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Background:
I view this car a month ago and the owner indicated the car had just been painted 30 days prior to my visit. I suggested the owner verify with the painter how soon the vehicle could be waxed, although I suggested we wait an additional 30 days. I was leaving town for awhile and waiting an additional 30 days to detail the car worked better in my schedule.
The car was heavily swirled, minor random scratches and some deep scratches. Much to my chagrin, while I was away the owner had pinstripes painted. I might have suggested paint, pinstripes, then clear coat, and then I could follow up with a detail. Conferring with MOL, I was advised to be very careful for fear of taping the stripes and pulling them off or buffing over them and seeing them disappear.
Products:
Wash
Super Soap with Gilmour Foam Gun
Clay
Professional Mild
Last Touch diluted for lube
Test Spot
Only M105/Yellow Pad left hazing
Only M205/Yellow Pad left scratches
Final Method
M105/Yellow pad/Speeds 6 Aggressive followed by 4 Medium pressure
M205/Yellow pad/Speeds 6 Aggressive followed by 4 Medium pressure
ColorX/Black pad/Speeds 5 Medium followed by 3 Light pressure
Wax
Ultimate Liquid Wax - two coats
Chrome
Mothers Chrome Polish
Aluminum Trim
Meguiar's All Metal Polish
Tires
Meguiar's Endurance Spray
Windows
Perfect Clarity (exterior only)
Project:
Clean, polish and wax the painted surfaces. Wheels as time permits. No glass, no trim and no interior work.
The car is a bit of a daily driver and it was brought to the shop in a light rain. I washed the car with Super Soap
Not sure why the water beaded in some areas and sheeted in other?
The owner or previous owner tried to polish the chrome bumpers. The is rear bumper is damaged beyond my ability to repair.
Test Area on the left M105 was used and on the right M205 was used. The clear coat was delicate and I hoped M205 would removed the swirls and random scratches. While it left the surface nice and black, the random scratches remained. The M105 area showed the scratches were removed, but was heavily hazed. So using the traditional M105 followed by M205 method proved satisfactory. I was very aggressive with the first passes of each product easing up on the following passes. My goal was to remove all defects then remove all hazing. Wishing to refine the surface further, I used ColorX first moderately aggressively and then gently. The clear coat is very delicate and using microfibers caused additional swirls in the finish. I used progressive gentle towels and gentle techniques for product removal, ending with two Supreme Wipes stacked on top of one another.
My landlord was away for a few days, so I took advantage of his lift to work on the car. Step one was to aggressively attack the sides of the car with M105. I covered the wheels to protect them from the anticipated dusting. The rocker strips are aluminum and I polished those while the car was on the lift. All joints, trim and emblems were taped to protect them from the buffer damage and dust inflitration. Normally I would work top down, but went sides, roof and then hood and trunk to get off the lift as soon as possible.
The owner had indicated there was an area not clear coated. However, it turned out both doors and other miscellaneous areas had no clear coat. This is evidenced by the blackened pads on the buffers.
The next couple of photos show the pinstriping. The striping bridged over the swirls and random scratches. I advised the owner I would be unable to perform corrective work without possibly damaging the pin stripes. It also created extra work at all the pinstriping was double taped. So for example the tape was put over the two lower stripes, flush with the top edge of the red stripe. Then it was removed and the tape was installed flush with the bottom edge of the orange stripe. Using this technique I was able to get as close to the stripes as possible, while protecting them. Used scads of tape.
This photo is the end of the M105, looking much better however a bit grey with hazing.
Completed both sides of the car and then removed the covers from the wheels and polished the rims and dressed the tires. It would have been nice to removed wheels to polish them, but that was not part of the grand plan.
This photo shows marring left by previous buffer action.
Swirls on the top of the fender. Probably under the pinstriping too.
A scratch I could feel with my fingernail and in an area without any clear coat. I left it and showed it to the owner at completion.
Damage from buffing by a previous owner on the window trim.
The owner stopped by during the process and I had left the tape on the test area. I removed it to show him the previous condition as shown by the two inch center strip. On the left is the M105 test area and on the right is the M205 test area.
Car after complete M105 step. As each area was polished with M205 the tape is removed from the trim and joints. As ColorX is used, all remaining tape is removed. Very few rubber or vinyl trim or gaskets. Not part of the project to polish any of the metal trim.
Microfiber sitting on fender. Appears free of swirls. The goal is always 100% removal, but this is never possible for me so I usually reach 70-80% removal.
The process took me three and a half days. I usually put on two coats of Ultimate Liquid Wax with 12 to 24 hours between coats.
This is one of my favorite photos, just love the reflection.
Prior to driving off, I gave the owner bottles from the Meguiar's gift pack and reviewed the use of high quality microfibers and the Ultimate products, Detailer and Wax. I included a gift pack bottle of Ultimate Wash and Wax. The clear coat is so delicate swirls will be unavoidable, even with the most diligent and careful techniques.
I view this car a month ago and the owner indicated the car had just been painted 30 days prior to my visit. I suggested the owner verify with the painter how soon the vehicle could be waxed, although I suggested we wait an additional 30 days. I was leaving town for awhile and waiting an additional 30 days to detail the car worked better in my schedule.
The car was heavily swirled, minor random scratches and some deep scratches. Much to my chagrin, while I was away the owner had pinstripes painted. I might have suggested paint, pinstripes, then clear coat, and then I could follow up with a detail. Conferring with MOL, I was advised to be very careful for fear of taping the stripes and pulling them off or buffing over them and seeing them disappear.
Products:
Wash
Super Soap with Gilmour Foam Gun
Clay
Professional Mild
Last Touch diluted for lube
Test Spot
Only M105/Yellow Pad left hazing
Only M205/Yellow Pad left scratches
Final Method
M105/Yellow pad/Speeds 6 Aggressive followed by 4 Medium pressure
M205/Yellow pad/Speeds 6 Aggressive followed by 4 Medium pressure
ColorX/Black pad/Speeds 5 Medium followed by 3 Light pressure
Wax
Ultimate Liquid Wax - two coats
Chrome
Mothers Chrome Polish
Aluminum Trim
Meguiar's All Metal Polish
Tires
Meguiar's Endurance Spray
Windows
Perfect Clarity (exterior only)
Project:
Clean, polish and wax the painted surfaces. Wheels as time permits. No glass, no trim and no interior work.
The car is a bit of a daily driver and it was brought to the shop in a light rain. I washed the car with Super Soap
Not sure why the water beaded in some areas and sheeted in other?
The owner or previous owner tried to polish the chrome bumpers. The is rear bumper is damaged beyond my ability to repair.
Test Area on the left M105 was used and on the right M205 was used. The clear coat was delicate and I hoped M205 would removed the swirls and random scratches. While it left the surface nice and black, the random scratches remained. The M105 area showed the scratches were removed, but was heavily hazed. So using the traditional M105 followed by M205 method proved satisfactory. I was very aggressive with the first passes of each product easing up on the following passes. My goal was to remove all defects then remove all hazing. Wishing to refine the surface further, I used ColorX first moderately aggressively and then gently. The clear coat is very delicate and using microfibers caused additional swirls in the finish. I used progressive gentle towels and gentle techniques for product removal, ending with two Supreme Wipes stacked on top of one another.
My landlord was away for a few days, so I took advantage of his lift to work on the car. Step one was to aggressively attack the sides of the car with M105. I covered the wheels to protect them from the anticipated dusting. The rocker strips are aluminum and I polished those while the car was on the lift. All joints, trim and emblems were taped to protect them from the buffer damage and dust inflitration. Normally I would work top down, but went sides, roof and then hood and trunk to get off the lift as soon as possible.
The owner had indicated there was an area not clear coated. However, it turned out both doors and other miscellaneous areas had no clear coat. This is evidenced by the blackened pads on the buffers.
The next couple of photos show the pinstriping. The striping bridged over the swirls and random scratches. I advised the owner I would be unable to perform corrective work without possibly damaging the pin stripes. It also created extra work at all the pinstriping was double taped. So for example the tape was put over the two lower stripes, flush with the top edge of the red stripe. Then it was removed and the tape was installed flush with the bottom edge of the orange stripe. Using this technique I was able to get as close to the stripes as possible, while protecting them. Used scads of tape.
This photo is the end of the M105, looking much better however a bit grey with hazing.
Completed both sides of the car and then removed the covers from the wheels and polished the rims and dressed the tires. It would have been nice to removed wheels to polish them, but that was not part of the grand plan.
This photo shows marring left by previous buffer action.
Swirls on the top of the fender. Probably under the pinstriping too.
A scratch I could feel with my fingernail and in an area without any clear coat. I left it and showed it to the owner at completion.
Damage from buffing by a previous owner on the window trim.
The owner stopped by during the process and I had left the tape on the test area. I removed it to show him the previous condition as shown by the two inch center strip. On the left is the M105 test area and on the right is the M205 test area.
Car after complete M105 step. As each area was polished with M205 the tape is removed from the trim and joints. As ColorX is used, all remaining tape is removed. Very few rubber or vinyl trim or gaskets. Not part of the project to polish any of the metal trim.
Microfiber sitting on fender. Appears free of swirls. The goal is always 100% removal, but this is never possible for me so I usually reach 70-80% removal.
The process took me three and a half days. I usually put on two coats of Ultimate Liquid Wax with 12 to 24 hours between coats.
This is one of my favorite photos, just love the reflection.
Prior to driving off, I gave the owner bottles from the Meguiar's gift pack and reviewed the use of high quality microfibers and the Ultimate products, Detailer and Wax. I included a gift pack bottle of Ultimate Wash and Wax. The clear coat is so delicate swirls will be unavoidable, even with the most diligent and careful techniques.
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