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  1. #21
    Super Member ltoman's Avatar
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkD51 View Post
    With the line up of products you used, seems like a crème de la crème of exactly what you "personally" wanted to use. I never thought of it that way, but it seems right. But do you think they are smart choices?

    I'm coming away with the thought, that you think mighty highly of the Pinnacle Gold Label products on hand at AG? I still have stuff from my red vette in the photo, which I think looks pretty darn good, especially for "a girl" - lol!! I don't want to order more and it seems if it was good enough for my red vette, it wil be good enough for my blue Sting. Your opinion on this?

    I'll be showcasing these products myself when the weather turns better here. AWESOME!

    I'd like doing a friend's Red Vette here, a gorgeous 2000, very clean, wish he'd sell me the car in fact, it's up to my acceptance of beautiful, and restorable to a showroom perfect ride. I wish you could do mine too!

    My Tahoe will be going the gauntlet of primo goodies here. OOOh, sounds like fun...what are you buying first?
    Stay tuned, I hope I will give a worthy account, and small town boy review of such goodies very soon.
    I am sure!!!
    ~Lulu~


  2. #22
    Regular Member
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Wow that looks awesome!

  3. #23
    Super Member Justin M.'s Avatar
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy1970 View Post
    Looks great Mike. Its kinda funny I read this today, went to test drive one and come to find out the nearest vett is 250 miles away, all sold out!

    Just to be clear, between the lotion and paint coating you did not wipe it down?
    The paint cleansing polish gets wiped off, see here:

    Pinnacle Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish

    (Correct me if I'm wrong Mike, in your process)

  4. #24
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy1970 View Post

    Looks great Mike. Its kinda funny I read this today, went to test drive one and come to find out the nearest vett is 250 miles away, all sold out!
    The owner of this Stingray purchased it in Texas, not sure if that's because if he wanted one on his time schedule that's what he had to do or if it was something else?



    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy1970 View Post

    Just to be clear, between the lotion and paint coating you did not wipe it down?
    Maybe I'm reading your question wrong and/or maybe you're reading what I wrote wrong?

    I'll take a stab at what I think you mean...


    AFTER I machine applied the Surface Cleansing Polish to the entire car, smooth plastic and glass, this stuff,





    After applying it I then carefully wiped it off once to get most of it off. Then I switched to clean, fresh towels and made a second pass around the car making sure 100% all traces of residues were removed. I actually followed the directions to a T in a new how-to book I've written.

    Then, after removing ALL of the Surface Cleansing Polish I applied the Diamond Paint Coating to the entire car. After applying to the entire car I then treated the glass with the glass coating and the wheels with the wheel coating.

    Then I washed my hands, visually and tactically inspected some rolled edge green microfiber towels, put on microfiber gloves and then wiped the coating off the paint following my path of travel for how I applied it.

    Clear as mud?

    Then wiped off the glass, (twice to get all trace residues off), and then wiped off the wheels.

    Everything I did was simple simon. I don't turn washing and waxing a car into rocket science. I don't do 52 secret steps for marketing reasons. I do what has to be done to do the job right for the customer and in keeping with what I wrote here years ago...


    The Mindset of a Professional Detailer




  5. #25
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Thanks Mike, Clear now. From your earlier post I thought you left the lotion on and applied the next product and wiped them off together. Makes sense now.

  6. #26
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy1970 View Post

    Thanks Mike, Clear now. From your earlier post I thought you left the lotion on and applied the next product and wiped them off together.

    Makes sense now.

    Cool.


    I know there's a couple of products on the market where the instructions state to apply a first product that preps the paint for the second product and then without removing the first product to go ahead and apply the second product right over the top of the first product and then wipe them both off at the same time.


    Here's the problem with this process...

    If the prep product is really working, that is to some level cleaning the surface so the second product will bond better to the paint, then as it's cleaning it's loosening whatever crud, contaminants, impurities, etc., that are on the surface but then leaving them in the film left behind.

    Applying the finishing product over this mess never made good sense to me but that's just me.


    Good question, helps to clarify in case anyone else was wondering the same thing.




  7. #27
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by smack View Post

    Damn Mike! Looking good! Looks great next to Big Red!
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek View Post

    The owner lives in Qatar and says that truck like mine are incredibly popular. That is old school Chevy 4x4's with straight axles under the front, lots of lift and huge tires.

    He says the most popular truck in Qatar is the 1973 to 1978 Chevy Stepside Shorty, which is also one of my favorite body styles just hard to find.

    I'll see if he can send me some pictures when he gets back to Qatar.

    The owner of the Corvette sent two pictures of the types of trucks that are the most popular in Qatar...

    Check out the old school Stepside Chevy trucks cruising in these two photos...








    Ha ha... pretty cool.... these guys can probably buy any truck in the world and they choose classic Chevys. The owner also sent me this picture he took with his camera...






  8. #28
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by Pats300zx View Post

    Beautiful job Mike...What a car !!!

    Thanks Pat, this was the first 2014 Stingray I've buffed out. I found the paint to buff real easy...

    Heck I pulled $5000 grit sanding marks with a medium cut polish and a Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher with a white foam pad.

    It can't get any easier than that...






    Quote Originally Posted by willtothewong View Post

    Looks fantastic!

    I need to get me some black label products. Just gotta finish off what I have now first hehe.
    I've used the BL products for the last half dozen customer cars I've detailed personally with nothing but happy customers.



    Quote Originally Posted by killrwheels@autogeek View Post

    beautiful ....
    Thanks Scott...




    Quote Originally Posted by Justin M. View Post

    Awesome, I'm looking forward to adding this coating to my arsenal. I knew I should have picked it up with the recent VIP discount a week ago, doh.
    Another sale will come around...




    Quote Originally Posted by MarkD51 View Post

    Beautiful work Mike. Tell us some more!
    The owner is really cool. He's a helicopter pilot by trade and owns 72 Corvette.

    I told him anytime he wants the other 72 Corvettes polished I would be happy to fly to Qatar and polish them out for him.

    While I know some people might have clicked on this thread expecting to see a swirled-out Stingray and a massive write-up showing all the steps to remove the swirls it really wasn't the situation with this Stingray.

    The owner is a Autogeek Customer. He reads my articles and knows how to wash a car carefully and/or wipe the paint down without instilling scratches.

    What the told me was after looking at my other write-ups for other cars that he didn't think his new Stingray had the gloss and shine it could have.

    He said he searched all over looking for someone he could trust to touch his new toy and finally took a chance and sent me an e-mail and asked if I detail cars? I said "yes" but I really only have Saturday's available for customer work.

    Anyway, I told me what I charge and we set a date.




    Quote Originally Posted by MarkD51 View Post

    I'd like knowing some more, about AG, and how prospective customers meet, and greet you folks, how they make arrangements for such work?
    Autogeek doesn't offer car detailing as a business. Myself, Nick, Todd, Ray, Bryan and possible a few other guys here detail cars occasionally for other people. I don't know much about how the other guys do their work.

    I don't actively seek out detail work but when it comes to me I follow what I teach in all my classes and that's

    First, I evaluate the customer.
    I gave this tip to Larry Kosilla and he used it in his class at Mobile Tech Expo. I always evaluate my customers first and make sure they understand that clearcoats are scratch sensitive and have REAL WORLD expectations for the work I do. If anyone wants to know what I mean by this just ask.


    Second, I evaluate the car
    It's always customer first and then the car. In this industry, most everyone else starts by evaluating the car. I make sure I can fix the car before I take the job. Some people bring cars with problems that cannot be fixed. For example recently I was asked to detail a car that had clearcoat failure. I educated the person that nothing you pour out of a bottle or scoop out of a can will fix clearcoat failure and the only honest fix is to repaint the car.



    Here's the dealio...

    I got into this industry because I'm a car guy first. Also a boat guy and a motorcycle guy. I've owned them all and most of them have been on the extreme side. I like cars and I like powerful engines.

    What I found out about myself is while I like turning wrenches, I only like turning wrenches on my own stuff. I consider detailing cars the fun side of the industry, that is after all the hard work is done, like building the engine, doing the body work, painting the car, etc. that's all knuckle busing work. What I like is when all the knuckle busting work is over it's time to make the car shine.

    So that's me.


    I also think it's vitally important that anyone sitting behind a keyboard telling others how to detail a car better darn well not only know how to do it but be actively doing it.

    The reason why is because,

    A: It keeps your writing true and fresh.

    B: Technology is being introduced fast and furious. The only way to be able to talk the walk is to first walk the walk.

    A long time ago I met a guy named Joe Fernandez, he goes by the name Superior Shine in the forum world and he's a heck of detailer as well as a nice guy. He told me the only reason he ever joined and posted to MOL was because he found out the guy running the forum at that time, (me), was a real detailer, not customer care guy with a book of canned answers to post to the forum.

    I agree with Joe. I don't want to join any forum and ask for help with something as important as the preciously thin clearcoat paint on my car and get help from someone that actually doesn't have a background and years of experience detailing cars.

    So while I don't detail a lot of cars for money, I do when someone comes to me and passes the first three tests.

    1. I have to like the person and believe they have real world expectations.

    2. I have to know that whatever the project might be, I have to be able to fix it.

    3. I have to like the car. Hard to invest any passion, let alone blood, sweat and tears into something I don't care about. So yes, I have to like all three.



    Quote Originally Posted by Bob57 View Post

    Wow that looks awesome!

    Thank you. This was a real simple, by the book detail that took me right at 4 hours from start to finish.




  9. #29
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    Quote Originally Posted by ltoman View Post

    My Stingray is almost to CA after months of waiting. I an terrified of putting that paint coating on and messing up the car, despite the fact the product sounds awesome and I would love to use it!

    Just take your time and work carefully. Read my article here, it walks you through every step you want to do and the order to do them.


    How To Detail Your Brand New Car by Mike Phillips



    Quote Originally Posted by ltoman View Post

    I had planned on using:
    Pinnacle Souveran Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
    CG or Griot's Sealant
    Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax
    Pinnacle Souveran Crystal mist

    Thoughts?

    Much appreciate, car master!!

    If I was taking possession of a brand new Corvette Stingray, here's what I would do in order....

    1. Inspect the car for damage before taking possession of it. That means inspecting it carefully at the dealership.

    After the car is accepted, then here's what I would do,



    1. First get so excited because I now own a BRAND NEW CORVETTE STINGRAY!





    Okay, once I get the initial excitement out of my system and finish drinking my toast to the accomplishment now parked in my garage, I would,


    1. Carefully and methodically wash the car starting with the wheels and tires first and then working from the top down. Like I teach in my how-to book.


    Detailing How-To Book and Detailing How-To E-book by Mike Phillips



    The first wash would include machine scrubbing the tires to prep them for TUF Shine Tire Clearcoat. The body would be washed using the Autogeek Foam Gun and Detailer's Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo and a Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt.

    After the initial wash, I would spray the paint down with Iron X to make 100% sure there was no iron contamination in the paint. Then re-wash and rinse again using the Autogeek Foam Gun and Detailer's Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo and a Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt.


    2. Dry the car, probably using a simple Guzzler Waffle Weave drying towel and a Metro-Vac Sidekick to blow water out of all the cracks and crevices.


    3. Inspect the paint using bright overhead sunlight and some time of swirl finder light. The new Flex Swirl Finder Light works great for this.


    4. Feel the paint with my bare hand, (clean of course), and then feel the paint using The Baggie Test. If I discovered any type of bonded contaminants on the paint I would mechanically decontaminate the paint using a Nanoskin Autoscrub Pad, both 4" and 6" on dual action polishers like the Rupes Mini 12 and the Porter Cable 7424XP.


    5. Machine polish the paint to remove any marring inflicted by the mechanical decontamination process. For this I would follow the least aggressive approach best practice and test to see if Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with either a foam polishing pad or a foam finishing pad on a dual action polisher would do the job.

    Chemically strip my test spot to make sure the results I'm seeing are the results I'm getting. Once I've proved my system, continue around the car.


    6. Chemically strip the paint to remove the polishing oils using the Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish, (just like I did to this Stingray).


    7. Hand apply the Black Label Diamond Paint Coating.


    8. Apply 2-3 applications of the TUF Shine Tire Clearcoat.


    9. Apply the Black Label Diamond Glass Coating to all the glass.


    10. Apply the Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating to the rims.


    11. Apply the Black Label Diamond Surface Coating to the exterior hard plastic and anything else that was smooth on the outside.


    12. I'd probably wipe down all the door jambs, trunk and engine compartment jambs, etc.


    13. Next day I'd detail the interior using the Black Label line.


    14. At some point, detail the engine compartment using the Black Label line.


    After that just maintain using the Black Label Detailer and Booster.


    The goal is while the car is BRAND NEW and everything is in excellent shape, start right then and their by taking care of it. that is,


    "Find something you like and use it often"



    That's what I would do if I had a brand new Corvette Stingray.


    I would never buy a brand new Corvette Stingray though as I don't fit into cars very well. I'd rather have exactly what I have today and that's a classic truck as I'm kind of a truck guy. I appreciate new cars like the Stingray but don't want to drive one everyday.







  10. #30
    Newbie Member juliom2's Avatar
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    Re: How to detail a 2014 Corvette Stingray

    That's sweet documentation on How to prep a nice brand new vette!!!!!!
    or favorite car of choice!!!

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