San Diego Viper Club at Meguiar's

[Mike Phillips]

Here are the results,

Before - RAW Photo (Cropped but not resized)


After by hand


While these results don't look super dramatic, the over all results were much better in person. Sometimes the camera doesn't capture all of the different dimension that the eye can see. Also, to date, I have found the factory paint on a Viper to be one of the hardest paint in terms of actual paint hardness. The harder a paint is, the more durable it is, but the more difficult it is to remove defects out of.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Before - The section we used the G-100



After



When we do these demonstrations, we tend to do them rather quickly because we have a lot of products to demonstrate. The point being, when the owner works on their own finish, they can spend more time and work-out even more of the defects. It's just a matter of putting in the time and effort based upon how hard your car's paint is, and how deep the swirls and scratches are. Removing swirls, scratches, etchings and other below surface defects is just a matter of carefully removing small amounts of paint to level the highest point of the surface with the lowest point of the defect. Of course some defects are too deep to safely remove as the below diagram shows.



Mike

[Mike Phillips]

After inspecting the results, discussing the process and answering questions, Randy drove his Viper back into Meguiar's Garage where we re-did the entire front clip to remove any signs of where we worked and to restore a show car finish worthy of the Viper marque.

Inside


Outside


The metallic Jade green is a beautiful color after restoring the clarity, gloss, depth and reflectivity with Meguiar's!

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Next up...

Claying a red Viper...








Mike

[Mike Phillips]

After the NXT Treatment!



Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Next up, Niz and Lisa pull their black Viper in for some special attention...

First off is to wipe the finish down with Meguiar's Quik Detailer to remove light dust and contaminants.



Next up it's time to clay the finish to remove above surface contaminants,

[Mike Phillips]

After wiping the finish down and claying it to remove the above surface contaminants, Niz and Lisa showed me an area where a bird had left a dropping, which etched into the finish.



Before ScratchX


After ScratchX


This was all done by hand following the how-to directions posted here,

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

We hand applied three applications of the ScratchX using Hi-Tech Applicator Pad

Each application removed a little more paint and thus removed a little more of the etching. After three applications the etching was no longer visible from a couple feet away. We stopped here because we were going to machine polish the entire finish using the G-100a .

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

The finish of this Black Viper needed some scratch and swirl removal to restore a finish worthy of this beautiful body style. To do this, we gave Niz some hands-on training on how to work with the G-100 Dual Action Polisher, with some products from Meguiar's Professional Line.

Products Used
Quik Clay System
G-100a
W-8006 foam polishing pad
W-9006 foam finishing pad
#83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
#80 Speed Glaze
Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
Ultimate Wipe
Ultimate Bonnet

First Niz applies the #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish with a W-8006 foam polishing pad on the G-100 on the 5.0 setting.



After the #83 is removed, Niz then applies the #80 Speed Glaze with a different W-8006 foam polishing pad on the G-100 on the 4.5 setting.



After the #80 Speed Glaze is applied and removed, (Neither the #83 or the #80 need to dry, simply apply and remove), Niz applied a uniform application of Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax and allowed it to dry for approximately 15 minutes.

[Mike Phillips]

After the Tech Wax had dried to a haze and swiped clear, Niz and Lisa began removing it.

Niz used Meguiar's Ultimate Bonnet, a microfiber polishing bonnet on a clean, dry foam pad on the G-100 on the 5.0 setting.





Mike

[Mike Phillips]

The G-100 fitted with an Ultimate Bonnet makes removing Tech Wax a breeze and leaves behind a deep, dark reflective finish.

Just check out the reflection of Niz's arm where he's removed the NXT Tech Wax. Note also what a thin application looks like to the right where he has not removed the wax yet.



THe G-100 is light enough and so easy to operate that once you are comfortable with its operation, you can even use it with only one hand for some operations.



Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Niz methodically works his way around his Viper,



Lisa uses an Ultimate Wipe to get into the nooks and crannies where the Ultimate Bonnet on a foam pad cannot reach.




Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Finished Results!



Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Before


After


The 6.3 mega pixel camera, held about one foot away was able to capture what remains of the etching. The above photos are what are referred to as RAW format photos. That is they have not been altered or modified in any way, including resizing. They have been cropped out of the original at 700 pixels wide.

The after picture shows just a small amount of pitting, but not enough to continue removing clear coat from the finish because with your eyes up close, about one foot away, you cannot see this pitting. Standing directly over the hood of the car and looking directly into the hood, you can see no sign of the original etching.

[Mike Phillips]

Outside


Mike

[Newport Viper]

Cars look great!!

Sorry I missed it. Well I had a good reason........ I was in Vegas!!!!