This was a great discussion guys.

I just ordered Collinite 845 and 476s along with some applicator pad cleaner and conditioner from Autogeek. I could not find either Collinite product in stores near me. I hope the weather is decent next week so that I can wash and apply the waxes for the winter.

On a positive note, I did some wet sanding (1500 grit -- couldn't find 2000) on the bumper this afternoon. I was worried I messed things up because the sanded area looked just like bumper material. After using Turtle Wax rubbing compound and then Scratch X by hand, it looks great! Just like the surrounding clear coat. Scratches are gone! Next time I will try our the Porter 7424 on it. (The car is black.)

With that in mind, is there a better rubbing compound?

Also, what if I wanted to fix a larger area, does the clear coat in a spray can work well?

 

Michael,

TW rubbing compound is what most of us call "sand in a can". It has a non-diminishing abrasive that is rather coarse. There are better options if you have a 7424.

Every car nut has their favorites. Mine are Meguir's 105 for a heavy compound (or 3M Ultra cut). Going from a heavy to light polish by brand:

Poorboy's, SSR3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.0 and Pro polish (this is chemical only no abrasives)

3M Ultra cut (Heavy cut) and Ultra Fina (Super fine polish)

Menzerna, for "Ceramiclear" finishes, Super Intensive Polish (SIP) and Super Finish "Nano"
For normal paint try Intensive polish (IP) or Power finish to start and Final polish and Micro polish to finish

Meguir's 105 for a heavy compound.

Unless polishing out a late model MB or BMW, my "go to" polishes are Heavy: Meg's 105.

Medium: Menz Intensive polish (IP) and to finish: Menz Final polish or 3M ultrafina

Most of the guys I deal with just go to a local and have them re-shoot the paint. As long as you prep and buy the paint, the cost is not too bad. If you do want to try, Duplicolor seems to do better than most but is fairly soft.

 

One other thing,

You couldn't have ordered from a nicer group of people. Meghan and Max have the best customer service people that I know of and never fail to fix anything that happens. Are you a member of the forum? If yes, what's your nick there?

 

Thanks for the info. I'll have to get some of these products for next spring.

While washing my car today (it was super dirty) I saddened by te excessive number of "pot holes" in my front bumper from all sorts of crap on the roads (NY roads are dirty). It is quite depressing (especially with a black car)! Anyhow, I hit them with a polishing compound quickly and then when on my way leaving them for next year.

Overall, after 1.5 years, I found a number of scratches (bad people), one major chip out of the paint requiring touch up, and a ton of "pot holes" in my bumpers.

There are also some spots that look like a poor paint job was done as there appear to be anomialies in the paint. Other areas look like there is mass over spray as there are all sort of little specks with do not come out.

In the end, I still feel the general paint job on these cars is not that great.

But.....

I applied the Collinite 845 and 476s. ****. I've never put that much wax on a car at one time. I actually did not get to do the full two coats of 476s on the entire car as I ran out of time. I did two coats on the "hard hit" areas such as the bumpers, mirrors, and hood.

The funny part is that this stuff frees like a I have just applied a hard shell over my car. When you touch the paint it actually feels hard or "roughish." Hopefully this will last the winter. If not, it is a big improvement over the standard Meguir's Gold that was on there last winter. (MG looks much better as it gives a glossier look than the Collinite products.)

Oh, one last thing...well two actually. First, you do have to shake the crap out of the 845! My lord! Second, thanks GeorgiaHybrid! Maybe one day my TCH will be in the great state of GA. It's seen every state except Maine on the eastern seaboard. Going to see Maine and all the way up to Newfoundland next summer -- that's right ROAD TRIP!

 

They did a great job. The items came quick. Their shipping seems a little high in my opinion but still doable. I am not on that forum, but I might join up. Although I have a hard enough time finding the time to follow this one!

Thanks for all the help and for all the help I am sure you will continue to give!

 

Great to hear about the Collinite! Unfortunately, my Harbor Freight didn't carry it and I didn't have time to wait for it to be shipped. I went with the Meguiar's NXT Tech 2.0 wax, did 2 coats the last two days. The car looks great, and I hope it lasts!

I'll try the Collinite in the spring for over the summer though!

 

Michael,

Great minds must think alike....

I just got in from putting two coats of 845 on my wifes Pilot. If your paint feels rough, you might have other issues with it. Any car I have put 845 on is very slick to the touch.

Have you ever used "clay" to clean the paint? If not, the next time you are at WalMart or your friendly auto parts store, pick up a kit from Mothers or Meguir's. They will include a clay bar and lube and don't cost but $15 or so. Cut the clay bar in half, follow the directions and follow the lines of the car from front to rear. Make sure you stretch and fold the clay as it gets dirty to get a clean surface to put on your paint.

The reason to cut the clay into two pieces is that you will drop one. If you do not have a rag or section of plastic for the clay to fall onto, it will hit the ground. If it does, throw it away. The grit that the clay will pick up when hitting the ground will scratch the hell out of your paint if you continue to use it. Don't ask how I learned that one....

I clay all of my cars twice a year or whenever they feel rough to the touch. This will clean up all of the fallout that has embedded itself into your paint. Get a kit, do 1/2 of your hood and then feel the paint to see if you notice any difference. Note that using clay will remove the wax you put on so you will need to re-wax it. I think that you will notice a BIG difference with the crap removed from your paint.

 

Joe,

A lot of the Harbor Freights are out of 845 and 476S as it seems that they are not going to carry it anymore. Some of the stores put Collinite on sale (some were BOGO!!!) and once word got out on the pro detailer forums, we kinda bought them out. (I have 5 bottles of 845 and 6 cans of 476S). I always buy extra as the guys at work always come to me for supplies (we do group buys for cost). Most likely I will be down to one or two of each in a month....

 

I have a clay bar kit (Mother's) but I just have not had the time to do it. I can barely get the car washed and waxed in a day and with no garage to park it in, I fear I'd have to start all over.

This past spring, I did have it detailed with a light sand and heavy compound. Does that remove the embedded junk in the paint?

How long does it really take to clay?

 

You can go over a Camry with clay in about an hour. You simply run the clay from the front to the rear with clay lube (quick detailer) on the paint to prevent the clay from "grabbing". If your car sits outside a lot, it will probably need to be done at least once a year.

An easy test to use is the "baggy" test. Take a thin sandwich baggie (not the heavy zip lock kind), put your hand in the bag and lightly run your hand over the paint AFTER you have washed the car. If you feel the plastic "grabbing" on the paint, you should clay the paint before waxing. The kits from Mother's and Meguiar's are fairly safe but watch out for the dedicated clay's for detailers that will require polishing the paint after claying. These will be noted as "aggressive" or “medium”. Examples would be Clay Magic "red" or Meguiar's "red". Stick with the "mild" clays and you will be fine.

Do not go in a circular motion using clay on your paint. It will swirl the paint, as the clay is mildly abrasive. Don’t go “up” and “down” either. Just follow the lines of the car from the front to the back starting at the top of the car and working your way down. Just for grins, this next weekend clay ½ or ¼ of your hood (easy to get to) and see if the paint is smoother. Then add a fresh coat of 845 to the hood and then check the difference. I will be very surprised if you can’t tell any difference from one side to the other.

If you start to get hooked on having a clean car I will warn you that it can be addictive. The good thing is that your labor is cheap and it gets you out of the other chores that always seem to crop up. “I can’t come over and fix your sink Dad, I just polished the paint on the Camry and I need to wax it before it comes out of the garage…”.

Another hint is to find a buddy with a garage that can be heated. Back in my youth before I had a nice warm garage of my own, I offered to furnish the wax, towels, cleaners, etc. and help someone with their car if they would let me use that nice warm garage on MY car. They would usually jump at the chance and even helped me with mine. It didn’t hurt that I may have had a beer or two on ice when I arrived either...