New Detailer - This Sound Right?

[pwt65]

Great site! I found it after we had to make an unplanned new car purchase (totaled Volvo) and I decided that I was going to take proper care of the new MPV from day one.

Anyway, after loading up on a LOT of the products on this website and using them with satisfactory results on the new vehicle I took a closer look at this:



My partner's car. As you can see, it needs a little TLC.

Here are some shots of some scratches (mishap with the boot) and swirling (with a "gift" by a feathered friend):


I washed the car after taking these photos and it appears that the bird droppings did not damage the finish.

Here is what I plan to do:

Wash - remove surface dirt
Clay
ScratchX
Deep Crystal Polish
NXT

Definitely PlastX on that back window! And on the front lenses.

From what I gather on this website, the ScratchX should help with the boot scratching as well as the swirling. The Deep Crystal Polish will help the NXT give better results.

Does this sound like a good plan of attack? Unfortunately, this will all have to be by hand as I cannot justify the expense of any power tools at this time. Will be a lot of work, but the results will be worth it.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, suggestions or even "You're crazy for doing that by hand!"

Thanks,

Pete

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Pete,

Your selection of product will do a really great job, the one thing you want to do is to really do a good job of applying the ScratchX.

Your end-results are always dependent upon your prep work and in this case it's all going to come down to how thoroughly you apply and work in the ScratchX.

Over the entire car, apply the ScratchX section by section, removing it as you go. Work a section about a foot squared at the most. Overlap each new section into the previous section. The reason for this is, UMR, (Here's a new Acrynm for the list )

U.M.R.

Uniform Material Removal.

Removing swirls and scratches, whether by hand or machine mean removing small amounts of paint, the key to a uniform swirl-free finish, is to uniformly remove the same amount of paint over the entire surface, thus the reason to overlap each section into the previous section.

For the deeper scratches, you want to apply 2, 3, maybe even 4 applications and really work the ScratchX against the paint. Remember, some scratches are to deep to safely remove completely, while you cannot always remove a scratch, you can often times improve a scratch or defect to the point that it's difficult to see.

After the ScratchX, apply the polish and remove, remember you don't need to let either paint cleaners like ScratchX or pure polishes like Deep Crystal Polish dry, simply apply, work in, and then remove.

The go to your choice of wax. Two thin coats insures a uniform appearance, and uniform coverage/protection.

Have fun!