Tweet
Products used:
2 buckets w/Grit Gards
Deep Crystal Car Wash
MF mitts
Meguiar's Waffle Weave towels
Meguiar's Supreme Shine MF towels
Sam's Club MF towels
Rain-X
Meguiar's white clay bar from otc kit
ONR mixed to clay bar lube strength
M40
Meguiar's Glass Cleaner (from X-mas kit)
Meguiar's Quik Interior Detail Spray
3M painters tape 1" width
Swirl-X
Scratch-X
Poor Boys 2.5
M205
NXT 2.0
APC
APC+
Wheel Brightener
Hyper Dressing
Griot's Garage DA polisher
Numerous 6.5" Lake Country CCS pads
Well, where do I begin? This is my mom's 1994 Volvo 940. She is the only owner and up until last summer it had been "treated" to car washes at the dealer or DIY car wash. I decided to do what I could to bring it back for mom as a belated Mother's Day gift. Last night after I left the office I started by doing a quick interior wipe down with QID spray. Interior is surprisingly clean, back seat area is spotless. Followed up by clay barring exterior glass and applying Rain-X. Then I went and did the interior glass. I applied a second coat of Rain-X, then pulled out of the garage to wash it...oh did I mention it was raining? Did tires and wheel arches with APC+, and wheels with Wheel Brightener at about 8:1 strength. as her wheels are steel with chrome plated plastic wheel covers. I went with half strength just to be on the safe side, it worked.
Washed it with Deep Crystal Car Wash, took nozzle off of hose to let sheeting pull water off. (It was beading remarkably well since the last time I had waxed it was in February when I did a quick ONR wash and applied UQW. Previous wax to that was last summer's NXT 2.0.) Dried it with Waffle Weave towels and went back in the garage. Tires got M40 and wheel arches got Hyper Dressing. Door jambs & trunk margins were cleaned with APC and Sam's Club MF towels. That old rubber and plastic just slurped up the M40. I then went home to my lovely wife and children. 
This morning the twins and I went back, they went in the house to play with Grandma and Uncle Dave and I went out to the garage for my ZEN. I clay barred the whole vehicle, dropping an old clay bar in the process.
I fortunately brought extras of everything and continued on after some cussing under my breath. I then taped off the black stuff that loves to gobble up waxes and polishes and proceeded to do a test spot on the trunk lid.
I did one section with Swirl-x, one w/Scratch-X and one w/ Poor Boys 2.5. I wiped each section down and polished with M205. Swirl-X gave me the results I was looking for and I went to town. Swirl-x went on with an orange pad followed up with M205 on a white pad. This took me almost three hours. I learned a lot today about the polisher, polishes, pads and myself, as I said before this is my zen.
After this I wiped it down with an IPA wipe @1:1 and liked what I saw. I had to keep reminding myself this is a 16 year old car and not my precious baby that's been pampered her whole life. Swirls and light scratching are gone, gloss is great, but the big paint blemishes are still there. Oh well.
Finished up with NXT 2.0 on a red pad wiping it of w/Supreme shine towels. Pulled off all the tape, made a big ball with it and........... missed the shot; nuts! Then it was out in the sun for some pics. Please forgive me this: I didn't take many pics today and yesterday the camera was at home and not with me, so the only before picture is from February of this year:
Here are my twin daughter's checking out Grandma's clean ride.
The hood is full of stone chips, but no swirls! The water mark by the washer nozzle wouldn't budge W/Poor Boys 3.
My sport red princess looking on jealously at the reflections.
Another view of the hood and it's stone chips.
Final picture showing big scratch in rear quarter panel from a lawn chair and about a half dozen big door dings on the wheel arch. OUCH!
2 buckets w/Grit Gards
Deep Crystal Car Wash
MF mitts
Meguiar's Waffle Weave towels
Meguiar's Supreme Shine MF towels
Sam's Club MF towels
Rain-X
Meguiar's white clay bar from otc kit
ONR mixed to clay bar lube strength
M40
Meguiar's Glass Cleaner (from X-mas kit)
Meguiar's Quik Interior Detail Spray
3M painters tape 1" width
Swirl-X
Scratch-X
Poor Boys 2.5
M205
NXT 2.0
APC
APC+
Wheel Brightener
Hyper Dressing
Griot's Garage DA polisher
Numerous 6.5" Lake Country CCS pads
Well, where do I begin? This is my mom's 1994 Volvo 940. She is the only owner and up until last summer it had been "treated" to car washes at the dealer or DIY car wash. I decided to do what I could to bring it back for mom as a belated Mother's Day gift. Last night after I left the office I started by doing a quick interior wipe down with QID spray. Interior is surprisingly clean, back seat area is spotless. Followed up by clay barring exterior glass and applying Rain-X. Then I went and did the interior glass. I applied a second coat of Rain-X, then pulled out of the garage to wash it...oh did I mention it was raining? Did tires and wheel arches with APC+, and wheels with Wheel Brightener at about 8:1 strength. as her wheels are steel with chrome plated plastic wheel covers. I went with half strength just to be on the safe side, it worked.
Washed it with Deep Crystal Car Wash, took nozzle off of hose to let sheeting pull water off. (It was beading remarkably well since the last time I had waxed it was in February when I did a quick ONR wash and applied UQW. Previous wax to that was last summer's NXT 2.0.) Dried it with Waffle Weave towels and went back in the garage. Tires got M40 and wheel arches got Hyper Dressing. Door jambs & trunk margins were cleaned with APC and Sam's Club MF towels. That old rubber and plastic just slurped up the M40. I then went home to my lovely wife and children. This morning the twins and I went back, they went in the house to play with Grandma and Uncle Dave and I went out to the garage for my ZEN. I clay barred the whole vehicle, dropping an old clay bar in the process.
I fortunately brought extras of everything and continued on after some cussing under my breath. I then taped off the black stuff that loves to gobble up waxes and polishes and proceeded to do a test spot on the trunk lid.
I did one section with Swirl-x, one w/Scratch-X and one w/ Poor Boys 2.5. I wiped each section down and polished with M205. Swirl-X gave me the results I was looking for and I went to town. Swirl-x went on with an orange pad followed up with M205 on a white pad. This took me almost three hours. I learned a lot today about the polisher, polishes, pads and myself, as I said before this is my zen.
After this I wiped it down with an IPA wipe @1:1 and liked what I saw. I had to keep reminding myself this is a 16 year old car and not my precious baby that's been pampered her whole life. Swirls and light scratching are gone, gloss is great, but the big paint blemishes are still there. Oh well.
Finished up with NXT 2.0 on a red pad wiping it of w/Supreme shine towels. Pulled off all the tape, made a big ball with it and........... missed the shot; nuts! Then it was out in the sun for some pics. Please forgive me this: I didn't take many pics today and yesterday the camera was at home and not with me, so the only before picture is from February of this year:
Here are my twin daughter's checking out Grandma's clean ride.
The hood is full of stone chips, but no swirls! The water mark by the washer nozzle wouldn't budge W/Poor Boys 3.
My sport red princess looking on jealously at the reflections.
Another view of the hood and it's stone chips.
Final picture showing big scratch in rear quarter panel from a lawn chair and about a half dozen big door dings on the wheel arch. OUCH!
Did I mention I was tired when I got done?
Comment