Polish Carbon Fibre / Detailing Whole Car

[Vik]

Hey guys, been through the forum.. tried looking for some material / wax / polish that will bring that shine back to my Carbon Fibre Bonnet.

Its gone dull, the top layer of Clear or whatever is on it, has little hair line scratches everywhere, and it also has done so dull.

I love the vibrant look of it.

Secondly, i want to detail my whole car.

But i dont know what to use, ive looked through the Polish/Waxes Thread, but all that tells me is opinions on products. I need an amateur product and some instructions like for example - 1) lightly wash car..

Baby steps like that, so i cant get that shine back. She needs some TLC

Checked the Meguiars website. They have:

Wash, Prep, Polish and Wax products.

In what order should i use them ?

Cheers for the help!

MRXTCZ

P.S Heard Meguairs has a varied range of products. So im leaning towards that.

[Travis Bickle]

EXTERIOR

1. wash, use 2 buckets. 1 with your suds and one with clean water. after using the sponge each time, dip it in the clean water, then into your suds bucket, otherwise, youre just moving dirt form one place to another on your car. dry with synthetic or high quality chamois, making sure to get in the door jambs, gas door, under sideview mirros, and around trunk. that errant water will come back to haunt you if you dont. this is the part where professionals use an air compressor to blow it out of the crevices. dont use "dish soap". there is an old wives tale that says "dish soap eats the old wax off your car so you can put new wax on blah blah" no. it does, but it also dries your paint out badly. just use an auto specific shampoo formulated for paint. dish soap is formulated for taking fried eggs off cast iron pans. F that.

if you have a pressure washer, spray your door jambs, engine bay and trunk jambs with simple gree nand pressure wash them out. dont worry about a tiny bit of overspray in your interior, youre going ot detail that later anyway, so nows the time to "go all in". pull out your floor mats, spray some "shout" on them and pressure wash those while youre at it, hang them out to dry, suck them out with a wet/dry vac.

now get some mineral spirits on a rag and wipe your rocker panels, especially wheel wells. get your bumper too if its bad. this removes embedded grit and tar before you wax it into your paint. it removes the particles that are too large for the next step to remove.

clean your windows with soapy water and superfine steel wool. really. its what professionals do.

2. clay your car. you can either use the soapy suds for lubricant, or a spray wax detail. use the clay in one direction so minimize swirls. buy the correct color of clay for your color car. clay is color coded by "harshness" sort of like sandpaper is by "grit" since technically clay is the equivalent of something like 7,000 grit sandpaper, and the stickiness "collects" the particles youre "sanding" off. the darker your car is, the less harsh clay you use ect ect. meguires makes an off the shelf kit. use it on every surface, glass, headlights, trim, anything. flip it and kneed it so that you always have a fresh surface on your car. also, with that being said, do not bear down on one spot because there is a mark or tree sap, youll burn thru the clear coat if youre not careful. i've done it, lol.

3. if youre doing it all by hand, use something that has a little "cut' to it. theyd probably label it a "polish" if its off the shelf. use this all in one direction. no circles. circles are for machines only. hand circles make swirls. hand circles is just something osmeon came up with to ensure maximum coverage. just do it in one direction and check to make sure you got the whole area.

4. remove with microfiber. again, avoid circles. flip often. those little wax dust particles will act like sandpaper if they clump up on your rag.

5. now use a wax or "sealer". my favorite right now is called "ice" by turtle wax. zymol is good too. contrary to belief they are not all the same. some are more oily than others and are harder to remove and give your car a "wet look" some are less oily and give your car more of a natural sheen. this is all experience and personal preference. apply in one direction. im pissed i cant find "ice" in japan. i have ot use this autobacs garbage all the nihonjin use.

6. remove with FRESH microfiber, one in each hand, to minimize hand prints on your car. you can use a stiff bristled brush, to get in the cracks,with any metal portions of the brush handle taped off so you dont scratch your car, in case you wondered why detailers always have tape on their paint brushes. this is mostly for emblems and taillights. things like hoods and doors, you can open and hit the edges.

7. clean your windows last. wipe the outside horizontally and the inside vertically. so when you have smudges, you knwo which side they are on and you dont spend an hour climing in and out of your car figuring out which side is smudged. old schoolers liek to use newspaper on the outside of the windows as the super super mild abrasiveness of news print works as a "polish" for glass. the homeless people in new york USA are onto something with that one too.

INTERIOR

i wont write a book on this, although i could, but ill give a few hints.

1. a stuiff bristled brus h to agitate carpet just before you vacuum it works wonders.

2. touch your headliner the least amount possible. dont scrub it. blot it if needed. if not, dont touch it at all.

3. *trade secret* latex rubber gloves on your hands while doing interior! the static electricity generated by the gloves against the upholstery and carpet "pick up" pet hair or dander, human hair, anything.

4. if you dont have any air freshener, throw a dryer sheet under each seat.

5. most importantly...armor all is for people who HATE cars. its a formula that they came up with in the 60s/70s and all it really does is amplify the suns radiant heat and fry your car even worse. stay away from it.

6. dont spray anything ON TO your interior, spray it on a rag first. youll leave spray marks with most anything.

7. again, if you have an air compressor with a blow nozzle, this is where you blow all the crumbs and crap out of the crevices that are too small for a rag.

if you have any questions or want anymore detailed or advanced information let me know. this is just a basic guide for someone using their driveway, and using their hands and rags with store bought chemicals. if you want info on machines, or commerical chemicals, if you haev access to those, let me know, ill help you out.

paint is like skin. you have to moisturize it, keep it clean and protect it, or it will get cancer. (fade/ crack/ rust)

the meguires line is exactly what i described, its jus that meguires puts it all together in a consumer friendly package. the "prep" is the mineral spirits part, the polish is the "cut" part, so on so forth. you can save yourself a little money by purchasing everything on your own.

im gong to copy this, fix all the typos and put it up on my website if you want to print it or reference it.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Travis Bickle

[Vik]

Thanks very very very much.

Im gonna' print this out and follow it step by step

I have access to an Air compressor with blow gun. I also have a buffer which my dad uses when panel beating and respraying cars.

Can i use the buffer to wax the car ?

MRXTCZ

[dano4127]

Epic reply travis - well done!

On your carbon mate depending how far gone it is

I would use a cutting compound like Farecla G8 and then rub it up with something like meguires gold class

If that doesn't get it looking good enough your only option is to get is sanded back and a new coat of clear applied ~$250 - $300 at a panel beater but it will look a million bucks!

[Vik]

I can sand it down at home and spray it at home aswell.

Dads a panel beater.

But im gonna' try the Farecla G8 first.

Cheers! Im all set for a mission on sunday

MRXTCZ

[Travis Bickle]

the secret to carbon fiber is knowing what its coated with.

its not clear coat its "gel coat". same as a boat hull. so naturally you use a gel coar polish on it. that will usually bring it back, however, the other option is to hit the whole thing with 600 grit and shoot it with clear and be done with it forever.

you could also, if you feel confident enough, wet sand it with 1000 grit, then wool pad it with as12 and work your way down to as4 or so, then wax it. whe ni say as12.as4 ect ect, these are actual product names but they refer to the "grittiness' or "cut" of the compound. there are other compounds out there with different names, jsut read the label, and use them in assending order, as you would sandpaper. they jsut numebr them the opposite of sandpaper. i.e. higher number = more abrasive...until you get to 2, which isnt even abrasive, its a "machine glaze"

FYI "turtle wax cleaner wax" is actually nearly identical to 3M as2. 3M AS2 is even light green. its got just enough compound properties in it to take mild marks out of your paint, i.e. when your girlfriends fingernails scratch the underside of your passenger door handle.

now the buffer. if it is a highspeed buffer, then no, you dont wax your car with that but you can polish it with that.

purchase 3M AS4 or 8 and use that on about 1700 rpms with a sponge pad, being careful not to burn thru your paint. the edges of any body panel contain the thinnest amount of paint. the very edge. some like to even mask off emblems, lights ect ect. i used to, but now i just take a little extra care. if youre a beginner i would reccomend "4" as its less abrasive. if you cant get 3m products in AU, ask whoever youre borrowing the machine from. if they have a biffer, they sure as hell have the compound.

you can use the buffer on your headlights with the as8 if they have yellowed or dulled. makes them crystal clear again. wax them after to keep them from dulling again. i got mine so clear they put off that purplish yellowish reflection like they do from the dealership when new. it can be done.

as for applying wax by machine, use what they call an "orbital". they are low rpm and arent actually circular, more like a X pattern, rotationally. they sell them at autoparts stores, between 30 and 100 dollars, you get what you pay for. they make the application faster, more through and more even, but yo ucan certainly do a good job by hand if you dont have one. just use a sponge applicator, moistened. dont apply wax wit ha sock or old shirt ect.

right tool for the right job. you dont tighten headstuds with vice-grip pliers, so you dont wax your car with cut up underwear or wash it with dish soap ect ect.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Travis Bickle

[Vik]

Very true.

Well im gonna' ask dad if he is willing to do the clear on the hood again. See what he says .

Now in regards to the wash.

So after reading all of this

Wash with Formulated Car Wash ingredients. Using a proper spud and not using some used up bed foam.

Get into all the crevices and remove all the dirt and grit.

Clean windows with steel wool .. really fine .. ive heard of this so manyh times, but it scares me to death..

Dry it off with a good quality chamois, and blow all the crevices and all with a air compresser that i have.

Sorry but im a total noob at cleaning the car, what is claying? But while i "clay" i used wet wax detail as lubricant.

Then the Polish

Now wax..

Then clean windows

So.. basically..

Wash

Dry

Polish

Wax

.. for exterior body work.

Wheels are easy, and interior guide is pretty straight forward

MRXTCZ

[DECIM8]

Just get a detailer, pm if you need one ..

Ask him to polish the clear coat on the cf like the car and it will bring it back to normal.. lay a sealant and then a wax over the whole car.

expect a 300-500 price mark depending on pro level. detailing is alot of work but at least your not doing it.

let me stress nothing you can do by hand will restore the shine like a detailer will.. spend the most you can for best results especially if the car is a dark black/blue or custom colour.

alternatively you can apply a scratch x, sealer and wax then reapply the wax in 24 hours this will fill the scratches and give a wet look appearance. polishing with a machine will fix scratches.. polishing via hand will not.

Edited October 29, 2008 by DECIM8

[Vik]

Haha, i'd rather try to save the money first and try i myself and see what the results are like.

And if it doesnt turn out the way i want it, then off the Dr Detail in Milperra

MRXTCZ

[Travis Bickle]

google "clay bar paint auto" or something like that. and as that guy said, 1700rpm machines do what your human hand can not, as well as true detailer chemicals vs. off the shelf auto store stuff. turtle wax is not going to sell yo usomething that can potentially burn thru your paint if not used properly, however 3M will.

[DECIM8]

If you really want to give it a go yourself your going to need to outlay money..

Alternatively I have products I no longer wish to have - ive delved quite deep into detailing, Im looking at it as a profession. So I can offer you mid to top end maquires products which will help with your process. At a cost, products quite new.

OR

Goto www.carcareproducts.com.au

Buy yourself a detailing kit - $400 The machine, pads etc. its a good deal.

Buy some Autoglym polish and dodojuice supernatural wax.

99% sure your going to look at the price and freak though.

[Vik]

. . . You got me on that one . . .

Wow, thats alot of hours at work ..

haha, well im gonna' try the meguairs range see how it goes, since im an amateur .

See how my first time goes. Im going to dedicate my whole Sunday to her hopefully if i can find the products, probably next Sunday..

i'll post up the pics as soon as im done

MRXTCZ

[Travis Bickle]

If you really want to give it a go yourself your going to need to outlay money..

Alternatively I have products I no longer wish to have - ive delved quite deep into detailing, Im looking at it as a profession. So I can offer you mid to top end maquires products which will help with your process. At a cost, products quite new.

OR

Goto www.carcareproducts.com.au

Buy yourself a detailing kit - $400 The machine, pads etc. its a good deal.

Buy some Autoglym polish and dodojuice supernatural wax.

99% sure your going to look at the price and freak though.

i detailed professionally at a high end shop for about 2-3 yrs while in college in the states. i was very good, but it wasnt my career direction so i never ventured into it independently.

to put things into perspective, there is a guy who charges 1,200USD per detail to do high end cars like MC12s and Enzos. he uses a sizemometer to gauge clear coat depth so he can be certain how much her can clay/buff before he hits paint.

he also applies straight carnuba by hand, with his hands. the oils and warmth of your hands combine with the straight brazilian carnuba lay out onto the car nicely.

his services also include mobile bird shit removal. 90% of HIS schpeil is gimmickry to convince the high-rollers with those cars that his services are that much better than the guys who charge 300. google video search "worlds best auto detailer". i believe it was top gear who did the blurb on him. you guys that are true detailers will laugh at a lot of his methods.

but this just shows the depth that once can delve into auto paint preservation.

[borko08]

hey, you say armor all is bad for interior. what do you recommend? just damp cloth?

[Travis Bickle]

hey, you say armor all is bad for interior. what do you recommend? just damp cloth?

i used to use a damp microfiber with a touch of windex on it cuz terry cloth leaves lint on black interior, but if you like the shiny look, the good stuff comes in a aerosol can, its silicone. with aerosol you can spray it up in air vents and around knobs annd whatnot for even coverage. but yea, armor all is terrible.

[Vik]

Whats this stuff called ?

MRXTCZ

[borko08]

Whats this stuff called ?

MRXTCZ

+1

[Travis Bickle]

+1

just an FYI, if you need professional stuff, go to a new car dealer, walk back to the detail dept, and ask them where they get there stuff. 99/100 times they will say they have a truck that comes and delivers, sort of like the tool trucks. ask when they come. usually weekly. show up there on that day with cash, and the guy will gladly sell you product. thats the best way to get pro-stuff, unless you can find a bodyshop supply store.

[borko08]

Thanks

[Vik]

ohhh la la ..

lols .

Inside trader tricks.. i like .. i like ..

Ive got a few dealerships around here

Easily done... thanks !

MRXTCZ