Acura MDX One Step - TLC Auto Detail

[Flannigan]

Hey everyone! Got a quickie detail here today. This MDX was booked for a one step and full interior detail. It had never really ben detailed, and was only washed a few times in its life. The paint felt pretty rough, so it was going to take a bit of work to get it back to a like-new state. Fortunately you really can’t see too many swirls on this color, so a one step will get it looking next to perfect.

First we started with the wheels and tires. The wheels, tires, and wells were cleaned with Blackfire APC mixed 3:1 and agitated with a slew of brushes. The wheels were sealed with Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant, the tires were dressed with Blackfire Tire Gel (Old Version), and the wells were dressed with Chemical Guys Bare bones. Here is what they looked like before:


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/wheelbefore.jpg


And here is the final result:


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/wheelafter.jpg


Next the paint needed a deep cleaning. First it was foamed with a mixture of Blackfire Shampoo and Blackfire APC to try to remove as much loose debris as possible. While the foam dwelled the trim, badges, body seams, and fuel door were agitated to remove all of the dirt and grime build up. After a thorough rinse the vehicle was washed with Blackfire Shampoo and a Griots Garage MF Wash Pad.


The paint was now clean, but still felt very rough. To help with this it was sprayed down with Wolfs Decon Gel (Iron remover) which was left to dwell, then agitated, and finally rinsed off. This took care of the embedded iron, but there was still some roughness to the paint. To get it perfect all of the paint was deep cleaned with the Ultima Clay Block with Chemical Guys Luber as lube. Then the vehicle was given a final rinse and dried with compressed air and various towels.


It was near impossible to capture swirls, but they were present on the paint. To take care of this that vehicle was polished with Menzerna FG500 on a Cyan pad on the PCXP. This was followed by Blackfire AIO on a tangerine pad to clean the paint further, and add some protection. The final protection steps were Blackfire Wet Diamond sealant topped with Blackfire Midnight Sun Wax. This is known as the Wet Fire over Ice combo, and just looks stunning.


Here are a couple close up pics of the flake showing it’s pop, and the lack of swirls left.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/flake001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/flake002.jpg


Here are some random reflection shots after the polishing was completed.



http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/reflec001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/reflec002.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/reflec003.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/reflec004.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/reflec005.jpg

And finally, here are some pictures of the vehicle after everything was completed.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/after001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/after002.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/James%20Gardner%20MDX/after003.jpg

This was a quick write up, but I still wanted to do it since I was very pleased with the results. This customer’s GT-R is scheduled for next weekend, so stay tuned for that write up! Thanks for looking!

[DARK HORSE]

Great work Dave, I'm sure the client was extremely happy as always!
BTW Doc-O-Rama just sent me a sample of Menz FG500, I can't wait to give it a spin. I was under the impression this polish worked best with a rotatory, what's your take on that?

[john b]

sweet job.is that menz the powerfinish?how did you like the wolfs?nice job as usual.thanks for shareing.

[tw33k2514]

Amazing gloss! BFWD almost makes me to happy...

Great work as usual :dblthumb2:

[rider9195]

Looking good! The Blackfire APC seemed to work magic on the tires and wheels.

[rwright]

Very, very nice Dave! Thanks for sharing mang! :D BTW, I'm looking forward to the GT-R as well.

[DARK HORSE]

sweet job.is that menz the powerfinish?how did you like the wolfs?nice job as usual.thanks for shareing.

No, Menzerna FG500 is not the same as PF. To the best of my knowledge FG500 is only readily available in European markets. Here's an excerpt from a UK website:

"Menzerna Fast Gloss (S500) is an aggressive professional cutting compound. It cuts paint back quickly and easily, and is thus ideal for tackling deep scratches and severe etching. Unlike many cutting compounds, it also finishes down well to give a sharp, high gloss finish that, in most cases, needs only minor refining with a finishing polish afterwards.

Menzerna Fast Gloss (S500) uses ultra-fine, precision-milled aluminum oxide particles suspended in a base of lubricating oils. Like its siblings, it contains no fillers of any kind. Although designed with scratch-resistant clearcoats in mind, it's also suitable for use on conventional hard paint finishes in situations where maximum cut is required".

[Flannigan]

Great work Dave, I'm sure the client was extremely happy as always!
BTW Doc-O-Rama just sent me a sample of Menz FG500, I can't wait to give it a spin. I was under the impression this polish worked best with a rotatory, what's your take on that?
Thanks Tadman! You will love FG500, it works equally well on a PC and rotary IMO. It does shine one a cyan pad on a rotary though, that's for sure!

sweet job.is that menz the powerfinish?how did you like the wolfs?nice job as usual.thanks for shareing.
Thanks! Tad described this product pretty well in his next post.

Amazing gloss! BFWD almost makes me to happy...

Great work as usual :dblthumb2:
Thanks man! I'm in love with the new BF products!

Looking good! The Blackfire APC seemed to work magic on the tires and wheels.
Thank you! I'm very happy with how the new BF APC works. It's top notch IMO.

Very, very nice Dave! Thanks for sharing mang! :D BTW, I'm looking forward to the GT-R as well.
Thank you Richard! I've actually got two GT-R's next week, so it should be a fun week for sure!

[Stang Man]

That sure is quite a "one-step"!

Turned out amazing, you're making me want to try some new products!

[alko]

Fantastic work Dave!!! The silver paint looks awesome!!!

How did you apply the Decon Gel? I thought it was thick, kinda like IronX paste.

[Flannigan]

That sure is quite a "one-step"!

Turned out amazing, you're making me want to try some new products!
Thanks man! I always try to give the customer a little more that what they pay for. In this case I felt the AIO cleaned up the paint and boosted the gloss. As for the sealant/wax, it's so damn easy and looks amazing, so I don't mind the extra step.

Fantastic work Dave!!! The silver paint looks awesome!!!

How did you apply the Decon Gel? I thought it was thick, kinda like IronX paste.
Thanks Alex! the decon gel is thicker than the IronX spray, but not nearly as thick as the gel. I spray it on, and it does cling MUCH better than the IronX spray. Also you can let it dry on the paint without any ill effects, and it's cheaper. IMO it's a better product all around. :props:

[shoeless89]

Great work! Being a detailer at heart I don't think I could ever own a silver car. I feel like the only colors I could really see myself buying are red and black.

[slickooz]

Great work Dave! Silver cars are so much easier to take care of, my dad has one and you can barely see swirls. What made you decide to use Decon Gel? Was iron deposit noticeable by sight/touch?

[Flannigan]

Great work! Being a detailer at heart I don't think I could ever own a silver car. I feel like the only colors I could really see myself buying are red and black.
Thanks man! Funny you say that, since I detail so much, I would love a silver car just so it would be easier to keep looking good with less upkeep. I think my next DD is going to be a silver metallic for sure. Just wash and wax it on a regular basis and it will look great! :dblthumb2:

Great work Dave! Silver cars are so much easier to take care of, my dad has one and you can barely see swirls. What made you decide to use Decon Gel? Was iron deposit noticeable by sight/touch?
Thank you! I used the decon gel because the paint was so rough to the touch, even without using the plastic bag test. If a customer tells me they haven't ever had a car detailed I think a decond spray should always be a step in there. Also I notice that the claying time is cut way down after using a decond step to remove the embedded iron particles.

[CEE DOG]

Sweet goodness DAVEY!!!!!,
Great work bud :)