So I have been keeping my cars (and other family members cars, of course) in great shape for quite a while. I've owned a PC7424 for a couple of years now, but have only recently started expanding my knowledge of various products, techniques, etc.
I just bought my new Lexus IS250 about 3 months ago and did a full paint correction with fabulous results, so I thought I would reach out to a local car enthusiast forum to see if there was any interest/need for a detailer. I received several interested individuals, and this was my first job.
This is a 2008 335i that has been kept fairly clean, but not properly taken care of, if that makes sense. This paint is FULL of metallic flake and looks great in the sun, but the owner was noticing a good amount of swirls and simply wanted to reduce them. We weren't out to get a perfect, show car finish, as this car had a good amount of heavier scratches to go along with the swirls, but I'd say it was about a 75% correction overall. The owner was very pleased with the results, but it was hard for me to only do a one-stage polish when the perfectionist in me wanted to sit there for hours to make the car perfect.
Alright, enough intro, on to the pictures.
- Washed with Chemical Guys Citrus Wash diluted to remove any protection still on vehicle... but I found out there was none
- Dried with Soft Microfiber Towels
- Clay Bar using Detailed Image Gentle Fine Grade Clay
- Single Stage Polish with M205 on LC white pad with PC7424XP DA Polisher (remove 75%+ of swirls, but unable to correct deeper defects)
- Waxed with NXT Tech Wax 2.0
- Wheels Dressed with Megs Endurance Gel
- Basic Engine Cleaning and Dress all plastic engine components w/ 303
- Quick interior vacuum and dressed all vinyl with 303
Before: You can easily see the swirls in the paint
^bugs guts and stains on the front
^Dirty wheels, but not too bad given it was a BMW.. I've seen much, much worse.
^Example of a deeper scratch that was unable to be removed
^Some water spots lightly etched into clear coat
^Scratches Under Driver's Side Door Handle (no after pic, but removed ~75% of them)
^Hard water stains on paint - thanks Illinois Rain
^Absolutely no water beading meaning car had ZERO protection (wax or sealant) on it. Shame Shame Shame!!!
^Wheel Cleaner going to work
^Working with the clay
^Dirty clay after going over the hood.
^Checking out the damage under halogen lights after being clayed - more swirls
^Taping off anything that may be damaged from polish or wax
^More taping
^Taping off my test location
^Test spot before correction
^After correction - most of the swirls/scratches removed
^Checking out the test spot in the sun, looks good enough to me
^Fender Before
^Fender After
Linear Mode
