Detail from heck!

[Underdawg736]

Hey everyone! Springtime is near and I'm getting pumped up for my first true detailing session and what better way to start off then the wifey's nasty....nasty.....NASTY Focus

Now I don't mind the car itself.....just the primary operator who has not and will not clean her car. Yes since I got back from the sandbox in 2005 this car has only been washed about twice a year....BY ME. A year and a half ago I thought I would go the extra step and got some of Meg's NXT Tech Wax 1.0 and shine her up a bit. It looked real good in the shade but once the sun hit it you were blinded by all the swirls and scratches.
So this spring I'm gonna go the distance and go all out on this car.

So what I want is everyones opinion on how my process should be. The car is black and is her daily driver until our kid is born and I inherit the mess. We live in the city on a narrow but heavily used street so curbside wash is out for fear of meeting the fate of many of our rear view mirrors. I'm reluctantly going to go to the car wash and "try" to be as gentle as I can on the paint. After this I'm gonna dry her off with MF towels and drive her to a park with lots of shade and go to town on it!

Would this process be good?
Clay w/QD-Have it
Ultimate compound-need it/can't find it
ScratchX 2.0-need it/can't find it
#07-gonna get it soon
LSP 2 coats of NXT 2.0-have it, 12-18 hours apart

Most pads will be foam and all towels MF. Stoners on the glass

Wheels
Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner-need it
Hot Rims Mag and Alum Polish-have it
GC Endurance High Gloss gel-have it

I know this will be an all day if not a 2+ day job, I plan on doing small sections at a time (all by hand). does anyone have thoughts on how I can improve on what I have?
BTW I'm not touching the interior except vac, dust/dress, and clean the windows

Thanks all!

Ps I hope y'all got a good chuckle out of my perdicament. It's a never ending job here .

[Evan.J]

Re: Detail from hell!

here is a link to a thread check out the second post down there is a bunch of link for you to check out

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30865

[SVT Lightning]

Re: Detail from hell!

I think your process looks pretty good....hope you have strong arms! By the way...You mention that you got back from the sandbox in '05. Thank you for your service to our country!

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Detail from hell!

You should be able to find most of your Meguiars products at your local WalMart. If not, try Meguiars.com, ADS (autodetailingsolutions.net), or Amazon. Don't forget to invest in a pair of grit guards for future washings!

[Underdawg736]

Re: Detail from hell!

Wow! fast responses!

Thanks thoryamaha919 for the links, I've been reading up on alot of stuff here. Can't seem to read enough though!

SVT Lightning, I know I'm gonna be one hurtin puppy after this but it'll be worth it! Also thank you for the support!!

ClearlyCoated, Unfortunately my Wally Worlds ****....their selections are pretty sad, I'm looking at ADS if I can't find anything OTC here plus I like their range of products and prices.

[Murr1525]

Re: Detail from hell!

You certainly may want to just clean a small section in your driveway, like just splash some water on a fender, little soap on a sponge and dry, or QD and dry. Then just try at home and see if ScratchX or UC will do the trick. Try to get your process at home before going all out and getting stuck.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Detail from hell!

Process looks good except you only need to do one of the cleaning steps unless you see some hazing from the Ultimate Compound.

If you do then SwirlX would be a better second step polishing process instead of ScratchX 2.0, just do a Test Spot first before going over the entire car with anything.

So,

1. Clay w/QD-Have it
2. Ultimate compound-need it/can't find it
3. SwirlX only if you need it after inspecting your Test Spot after applying and working in the Ultimate Compound
4. #07-gonna get it soon
5. LSP 2 coats of NXT 2.0-have it, 12-18 hours apart

Call Customer Care, they might be able to help you locate Ultimate Compound.

[Underdawg736]

Re: Detail from hell!

Murr1525, Unfortunately I don't have a driveway, the car sits along the street underneath a pine tree that loves to deposit its sap all over the cars ! I have thought about doing this, taping off a square foot section of the hood and seeing how well I can diminish all the swirlies. Probably would be better getting my feet wet then diving off the deep end!

Mike, Thank you for the clarification! My main supplier for my "fix" is Pep Boys as the have a pretty good selection. There are still a few places I didn't check yet but if no one has what I need then I'll probably use ADS.

I'm going to have to do a write up of my adventure to show everyone how awsome the knowledge this board has to offer, and the results of applying what I learned here!
I wish I could get out to SoCal and attend one of your classes, I'll be outside of Oakland in August for my 2 week drill but I doubt I'll be able to get down there unless I rent a car.

[Murr1525]

Re: Detail from hell!

Well, you might not want to get the entire hood wet. A lower fender would kind of keep the water isolated, not running everywhere.

If you can find a coin-op place that isnt busy, or go at an off time, you might be able to take your own soap, sponges along as well, instead of using their brushes and what not.

[Tuck91]

Re: Detail from hell!

Its great that you want to remove swirls and scratches by hand on your wifes Focus, it can be done, but its time consuming and patience is the key. If i were you i would have Ultimate Compound, Swirl X, and Scratch X 2.0 on hand. Meguiars teaches us to use the least aggressive product to get the job done, You may need something as aggressive as UC and then you might not, do a test spot and then dial in your process. Heres some tips to help you out


Tips for removing swirls by hand with SMA Technology

[Underdawg736]

Re: Detail from heck!

Thanks for all the help everyone! I took some pics of the car the other day but I can't resize them on this comp, so I'll get them up tonight at home to give you guy's an idea of what I'm up against. Hopefully I can put in an order at ADS since alot of the new stuff is hard to find here.

Murr1525, Not getting the whole hood wet, just a 1x1 foot section.

Tuck91, Thanks for the tips, I have alot of patience especially if it gives me a reason to be out all day
I was thinking the opposite when it came to the level of aggresivness. I am getting all three to have on hand and hopefully I can achive a better shine then in the past.

Ohh and btw sorry guys for using the H word, I thought it was safe since you hear it everywhere.

[SVT Lightning]

Re: Detail from heck!

Just my 2 cents...I don't see anything wrong with the word "hell". Here is one of the meanings from ARD...the online dictionary.

"hell"
Definition: a cause of difficulty and suffering; "war is hell"; "go to blazes"

The word describes the difficulties of your detail job very well!

[Underdawg736]

Re: Detail from heck!

Well here are the pics, sorry it started getting dark when she got home, I hope it gives you a pretty good idea of what I'm up against.

The "stuff" that was inside



Rear wheel, don't ask why I didn't get one up front.



Poor car!






Got into a fight with the jumper cables at 3:30 in the morning!



One last shot of the "stuff"!



When she came home I told her that I'm not touching her car untill you clean it out....or else I would do it and chuck everything! I remember last time I washed and waxed it there were swirls EVERYWHERE sohopefully I can put my newfound skills to the test.

I'll probably be putting in an order at ADS for everything that I need and don't have yet soon. Then I'll do a test section on the hood to find my niche and after that I'll just need a few nice days and I will be on the wifey's good side!

[Megafast13]

Re: Detail from heck!

Hey car looks good, click my signature link below for info on steps and other products.

[Underdawg736]

Re: Detail from heck!

Yesterday I had some time to get a better look at what I'm up against. The weather was ok....a little chilly for me and the winds picked up a bit in the afternoon.
After washing, cleaning up the interior, and claying I found that this car is gonna be a real workout! The paint is scratched and swirled to all heck, more so then I originally thought it would be.
Got my first ADS order on Friday so I was itching to try out my new goodies!
I taped off a 1'x1' section in the rear passenger side by the tail light since it reflected the swirls good. I started with 2 passes with ScratchX 2.0 using a yellow foam pad, dimminished the swirls a little but still a mess load still there. I moved on to SwirlX with a clean pad and with 2 more passess it was looking better. I finished up with Ultimate Compound on a clean pad, 3 passes and most of the swirls are gone. I used a Supreme Shine MF to wipe off the products (clean side with each product).
Depending on light and angle you don't see any swirls, but change the angle and you see more so I guess 1 or 2 more passes would be in order?
I used a bit of passion and by doing this by hand, my muscles will be ripped in no time! I have pics but I havn't looked at them yet to see if I grabbed good 50/50's yet, I post them later on tonight or tomorrow.