The Perfect Detail for Amateurs

[adcha1]

Hi Everyone

A lot of people here don't know have never detailed a car or don't know how to detail a car. Although Mike has posted the 5 Steps, it doesn't really provide us with as much detail as one would like.

So i was wondering if any of you pro's out there would be interested in giving out some advice regarding on how to detail a car.

So here is a small case study

The Car

Let us assume that the color of the car is Metallic Black.
The paint has been neglected, so has the interior. In fact the car is only washed with once every two months. Cobwebs everywhere.


The person TRYING to detail the car:

is an amteur who wants the car to look like new.
Has his hands as his primary tool
Has a polisher but does not know how to use it.
Has the following products :

Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
Quik Clay Detailing System
ScratchX
Swirl Remover 2.0 (Mirror Glaze # 9)
Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
Deep Crystal Polish
Deep Crystal Polymer Sealant Wet Look
Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax
NXT Generation Tech Wax
NXT Generation Tech Protect
NXT Generation Glass Cleaner
NXT Generation All Metal Polysh
NXT Generation Insane Shine Tire Coating.

His friends have told him that he might improve the cars looks with the above but might not have a showroom finish. He wants a SHOWROOM finish. The products mentioned to him were #80.

YOU THE PRO

Advise him how he can get that showroom look. If need be, mention any other products that he might need. Advise him in what order the product should be used. He also needs a product to clean the engine!!

Thank You

[Don]

You CAN get a showroom finish with the above mentioned products, but it WILL be labor-intensive.

I recommend starting with the Scratch-X, using a terry cloth applicator for maximum cutting ability/abrasiveness.

Start with a small amount of product a nickle or quarter (2-3 cm for you down under folks) sized drops on your applicator. Pick a starting point on your car that is about 6" (11-13 cm) square and start with medium pressure rubbing front to back, up and down and in diagonals. This will most likely have to be repeated more than a few times (depending on the severity of the damage to the paint).

When you get to the point where the paint appears to be close to where you want it (appearance-wise), move onto the next area. Then once you have an entire panel *almost* done, wipe the panel clean and using a fresh applicator, use the Scratch-X in long strokes covering as much of the panel as you can to 'blend' each individual area together into one clean, perfect surface.

This will probably have taken a couple of hours. You have a choice of either finishing (applying the Step 2 DC polish then wax or NXT) or moving onto the next panel.

If the car is going to be driven/exposed to the elements, I would opt for finishing and protecting the panel, that way all your hard work is protected and you don't have to start from scratch (no pun intended) when you get the opportunity to continue with your paint correction.

The amount of labor involved plus the time required to complete such a job by hand on a street car, show cars are a different animal, was a major factor in my decision to spend the money on an electric buffer.

I'll let the others chime in with their recommendations