Scion-First non-OTC detail

[Evolve]

Let me start by saying that I've always been pretty anal about keeping vehicles clean (detail oriented as Mike puts it) but it was always done with the standard over the counter products. Little did I know about how little I actually knew. There was a whole world of products and tools out there for people like myself (DO!) and thankfully I've finally stumbled upon it.

I recently ordered the Pinnacle/PC kit from AG to remove some long surface scratches on the hood of my 08 Scion TC. My car has gone through 2 NY winters (:nomore:) with on the street parking. I woke up one day to find that the wonderful city street plows had deposited a large pile of snow on my hood that had frozen to ice and slid off leaving several long trails down the entire hood. I had attempted to remove the scratches with ScratchX (not 2.0) on more than 1 occasion but I was really not getting the results I wanted and started looking into ways to further diminish the scratches. This led me to AG.

Here is what I used during last weeks detail:

DP Auto Bath
DP Detailing Clay and Lube
PCXP
Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover (Orange Pad)
Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish (White Pad)
Pinnacle Liquid Souverän x2 (I had no idea wax could be removed this easy!)
Aerospace 303 for the interior

I believe I caused some very very slight micro marring that apparently only I can see (with a spotlight) and I'm not sure if it's due to me underworking the polish or me pressing too hard, or not hard enough. This is my first time using a PC so I'm not really sure which. Visually it's only possible to see by looking directly at the sun in the paint. Unfortunately I couldn't get the camera to even focus on them so I can't show exactly what they look like. I have some WGDG 3.0 coming next week and I'm wanting to have the micro marring out before I seal it up, so hopefully I can figure out what I'm doing wrong. :bash:

These are the pictures that turned out ok. No before pictures since the camera wouldn't focus on the hood scratches either. I know the wheel wells are dirty, but I recently moved back to Oklahoma and I live on a dirt road so I can't seem to make it out of the driveway without them being dirty again.

[Mike Phillips]

Looks great for your first time!

There were a number of comments I hear at almost ever Meguiar's class I taught whether at Meguiar's office in Irvine or an of the Roadshow classes, here's an example,

After working ScratchX in a live demonstration, the most common comment went something like this,

"Hmmm... that's not how I've been doing it"

What they mean is when they watched how fast I worked the product, how small of an area I worked and the pressure or passion I put behind the pad it surprised them because most people applied it like a finishing wax, that is they spread it around, nice and easy like and then either let it dry or maybe wiped it off.

There was a huge difference in how I applied it and how they were applying it.

The point being, a life demonstration or hands-on training when it comes to use any kind of polisher just can't be under estimated or over stated.

Also, don't forget where you started, I've worked with people that start out with a completely swirled-out mess, watched them work out 99.9% of the defects and then be let down because each and every RIDS weren't removed. Besides that the finish looks awesome, it's just they forgot where they started.

For years at the beginning of a class I would back the demo car into the sun to showcase the swirls and then tell the students to look at the swirls and to lock that sight into their memories because after we buff out the paint and then back the car back out into the sun again the swirls are all going to be gone and if they didn't remember 'the ugly' they wouldn't be able to appreciate the beautiful. (Of course we take plenty of pictures of the ugly)


So great first start!

:)

[alowe]

Looks nice to me brother!

[ICEMAN]

nice one!!! its been 7 or 8 years since ive used a buffer. Im doing my gf's 01 Mustang GT this weekend!!! cant wait to get back into it!!!