Corvette Detailing Instructions

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Oh okay thanks and my paint is fresh so I can use DC2 right? But no waxes or sealants.

Yes, but it's the least aggressive paint cleaner we make so it's limited as to what it can remove by hand or machine.

It would probably be a good idea to start your own thread for your project instead of tagging onto Corvetteman's thread for his project.

[RtN]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Oh okay thanks and my paint is fresh so I can use DC2 right? But no waxes or sealants.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Yeh ouch.. doesn't look good. I have had my front resprayed and the painter used cutting compound.. when I got it couldnt really see much holograms/buffer trails but then after when I washed my car it was so visible like the first page.

So yeh just to confirm there are generally 3 methods of cleaning it up?

1. Use M105
2. Scratch X
3. Paint Cleaner

Thanks.

Correct. The way you remove swirls or scratches is to remove a little paint, so you need an abrasive product that will remove paint but won't leave swirls and scratches at the same time.

This is a sticky in Hot Topics

What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...

All these 3 are paint cleaners. M105 being the most aggressive.

Proper procedure would be:

1. Clay Bar
2. M105 (or ScratchX)
3. Pure Polish (Deep Crystal Polish)
4. Wax (NXT Tech Wax 2.0)

This is correct. At this time, M105 is the most effective way to remove swirls and scratches by hand. It's always easier and faster to use a DA Polisher and a machine will aways produce better results than the human hand which is 4 pressure point on a wax applicator pad.

Applying a pure polish after the cleaning step is optional, that is you don't have to do it if you don't want to instead you can go straight to wax.

The kind of people that are attracted to Meguiar's are usually what Barry calls "Car Crazy" and then tend to want to do as much as they can to maximize their car's appearance so they tend to apply a pure polish after the cleaning step and before the waxing step.

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Front door (smooth surface between glass and bottom half) has been machine polished ($20 rotary machine) with 2 x scratcx, 1 x deep crystal polish, 1 x nxt tech wax 2.0.

This took 3 hours!

All holograms are gone, but the shine is not much better than the other door:

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Hey mike phillips, can you please confirm what i've wrote in post #24? Thank You.

All these 3 are paint cleaners. M105 being hte most aggressive.

Proper procedure would be:

1. Clay Bar
2. M105 (or ScratchX)
3. Pure Polish (Deep Crystal Polish)
4. Wax (NXT Tech Wax 2.0)

[RtN]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Hey mike phillips, can you please confirm what i've wrote in post #24? Thank You.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

That is absolutely horrible looking.

Heck, just an application of our A12 Cleaner/Wax for about $7.00 a bottle that's been out since 1973 would give you better looking results.

[RtN]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Yeh ouch.. doesn't look good. I have had my front resprayed and the painter used cutting compound.. when I got it couldnt really see much holograms/buffer trails but then after when I washed my car it was so visible like the first page. So yeh just to confirm there are generally 3 methods of cleaning it up?

1. Use M105
2. Scratch X
3. Paint Cleaner

Thanks.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

I would definitely stop going to this guys. I bet it was easier to look at the car before the detail. Yikes.

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Detailing job by the same company on my friend's Black SUV:

Door have been cleaned before the picture. Sidesills under the doors are shampoo that wasn't cleaned off and we did not want to mess up the cleaning cloth.

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Are you referring to the video on the www.meguiars.com homepage?

Yes i am. Not only meguiars, but all the other polishing product videos i have looked into as well.

It is not a two-second apply-easy, distribute-easy, work-in-easy, buff-out-easy job.

Looking at all those videos, that was the impression I got. Wax products may be, but paint removers / polishes are definitely not. To remove a minor scratch, i had to work very very hard and only after 3 applications it diminished in size.

Regardless, "Yes", in order to remove swirls and scratches out of a clear coat finish you have to put some passion behind the pad.

That is a very vague terminology Mike. I had to do a whole lot more than 'some' passion.

I have not buffed out a modern Corvette in the last 10 years that had paint that was easy to work on, in fact for the most part I wouldn't take a job removing swirls out of a Corvette now days, it's just not any fun.

I heartily agree with you. This was more of a torture then fun.

If you decide to continue detailing your own car maybe looking into moving up to machine cleaning and polishing or maybe look into getting some M105 for hand use.

M105 not available here. Machines not available. The only one i found was a random orbiter Black and Decker:

Found at eastwestintl.com/proddetail.asp?pid=2758

Apparently people do not advise it.

You all have been helpful. I genuinely thank you all.

But unfortunately, i have pain on my wrists after just polishing/waxing the trunk lid. This is not something i can pull off by myself. Therefore, i will call this whole project off.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Well... a note of caution: Nothing is as it seems on the videos! You don't put it on and it comes off like butter... You must work like a donkey.

Are you referring to the video on the www.meguiars.com homepage?

Regardless, "Yes", in order to remove swirls and scratches out of a clear coat finish you have to put some passion behind the pad.

That's because modern clear coats tend to be very hard as compared to the original paint that came on a 1965 Corvette. This is probably one of the most common discussions we have on this forum and in our classes, that is helping people to understand why it's so frustrating to work on a new car and that's because the paints are physically hard and therefore hard to remove small particles of it in and effort to remove swirls and scratches.

That would be the fault of the paint manufactures and the car manufactures of which I don't think either of them factor in usability when designing a car.

M105 would have done the job faster and easier than ScratchX but at least you can now say you've been there and done that with ScratchX.

I have not buffed out a modern Corvette in the last 10 years that had paint that was easy to work on, in fact for the most part I wouldn't take a job removing swirls out of a Corvette now days, it's just not any fun.

There's a reason polishers like our G110 has become so popular for the last 15 years and that's because people find the best way to work on their car's clear coat is by machine.

If you decide to continue detailing your own car maybe looking into moving up to machine cleaning and polishing or maybe look into getting some M105 for hand use.



p.s.

Since this thread is really a "how-to" thread I'm going to move it out of Introduce yourself and into Detailing 101

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Well, holograms were not visible... but a pic of car... will post one after too if i decide to carry on:

[CorvetteMan]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

Well... a note of caution: Nothing is as it seems on the videos! You don't put it on and it comes off like butter... You must work like a donkey.

It took me 3 hours to do 3 applications of scratchX and a NXT Tech 2.0 Wax on the trunk lid of my car!!! And i lost two pounds doing it!

This can't be right! It will take me a minimum of 30 non-stop hours to finish the entire car. Trunk lid is hte easiest part.

There were holograms... They are gone. But i still have scratches even after 3 applications of ScratchX.

[Pocket_Aces]

Re: Corvette Detailing Instructions

If you are a perfectionist then the only way you will be happy is by doing it yourself. I find there are very few people you can trust that are diligent enough to keep their equipment clean and do a proper job. This is the truth. I'll be the first to admit that I would more likely do a better job on my car then a friends. Only cause I know how picky I am and I think they aren't that picky.