Tweet
A friend wanted to detail his Honda CRV with me in preparation for snowboarding season in CA. I took the opportunity to hone my skills after previously detailing a friends BMW.
Some "before" pics:
The trim below the windows is cracking and flaking off. The owner took it upon himself to scrape this black stuff off, create a clean edge with a razor blade, and polish the bare metal beneath. Let me know if you think this will end badly. I don't know what kind of metal it is or whether it will rust or tarnish easily.
We washed the car with NXT Car Wash and 2 bucket method. Then we clayed it with the Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit.
We discovered that these white marks near the rear fender were all tiny rock and salt hits that took the paint off. Initially we thought it was impacted salt or gravel that could be cleaned or buffed off. Wrong. We had to move on and live with it because we only had a day to work and couldn't touch up paint.
When I detailed the interior I used a new product I bought at OSH called Grease Grizzly to clean all of the plastic and the dash. Needless to say, the brush and microfibers were coming up black with filth. After a healthy scrub down I hit it with Megs Supreme Shine Protectant.
The paint was a bit dull and had swirls and scratches of every degree of severity. I want to get some M105 and M205 for future jobs since it seems like a popular method on this forum. However, given what I had on hand, this is my process:
Medium-Cut Cleaner #1 on wool pad that came with the Makita rotary buffer. Around 900-1100 RPM on rotary.
Swirl Remover 2.0 #9 on Meguiars foam polishing pad. Around 1000 RPM on rotary.
Show Car Glaze #7 applied by hand
NXT Tech Wax 2.0 as LSP
Here is a 50/50 shot after the Medium-Cut and Swirl Remover:
Here are some "after" shots the night we finished and the next morning:
Not as perfect as some work I've seen on these forums, but a big improvement nonetheless.
Note: that's not a big scratch, it's the work light stand reflecting.
Owner of the vehicle and friend putting the spare back on. If he needs to use it, at least it will be glossy! (That's Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Gel)
The next morning in Pomona:
This was my second paint correction job with the rotary buffer, and there is a LOT of room for improvement.
I would love it if the more experienced detailers would weigh in on my method and choice of product. Any suggestions to help raise my game would be GREATLY appreciated. I've already learned so much from this forum, and I'm sure I will continue to do so.
Some "before" pics:
The trim below the windows is cracking and flaking off. The owner took it upon himself to scrape this black stuff off, create a clean edge with a razor blade, and polish the bare metal beneath. Let me know if you think this will end badly. I don't know what kind of metal it is or whether it will rust or tarnish easily.
We washed the car with NXT Car Wash and 2 bucket method. Then we clayed it with the Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit.
We discovered that these white marks near the rear fender were all tiny rock and salt hits that took the paint off. Initially we thought it was impacted salt or gravel that could be cleaned or buffed off. Wrong. We had to move on and live with it because we only had a day to work and couldn't touch up paint.
When I detailed the interior I used a new product I bought at OSH called Grease Grizzly to clean all of the plastic and the dash. Needless to say, the brush and microfibers were coming up black with filth. After a healthy scrub down I hit it with Megs Supreme Shine Protectant.
The paint was a bit dull and had swirls and scratches of every degree of severity. I want to get some M105 and M205 for future jobs since it seems like a popular method on this forum. However, given what I had on hand, this is my process:
Medium-Cut Cleaner #1 on wool pad that came with the Makita rotary buffer. Around 900-1100 RPM on rotary.
Swirl Remover 2.0 #9 on Meguiars foam polishing pad. Around 1000 RPM on rotary.
Show Car Glaze #7 applied by hand
NXT Tech Wax 2.0 as LSP
Here is a 50/50 shot after the Medium-Cut and Swirl Remover:
Here are some "after" shots the night we finished and the next morning:
Not as perfect as some work I've seen on these forums, but a big improvement nonetheless.
Note: that's not a big scratch, it's the work light stand reflecting.
Owner of the vehicle and friend putting the spare back on. If he needs to use it, at least it will be glossy! (That's Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Gel)
The next morning in Pomona:
This was my second paint correction job with the rotary buffer, and there is a LOT of room for improvement.
I would love it if the more experienced detailers would weigh in on my method and choice of product. Any suggestions to help raise my game would be GREATLY appreciated. I've already learned so much from this forum, and I'm sure I will continue to do so.
Comment