Chevrolet Malibu Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Detailing Steps

5K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  nutcrunch 
#1 · (Edited)
So i just bought a 2014 Chevy Malibu 2LT. I just got it last week and i noticed theres minor scratches, swirl marks and haze. Im new to detailing so im kind of confused on the steps and maybe what products i should get. I was looking more into Meguair's products to start off with but im willing to take recommendations from everyone here.

Anyway, what steps should i do? Of course washing 1st is obvious. Should i use the clay bar next? What step does the polishing compound come in? When do i wax the car? Im just kind of lost, im new to this so i apologize. Also, what can i use to keep the plastic on my head light and tail lights clean and protected? Can i use something in between washes to keep the plastic clean if they got dirty?

Again my apologies for all the questions. I have a real nice car sitting outside and i need to learn the proper car for it. I wanna add that everything will be done by hand.
 
#2 ·
You should follow Chemical Guys on YouTube. They have a lot of videos showing you how to properly detail your car.

As for removing those scratches/swirls you will need a dual action polisher, pads, compound and polish. You can probably find a cheap-o one at walmart that will get this job done but I recommend getting either a Torq 10FX or Porter Cable 7424 which is a little cheaper.

For a compound, I would use Meguiars Scratch X 2.0, should work fine. Then maybe some meguiars polish to finish it. (I actually use chemical guys myself)

You can follow this detail flow-chart:


When detailing, always remember this in order. Wash, Clay Bar, Polish, Wax or sealant.
 
#4 ·
The secret to successful detailing/polishing, is to use the least aggressive method to repair the surface of the paint, to eliminate the damage. To do this, you need to work backwards.
By this I mean, if you have something to remove on your paint, wash it first. If that doesn't work, then try the clay bar. If not, try some liquid polish. If that doesn't remove a scratch, then you need to look closely at it. Can you feel it with your fingers? Can you see if it has cut all the way through the clearcoat..leaving a dull area? If so, it needs touch up paint. If not, then a mild, micropolishing compound may remove it.
If the damage is still visible, it might still be fixable. You can try wetsanding it with 2000 sandpaper, or even 1500 grit.
Whatever you do, you now need to go back UP the detailing steps to restore the paint. If you sanded, you now need to compound to get the shine back...then liquid polish, then glaze. and/or wax. (I never clay bar going back up, as that is more for removing contamination from paint, which you've already done)
The compound step works much better with a buffing machine, but can be done by hand with some elbow grease.
 
#5 ·
Oh...and for supplies, since I do entire cars after painting them, I use Meguire's professional products, found in auto body supply shops. I like the # 9 for liquid polish/swirl remover, #2 for a slightly more aggressive liquid polish. 3M Perfect-It 3 for compound, but be sure you get the right grade for whatever sandpaper grit you do final sanding with. Meguire's also makes a good compound, can't remember the number ( I think it's 82)
 
#6 · (Edited)
I finally got to use the griots dual action polisher I bought months ago. Our Malibu still looks great but my truck had lots of swirls and scratches on it so I used the polsisher on it.
The polisher came with Meguiars M105 and M205, 3 pads and 2 microfiber cloths. I mostly used Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 and Meguiars Ultimate Compound on an orange Lake Country pad on the body of my truck. Meguiars stated that their Ultimate Compound has the same make up as their M105 product which is their most aggressive professional product but it is easier to use as it has more work time and it breaks down to a finer product so it will polish out finer and leave less marring afterwards. Those 2 products worked great to get out lots of swirl marks. I still had a few scratches on the bed so I tried using M105 and it helped a little but I guess those scratches were just too much.

Anyways the dual action polisher was easy to use in that you don't have to really worry about it damaging the paint, that is what a rotary buffer will do so don't be scared off by the horror stories of burning through paint with a dual action polisher. You do need to take quite a bit of time to do it so in that regard it is some tiresome work. You need to work in about a 2' x 2' section and go over that area 3 or 4 times in a crosshatch pattern. I spent about 7 hours doing my truck (which included washing, rinsing, claying, rinsing, drying, polishing and waxing in that order) and it came out nice but it could still use some more hours to get it even better.



Not bad for a 13 year old daily driven truck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top