Post your latest detailing activity

[The Critic]

This will be an ongoing thread for members to share the products they used, as well as their techniques and experiences.

There is always something new to learn in the world of detailing and I look forward to sharing the knowledge with each other.

 

[The Critic]

I'll start.

A friend's mother purchased a new car recently.

The car's paint was in near-perfect shape since he had the dealer skip the pre-delivery detail.

So here was what I did:

- Washed w/Meg's Gold Class Soap
- Applied Iron-X paste for decontamination
- Nanoskin Fine Grade 6" DA Pad, Nanoshock was used for lube
- Performed a 1-Step Polish using my Rupes 21 polisher. HD Polish was used. I did 4-5 passes for per area. Uber green, Meguiars Yellow and Rupes White pads were used with very similar results.
- Sprayed down the car with Optimum Power Clean (diluted 3:1), agitated with a plush MF towel, and rinsed off.
- Wiped down the entire car with a 25% IPA/water mix.
- Applied Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0.

Here's a little tip about Opti-Coat 2.0. The label says to lightly buff off the high spots within 5 minutes. I would highly recommend doing so within the first 60-90 seconds. The product flashes fairly quickly and is usually ready for the high spots to be leveled within the first minute.

Lastly, I think this was the quickest detail I've done. With his help we were able to finish this car in just over 4 hours!

 

[redhat]

My Accord was relatively clean from the initial "yearly prep" done in the beginning of this summer. Last week I washed with Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss and then added two coats of Collinite 845 about 8 hours apart. Used MF applicator pads and very plush MF towels.

 

[ECUpirate]

I just bought a new to me Silverado. Olympic White. It was FILTHY inside and out. Here's what I did.

Exterior:
Washed with Dawn and a microfiber wash mitt.
Clay bar applied to almost the entire truck.
Megs M105/205
Klasse AIO, then Klasse sealant
Topped with a coat of Pinnacle Liquid Souveran.
SONAX F/E wheel cleaner.
Blackfire tire gel.
Looks like a brand new truck.

Interior:
Aerospace carpet cleaner
Megs cleaner wipes
Aerospace 303 protectant
Lexol leather cleaner/conditioner
Chemical guys "stripper scent" air freshener.

Boom, perfect....

 

[aquariuscsm]

I did my engine bay todey. Washed the entire bay down,used Simple Green HD on a few dirtier areas,sprayed with Nano Wax,then washed everything off. Towel dried it all,then Pledged and wiped down with paper towels.

I do the leather seats weekly with either/both Armor All Leather Protectant and Surf City Leather Rejuvenator. I use the leather conditioners on all of the interior surfaces.

 

[SatinSilver]

Holy cow guys, post some pictures already. That should be mandatory in this thread. Ok, rant over.

 

[97tbird]

^ LOL I agree - No point without pics.
this thread should've been started on the Photo section, although it's about detailing - then we'd have seen some pics!

 

[Garak]

If The Critic posts pictures every time he details a vehicle, he'll have his bandwidth throttled!

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Holy cow guys, post some pictures already. That should be mandatory in this thread. Ok, rant over.

Yeah, pictures would be welcomed. However, if people would like to post many pictures or generate more traffic to their pictures, then starting their own thread would be a better idea.

 

[doitmyself]

You ultra detailers are going to grimace, but this is my regimen, which I just did last week to my 6 month old Jeep.

IMO, less = more. I am a minimalist and only detail my vehicles 2 times a year (spring and fall). Because we get so much rain here in Michigan, I only wash my vehicles a few times a year. A VERY light film of dirt doesn't bother me and I feel that every wash is a chance to micro mar the paint.

- Wash thoroughly with Meg's Gold Class (maybe Dawn if I think I need to remove residual)
- Clay bar at least once a year. Goes really fast as my sealant "seems" to keep paint clean. I use copious amounts of water/soap solution as the lubricant.
- One coat Zaino AIO provides additional cleaning and prep. (Maybe not needed on very new paint).
--Two coats Zaino Z2Pro with ZFX. Can do all three coats in less than 2 hours at relaxed pace.
- Treat all the plastic and rubber with Aerospace 303
- Treat windshield with whatever flavor of the month topical I want to play with (need opinions here).

Done in about 5 hours if I am relaxing and enjoying it. No machine use.

I use Pak Shak micro fiber cloths (still using ones from 2005 order - two grades of cloths and waffle weave to dry).

My Zaino order (about $60) lasts for two to three years.

We vacuum and/or wipe down the interior as needed (monthly).....dog, grandkids, farm life.

I follow the KISS principle. Never use automatic car washes, but use the DIY spray booths in winter.

I believe that some people over maintain their finishes to the point of doing damage. I have a life beyond maintaining material possessions, but still take care of things much better than the general public, IMO. Everything in moderation.

My 9 year + Caravan was NEVER polished for micro marring. It had some iron tough paint that showed almost no marring under bright florescent shop lights, sun, etc.. My vehicle(s) have always been ungaraged, daily driver, work "appliances".

 

[kkreit01]

I recently did this to both of mine, and am still sore.

All done by hand:

- 2 bucket wash with Surf City Wash Wax - using 2 HD Grout Sponges + bug sponge.
- Waterfall rinse & dry with Absorber XL.
- Wipe down all door jams, underhood, etc.
- NoTouch Original satin on tires
- Used Poorboys Polish with Carnuba Blue on all exterior paint, lenses, chrome, wheels, and glass.
- Meguiars Ultimate Protectant Gel on all exterior textured plastic.
- 1Z Gummi Pflege on all rubber seals.
- Duragloss AquaWax on all interior door jams, etc.
- Free tint shop glass cleaner on interior glass.
- Surf City Dash Away on all interior plastics/vinyl.
- ShopVac interior, and put OE slush mats in.
- Surf City Leather Rejuvenator on Jeep's seats.

In a few weeks, I'll add IW845 to exterior paint. I'll then use AquaWax 1x/monthly throughout the winter (ONR washes in garage).

 

[The Critic]

2007 BMW 328i Sedan -- Arctic Metallic

The car has had the roof, left/front door and left/rear door repainted. The repainted areas appeared very hazy and could benefit from some wet-sanding.

I did an exterior detail only:

- Wash w/Meguiars HyperWash
- Wheels w/Eagle One Aluminum Wheel Cleaner (this stuff does not work well at all)
- De-Contamination w/Iron-X Paste
- Nanoskin Auto Scrub Wash Mitt, Medium Grade
- Dry w/Meguiars Drying Towel
- Tape off all trim and gaskets
- Menzerna PF2500/Rupes Yellow Pad/Rupes 21 Polisher for trunk lid, hood and front fenders
- Menzerna PF2500/Meguiars Microfiber Finishing Disc/Rupes 21 Polisher for all doors, rear quarter panels and rear bumper.
- Applied Menzerna Power Lock Paint Sealant
- Dressed tires with Optimum Opti-Bond.

The total time spent was 7 hours. The roof and front bumper were in such poor condition that it was not worth spending time on, so I skipped the polishing step for those two areas.

I was quite surprised by how well the Meguiars MF Finishing Disc and Menzerna PF2500 worked together as a one-step polish for this paint. I think the original BMW paint was fairly hard because this combination provided some serious cut, but still finished acceptably with almost no haze. In case anyone is wondering, I did 6 passes total - 5 passes on speed 4, 1 pass on speed 3.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Cleaned the '06 Accord I just bought. I figured I was starting from scratch.

Exterior:
Two hot water bucket washings with Zaino Z7
Clay bar Z-18
One layer of ZPC
Two layers of Z5 polish

Wheels were taken off and washed. Then Eagle One Aluminum Wheel cleaner but on. (I'm using the rest of it up)

Tires were given a layer of Black Magic Tire Wet

Interior:
Instrument Pane Windexed
Interior got a layer of Black Magic Pro Shine Protectant.
All windows got Windex inside and out.
Seats cleaned with Meguiars Leather Wipes

All that was before the brake and power steering drain and fills. Oil and transmission fluids are in a week or two.

That was enough for today.....

 

[97tbird]

OK I'll be the 1st to post some pics

hehe.

This was a quick one (only exterior, and wheels were not done - that's for later).

Just to get wife's new Mazda 6 a bit ready for winter/snow if any at all.
Car is only like 8 months old and has been so far maintained by a few ONR washes and spray wax. It's daily driven and driven a lot. already has 16.5 k miles. It's garaged when at home.

MY STEPS: ALL DONE INDOORS

- ONR wash - 2 bucket method
- "Clay" with Nanoskin sponge (fine grade)- 2 passes
- ONR again/mostly wipe dry with WW MF cloth
- Seal with Black Fire Crystal seal.
- Let BFCS bond/cure for about 24 hrs.
- Meg's Ultimate quick wax only on the front/bumper as this area gets hit hardest with bugs/debri etc etc on her long daily drive

As you can see, I did not polish after clay but went to sealant directly. (Paint was swirl/scratch free, and whatever imperfections the NanoSkin took out, and it looked ready to seal after the Nanoskin sponge treatment)

It was amazing the increase of smoothness/slickness in the paint to touch after each step - pics can not describe THAT! Hopefully this will get the car some protection for a few months. I still might use some spray wax to top the BFCS on the rest of the car if I feel up to it later today.

PICS (iphone - Sadly, no sun today after full cure of the BFCS, and it's gloomy outside; only the trunk lid pic was taken in sun, which was right after applying BFCS)

 

[hattaresguy]

Detailing?

I hosed off my work truck after driving it threw a foot of salt water on a flooded road. I wax it only in the spring the winter sun isn't that strong.

 

[SatinSilver]

Nice, I love seeing old cars detailed up and brought back to life. Like the engine bay cleaning you did to the 03 Elantra. Wouldn't mind seeing pictures of that all shined up.

Not to give you more work to do or anything.

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Nice, I love seeing old cars detailed up and brought back to life. Like the engine bay cleaning you did to the 03 Elantra. Wouldn't mind seeing pictures of that all shined up.

Not to give you more work to do or anything.

Thanks!
- I know what you mean; Detailing an older car def. gives you more satisfaction.
At the same time, I want to maintain the new ones well, too, so they will keep looking good and be protected as we drive our cars a lot...Wife's car especially.

The Elantra's clear coat and paint has peeled off a lot on all horizontal surfaces, and it needs those areas repainted (not sure if I'd do it or not, it has a new goal of 300k miles, now at 211k miles)
- that's why I don't do any exterior detail on it right now; But you can bet that the interior and engine bay always looks new on it

[I kinda like the effect when someone gets into the Elantra and is shocked by how clean, well detailed and new the interior looks because that's the last thing they imagine when they see the outside with the battered look LOL!)

 

[JHZR2]

Do those of you who wait 24 hrs or any amount of time really, have concerns about new dirt/dust blowing onto the surface? After leaving the vehicle for a time, do you California dust or do anything else like that to ensure a clean surface?

 

[97tbird]

in my case it was in the garage after applying BFCS. It doesn't take 24 hrs to cure (I learned that today), much less apparently.
However, I did dust it lightly with my california duster before applying wax on top of it. Not because I saw anything suspect, but just for peace of mind.

 

[SatinSilver]

If the car is in a well sealed, clean garage without dirty dogs running around then no concern. If the car was outside then yes.