Prep work needed to apply Collinite 845 wax on titanium silver? and other noob polishing/detailing questions

[holyc0w]

I bought some Collinite 845 a few months ago. Now that the weather's warmed up, it seems like I might have been too hasty. It looks like more prep work is needed than I originally thought.

What kind of prep work would be recommended before applying? I'm guessing since I had sealant done before winter, I would need to clay it.

The process would be:
-wash with Meguiar's Gold Class (is Gold Class okay for this?)
-chemical decontamination (is this required?)
-nanoskin autoscrub sponge
-rinse?
-Polish
-Apply wax by hand

The paint looks alright to me, so I think just polishing should work. My brother has a Porter Cable 7424XP. What kind of pads and polishing 'substance' should be used for this paint?

[brettbimmer]

A few members here (myself included) use Collinite 885 paste wax, but I have not used the 845 version. That said, this wax looks similar to the 885 in that the surface needs to be free of any contaminants and dirt, as there appears to be no cleaner in it at all.

FWIW my routine is:

Wash
Meguiar's 105 and/or 205 polish with random orbital and soft foam pad - (can check the color for you if needed). 105 is more aggressive than 205.
Chemical Guys Jet Seal 109 by hand.
Collinite 885 wax by hand.

My car is garaged and under a cover most of the time, and I have never had much personal success with clay, but I would say that it depends on how the surface feels to your hand - are there elevated bumps & embedded dirt? If so then they need to be removed either with clay, more aggressive soap, polish, or a combo.

Lots of members here are far more versed in detailing tidbits and tricks than I, but hopefully this will at least help to get you started and be a thread bump if nothing else. Good luck and let me know if I can answer any questions!

[Sockethead]

I have this stuff too... recommended by one of Kristen's friends... I was just going to wash, clay and apply, no?

[NoVAphotog]

I have this stuff too... recommended by one of Kristen's friends... I was just going to wash, clay and apply, no?

Wash clay and apply is what i do. Only really need to polish if you want to not for a maintenance application. Remember, the polishing and prep work is what makes paint shine not the just the wax as people believe.

[holyc0w]

Are these washes with just water or also some kind of cleaner?

Gold Glass Shampoo & Wash might not be the best thing to use, since it has conditioners and preserves the current wax. May be good for a maintenance wash. This product:Chemical Guys Clean Slate (http://www.chemicalguys.com/Clean_Slate_Surface_Cleanser_Wash_16_oz_p/cws80316.htm), seems like a good start. Then I can use the nanoskin sponge.


A few members here (myself included) use Collinite 885 paste wax, but I have not used the 845 version. That said, this wax looks similar to the 885 in that the surface needs to be free of any contaminants and dirt, as there appears to be no cleaner in it at all.

FWIW my routine is:

Wash
Meguiar's 105 and/or 205 polish with random orbital and soft foam pad - (can check the color for you if needed). 105 is more aggressive than 205.
Chemical Guys Jet Seal 109 by hand.
Collinite 885 wax by hand.

My car is garaged and under a cover most of the time, and I have never had much personal success with clay, but I would say that it depends on how the surface feels to your hand - are there elevated bumps & embedded dirt? If so then they need to be removed either with clay, more aggressive soap, polish, or a combo.

Lots of members here are far more versed in detailing tidbits and tricks than I, but hopefully this will at least help to get you started and be a thread bump if nothing else. Good luck and let me know if I can answer any questions!

I got Collinite 845, since it's supposed to be pretty easy to apply. Any towels or pads recommended for hand application?

Meguiars 205 looks like just what I was looking for. Yes, let me know about the pads for the buffer. Detailed Image (http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/polishing-how-to-with-meguiars-m105-m205/) recommends a white Lake Country pad for 205.

[brettbimmer]

Are these washes with just water or also some kind of cleaner?

Gold Glass Shampoo & Wash might not be the best thing to use, since it has conditioners and preserves the current wax. May be good for a maintenance wash. This product:Chemical Guys Clean Slate (http://www.chemicalguys.com/Clean_Slate_Surface_Cleanser_Wash_16_oz_p/cws80316.htm), seems like a good start. Then I can use the nanoskin sponge.



I got Collinite 845, since it's supposed to be pretty easy to apply. Any towels or pads recommended for hand application?

Meguiars 205 looks like just what I was looking for. Yes, let me know about the pads for the buffer. Detailed Image (http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/polishing-how-to-with-meguiars-m105-m205/) recommends a white Lake Country pad for 205.

Has anyone else had success using Dawn dish soap to remove all the old wax before starting with a fresh, clean car?

Also if you have any hazing or holograms, you are going to need to use a light polish to remove them before burying them under sealant & wax.

In digging in my files, this is from Mafia Member Monk3y who I have not seen on here in quite a while. Nonetheless, his cars always looked stunning.

"If you start out with M105/205 (Or Menzerna SIP/106FF) and Orange/White LCC pad you should be easy to go (Or Cyan, Tangerine Hydropads). The pad combination starts when you get a little more into the detailing. Those pad combos are really nice for BMW Clearcoat.

Yea 105 & 205 is the combo to use now. Can't beat it.

Orange with 105 and white with 205 on a PC should do the trick. BMW CC means clear coat

I just got rid of my oxidation on the roof with a M105, SIP, SF, Jetseal 109 combo whammy this weekend. Wiped it right out.

The M105 and SIP combo with orange and white pads, are the way to go PERIOD!!! And the Porter Cable 7424 is the most awesome orbital I have ever seen/used."

[Sockethead]

Those polishes are safe ie don't cause holograms? My car was really bad when I bought it. It took two trips to the detailer to get out all the holograms. I'm afraid of doing the same thing by polishing it with a machine...

[holyc0w]

From my reading, holograms are caused by rotary buffers.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/28443-difference-between-rotary-buffer-swirls-cobweb-swirls-micro-marring-da-haze-tick-marks.html

[Sockethead]

those are some pretty scary pictures of peoples mistakes :eyetwitch

[Sockethead]

Wash clay and apply is what i do. Only really need to polish if you want to not for a maintenance application. Remember, the polishing and prep work is what makes paint shine not the just the wax as people believe.

You are right, my friend. I washed clay barred and waxed. Applied with the standard hand pad and wiped off with a towel. It looks good but you can still see all of the fine scratches that polishing would of taken out. That being said, I think that Klasse does a better job of hiding those scratches and adding depth to the paint without polishing... at least on a black car.

[holyc0w]

I did the detail a few weeks ago. I went for just a one-step polish using some old Optimum Polish lying around. I'm not sure if I achieved any correction or swirl removal. In the sun, you don't really see or notice much on the silver paint. I only saw the scratches as I was finishing the waxing after the sun went down.

In hindsight, I would do it over two days and do either a 2 step polish or try an AIO product. I was pretty tired at the end. I'm not sure if I want to try again or take it to a detailer for the next correction. Also, I might have put too much wax on the applicator pad? I squeezed out a pad's worth of wax.

And Ironx is a good addition for paint preparation. It smells terrible, but it's effective.