Well I wash my car every week and wax it every two months or so....but i really want to step up my skills and equipment up a notch to where i can eliminate all my swirl marks and get the paint shining better than when it was new.....Can you guys tell me what i will be needing, and the best techniques???

 

On a modest budget of around $1-150 dollars

 

Honestly man, you will not be able to get ALL the tools you need to remove swirls for that budget. Considering the porter cable or any rotary buffer will cost you at least 150.

For that price you can have your car professionally detailed.

Now for that budget you can get tooons of great products including proper washing soaps and equiment, towels, clay bar, quick detailer, sealants, and wax. You might be able to remove the swirls by polishing by hand but ive seen waaaay too many horror stories and it will never come out as good. Not to mention it would take you forever. With a machine it takes me 4 hours to polish a car. Also polishing with a machine takes skill and you can mess up your paint if you dont know what your doing.

I can piece you a kit together of the absolute best products ive used for the money if your ok with not being able to remove the swirls.

 

yeah that sounds good, i'll just ask for the buffer for christmas!

 

Yea...let us know the products you recommend, qb so we can all see! ;-D

 

i use the Griot's system. works great, very easy to use.
www.griotsgarage.com

a lot of folks like pc (porter cable). some places to check out
are:

www.detailersparadise.com
www.showcardetailing.com

i dont know how much i spent on my detailing supplies but it
adds up real fast.

 

I order from lots of different sites but ill pick one that has the best variety of it all that way you dont gotta place like 5 orders. All of this stuff is from www.autogeek.net

For washing: http://autogeek.net/washing.html

I recommend 1Z einszeit perls shampoo. Lots of lubricity and leaves the highest level of gloss compared to other soaps.

Get the sheepskin wash mitt. Also get the grit guard. The grit guard is placed in your second bucket thats full of only water. You dip your mitt in the bucket of clean water to wash it every time you finish a panel. The grit guard traps the dirt and prevents it from getting swooshed back up so you dont pick it up with your mitt. Never, ever, ever, wash your car with only one bucket. Thats how swirls are created.

Also pick up a couple of 'cobra guzzler waffle weave towels' for drying.

Wheels and tires: http://autogeek.net/tirewheelcare.html

The best wheel cleaner in the market hands down is P21 gel wheel cleaner. Also get the '8 inch montana boars hair brush' to clean the wheels safely without scratching them. A great tire shine is poorboys world tire dressing. Poorboys world also makes a great wheel sealant which is excellent in protecting the wheels.

For clay I recommend meguiars professional detailing clay. http://autogeek.net/megovclay.html

Now youll need a good quick detailer to use as lube for the clay and to use after a wash to remove waterspots you missed with drying or just to give it some more gloss. http://autogeek.net/optimum-instant-detailer-17oz.html

For a sealant thats easy to apply and looks great I recommend this one. http://autogeek.net/duragloss-aquawax--951.html

Optimum also makes a great spray wax you would use after the aquawax. http://autogeek.net/optimum-spray-wax.html

I prefer spray products cant you tell?

Get as many microfiber towels you can.

http://autogeek.net/mictow.html

Glass cleaner - http://autogeek.net/glass-cleaner.html

Thats pretty much for the exterior without a buffer. When you do get that I recommend you get a kit as youll need a backing plate, and several different color pads. This is an ok kit. http://autogeek.net/hk7424.html It has the white pads which is enough for your car.

When you get youll need a polish thats aggressive enough to remove swirls but not enough to remove so much clear coat. This one best suits your needs. http://www.detailersdomain.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=424

Lots of stuff I know but its well worth it. I also recommend looking at these articles to help you understand how exactly to do everything and the do's and dont's of car washing.

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

Also check out the detailing forums to learn some more on different products and techniques. www.autopia.org/forums

Let me know if you guys have any other questions.

 

wow thanks once i get wheels this is next on my wishlist......

 

I know its alot You can order the stuff little by little. Or just order the necessities like soap, mits, grit guards and wheel cleaners?

By the way use the code 'autopia' for a 10% discount.

Ive spent tons of money on detailing products when I was first starting out. Of course I made most of that back already But now I have enough car washing products for a long time.

 

Cool thanks, once i have a good set-up i'll prolly start charging to do others cars!