My 1st serious Detail.

[Bigunns]

I'm brand new to this scene. I read a bunch of threads and tried to do the best job I could detailing my year old Audi A6. Please tell me what you think? I used the McGuires 4 step deatail process. Clay, Paint cleaner, polish and NXT paste wax, all done by hand. Total time over 6 hours. I'm pleased with the results. Please let me know what works best with my midnight blue paint? I'm sure I can improve.

Go to http://mikesworldis.blogspot.com/

[nick19]

Nice job. It's "Meguiars" not McGuires..

[abrcrombe]

Man that looks pretty good, especially for OTC products. Imagine if you use the boutique products, it will blow you AWAY!! Either way, it looks good and be proud of your work.

[6LS2]

Hey there Bigunns, welcome to the AG Forum!

You did a very great job, and considering that was all done by hand, you must be absolutely stuffed! You might want to invest on a PC7424, your arms will thank you! Anyway, awesome job, you did great!
Well Done!

6LS2

[supercharged]

A6! I love it!

[Bigunns]

Originally Posted by 6LS2

Hey there Bigunns, welcome to the AG Forum!

You did a very great job, and considering that was all done by hand, you must be absolutely stuffed! You might want to invest on a PC7424, your arms will thank you! Anyway, awesome job, you did great!
Well Done!

6LS2

Yeah, over 6 hours by hand wore my ass out! My question is do you get better results by hand? If not I'm all over a Porter! The other question I have is, what was would be the best for my midnight blue color?

[P1et]

Welcome to the forum Bigguns! I love the Audi A6, that new body style is amazing. I've heard a lot of people say they prefer driving that compared to a 6-series BMW!

Fantastic job on the detail by the way, we all know how finicky Audi paint can be!

[abrcrombe]

Originally Posted by Bigunns

Yeah, over 6 hours by hand wore my ass out! My question is do you get better results by hand? If not I'm all over a Porter! The other question I have is, what was would be the best for my midnight blue color?

Yeah, a porter cable will give you better results (unless you are superman or have no swirls, defects, etc.). For your midnight blue, what are you looking for it to do? Do you want to accentuate the metallic? Do you want to make it look wet and deep?

Metallic - Go for a high quality sealant and top with a wax
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant
DP Max Wax

Depth and wetness - Glaze and wax
XMT Finishing glaze
Pinnacle Souveran Paste

Be prepared to spend some money in this hobby, it can get quite expensive with the products and tools that you "have" to have. Good luck and let us know if you have anymore questions.

[Truls]

Good job, and by hand! oh that takes time.

PC makes the job go faster, its less work more play.

PC + Edge pads is "the deal"

I do use hand power my self, I like to apply sealer/wax by hand, also depending on how much plastic trim it is on the car, but cleaner, swirl removal is a PC job.

[Grimm]

Looking good! I like that interior.

Originally Posted by Bigunns

Yeah, over 6 hours by hand wore my ass out! My question is do you get better results by hand? If not I'm all over a Porter! The other question I have is, what was would be the best for my midnight blue color?

Haha, I spent 14 hours using a machine! You will definitely want to pick up a PC. You will get better results much quicker. A lot of people including myself like to use it for applying wax and sealants as well. You can get more even coverage, and in my case save my wrists since they get sore doing it by hand.

As far as the best for your color, that is up to you. Souveran paste and Nattys Blue are a couple of the most mentioned waxes for dark colors, especially black. But there are so many choices, and everyone sees things differently so you really can't say subjectively what will be the best.