So I detail cars...

M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
You should invest in waterless wash. You could do that, clay, and polish would using the hose at all. Just use a wash facility before hand if there is any real dirt. Or, park outside in a hurricane, that might remove the big stuff.

DA is nice because it does the work for you, but you still need the compounds and pads to go with it. YOur technique will determine how well the DA works, and Ultimate compound is very forgiving and easy to use. It doesn't dry out, it doesn't need to break down (abrasives stay small, and can be worked faster/harder to achieve greater cut), and it is cheap and easy to get your hands on.

SheepStar
I ordered a bottle of the ultimate compound. Seemed like a good place to start.
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
I ordered a bottle of the ultimate compound. Seemed like a good place to start.
It's an affordable place to start. I saw a can of wax packaged in a custom looking wood box for nearly $200 on the link Sheep provided for the pad applicator things. Way back he suggested I get some products from Poorboy's World. It seemed steep back then but the products are still kicking around and I even use them every so often.

I guess I'm going to have to google single stage paint. Another curious thing is an iron remover I saw on Sheep's latest link. When I clay barred our white '08 Malibu, there were like little rust colored spots here and there that the clay bar would remove with considerable effort. Is that rust? The car was much newer then too.

Oh, and windshields: the Malibu has this seemingly permanent wiper streak that somebody suggested I use 0000 steel wool to remove. I may actually do that one day. I thought I'd ask here about the wisdom of that.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
It's an affordable place to start. I saw a can of wax packaged in a custom looking wood box for nearly $200 on the link Sheep provided for the pad applicator things. Way back he suggested I get some products from Poorboy's World. It seemed steep back then but the products are still kicking around and I even use them every so often.

I guess I'm going to have to google single stage paint. Another curious thing is an iron remover I saw on Sheep's latest link. When I clay barred our white '08 Malibu, there were like little rust colored spots here and there that the clay bar would remove with considerable effort. Is that rust? The car was much newer then too.

Oh, and windshields: the Malibu has this seemingly permanent wiper streak that somebody suggested I use 0000 steel wool to remove. I may actually do that one day. I thought I'd ask here about the wisdom of that.
I have polished glass with steel wool and it works quite well. The one word of caution being, that if you live near the water or where humidity is high, be sure to get any dust/particles from it off of the car asap because it will rust and stick to places that are less than a waxed or gloss surface. I vacuum it up right after I am done and then clear anything else with the air compressor.

Rust particles on paint can happen a number of ways. One being, if someone was using an angle grinder on steel near your paint, say, perhaps at a dealer, or other service outlet or even an auto body shop. It could even come off of a building where construction is happening or anywhere else metal dust can be found. I saw some guys cutting metal studs with an abrasive saw outside of a grocery/strip store and the dust was everywhere.

"Single stage paint," is typically that which is air cured with no catalyst or separate clear coat system. Like the old fashioned enamel well before basecoat/clearcoat systems became popular. Even the enamel I painted my old Bronco (Ditzler Delstar) with had a catalyst added to speed up the cure and to add a level of hardness to the paint.

Overpriced products I typically read the label and compare it with lesser priced options. If there are no exotic chemicals or otherwise expensive formulations, I treat it the same as voodoo audio or anything else. Much of the time, you will find the chemicals for these products are actually only produced by a handful of the same, major chemical corporations, and just mixed/formulated differently.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
Ended up getting the yellow cloud off of the headlights. Sanded with 400 thru 2000 wet/dry.



Can actually see all of the inner parts. I coated them with a UV clear. I was just going to buy new ones but figure I'll see how long this lasts. Now the grille and bumper looks worse and after I fix those, the rest of the paint will look bad.


Ahh well, one thing at a time until it's maintainable, at least.
 
Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
It's an affordable place to start. I saw a can of wax packaged in a custom looking wood box for nearly $200 on the link Sheep provided for the pad applicator things. Way back he suggested I get some products from Poorboy's World. It seemed steep back then but the products are still kicking around and I even use them every so often.

I guess I'm going to have to google single stage paint. Another curious thing is an iron remover I saw on Sheep's latest link. When I clay barred our white '08 Malibu, there were like little rust colored spots here and there that the clay bar would remove with considerable effort. Is that rust? The car was much newer then too.

Oh, and windshields: the Malibu has this seemingly permanent wiper streak that somebody suggested I use 0000 steel wool to remove. I may actually do that one day. I thought I'd ask here about the wisdom of that.
They call those little orange dots are metallic fallout. It's a metal fleck that has embedded into the paint, and is now rusting. The liquid fallout removers dissolve them and make claying easier. Please note, those products smell terrible usually, and are very expensive in large quantities (4 liters is ~$150 for a good one). Speaking of good ones, they're not all created equal. The more effective they are, the more expensive. I would add one to your kit, but follow the instructions, they can't dry so you need to stay on top of it until you're rinsing it off.

Poorboys is an okay brand, but compared to other manufactures these says, they've fallen behind. Not bad products per-see, but you can get better performing products for the same or less. If you're looking for a specific product, let me know. I usually run tests and post the results on a detailing forum, so I have some experience with a lot of different brands.

SheepStar
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
I did end up trying the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound with a DA polisher and it worked very well so, I appreciate that recommendation. Prior to that, I removed the way past worn out vinyl pin stripes with one of those 3M pin stripe eraser wheels, which also worked quite well. As it turns out, I like it better without the stripes. The first gen Toyota Tacoma has enough style lines in the sheet metal, IMO.

At first, the pin stripe eraser was slow and tedious. I ended up giving the stripes a once over with lacquer thinner on a rag, which softened them just enough for the wheel to take them off at near walking speed with the easer wheel. The section where the stripes were, really could use a wet sanding with some 2000 prior to buffing but I may wait until next time, in which to save some thickness of paint for as long as possible.

I also bought some Plasti Dip spray to repair the missing coating on the previously blacked out window trim. It's one of those situations where the driver must have drove with the window open and his arm hanging out the window all redneck like.

Biggest challenge thus far? Getting hair spray off of the interior window tint. Denatured alcohol, goo-off, naptha, soap/water would not phase it and I was hesitant to use acetone or lacquer thinner. Ended up basically having to burnish it off with elbow grease and a rag. I seriously considered getting the windows re-tinted instead.

I have some tiny dings here and there, which are just sharp enough to need hammer/dolly work and not where I can get to them easily, except for one on the hood. Probably just leave them as character marks, and address it with a repaint at a later date.
 
Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
Haven't forgotten about this thread!

Running a test on my Prius between Optimum Opti-seal and Jescar Power Lock Plus sealant. Here is some beading porn for yall.

DSC_8472 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Haven't forgotten about this thread!

Running a test on my Prius between Optimum Opti-seal and Jescar Power Lock Plus sealant. Here is some beading porn for yall.

DSC_8472 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr
Your photography skills are excellent. If detailing cars doesn't keep you too busy, you should look into getting some side work in commercial photography. I wish I had your skills with a camera!
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
Haven't forgotten about this thread!

Running a test on my Prius between Optimum Opti-seal and Jescar Power Lock Plus sealant. Here is some beading porn for yall.

DSC_8472 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr
I've found most of the polymer sealants to be all pretty close in performance. I use hydro2 and hydro2lite with no effort at all.
 
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Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
Your photography skills are excellent. If detailing cars doesn't keep you too busy, you should look into getting some side work in commercial photography. I wish I had your skills with a camera!
Thanks! I know that it looks very impressive, but it's more down to the gear and settings, versus me doing something specifically unique with a camera. For example, that photo was shot on a 35mm F1.4 Sigma Art lens, which when shot at F1.4, blurs out the background very easily. Most people can't afford lenses like that (myself included, I'm sellng it for a friend - after I play with it a bit), so they have cheaper lenses with narrower apertures, which have less blur. The other fact is my camera (Nikon D750) uses a Full Frame (35mm film size) sensor, which allows it to blur out a background easier (when compared to a crop sensor camera like a D5600 or D3500). That's the physics of the sensor size at play. A F1.4 lens on a Crop body gives the depth of field equivalent to F1.8 or F2 on a Full frame. That conversation is a big rabbits hole, one a lot of people don't fully understand.

I've found most of the polymer sealants to be all pretty close in performance. I use hydro2 and hydro2lite with no effort at all.
Hydro2 is a Sio2 sealant no? I haven't played with any of those yet, mainly due to costs and application complications (a lot of them streak apparently).

Brian, have you tried Bead Maker from P&S yet?
I have not. I don't think I have a Canadian distributor for that company (you US folks are freaking spoiled). Is that a spray on wet and blast off product or a QD style WOWO product? Those spray on wet and rinse products are pretty handy, especially when you don't have time to dry the car.

SheepStar
 
Matt34

Matt34

Moderator
I have not. I don't think I have a Canadian distributor for that company (you US folks are freaking spoiled). Is that a spray on wet and blast off product or a QD style WOWO product? Those spray on wet and rinse products are pretty handy, especially when you don't have time to dry the car.

SheepStar
WOWO

I got some right before I had to leave for work after seeing a bunch of hype online about it. Same story as most spray sealants that can be used as a stand alone or topper for wax/sealant. I have it on my truck over a coating of Colinite 845. We'll see how it holds up in a couple months.

Very slick finish after application and the gloss was great.

I use Mckee's hydro Blue (spray and rinse) on my wheels and have been very happy with it.

Last pic is Colinite 845 beading after freezing rain.
 

Attachments

Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
WOWO

I got some right before I had to leave for work after seeing a bunch of hype online about it. Same story as most spray sealants that can be used as a stand alone or topper for wax/sealant. I have it on my truck over a coating of Colinite 845. We'll see how it holds up in a couple months.

Very slick finish after application and the gloss was great.

I use Mckee's hydro Blue (spray and rinse) on my wheels and have been very happy with it.

Last pic is Colinite 845 beading after freezing rain.
Oh ok, in that case I'll probably skip it, I have Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer and Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer which already work really well.

I seal my wheels when I swap over every season, so I just wash them with a wash and wax that adds a bit of beading each time (It's actually a Honda Soap, part number CA66919, highly recommend it for that purpose and as a clay lubricant).

I really want to get my hands on the McKee's coating prep polish (similar to PInnacle Black Label version and Detailers Pride/Pro versions). A lot of people should use that product, as it's simple, straight froward to use, and less fussy compared to homebrew IPA solutions or expensive versions from Carpro and the likes.

SheepStar
 
Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
Greetings everyone!

Was fortunate enough to detail another car yesterday, this time some sort of Hot Rod (owner never said what make model or year). Car was washed using a waterless wash (ONR) except for the wheels whcih saw Meguiars Wheel Brightener). Car was then clayed before being polished with Meguiars Ultimate Compound on Orange foam pads. Wax used was Autoglym HD wax. Wheels were followed up with a hand polish using mothers metal polish to remove some pitting and bring back that shine. Interior was vacuumed, seats and dash cleaned with APC before being treated (seats with Autoglym Leather cleaner then conditioner, dash and doors with Poorboys natural look dressing). On to the photos!

DSC_9018 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9019 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9023 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9026 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9029 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9033 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9038 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9040 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9047 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9050 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9058 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9060 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DSC_9067 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

SheepStar
 
C

chas_w

Full Audioholic
Pretty cool...definitely something different to detail! I like the lights on the walls of the garage...
 
davidscott

davidscott

Audioholic Ninja
Any experience with new finish on older cars? Its also supposed to last a year.
 
R

rollinrocker

Audioholic
sheep that detail job is absolute BADASS!!! crazy skills brother!! I said it years ago and I gotta say it again...I'm proud to say I knew you when you were a lamb...
 
Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
sheep that detail job is absolute BADASS!!! crazy skills brother!! I said it years ago and I gotta say it again...I'm proud to say I knew you when you were a lamb...
Oh man he's back! I do it just for you champ!

Did a bit of a rush detail on a friends 2005 Acura RL this weekend. He has kid number 2 on the way (actually 2 days late) and they wanted to get the interior cleaned up so it wasn't so... child-ruined. Due to weather I wasn't able to do this earlier in the month (February), but we managed to find a day to get it sorted.

Starting off, the destruction.

DSC_0416 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

This is after removing the carpet mats, which were pressure washed, scrubbed, and extracted dry.
DSC_0418 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Non fat extra whip latte all over the place.
DSC_0419 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

I was told this was milk. I hope I wasn't lied to.
DSC_0420 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

This used to be a $70,000 car.
DSC_0422 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

That's better.
DSC_0427 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Fin.
DSC_0431 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Quick breakdown on what was done.

-Full wash with 2 bucket method, APC on the stubborn areas.
-Engine bay washed (mostly plastic covers anyway).
-Clay bar.
-Full interior Vacuum and Shampoo of carpets and carpet mats.
-Seats cleaned with APC then treated with leather conditioner.
-Dash/Doors cleaned with APC then wiped with a non glossy dash cleaner.
-Windows cleaned inside and out.
-Paint stripped with IPA solution then waxed and left to cure.

SheepStar
 

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