View Full Version : unfinished detailing job....
i played with the PC 7424, and im impressed with the XMT's ability to bust swirls. am very tired, whew i just realized detailing is physically demanding chore and time consuming for a newbie like me.
i just did the hood, driver's side fender and doors. and i started aound 6pm and did it until around 11. i need a more aggresive stuff like XMT#3 i only got #2 and #1. that is why i have to do 2 passes of xmt #2 and yet still some very fine swirl . the hood is really beat up with some deep scratch and swirls, and notice some chip several of them sizing around 3-5 sq. mm. i took my time coz this is my first ever.
unfinished and tired, here's my question, right now it sit on my driveway with a car cover (never did it before, just now) if i resume my detailing tomorrow, do i have to wash the car again? or dusting it with MF will do just fine.
secondly, once i finished the whole car do i need to wash the car again? and once fully dried, ill apply wax. do i make sense? please simplify this for me.
thank you all!
i played with the PC 7424, and im impressed with the XMT's ability to bust swirls. am very tired, whew i just realized detailing is physically demanding chore and time consuming for a newbie like me.
i just did the hood, driver's side fender and doors. and i started aound 6pm and did it until around 11. i need a more aggresive stuff like XMT#3 i only got #2 and #1. that is why i have to do 2 passes of xmt #2 and yet still some very fine swirl . the hood is really beat up with some deep scratch and swirls, and notice some chip several of them sizing around 3-5 sq. mm. i took my time coz this is my first ever.
HOOD IS BEAT UP? DEEP SCRATCHES? CHIPS??
SEEMS YOU NEED MORE THAN A PC7424....ALTHOUGH A PC DOES WONDERS , ITS NOT A MIRACLE WORKER...
IF YOU DONT WANT TO INVEST IN XMT#3 THEN RE-WORK THE #2 MORE...YOU'LL NEED MORE THAN 2 PASSES.....
WHAT SPEED SETTING ARE YOU ON.......YOU SHOULD BE FULL BORE WITH SWIRLS....CHECK YOUR PAD , MAKE SURE YOUR USING THE CORRECT CUTTING PAD......
unfinished and tired, here's my question, right now it sit on my driveway with a car cover (never did it before, just now) if i resume my detailing tomorrow, do i have to wash the car again? or dusting it with MF will do just fine.
IF YOUR GOING TO DO MORE SWIRL REMOVING THEN JUST CONTINUE ON
WHY WASH AND DUST IF YOUR GOING TO ATTACK IT WITH MORE MACHINING??
secondly, once i finished the whole car do i need to wash the car again?
AFTER POLISHING IT SHOULD BE READY FOR ANY TOP COAT YOU WANT....JUST MAKE SURE ITS CLEAN......NO RESIDUE
and once fully dried, ill apply wax. do i make sense? please simplify this for me.
WAXING IS THE VERY LAST THING YOU DO......DON'T BE IN A RUSH TO WAX
THE KEY IS PREPARATION.....
WASHING
CLAYING
SWIRL REMOVING
POLISHING
SEALER OR WAX
OR...................GLAZE AND WAX........OR JUST WAX.....:)
thank you all!
GOOD LUCK.............
FloridaNative
10-01-2006, 09:29 PM
:iagree: The PC is incredibly safe on the paint and in exchange for that safety it takes longer to work with it to get results. Patience is the key to a great outcome A beautiful detail is 90% preparation and 10% wax or sealant. The key is to go slow and take your time and to make sure you have the time to get the job done. If you don't have the XMT 3 continue on with the XMT 2 and know that you may not get it all done in this detail. If you can get it to where you are happy with it with the products that you have then you are ready to wax or seal. Remember that you will have more chances in the future to work on your car as well. Good luck. :)
alban61
10-02-2006, 03:49 AM
Originally Posted by JCB
i played with the PC 7424, and im impressed with the XMT's ability to bust swirls. am very tired, whew i just realized detailing is physically demanding chore and time consuming for a newbie like me.
I know EXACTLY how you feel, JCB. :) I spent almost 8 hours yesterday and still am not done. I have XMT3 but didn't use it! (kicking myself). Like you, I still have to complete my job. Not till next weekend though. I can barely move right now.
Good luck to you.
Why must the whole car be done in a day on new detailing jobs.
whats the rush....? if you did a hood and two fenders on a saturday finishing up to polishing but not to top coating and making it almost perfect, then coming back in a day or week or next available time and continuing on with the roof and trunk.up to polishing then finally the doors and bumpers etc on the next time..
that way you could concentrate on each panel and not have to go back over and you may not be so sore ......
the fnal detail could be a light polishing all over the car, then the sealer or whatever top coat you'd want....
this is my third day, spending 3-4 hours. patience is something that im learning to deal with, im a little impatient guy. but this time, being patient gives me good results.
well i tought i could finish it in a day, i was wrong, the first day, pectoral muscles sore, lol a good execise too. thanks guys. will post pics as soon as im done.
libtech
10-02-2006, 04:24 PM
LOL JCB and alban61...now I don't feel so bad. I don't have the PC but it took me a looooooong time to get done inside & out. Since I started later in the afternoon on Sat & Sun it seemed like I was at it for 2 days straight. And my neighbors kept coming by and making comments that ranged from "Wow!" to "You're not done yet??"
I'm pretty sore, too.
Price you pay for being a noob, I guess... :D
WHAT SPEED SETTING ARE YOU ON.......YOU SHOULD BE FULL BORE WITH SWIRLS....CHECK YOUR PAD , MAKE SURE YOUR USING THE CORRECT CUTTING PAD......
using the orange LC pad and xmt#2 at speed 6 going slow till polish breaks down. i guess would have helped better if i have the xmt#3 (ordered). orange pad still ok (ordered another orange pad as well). yellow pad and xmt #3 would be my best bet of some deep scracth, i'll attack it next time i got my stuff.
it took me more than 2 passes on some areas, i didnt get it to perfect finish but it was very close.
and im not done yet.
side note: my expectations were surpassed, i didnt know i can do a job detailing my car.
and still working on it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/22for2/DSC03556.jpg
this is the passenger door. its not perfect but close. would an XMT#3 in an orange LC pad do the job? right its just XMT#2 and orange pad with 2 passes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v699/22for2/DSC03561.jpg
the left side of the 2d coupe 00 civic. left side is done, take a look of the right side, thats 6 years of nothing but car wash, and drive thru wash.
ill update this thread to the finish.
Your doing fine......very good...your plan will be ok...looks very nice
good luck........:cheers:
sparkie
10-03-2006, 08:45 PM
WOW! Looks great, keep it up!
alban61
10-03-2006, 08:57 PM
libtech, JCB, alban61........aching noobs!! :D Hey!! We're getting the job done!!
That left side is looking great, JCB!!! Can't wait to see the finished product of your hard work!! :applause: Feels like we're a bunch of freshman being initiated into this fraternity. :)
arghh, am tired............. anyway, i just finished polishing the whole darn car. the problematic part is the hood and the front bumper (chips and losts of chips, but oxidation is gone, the shione is there again), and the rear bumper, where it was replaced some 5 years ago, the body shop i just realized, they didnt put clearcoat, because the paint is coming out on to the pads as i rip thru swirls (is this a correct assumption). how am i going to deal with this?
arghhh... lol
FloridaNative
10-04-2006, 01:04 AM
If the paint is coming off onto the pads then you are right they didn't put a clear coat. You would polish it in the same way as a clear, after all a clear coat is just unpigmented paint, however my concern would be about how many layers of paint the body shop put on. I would tread lightly when polishing the bumper in case the body shop decided to go cheap and apply thin. It's better safe than sorry.
those crappy body shop grrr.
the rear bumper has a scrape from a hit n run about 5 years ago in the appt complex we live at the time. after it came out from that body shop. it is still there, i never bother to bring it somewhere to fix and paint it. from the way it looks, they just primed it and paint i'd say 2-3 coats. not even baked or something of that sort.
ill just be carefull on that part.
tomorrow is the glazing and waxing day. :)
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