriate lubricant) to get everything as clean as possible.

Next, I'd suggest a White Lake Country foam pad and the Fine Cut Cleaner. This should remove / correct minor surface defects and leave you a decent finish to protect. I'd skip the Ultimate Polish since it also acts as a glaze. Glazes can make a vehicle look pretty good by temporarily covering minor marring up. But in a few weeks, everything will return to normal. I never use any type of glaze.

If you want your finish to last, I'd suggest the Ultimate Liquid Wax because it's a synthetic and they generally tend to last a little longer than traditional Carnauba waxes. The Gold Class is a nice product, but I don't think it will last as long. As for the White Wax, it's more of a gimmick than anything else. Oh, and I always apply the Last Step Product (LSP) by hand and remove it by hand. Unless you're doing a huge vehicle, there's little reason to us the PC - and you'd need a much softer pad.

Hope that helps.

Tom

 

I believe his PC is just a random orbital, not a DA. This doesn't have the power to do correction, and actually is very suitable for a LSP with the right pad.

 

As has been posted in another recent thread, I'd recommend Liquid Glass. It's a long lasting finish that is easy to apply and looks very good on my white vehicles.

You don't say how deep the key scratch is. You MAY be able to minimize it with a product like "Scratch Out". Otherwise, you can fill it with a matching touchup paint if you work carefully with a very fine brush or paint dauber.

- Jack

 

The scratch that was created in my paint is deep, it is through the paint and into the primer, but not to metal. I realize this might be beyond anything that I can fix. The person who created the scratch started at the passenger headlight and continued across the front fender, both doors, bedside, and across the tailgate. I tried to get some pics to show it.




So going off of what 2stroked suggested:

Clay bar
Mirror glaze fine cut
Ultimate Liquid wax

When you say last step product, would the ultimate liquid wax be considered an LSP? Now I live in the Tampa area in FL and it rains here, A LOT, sometimes very heavy. My truck is always outside so will the rain wear down the finish I put on faster than another area that doesn't see much rain? Or does drying mainly take down a finish? Is a synthetic going to hold up better to the rain?

Lets talk about my polisher for a minute. Yes my polisher is only a random orbital not a dual action and I understand the difference. I got the Porter Cable simply because I had a Lowes gift card to use. It's what I've got and I'm going to try to make this work. I can't seem to find any extra pads for it.

I read somewhere that Harbor Freight had pads so I went and checked them out. I found three different types of hook and loop pads:




I picked up a plate also at Harbor Freight, it is not hook and loop but meant for adhesive sanding discs and is very rigid. I had planned on attaching some hook side velcro to the plate to allow me to use the hook and loop pads.


Do you want any flex or give in the plate when you are polishing? If so I can use the foam sanding plate that came with the PC, it has a little "give" in the edges and I could also attach some velcro to it.


Another question I have is care for the pads. Are they a one time use deal or can they be washed and reused? Would you even want to reuse them because of contaminants picked up in the process??

I apologize if you are repeating information that has already been covered on the forum. I'm learning how deep the detailing world can be and I'm trying to find a balance as I don't feel I'm at the level many of you guys are. I've spent hours reading many of the threads here and they have been very helpful. As you all know every situation and application is different and I appreciate the help with my specific application. Thanks for all the information and replies!