Team-BHP - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

Brix - I have removed such paint droplets by claying !

Sohail - Thanks for the inputs ! I did watch a couple of videos but have been too occupied with work, now need to brush up before attempting my detailing session !

btw. "export only" means the 230V version that we need to order !

Black Asta -
Way to go !! All the best, wish i could go to the US sometime soon too ! I would love to visit Mike Philips at the Autogeek office in Florida :D

I would suggest you pick up the Flex DA as its well worth it. The link below is the kit which i picked up. You can choose the combo that meets your needs. My reqt. was to remove the light scratches & swirls, & im comfy with Megs products hence i went for this combo. Importing pads seperately would be a headache & hence i ordered extra quantity.

Meguiars FLEX 3401 Ultra Polish Kit with 6.5 Inch Pads, Meguiars Mirror Glaze Polishes, Meguiar's 105 Compound, Meguiar's 205 Ultra Finishing Polish

This is the link to the 6.5 " pads with details on what pad is for what usage. I ordered two of these 6 - packs.
Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice!

As Garipagol mentioned, i followed the same procedure. You can call them, they are helpful & accommodating.

My order this time was :-

Qty Product Code - Product Name Price
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 MG-FL-2500-230V - 230 Volt Meguiars FLEX 3401 Ultra Po 479.99
1 LC-65-COMBO - Lake Country 6.5 CCS Pads- 6 PACK 49.99
1 LC-65-COMBO - Lake Country 6.5 CCS Pads- 6 PACK 49.99
1 X-2000 - Meguiars Water Magnet 7.99
1 X-2020 - 3 Pack Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfiber Towe 6.99
1 G-13005 - Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh 7.99
1 M-T36MM - 1 1/2 Inch Meguiars Professional Masking Tap 3.99
1 G-1001 - Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Bar Replacement 18.99
1 SAMPLES - Free Car Care Sample 0.00
1 ago - Free Shipping Coupon Code 0.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: 625.92
Tax: 0.00
Shipping & Handling: 0.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL: 625.92
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The shipping & handling was zero as im a forum member. If you're not, please register & shipments over 500 USD will get free shipping within the US. Do also consider to pick up any other critical items that you may need in future like clay bars, protectants,etc. !

This shipment was shipped to me via USPS as my friend was already overweight with his luggage. Total cost came to 165 USD for shipping to India & 30% customs duty which i paid & cleared the consignment.
Total came to around 45K.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 2089851)

btw the 230v kits are situated at the bottom of this page!:D

Ahh - now I get it - thanks!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garipagol (Post 2089893)

I think you have a I10 ? IMO you should get 1 Orange, 1 white, 2 Gray, 1 blue, 1 red or combine the blue & red to 2 of either. You should buy a six pack where you can choose the color.

Shall be doing that.

Anything below white has no cutting power. The gray is the most versatile as it can be used for polishing as well as sealing & waxing. Note that high end waxes are best applied by hand. In fact you can look at getting 3 grays and one blue. Remember you cannot mix the polishing Gray with sealant Gray once you have used them. So the best will be to have an extra Grey. BTW the colors are for LC CCS pads.

I would say do not waste money on jeweling pads as you are not entering a competition. (making as assumption here).

Agree on this 100%

So you can dump the Red for a Grey. None of the bundles give you a good spread of pads. If you are looking for a bundle get a bundle with a pad cleaner, it will really help.

Do not even consider a 110V unit. A cheaper alternative to Flex would be the Kestrel DAS 6 pro from UK if you have access to UK.

I'll be going to US for an onsite assignment - so its shopping in US this time!

Rgds

Thanks for the input sir - my comments inline!

So its 1 orange, 1 white, 3 gray, 1 blue for pads.
I was looking into this combo deal:
230 Volt Dual Action Flex Polisher Kit, Lake Country Pads, Flex XC 3401 VRG Buffer - just need to get couple of gray pads to complete the suggested items.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 2089922)

I meant that, If a person from India is in US for a few days and wants flex230v unit, will they ship it to him?

had the same query.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit (Post 2089937)

The shipping & handling was zero as im a forum member. If you're not, please register & shipments over 500 USD will get free shipping within the US. Do also consider to pick up any other critical items that you may need in future like clay bars, protectants,etc. !

This shipment was shipped to me via USPS as my friend was already overweight with his luggage. Total cost came to 165 USD for shipping to India & 30% customs duty which i paid & cleared the consignment.
Total came to around 45K.

So you are saying they would ship the 'export only' units within USA too?

What I forgot earlier - need to get the Megs 105 and 205 too with the kit!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit (Post 2089012)

Btw, finally my consignment from Autogeek was delivered yesterday !
I got the following :

1. Flex 3401 DA kit with the Megs twins (105&205) 2 Cobra MF's.
2. Lake country CCS pads - got a mix of Orange, black, white, blue & red ones. (Thanks to Garipagol for the inputs !)
3. Megs 36 mm masking tape
4. Megs water magnet drying towel

Next Plan of action :</b>

- Have to figure out a way to get extension wiring done to work in the apartment basement. Will need to take a connection from my house on the ground floor.
Garipagol - please do share some inputs about the grade of wiring you used for your Flex & also any other points i need to keep in mind ?
!

Wow ! Go easy with with the Orange pads mate. You have a lifetime supply !! I am sure you know that the 105/205 have non diminishing abrasives. So inspect often and stop at the right point.

IMO you will rarely need the 105 if you take care of your car regularly. 205 with Orange or White should be fine.

For the extension box I used the outdoor three wire cable about the same thickness as the wire on the flex. One end terminate in the box with a 5/15 amp plug with a glow fuse and the other end is exposed. I connect the exposed end to my fuse box in the meter room. (well the electrician at the complex does it for me when I need - best not try it yourself) and it works fine. If your apt is on the GF then perhaps you can run the wire from the house. If you use a house plug point choose a safe point isolated from electronic components e.g PC, Home theater etc.

When you measure the length of wire to get leave some play in the wire so that you can move freely. Ideally the entire length of wire from the flex should be free from being pulled around.

As recommended by the gurus oil the felt ring on the Flex before use.

Rgds

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 2089940)

I was looking into this combo deal:
230 Volt Dual Action Flex Polisher Kit, Lake Country Pads, Flex XC 3401 VRG Buffer - just need to get couple of gray pads to complete the suggested items.

had the same query.

So you are saying they would ship the 'export only' units within USA too?

What I forgot earlier - need to get the Megs 105 and 205 too with the kit!

Nice combo, you get the pad cleaning & conditioner too ! All you need is a few extra pads, the Megs twins and you're all set to rock & roll !

What i did was, my friend was in the US, while placing the order i mentioned that it will be transshipped to India & used here so that's why im ordering the 230V version. I also sent them a mail for which they replied confirming the same.

Garipagol - Thanks for the inputs !! I ordered less of the others as sealant & waxes can be applied by hand also. Im planning to run a wire with an extension box to the basement. I estimate i need around 30 feet of wire to be on the safe side. Will get out & start measuring tomorrow. As you recommended im going to get myself a bottle of the Singer oil too ! Can i use WD 40 or regular engine oil (5W 40) as a substitute ?

I'm going to start with the least aggressive product first as you mentioned. (205 with white or orange)

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 2089940)

I was looking into this combo deal:
230 Volt Dual Action Flex Polisher Kit, Lake Country Pads, Flex XC 3401 VRG Buffer - just need to get couple of gray pads to complete the suggested items.

What I forgot earlier - need to get the Megs 105 and 205 too with the kit!

This is a good kit. The bonnets are a nice touch. Add a couple of Grey pads to it and you should be OK.

Well you seem to be a Megs man. But I will suggest that you look at some water based polishes as well. An excellent one-two is Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO83Q) and the Super Finish (PO106FA). And for black paint the Menzerna Power Lock IS the sealant.

Have a safe trip.

Rgds

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit (Post 2089961)

Got it! Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garipagol (Post 2089976)

Thanks! I shall surely look into Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO83Q) , Super Finish (PO106FA) and power lock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prateek (Post 2090184)

:)
hi guys.
spent almost 9 hrs detailing my car yesterday.was not able to achieve 100% paint correction but results are good.will upload pics tomorrow as still some work is left on the car.tbhp and family is great help and inspiration.thanks guys.

stuff i used in detailing.

wow- we got lots of hidden experts looks like! Going by the pics, you got some great stuff, esp Blackfire and Menzerna
Will be great if you can share what stuff you have, which are no obvious to make out from the pics.
Did you use a Bosch DA? Where did you get it from?

@nirmaljustdoit 3 brushes are for cleaning wheels,tyres and wheel well.i dnt have opti clean but power clean as stated by sohail.for interior and trims i use megs all season dressing and megs wipes.for leather upholstery i have leatherique.@mkh i am still not expert in this craft,but surely trying my best.stuff which i used yesterday on my car are opti power clean,ph level shampoo,p21s wheel cleaner,sheepskin wash mit,leather chamois,megs ultimate quick detailer,menzerna power finish polish,megs 205,isopropyl spray,blackfire diamond finish,collnite 845 wax,stoner tyre dressing,megs chrome polish,3m fineese it,toothpicks,ear buds,bosch dual action polisher,white foam pads,wool pad,megs clay bar and few microfibre cloths.i will uploads pics of other stuff which i have but didnt used on my car.cheers:)

I'd polished the rear and ORVMs of my White Swift with Amway Silicone Glaze last week and till today evening they were all shiny, just wanted to share my experience with it.

I also realized the importance of dry dusting the car everyday. I used to put the car cover on everyday after returning from work after dry dusting it with Jopasu duster. Did a similar thing in the morning i.e. pull off the car cover and dry dust it again.

:OT An elderly gentleman walked past me just as I was done putting the car cover on today and said, "Aap apni car ki bahut care karte hain, dekh ke accha lagta hai!" :) Has to be someone from around my residence who watches me everyday.