SupraGlue Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 Now that Spring seems like it could finally be on the way, it's time to get all of our cars clean, right? smile.gif Anyway, I thought I'd post a quick description of a nice detailing process to really help your finish along if you've got a car that's a few years old and getting a little dull. I like to do this twice a year, once in the Spring and in the Fall. Some things you are going to need first are, a DA buffer (I really can't recommend doing this by hand -- it takes too much time and work, and the results aren't as good, IMO), and some good quality products for each stage. I've made some suggestions here of the ones I use. You also want a lot of clean diaper cloth rags and some microfiber cloths. First stage: Cleaning What you want to do here is get all of the old wax and loose dust, dirt and grime off. Since we're going to re-wax the car, it's okay to use a harsher soap than you normally would (most good auto wash products will preserve your existing wax coat). You should also use a nice fluffy wash mitt, and be sure to run plenty of water over the car to keep the dirt from being ground into the finish. Hand dry the car with some of the diaper cloth rags and let them dry. They should still be clean (if not, you didn't do a good wash job. lol). Second state: Once the car is clean and dry, run your hand over the surface. You will feel some roughness or grittiness on older paint, and maybe even kind of a chalky feeling if there is some oxidation. We're going to get rid of a lot of that using a clay bar. Primarily, a clay bar removes particles bonded to the paint that soap can't get. The clay bar I use is the Meguairs. Mother's also makes one "California Gold" that is a little softer and easier to work with your hands. I've got a trick with the Meguairs, though. What you want is to flatten the bar out as much as you can (about the size of the palm of your hand). Since the Meguiars is so hard, what I do is soak it down in Meguiar Quick Detailer spray and put it in a Ziploc freezer bag, then put it between two blocks of wood and step on it a few times. smile.gif That seems to get it nice and flat (I weight 190lb). Now what you want to do is spray down a panel at a time with Quick Detailer (very important, since the clay bar need lubricant to work) and run your nice flat clay bar over the surface. You will actually feel the grit through the bar as you run over it. Do this for every panel, and stay away from any rubber moulding and pannel gaps or seams (You don't want to get any clay in them). After you're done with a panel, take a dry diaper cloth and wipe the car dry. Then either flip over the bar, or wad it back up into a ball and re-flatten it. You always want a clean surface of clay on your car. Don't let it get dirt built up, and always keep it stored in a sealed bag. After you're done with the clay, the paint should feel super smooth, but scuffs, scratches and stains may still remain. I'll get to those tomorrow when I cover buffing and swirl removal. [ 17 March 2002, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Stolen UFO ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPimpstress1647545491 Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 how much do you charge for your services... i'm not sure i have that much time on my hands to wask my car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1647545498 Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 Mark, you need to come over tongue.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mad man mikey 0212 Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 no crap i'll pay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 um, me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 So, any Admins, I think we need a poll. Should Marks new business be him detailing other peoples cars that are to lazy to do it themselves or handing out advice about cars?? tongue.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 I detail cars on the side when I get a chance. Mark.. as a note on the clay bar. I would highly suggest telling everyone that you will need about 4-5 bottles of the detailer spray. If you don't "lube" up your paint well enough then you will start sticking the clay to the car and it's a PAIN IN THE ASS to get it off. The quick detaler spray was good enough for about half my hood on my Lumina. From what I read on other forums about claying your car, they just said put a few drips of dish soap in the bottle and use it that way. a LOT cheaper than buying 4-5 bottles of the Quickdetailer. Yes, you're basically stripping all the wax off the car if you're going to use the dishsoap. But it doesn't matter since you're going to be putting new wax/polish on it anyways. smile.gif . BTW, I'll charge anywhere from $80 to $150 depending on what you want done (claying will add about $30 on top of the above numbers) My .02 smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamZman Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Nice, Mark smile.gif I definitely have my own methods to detailing my car, but I'm sure this stuff should be helpful to alot of people. And besides, I'm always open to try something else.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 614Streets Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Very nice. Im not willing to tell my process but I think this post is very well thought out. The D/A - Random orbit buffers are perfect for beginers. A Dewalt buffmaster can hurt your car and you if your not experianced with high speed compounding. Great post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Originally posted by 614Streets: Very nice. Im not willing to tell my process but I think this post is very well thought out. The D/A - Random orbit buffers are perfect for beginers. A Dewalt buffmaster can hurt your car and you if your not experianced with high speed compounding. Great post. Yep, you can burn the paint really fast/easy if you don't know what you're doing smile.gif . Some guy at Ziebart did that to a Porche one day on the roof of the car smile.gif . Sucked to be him that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 614Streets Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Originally posted by Buck531: Yep, you can burn the paint really fast/easy if you don't know what you're doing smile.gif . Some guy at Ziebart did that to a Porche one day on the roof of the car smile.gif . Sucked to be him that day.Dam on the roof? What a clown. If it was a plastic bumper with import clear and you were buffing a key scratch Id understand. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 614Streets Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Actually I take that back , any burn is not understandable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berto Posted March 18, 2002 Report Share Posted March 18, 2002 Originally posted by Buck531: [QB] I would highly suggest telling everyone that you will need about 4-5 bottles of the detailer spray. QB]no need for mark to tell everyone, u just did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Automotive Posted March 22, 2002 Report Share Posted March 22, 2002 That would get kind of expensive, the smarter and cheaper route is to you windex or something similar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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