2007 Pontiac G5

[Nica]

A co-worker of mine just purchased a brand new 2007 Pontiac G5. I and another co-worker told her to skip out on the so called “protection package” that the dealership was offering. I told her that I have superior products compared to what the dealership could offer. Well I got the honor of detailing her brand new baby and it was time to put my reputable products to the test.


Exterior Process

Wash:
I used Optimum wash (provided by my friend CalgaryDetail) with two bucket method grit guard and white ShMITT.

Clay:
Used my friend Ricardo clay (yellow clay). It wasn’t to bad, removed all contaminants and left it nice and smooth.

Polish:
Menzerna Final Polish II (regular line, not the Pro line) + Menzerna orange pad (new) + 3M backing plate (new) + Metabo rotary.

As posted on the other topic about the backing plate I was able to get the adaptor made on time to use the backing plate. Now let’s start with the backing plate. The backing plate is incredible, I got better control and it grips the pad really well. What impressed me about this backing plate is that the middle part is nice and soft and when you apply pressure to the pad not only does the middle part of the backing plate absorb but it helps you control the pad specially when going over edges…this is where the pad really shines. As I went over the edges the middle part of the backing plate really helped out by providing extra caution and dispersing even weight.
Now to the orange Menzerna pad. So I started using the orange Menzerna pad and at first it felt really stiff and it seemed as though the pad was not absorbing any of the product but once the pad got primed that’s when the pad really showed what it was made off. The first few passes it was leaving some really fine scratches. But once the pad was well primed it left the paint incredibly smooth. I tried the white Lake Country pad in one panel to compare and the white Lake Country pad felt softer and it still left good results but I like the feel of the orange Menzerna pad. As for which is better, I like the Menzerna pad because the properties of the pad compliment the Menzerna products. My opinion on between the Lake Country pad and the Menzerna pad and which one leaves better results I’m leaning toward the Menzerna pad but I need to use it some more before I can say that the Menzerna pad is better with Menzerna polish compared to the Lake Country. One thing the Menzerna pad is better at for sure though is clean up time. The Menzerna pad is much better to clean up compared to the Lake Country pad. When I cleaned the Menzerna pad it did not feel like the Lake Country pads at all. I don’t know who makes this pad and it very well could be Lake Country but the foam feels different, not like the Lake Country pads nor the Edge pads.

I’ll continue to use the 3M backing plate am the Menzerna pads. This is the only first time I use these products so after a few vehicles I should be able to elaborate more on them. I’m impressed by the 3M backing plate and the Menzerna pads, I’m looking forward on using the white Menzerna pad (cutting pad) and of course I’ll definitely continue to use the 3M backing plate. This new backing plate will be my go to backing plate, glad I have a spare. I hope the little review helps.


Sealant:
2 – coats of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. I really like this sealant, gives a really nice gloss to the paint.

Wax:
2 – coats of Souveran Paste. I didn’t think the paint could get any better and man two coats of Souveran and the paint looked wet. I like this combo very much. The draw back is the sealant that takes time to cure but the owner was really happy with the exterior.

Tire dressing/wheel wells:
For the tires and the wheel wells I used Poorboys tire dressing (I can’t remember the exact name). A big thank you to home boy CalgaryDetial that gave me a sample of this tuff. Now I don’t mind Poorboys but this is the second time I’ve used the poor boys tire dressing and the smell kinda made my stomach upset. Well it could have been that I was hungry hahahaha.

Exterior plastic peaces:
I used Mothers Back to Black. Works well, I’m quite pleased with the results.


Interior Process:

Vinyl and rubber:
For the interior I used the Pinnacle Vinyl and Rubber protectant. I was going to use Meg’s #40 but since the vehicle is brand new it still has the new smell and the Meg’s #40 has a strong smell and I didn’t want the two clashing. Pinnacle smells and goes on really well.

Carpet:
A good friend of mine at work gave me a tip. He used to own a detailing shop and he gave me some scotch guard. He told me what ratios to use and depending on the ratio it could be used to clean as well to protect. I used it and got great results. I used ½ a cup on a 8oz bottle and the rest was filled with water. The stuff that my friend gave me is the really concentrated stuff and I only need a small amount of product. Well it worked really good and I’ll continue to use it.

Exterior plastic peases:
I used Mothers Back to Black. Works well, I’m quite pleased with the results.

Summary:
No drastic changes for this vehicle because it is brand new but very pleased with the new products and the owner was impressed with the interior and exterior. She liked the way the carpets were finished and so do I.

Now for pictures(lots of pictures):

[Nica]

Before:


If you look close there are a few scratches but paint in deasent shape.




Some more scratches on the passanger mirror.


The reflection looks good


Trunch was the worse area, full of swirls.




This is after being washed and clayed, minor swirls on it.




I found this on one the driver side back panel (just before it meets with the bumper). Found this odd.




Interior was a little dusty, not to bad though.

[Nica]

After the wash/clay and inspection came the taping part:

[Nica]

Then came the polishing, the wife was kind enough to "volunteer" to take pictures (I made her take the pictures )


Sorry for being blury but best the wife could do.





















As I said, the backing plate feels really good and I find I get better control. The pads never ran from me, no hopping ect. The other thing is that the soft middle part of the backing plates helps distribute the weight better.

The pictures were taken from the begging of the polish to the wipe off of the polish.

[Nica]

Now for the Interior After shots:














Just like new again

[dengood1]

whistles the "jeopardy" theme

[Nica]

Now for the Exterior After shots:












No swirls the way it should be...nice!!








Swirl free trunck lid.

[Nica]

Scratch free passanger mirror.



There no more pictures.

I really like this color and after polishing with Menzerna Final Polish II it made the paint come life. Looks really good and it has wicked flakes that Wolfgang did not mute and Souveran bring them out.

Any feed back/suggestions/questions/complaints feel free to ask.

[Truls]

MAN you write some "costly" write upps.

Both the write up and detailing was awsome......

Great thing about Menzerna pads is that its 2 foam and 1 wool, not a bunch of different types to worry about.

Got to get me that Metabo, looks like a great tool

[dengood1]

Nice Carlos.......hmmm....student----good----you are (in my best Yoda voice) Man, I gotta get a rotary.......PC with Menzerna takes a LOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGG time to break down. Maybe even longer than Optimum. Can't argue with the results though!!!

Good job man