Tweet
For weeks I've been planning my major April-May detail of Luthien, but then I remembered what happened last year. In 2009 I performed the big detail in the midst of pollen season, which made everything so much more difficult during the three-day marathon. Basically I succeeded in transforming Luthien into an atomic-powered pollen magnet. I was only able to de-magnetize her by subsequent ONR washings.
So I decided that this year I would postpone my spring detail until after pollen season; but I still wanted to take advantage of the lovely April weather and lay down a coat or two of wax. We must do, after all, what we can to protect our vehicles against the barbed invaders nature sends against us every spring.
On Saturday morning I went into the garage and inspected Luthien carefully. My heart sank. The finish is full of swirls and water spots. Nine months ago she was swirl-free.
Now the swirls are back in abundance. For two years I have been trying to learn how to wash my cars without instilling swirls and defects. I use the two bucket method with grit guards. I use high quality microfiber towels. After normal washings (though normally not after ONR rinses), I use a quick detailing spray to remove any remaining water-spot-creating minerals. I try to touch the paint as infrequently as possible. Yet no matter what I do, I cannot avoid swirling Luthien's unforgiving black paint!
(And to make matters worse, a few months ago someone backed into Luthien and scraped up and dented Luthien's rear bumper. The imperfections simply accumulate.)
On the various forums I read how you detailing sorcerers are able to maintain your vehicles in swirl-free condition. All I can say is, your magic is beyond me!
Perhaps if I could do a better job if I owned a high pressure washer, foam lance, and de-ionizer; but this equipment is presently unaffordable. I've already spent hundreds of dollars on detailing equipment and supplies. I cannot spend a penny more. I have to make do with what I have--and apparently this means … swirls!
Sigh.
I confess that on Saturday I was close to giving up. If I can't avoid swirling the paint, then I might as well sell my PC and Flex and be satisfied with my daily driver routine. Why invest all the hours and hard work necessary to polish the car when I will inevitably swirl the finish all over again? And I haven't figured out a way to avoid the water spots, either. I'm not going to wash my car after every rain shower.
So what to do? I honestly don't know. It's all so futile. I guess I'll just wait until June to see if I still want to endure another polishing marathon. But I still want to keep Luthien looking as good as I can.
Here is what I did on Saturday:
1) I cleaned the tires and wheels with APC+.
2) I cleaned the convertible top with Raggtopp vinyl cleaner and nylon brush.
3) I washed the entire vehicle with NXT Car Wash and Megs' wash mitt and dried her with my ultra-soft waffle weave towels from PakShak.
4) I applied Raggtopp Protectant to the convertible top.
5) I waxed Luthien with M20 Polymer Sealant. I applied the M20 vigorously. I was curious to see how well it cleaned the paint. I waited for it to haze, and then removed it with a couple of Ultimate Wipe towels. I was delighted to see the restoration of clarity. I was even more delighted to find that some of the water spots (no doubt the more recent ones) had been removed. I highly recommend M20.
6) The question then arose, Do I top the M20? I was reluctant to do so. I was happy with the shine that the cleaner wax had bestowed and confident that it would provide me sufficient protection to get through the pollen. But then my commonsense abandoned me, and I remembered all the untried waxes I have in my collection, and so I decided to top Luthien with P21S 100%. It was a breeze to apply and remove. Luthien looked wonderful. She always looks wonderful after a waxing (as long as one stands three feet away).
7) I dressed the tires in Mother's Reflections Tire Care, my favorite low-gloss dressing.
Why do I say my "commonsense abandoned me" in step #6? Recall that the whole point of this exercise was to provide protection during the pollen season, and according to conventional wisdom at least, pollen finds it easier to grab on to a carnauba wax than a synthetic sealant. Well, I don't know if the conventional wisdom is correct or not, but what I do know is that when I came out of church on Sunday morning, my black Luthien had been transformed from a black beauty into a green monster from the infernal depths. So much for enjoying the carnauba shine.
And then last night I apparently forgot to close the garage door. When I went out to the car this morning, I found green paw marks on trunk and hood. Apparently the neighbor's cat decided to take advantage of the open door and explore our garage, jumping on the trunk and walking straight over the top and hood. Sigh. Time for an ONR wash. "You're going to wash your car again?!" my wife asked. "Yes," I sighed in resignation. "I just can't stand it." I am Don Quixote tilting at wind mills. I am Sisyphus pushing up the rock. So I gave Luthien an afternoon ONR rinse (and yes, the cat left behind some scratches on the hood) and then sprayed her with Finish Kare 425, which allegedly has anti-static properties. I'll be curious to see how long it takes for the pollen to cover the car once again. Five minutes?
I imagine that come early June I will throw myself once again into the detailing breech and attack the swirls and water spots that seem to plague my poor Luthien. I'm not yet willing to surrender … yet. But the despair is close at hand. The swirls cannot be conquered. I am not up to the task. One day they will overwhelm me. There can be no victory. Only futility. Only a long defeat. I hear the universe laughing behind my back.
Give up!
Or maybe I should buy a rotary … and de-ionizer … and foam lance. I'm sure my wife will understand.
No, she won't understand.
But will Luthien understand?
So I decided that this year I would postpone my spring detail until after pollen season; but I still wanted to take advantage of the lovely April weather and lay down a coat or two of wax. We must do, after all, what we can to protect our vehicles against the barbed invaders nature sends against us every spring.
On Saturday morning I went into the garage and inspected Luthien carefully. My heart sank. The finish is full of swirls and water spots. Nine months ago she was swirl-free.
Now the swirls are back in abundance. For two years I have been trying to learn how to wash my cars without instilling swirls and defects. I use the two bucket method with grit guards. I use high quality microfiber towels. After normal washings (though normally not after ONR rinses), I use a quick detailing spray to remove any remaining water-spot-creating minerals. I try to touch the paint as infrequently as possible. Yet no matter what I do, I cannot avoid swirling Luthien's unforgiving black paint!
(And to make matters worse, a few months ago someone backed into Luthien and scraped up and dented Luthien's rear bumper. The imperfections simply accumulate.)
On the various forums I read how you detailing sorcerers are able to maintain your vehicles in swirl-free condition. All I can say is, your magic is beyond me!
Perhaps if I could do a better job if I owned a high pressure washer, foam lance, and de-ionizer; but this equipment is presently unaffordable. I've already spent hundreds of dollars on detailing equipment and supplies. I cannot spend a penny more. I have to make do with what I have--and apparently this means … swirls!
Sigh.
I confess that on Saturday I was close to giving up. If I can't avoid swirling the paint, then I might as well sell my PC and Flex and be satisfied with my daily driver routine. Why invest all the hours and hard work necessary to polish the car when I will inevitably swirl the finish all over again? And I haven't figured out a way to avoid the water spots, either. I'm not going to wash my car after every rain shower.
So what to do? I honestly don't know. It's all so futile. I guess I'll just wait until June to see if I still want to endure another polishing marathon. But I still want to keep Luthien looking as good as I can.
Here is what I did on Saturday:
1) I cleaned the tires and wheels with APC+.
2) I cleaned the convertible top with Raggtopp vinyl cleaner and nylon brush.
3) I washed the entire vehicle with NXT Car Wash and Megs' wash mitt and dried her with my ultra-soft waffle weave towels from PakShak.
4) I applied Raggtopp Protectant to the convertible top.
5) I waxed Luthien with M20 Polymer Sealant. I applied the M20 vigorously. I was curious to see how well it cleaned the paint. I waited for it to haze, and then removed it with a couple of Ultimate Wipe towels. I was delighted to see the restoration of clarity. I was even more delighted to find that some of the water spots (no doubt the more recent ones) had been removed. I highly recommend M20.
6) The question then arose, Do I top the M20? I was reluctant to do so. I was happy with the shine that the cleaner wax had bestowed and confident that it would provide me sufficient protection to get through the pollen. But then my commonsense abandoned me, and I remembered all the untried waxes I have in my collection, and so I decided to top Luthien with P21S 100%. It was a breeze to apply and remove. Luthien looked wonderful. She always looks wonderful after a waxing (as long as one stands three feet away).
7) I dressed the tires in Mother's Reflections Tire Care, my favorite low-gloss dressing.
Why do I say my "commonsense abandoned me" in step #6? Recall that the whole point of this exercise was to provide protection during the pollen season, and according to conventional wisdom at least, pollen finds it easier to grab on to a carnauba wax than a synthetic sealant. Well, I don't know if the conventional wisdom is correct or not, but what I do know is that when I came out of church on Sunday morning, my black Luthien had been transformed from a black beauty into a green monster from the infernal depths. So much for enjoying the carnauba shine.
And then last night I apparently forgot to close the garage door. When I went out to the car this morning, I found green paw marks on trunk and hood. Apparently the neighbor's cat decided to take advantage of the open door and explore our garage, jumping on the trunk and walking straight over the top and hood. Sigh. Time for an ONR wash. "You're going to wash your car again?!" my wife asked. "Yes," I sighed in resignation. "I just can't stand it." I am Don Quixote tilting at wind mills. I am Sisyphus pushing up the rock. So I gave Luthien an afternoon ONR rinse (and yes, the cat left behind some scratches on the hood) and then sprayed her with Finish Kare 425, which allegedly has anti-static properties. I'll be curious to see how long it takes for the pollen to cover the car once again. Five minutes?
I imagine that come early June I will throw myself once again into the detailing breech and attack the swirls and water spots that seem to plague my poor Luthien. I'm not yet willing to surrender … yet. But the despair is close at hand. The swirls cannot be conquered. I am not up to the task. One day they will overwhelm me. There can be no victory. Only futility. Only a long defeat. I hear the universe laughing behind my back.
Give up!
Or maybe I should buy a rotary … and de-ionizer … and foam lance. I'm sure my wife will understand.
No, she won't understand.
But will Luthien understand?
Comment