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pizzaman from tampabay
It's been a long time since I actually detailed a car. Just never seemed to have the time. I have some time now.
Got laid off again recently.
i did my research and bought some detailing supplies from amazon and walmart. i was actually going to pay someone to detail the car. and it would have been a little cheaper I think.
Now I have all the supplies again. daily driver is an '08 Suzuki SX-4. I call it the "roller skate". It gets OK mileage and it's fun to drive. My other toy is an '08 ZX10r. I use Plexus on it mostly.
So here's what I've done so far the the zuki:
1. washed the car thoroughly with dawn the 1st week.
2. washed the car again the next week with dawn
3. cleaned the interior with Meguiars interior detailer. I used a mf pad and a towel. Used practically the whole bottle. Used it on the leather steering wheel also. Interior was dirty.
4. serviced the vehicle: changed the oil/filter, changed the coolant, changed plugs, changed airfilter, changed cabin filter. That was real filthy. I have just under 30K miles.
I cleaned the engine bay with some Adam's all purpose cleaner.
5. clayed the car with griot's clay bar. The yellow bar is very soft. I used about a third of the bar on the car. The piece of clay is still in good shape. I used Adam's detail spray for lube. Even though the car hasn't been waxed in over 2 years, the paint was in decent shape even with INfrequent washings (twice a year maybe). Claying the car made the finish very smooth. I had a scratch on the rear bumper and few lite scratches on the sides. There are a couple nasty bird dropping etchings on the hood. One is going to require a little wet sanding. I ordered some mequiars paper and my color paint and some clear.
So today I actually did a small test area like you guys have been preaching. I saw some of the horror photos from new users who did not. I went over the whole car (small sections at a time) including the windows with ultimate compound. I'm in my garage. I took my time. Also I'm working by HAND. A DA just wasn't in the budget. It took me about 5 hours to do the whole car. That ultimate compound is some GOOD STUFF. The finish looks extremely shiny. The scratches actually came completely out. Hard to believe this UC is a compound. The 2 hood etchings are a problem. They look better, but they need some more work.
6. So tomorrow the plan is to polish the whole car with ultimate polish. I've got the time so why not? I may detail the rims too. I got this freebie from an amazon vendor. I'll review it when I'm done. I've been using a mf round pad and an orange 4" pad that's velcro'd on the pinnacle polishing buddy. This has worked very well for the UC. I'm going to use the white polishing pad and the mf to apply the ultimate polish. been using the cobra mf towels to wipe off the used product.
7. next day I plan to wax with Ultimate Liquid Wax. I'll try the black pad meguiar's supplies. I will also try a 4' red pad & the buddy I have that's supposed to be for waxing. I will spread it as thin as I dare. Fingers crossed I don't get streaking. I have some distilled water in a spray bottle stored in the frig to help just in case.
8. next day I'll probably wash it with some griot's wash and dry it with a little detail spray. I guess I'll detail the black trim and the tires. I have some Adam's super vrt. Maybe black the engine bay.
9. i picked up a sample of the Dodo Juice Supernatural Carnauba Paste Wax. Stuff is pricey, but they sell a small sample can for 25 bucks. I'm going to layer this over the ultimate wax and see if the shine improves. ultimate wax is more like a sealer anyway, isn't it?
10. By that time my touchup paint and sandpaper should be in. Then I will be posting some pictures and asking for ADVICE!! I've never sanded an auto paint finish before. I'm little scared
That is all.
I've already learned a lot by reading your posts.
Thanks,
pizzaman
Got laid off again recently.
i did my research and bought some detailing supplies from amazon and walmart. i was actually going to pay someone to detail the car. and it would have been a little cheaper I think.
Now I have all the supplies again. daily driver is an '08 Suzuki SX-4. I call it the "roller skate". It gets OK mileage and it's fun to drive. My other toy is an '08 ZX10r. I use Plexus on it mostly.
So here's what I've done so far the the zuki:
1. washed the car thoroughly with dawn the 1st week.
2. washed the car again the next week with dawn
3. cleaned the interior with Meguiars interior detailer. I used a mf pad and a towel. Used practically the whole bottle. Used it on the leather steering wheel also. Interior was dirty.
4. serviced the vehicle: changed the oil/filter, changed the coolant, changed plugs, changed airfilter, changed cabin filter. That was real filthy. I have just under 30K miles.
I cleaned the engine bay with some Adam's all purpose cleaner.
5. clayed the car with griot's clay bar. The yellow bar is very soft. I used about a third of the bar on the car. The piece of clay is still in good shape. I used Adam's detail spray for lube. Even though the car hasn't been waxed in over 2 years, the paint was in decent shape even with INfrequent washings (twice a year maybe). Claying the car made the finish very smooth. I had a scratch on the rear bumper and few lite scratches on the sides. There are a couple nasty bird dropping etchings on the hood. One is going to require a little wet sanding. I ordered some mequiars paper and my color paint and some clear.
So today I actually did a small test area like you guys have been preaching. I saw some of the horror photos from new users who did not. I went over the whole car (small sections at a time) including the windows with ultimate compound. I'm in my garage. I took my time. Also I'm working by HAND. A DA just wasn't in the budget. It took me about 5 hours to do the whole car. That ultimate compound is some GOOD STUFF. The finish looks extremely shiny. The scratches actually came completely out. Hard to believe this UC is a compound. The 2 hood etchings are a problem. They look better, but they need some more work.
6. So tomorrow the plan is to polish the whole car with ultimate polish. I've got the time so why not? I may detail the rims too. I got this freebie from an amazon vendor. I'll review it when I'm done. I've been using a mf round pad and an orange 4" pad that's velcro'd on the pinnacle polishing buddy. This has worked very well for the UC. I'm going to use the white polishing pad and the mf to apply the ultimate polish. been using the cobra mf towels to wipe off the used product.
7. next day I plan to wax with Ultimate Liquid Wax. I'll try the black pad meguiar's supplies. I will also try a 4' red pad & the buddy I have that's supposed to be for waxing. I will spread it as thin as I dare. Fingers crossed I don't get streaking. I have some distilled water in a spray bottle stored in the frig to help just in case.
8. next day I'll probably wash it with some griot's wash and dry it with a little detail spray. I guess I'll detail the black trim and the tires. I have some Adam's super vrt. Maybe black the engine bay.
9. i picked up a sample of the Dodo Juice Supernatural Carnauba Paste Wax. Stuff is pricey, but they sell a small sample can for 25 bucks. I'm going to layer this over the ultimate wax and see if the shine improves. ultimate wax is more like a sealer anyway, isn't it?
10. By that time my touchup paint and sandpaper should be in. Then I will be posting some pictures and asking for ADVICE!! I've never sanded an auto paint finish before. I'm little scared
That is all.
I've already learned a lot by reading your posts.
Thanks,
pizzaman
