Tips on paint care
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Tips on paint care - 8/16/2007 2:51:12 PM
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mliebs8
Posts: 30
Joined: 5/13/2007
Status: offline
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This is going to be a long post but is well worth the effort if you want your car to look its best.
Step 1: Wash your Hummer with a quality car soap (don't use dish washing liquid because it strips wax, oil, and all the good stuff your paint needs. I use Meguires gold class, it suds nice and is gentle on the paint. I also use a 2 bucket method with a micro fiber mit, using 2 buckets allow you to have one bucket with soap and water and another bucket to rinse your mit off in so you don't keep adding dirt and grit to the soap bucket. By doing this you will greatly reduce the scratches from washing. After the car is washed I use a waffle weave micro fiber towel for drying, these are soft and pick up a tremendous amount of water. Cobra makes a towel called the guzzler, this is probably one of the best.
Step 2: Nothing makes your paint look better than using a clay bar. The trick to using a clay bar is to always keep it lubricated. Mothers, Meguires, Clay Magic, and Pinnacle are a few good clays to use and come with a bottle of lubricant so you'll be ready to go, detailing spray can also be used but stay away from car soap because it has a tendency to break down the clay. A light pressure should be used while claying and if you see a slight marring don't worry about it, this is normal and will come right off. Always fold your clay over to keep a fresh side on the paint, and if you drop it on the ground throw it away or you'll cause a lot of damage to the paint. Do a 2x2 section at a time and after you finish wipe off the excess lubricant with a micro fiber towel and see how smooth it feels. If you can still feel imperfections on the clear coat go over it again. A clay bar should be used on a new car to remove rail dust (which is tiny particles of metal from the trains) and any other trash in the clear coat. I only clay 1-2 times a year.
Step 3: Although the new finish looks good it's still going to have some small scratches and swirels from shipping and the dealer washing it. At this point I use a buffer called the Ultimate Detailing Machine (it's pretty much the same as a Porter Cable 7424 but with a bigger motor). This is a DA type buffer so you won't burn the paint. If the car is new I'll buff the entire car out with Menzerna Final Polish and a CCS buffing pad. On a new car the white or gray pads are good but on an older car with a lot of scratches an orange or green pad would have to be used. There's a lot of polishes out there but I've had outstanding results so I'm sticking with the Menzerna. The key to polishing a car is breaking down the polish completely, when you apply the polish it's white, when it breaks down it's pretty much clear. It takes 4-5 slow passes over the paint to break down the polish and remove lighter imperfections but with this type of buffer you won't burn the paint so it's perfect for the DIY type. After you wipe the polish off the finish looks like a mirror and is so smooth you wouldn't believe it. You won't be able to remove heavy scratches but on a newer vehicle the paint will look better than new. I buff my cars 1-2 times a year.
Step 4: This is when it's time to seal in all of your hard work. After polishing you have to wash the car again to remove the lubricants that are used in the polish, just a quick wash and dry is all that's needed. I use Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant but there are Poor Boys, Pinnacle, and many others. After you wash and dry the car apply the sealant and let it dry for about an hour then wipe it off. Sealants have to cure for 12-24 hours before you can get them wet because moisture will affect the chemical reaction and it will not bond to the paint properly so make sure the car stays in the garage or it's not going to be humid overnight. After you remove the seal
< Message edited by mliebs8 -- 8/16/2007 5:01:09 PM >
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RE: Tips on paint care - 8/16/2007 5:28:36 PM
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Muddydawg75
Posts: 9945
Joined: 3/11/2007
From: South Jersey Shore
Status: offline
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Nice thread.... and when you are done reading this I highly recommend reading the one Wendell posted recently.
http://www.hummerforums.com/m_72805/tm.htm
< Message edited by Muddydawg75 -- 8/16/2007 5:31:07 PM >
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RE: Tips on paint care - 8/16/2007 6:50:11 PM
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Doc Olds
Posts: 3386
Joined: 7/11/2007
From: Boat Town USA (Michigan 48045)
Status: offline
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Excellent. With this info and the Wendell thread, we ought to see some smuoooth shine! Thanks guys. I really never understood the rail dust thing until some posts here. Sucks, but we got the remedy.
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RE: Tips on paint care - 9/28/2007 2:58:03 PM
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CRXMA22
Posts: 104
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline
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what's always worked for me is to hose the car with water first, then the hose in the left hand and the mitt in the right and hold the hose to the area while using the mitt that way it washes the dirt and doesn't smear it on the paint.. then after i thoroughly rinsed it, i apply the soap for a much cleaner finish... just a thought... 
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