Hard Work Results not 56k Friendly!

[rahula]

Edit: The pictures on this server were lost recently and because the system to upload eveything is too tedious using this site I'll link you to

http://www.rsharma.co.uk/clio.htm

which has a copy of this thread with all the pics.


Hi all

I have been reading this and other websites for almost 3 weeks and have been obsessed with getting our town car back to a good condition and I am also waiting to take delivery of a new S2000 and wanted it looking good. I had the same car until last year in black and it never looked fantastic, clean but not deep wet look that I craved. After reading many posts and David's guide to detailing I began to understand the lack in my knowledge. I was washing the car however I was not preparing the car after the wash instead only applying a wax over the clean finish and this is what caused me to have a shiny car but without the depth that I was looking for.

The car I started on is a Renault Clio. It is a small car which we use for town driving since it can be left in car parks etc without worrying about where we leave it. The car has been kept outside for 6 years and usually gets a weekly/fortnightly automatic car wash and nothing more. These are the pics and details of what I did with the car.

I had ordered a DeWalt 443 because I live in the UK and the PC just wouldn't be suitable because of the voltage and frequency issues. This machine did not arrive a week ago and so I decided to try products by hand. I had tried to get as many questions answered by others as I could before I started with this experiment. I was and still am somewhat confused between #83, #80, #82 and MPPC but this is my understanding of the products.

#83 is very good for medium to heavy swirls and scratches (when I mention this word I use it to mean cob webbing which I think most people mean rather than Meguiar's definition where they differentiate between these. They refer to swirls as something created by wool pads etc.). #80 is very similar to '83 but less abrasive but has a lot of polishing oils in it. It leaves the car very shiny after use. #82 I am still unsure of of where it fits into the equation because I have got conflicting information at the moment regarding the difference between this and #80 and so I have not yet used it. MPPC is very good at removing oxidation and swirls using by hand.

Products used during the makeover:

#83 DACP
#80 Speed Glaze
#81 Hand Polish
MPPC

Clay Bar
NXT Wash
NXT Tech Wax
P21S
NXT Tech Protect


Please don't post yet, more to follow

[rahula]

Procedure in Week 1:

Because I was waiting for the DeWalt to arrive and being impatient to try the products I started the process manually. I washed the car first by power washing and then Dawn. I then clayed the car and then washed it with NXT Wash. The clay was easy to use and I didn't get too many contaminants on the surface and I was surprised by this. It might have been because I had applied AG SRP couple of weeks ago or something else but I did get a bit but not much. The car wash smells really nice and was dead easy to use and very lubricating. I then dried the car with a water blade and a chamois. I am waiting for my order of MF towels to arrive which will be used in future for this purpose.

I took the car into the garage and this is the biggest pain for me to detail a car. Although it is a double garage it is so in length and not width and makes life very difficult. I usually complain about the British weather but for some reason during the last few days it has been too sunny and no chance of doing the work outside. I applied MPPC to a third of the hood, the other third had #80 applied to it. Both product were applied using terry applicators. I left the final third as my reference point. After applying these two different products I could not see much difference in the finish of the paint compared to each other and therefore decided to use #80 on the rest of the car.

Condition of the paint before applying any products but after washing and claying the car:





Please don't post yet, more to follow

[rahula]

I then went ahead and applied #80 to the rest of the car. It was very hard work to apply and remove it. I worked it as hard as I could and spent nearly 4 hours doing this. I found the best method was to remove it with a terry towel when it was still a bit wet as it was just too difficult to remove it once it dried.

After applying #80 on the left and the right is what the condition of the car was before applying any product:



This picture shows major streaks in the reflection. I think it was caused because I perhaps did not break down the abrasive enough by hand in the #80:



Results: I had a lot of swirls and oxidation when I started but not too many major paint defects and both product reduced swirls by around 60-70% than the standard. I then wanted to apply #82 to all the panels but knew I had a long night ahead of me and the rest of the car to do therefore decided against this. The swirls removed and paint finish of both products was very similar but the #80 being perhaps 2-5% better so hardly worth mentioning. It might very well be that once #80 is applied with the PC the difference would be more substantial and I wait to try that next week.

I then applied NXT Tech Wax. This was very easy but only after I had applied one panel in full. I think this is because the little sponge needs to get loaded with the product. The sponge was drying out too quickly when applying this and I thought it was due to being very warm and dry. I therefore sprinkled a few drops of distilled water in between to keep the pad moist.

After Applying NXT:



More to follow:

[rahula]

Week 2:

The DA by DeWalt arrived and I started the process by first washing the car and then drying it. You will note that I have now added two 500 watt halogen spotlight and am in the process of installing some fluorescent tubes too for even light coverage. I then started by applying #83 using the DA with a polishing pad and at 5 setting. I again divided the hood of the car into 3 equal parts.

You will see that there are a lot more swirls visible compared to the pics of last week. This is because the halogens are throwing up a lot more light and of a different kind:



Looks like I didn't remove many swirls by hand last time around. It is easier if your are Scotwax but very difficult for us mere mortals. The car although full of swirls is still 100% better than the car in its original condition.:



Before DACP:

[rahula]

After I applied #83 DACP twice for a test and these are the results:





You see some scratches here and I tried to remove them but without a maroon cutting pad or more aggressive machine I was unable to remove those but did improve on them later in the story:



I then applied #80 using a finishing pad at speed 5 and worked it till it was almost dry and then wiped off with a MF towel. I don't recoment letting the product dry as it becomes very difficult to remove. Another suggestion has been made that you let it cure for 10-15 minutes before removing allowing the oils to work and dry and then removing and is easier and something which I will try next time:

[rahula]

When I finished applying #83, #80 and #81 to the complete hood:





I then Applied NXT and waited 20 minutes to cure and then wiped off (it was dusk and so not the best of pics but you get the idea):

[majik1]

hey rahula!
excellent job! especially so as a first go !
i vote pic 5 in the last series as ur best shot, bet the wifey was impressed, and hope she enjoyed you practicing ur new "hobby".... regards , majik1

[majik1]

HEY ! , as for #82 SFP, it is commonly used after # 83 dacp.
82 is a lot finer....once u get the big stuff out u should be able to maintain it w/ #82.....
# 80 is the oddball..it has specific uses...it buffs mildly like #82 SFP(in between 82 and 83 ive read) it breaks down rapidly tho,
it has oils like #81, and it actually has some protection too it....albeit very small, definitely a different and useful product.

[rahula]

Conclusions:

I think Meguiar's make some of the best products I have ever used. There are a lot of choices to make and this has both its advantages and disadvantages. It is easier to apply different level of abrasives, polishes and glazes to suit the needs and severity of flaws in the finish.

However the products overlap a lot on their functionality and IMO opinion they need to simplify the choice a little. The products themselves are not clear what purpose they serve or what differentiates them from the other products of similar types.

Finally I think the instructions for using the products need to be expanded. It would be very helpful if the DA settings, pad choices and what how long a product should be worked. It would also be very helpful if each product described exactly what each is meant to resolve rather than some major confusion between the products as I have stated earlier.

In the end I am very happy with the results and spent 18 hours on the exterior of the car in the second week alone. I think now that I have some experience I should be able to cut this down by at least 50% and perhaps even bring this to around 5 hours in future. I have tried Zaino, Zymol, AutoGlym and Mer and this has been my most successful result ever. Having said that it is a lot to do with the huge amount of information which others have provided and shared and it is because of this that I have shared my own experience. I thank everyone who helped me understand and learn.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I am glad that the advice you did get helped you out!

Although at first the Meguiar's numbering system is a little confusing, in time it becomes second nature! Moreover, there is always a learning curve when using a product for the first time.

Your car turned out very well! I really like the pics at sunset!

Cheers!
Tim

[scrub]

Excellent post!! Great pics!! Very informative..

Could you now break down the products used in a sort of summary, and the results achieved (is one product helpful with a certain problem you encountered)? What products give you the most bang for your buck (and time)?

Thanks for taking the time to test and post your results (with pics).

[rahula]

Originally posted by scrub
Could you now break down the products used in a sort of summary, and the results achieved (is one product helpful with a certain problem you encountered)? What products give you the most bang for your buck (and time)?

Hi

I am not exactly sure of what you are asking for. I have outlined all my steps and the results above. Please feel free to expand your question and I will attempt to answer them indepth.

[Superior Shine]

sweet!! - that ride got some well deserved TLC.

[FlaresideLariat]

That looks great, just like a mirror!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Hard Work Results not 56k Friendly!

Originally posted by rahula
The car I started on is a Renault Clio. It is a small car which we use for town driving since it can be left in car parks etc without worrying about where we leave it. The car has been kept outside for 6 years and usually gets a weekly/fortnightly automatic car wash and nothing more. These are the pics and details of what I did with the car.

Hi rahula,

Excellent work and an excellent write up. I for one really appreciate the time you took to share with other forum members all of the different step you performed in order.

Also, the time you took to document your process using your camera and then uploading and inserting your pictures into your posts.

All of the above takes extra time that you could have spent moving forward in the process.

Thank you!

Just for fun, when you get a chance, could you upload a picture of the whole car so that we can all see exactly what your Renault Clio looks like in it's completed form?

Thanks!

Mike

p.s.