Weekend Project

[JidaiKiriKudashi]

Hey guys I was looking to detail my own car by hand. I haven't done this before and will be using the forums as a guide to get me through the process. Its been 3 years since the car has been waxed T-T so its quite a bit overdue for one! Although I have most of the products I need to do the job I am just curious about some scratches I have on my car and if ya guys could let me know if it would be possible to get them out.

Here are some pictures of my car:





Here are the kind of swirls its got all around it:


I've had some glue residue left over for quite a while now since I've removed some lettering from the trunk. I used Glue Be Gone to get most of it off but the last little bit just wont budge and I am not too sure how to go about getting rid of it without damaging the paint.


Thought I would show you guys the scratched I am dealing with. I tried to get them out before with some Scratch remover but didn't have much luck.

Passenger Door:



Bumper:



Bird Poop that doesn't want to come off At least that's what I believe it is.



I was thinking of going to get it detailed from a shop but they wanted an arm and leg. So I think ill give it a shot myself first. If anyone can give me some tips on dealing with these particular scratches and stains please do! ^^ I dont really have a cool shaded place to work on it and its been really warm the last couple of days so I hope its possible to get away with doing the work early in the morning before it starts to heat up. Most of the stuff on my car is the **** from my neighbors tree.. want to take an axe to it..

[greg0303]

Re: Weekend Project

It looks like the whole cycle will be needed to bring your car's paint back to life.

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean
4. Polish
5. Wax/ Protect

Start with fully washing and claying your vehicle (Smooth Surface Clay Kit has everything needed for claying).

Because you have swirls/ water/ spots/ scratches I think Ultimate Compound will be a good paint cleaner/ compound for below surface problems. You need to apply on small sections (like 2' x 2', or even smaller) with down pressure using Soft Foam applicator. Removing defects from car paint means removing part of top layer paint until it's all leveled to the deepest point of defect.

For polishing step I really recommend Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Wax as your wax/ protection.

Check Meguiar's video library for helpful movies on car detailing and technique. Under Detailing 101 Forum you'll also find some great articles introducing for paint care.

Good idea to work in the morning on cool surface.