Good or bad?

[deathbeforedawn]

I was planning on finally putting the time in tomorrow to detail the entire car. I usually just wash, polish, then wax. tomorrow I want to go all out.
This is the order I planned on doing things...

Wash (Meguiars Ultimate wash and wax)(By Hand)
Clay (Meguiars Clay kit)(By Hand..lol)
Compound (Meguiars Ultimate Compound)(By Hand)
Swirls (Meguiars Scratch X 2.0)(By Hand)
Polish (Meguiars Ultimate Polish)(Orbital)
Wax 1 (Meguiars tech wax 2.0 Paste)(By Hand)
Wax 2 (Meguiars Ultimate Liquid wax)(Orbital)
Shine (Meguiars quick detailed)(By Hand)

Is there anything I should change here...or add in since I'm dedicating the entire day to this?

[Murr1525]

Re: Good or bad?

I think you'll be repeating yourself a lot, and wasting time... even a few steps all in one day by hand is a lot.

What condition is the car in? Defects, swirls, etc that need fixed?

[deathbeforedawn]

It just doesn't have the shine that I'm wanting...it has some minor scratches here and there and it's not as slick as I would want.

[Murr1525]

Re: Good or bad?

I'd look at something like:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean - Ult. Compound - can try hand or machine. Machine should make things go faster, if you have some experience with it. What kind.. and what pads, bonnets, etc?
4. Polish - Ult. Polish
5. Wax
6. Wax

Also, you would generally want the wax to sit undisturbed for as long as possible, so no QD after.

[deathbeforedawn]

I have Terry, micro, and a polishing bonnet(looks like sheep but it's not)

[deathbeforedawn]

The reason I'm not using the buffer for most of it is because I don't know what bonnets to use for each process.

[deathbeforedawn]

Done...that was a lot of work...but it looks awesome...I ended up using the orbital for the polish and ultimate wax...but everything else was done by hand...total time taken 7 1/2 hours...with the occasional break...I'll post pictures tomorrow. Is there a breakdown somewhere of what is the best bonnet to use during each step?

[Murr1525]

Re: Good or bad?

Hmm, didnt see your inbetween posts there... but at least everything went well.

Usually most of the buffers used here would just use foam pads, so that is why you dont see much mention of it. Generally, you would want to go with the mildest bonnets, and let the product do the work.

Terry can be very agressive, and leave its own swirls behind on some paints. Depending on the brand/size, maybe some foam bonnets would be available also.