Devil in the Detail

I'm just dumping some detailing notes here for later.  :)

Poorboy's World

Mini Cooper

Minis are made by BMW, which means they are painted by BMW This means that the paint is quite hard, so dont worry too much about using SSR 2.5. I have detailed a Cooper & used SSR 2 & it took me 7-10 passes with a soft compounding pad to totally remove the swirls !. The car was also red, so i gave it a coat of Black hole with a soft finishing pad & 2 coats of Natty's red. The end result was really good.  (reference)

General Cleaning Routine

• Claying - once or twice a year should be enough, but if you live in an area with lots of fall out or other contaminants, you may need to clay more often.
• Polishing -As needed, really. Much depends on the quality of your wash jobs and how much contact the car has when parked. (Scrapes from shopping carts/people opening doors into yours etc.) It also depends on how "demanding" you are about the over all appearance of the finish. Some people need to polish out everything, some don't mind leaving some marring, as it's a fact of life. If you don't use a strong/aggressive polish, you could polish before each wax. For example, if you were to use SSR1 you could polish monthly, or even more often, and not have much to worry about. SSR3, well, that's another story. I tend to use a light polish before each waxing, as I usually have some marring to clean up. I wax about monthly (except during the winter) and have no concerns polishing my 12 year old paint monthly.
• Waxing/sealing -You don't have to do both. You can choose one or the other. Sealants tend to last longer, though. If you are going to do both, apply the sealant first, then the wax. (Generally accepted rule for better bonding.) How often is again dependent upon the conditions affecting your car as well as the quality of the products. You may be able to wax/seal twice a year. You may need monthly applications. (Or even more, with some products! ) If you use a QD or booster wax, the intervals between waxings should be increased. I tend to QD after each wash, so as to get rid of water trails etc. (reference)

Misc.

• The Polish w/ Carnauba will give a deeper look.
• The Polish w/ Sealant will give a slicker and brighter look.

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• Detailing 101 tip: You can put carnauba wax on top of a sealant, but you should not put sealant on top of a carnauba wax. (Regarding Natty's Blue Paste Wax, you can apply that on top of a polish and just stop there or you can add it after your sealant. Just be sure to wait until your sealant is fully cured before putting wax on top of it. Klasse Sealant Glaze had a very long cure time when I used it. I wouldn't add a wax until about a week after applying Sealant Glaze)

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• I plan to buy a Porter Cable (PC) 7424.
• The Super Swirl Remover (SSR) series is just awesome. 2 might do the trick, but you'll probably want 2.5 in the long term anyway, so if you can invest the extra money I'd recommend it. Pro Polish (PP) is one of my favorite Poorboys products and is a great final polishing step. For a topcoat I'd probably try EX-P first. It's an awesome sealant, and will allow that metallic to really pop. EX (w/ carnuba) would be a great alternative, or you could also stick with EX-P and top it with Natty's wax for more wetness. Hard to go wrong either way
• I agree. EX-P and top it with the natty wax. But if you're short on time like me, I'm pretty happy with the ssr2 and the ex-p, and a little s&w and s&gloss every weekend.
• I would go with the 2.5 and then PP follow up with EX-P and some Nattys & SG for that X-Tra POP (spit shining). The 2.5 is my goto product as it cuts and polishes in 1 product. You can layer the EX-P and the Nattys. I usually wait at least 24hrs. 1st. coat (layering of wax and or sealant).

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• Order will be
1. Polish w/ Carnauba blue
2. EX ...two coats and then wait 24 hours before applying Natty's
3. Natty's Blue
• What do you suggest for maintenance? Spray & Gloss/Gloss Enhancer and Quick Detailer (S+G) for after wash maintenance, Natty's every month or so (depending on climate, always garaged, etc.) and re-do the full deal when you notice some marring or that the clarity seems to have lessened. But I hear tell that some people apply a new coat of Natty's after each wash so you may want to consider that option too.

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• Here are the products and their uses I would have ...
• EXTERIOR:
• Super Slick & Suds ..car shampoo ..very slick and gentle
• Polish w/ Sealant ...nice light cleaning and give the finish a super shine and gloss
• Natty's Blue ..will give a deeper , wetter look
• Spray & Wipe and Spray & Gloss.. for dust and light maintenance between washes
• Bold N Bright ..for tires
• Wheel Sealant ..for Wheels ...couple of coats will make them easy to maintain
• INTERIOR:
• Leather Stuff ...use it to maintain the new look and smell of the seats, it can also be used on the dash and vinyl arm rests
• Engine Compartment: use the Bold N Bright
• Shaker: Spray & Gloss

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