Unless your paint is in really bad shape, the P21S Paint Cleaner should be more than adequate to give you exceptional results.

If you want a better/deeper shine, it's probably better to apply a 2nd coat of wax.

what is the best for applying polish and wax?

foam pads? microfiber?

Foam applicators are pretty popular. Griot's Garage has a number of different types of applicators.

Microfiber is supposedly pretty good for removing wax, although I've never tried it myself.

trkmedic69 said:

what is the best for applying polish and wax?

foam pads? microfiber?

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trkmedic, your car is silver right? If so, then using the P21S GEPC will be plenty. No need to use a glaze step between the GEPC and Carnauba wax. It might help a little with a black or dark colored car, but with silver, I seriously doubt you'll be able to notice any difference at all.

Use a MF app or high-quality terry app with the GEPC if you need a little stronger cleaning action, but if your paint is in good condition, use foam. The ones from Griot's look pretty god. Use a foam app with the P21S Carnauba (or the one provided in the jar).

Ok thanks! That was just the info i was looking for. BTW - for buffing/removing the products, MF towels or something else? Should I consider a porter cable?

Intermezzo said:

trkmedic, your car is silver right? If so, then using the P21S GEPC will be plenty. No need to use a glaze step between the GEPC and Carnauba wax. It might help a little with a black or dark colored car, but with silver, I seriously doubt you'll be able to notice any difference at all.

Use a MF app or high-quality terry app with the GEPC if you need a little stronger cleaning action, but if your paint is in good condition, use foam. The ones from Griot's look pretty god. Use a foam app with the P21S Carnauba (or the one provided in the jar).

Click to expand...

P21S GEPC can be used by hand or machine. Using a porter cable will enhance P21S GEPC's cleaning properties. If you have swirls that need to be removed, definitely use a PC, however P21S GEPC will remove only very very light swirls. Consider using something stronger before the GEPC if there are swirls that need to be removed.

MF towels or high quality cotton towels with a thick pile can be used for buffing. In my experience, cotton towels are a little easier because they do not 'grab' your paint surface as much as MF. However, I still prefer high quality MF towels because they are softer than any cotton towel I've ever tried and when testing them both on a CD or piece of plexiglass, I get a lot less marring with an MF towel. If you decide on MF, be sure you get them from a reputable source and not from pepboys or wallmart. If you go with cotton towels, be absolute certain they are 100% cotton(burn test them) and have a nice thick nap and are serged properly.

trkmedic69 said:

Ok thanks! That was just the info i was looking for. BTW - for buffing/removing the products, MF towels or something else? Should I consider a porter cable?

Click to expand...

Ok cool, thanks again!

Regarding cotton towels - what is a "burn test"?

Properautocare.com a good source for good MF?

Intermezzo said:

P21S GEPC can be used by hand or machine. Using a porter cable will enhance P21S GEPC's cleaning properties. If you have swirls that need to be removed, definitely use a PC, however P21S GEPC will remove only very very light swirls. Consider using something stronger before the GEPC if there are swirls that need to be removed.

MF towels or high quality cotton towels with a thick pile can be used for buffing. In my experience, cotton towels are a little easier because they do not 'grab' your paint surface as much as MF. However, I still prefer high quality MF towels because they are softer than any cotton towel I've ever tried and when testing them both on a CD or piece of plexiglass, I get a lot less marring with an MF towel. If you decide on MF, be sure you get them from a reputable source and not from pepboys or wallmart. If you go with cotton towels, be absolute certain they are 100% cotton(burn test them) and have a nice thick nap and are serged properly.

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My favorite source for MF towels is www.neatitems.com. Their towels give the best bang for the buck (w/free shipping). Properautocare.com's Magic Towels are the best in the market. Slightly plusher than neatitems, but very expensive at $13 bucks each. You can get the same Magic Towels at www.tacscar.com for a little less. I've heard good things about the towels at PakShak.com & YoSteve.com. And finally, the towels I like to use for 'rougher' things like removing abrasive polishes and drying door jambs, etc. are the green Viper MF towels sold at properautocare and tacscar.

Burn test - is a way to check for polyester content in a towel. Any polyester at all, no matter how minute, will scratch your paint. I normally pull out a few strands or fibers from a towel, set it on fire and drop it into a glass bowl immediately. Be careful not to burn yourself because it'll burn fast! When the fire goes out, closely examine or feel the burnt ashes. If there was any polyester at all, it will have shriveled up into a small hard bead. Polyester also tends to smoke more. When poking through the ashes, there shouldn't be anything hard at all. The ash should be fluffy and soft. I'm sure there's a better procedure than the way I just mentioned. Maybe someone else can chime in with a better way.

I once tested a strand from a Viking Chenille Wash Mitt that claimed to be 100% cotton and even had the cotton logo seal on the packaging. I burnt up a strand and lots of little hard balls of polyester revealed themselves. Needless to say, I don't use that mitt anymore. The Griot's catalog has a picture of what burnt polyester balls look like.

Check this link out....

How to determine fabric content by using the burn test

trkmedic69 said:

Ok cool, thanks again!

Regarding cotton towels - what is a "burn test"?

Properautocare.com a good source for good MF?

Click to expand...