lokerola
03-25-2012, 05:01 AM
So last year was my first summer detailing using the methods I've learned from Mike, Auotgeek, and you helpful people here at AG. Frankly, I couldn't be happier; I've detailed the family cars and they have all turned out great.
But, looking at my black 2011 Dodge Charger R/T this spring, there are swirls on it that I really wasn't expecting. Lot's of swirls in certain areas. And I think I know how they got there. And it was mostly my fault......
Some background on the state of the environment the car lives in:
1. The car is a daily driver in the DC metro area. I drive through dust, construction zones, etc, on a daily basis. That's just life and I expect some impact on the paint from this environment.
2. No garage. I have a driveway, but the old carport is converted to a living space, so she gets full exposure to the elements.
Here' where the n00b confession comes in:
1. I did a crappy job in between careful washing with sloppy maintenance. I would see dust, or minor water spots, etc and I would grab a microfiber and QD and wipe down the offending area. And I would see another area and wipe it down, etc, etc. I probably wiped down the 80-90% of the car within a few minutes using this method 5 or 6 times over the last year. Looking back, I used and re-used a dry microfiber that probably had dirt or debris in it that I should have never used for this method. This is the main offense I used to create the swirls.
2. In a moment of weakness (I had a cold, work was stressful, life was stressful, it was winter, blah, blah, blah), I ran my baby through a local car wash. I don't know what I was thinking. I lost my mind for a day and ran the damn thing through the local wash. I'm sure this put some of the swirls into her and now I've got to polish them out.
My lessons:
1. Don't try and run around the car and wipe it down with an almost dry and possibly dirty microfiber! Either let it go and let the car be dirty or do a quick waterless/rinseless washes.
2. Do not take it through the local car wash! Duh!
Have you ever had a moment of weakness in maintaining your car's paint? Have you ever done something stupid to mess up the paint? I can't be the only one who has made rookie mistakes or goofed something up?
:dunno:
But, looking at my black 2011 Dodge Charger R/T this spring, there are swirls on it that I really wasn't expecting. Lot's of swirls in certain areas. And I think I know how they got there. And it was mostly my fault......
Some background on the state of the environment the car lives in:
1. The car is a daily driver in the DC metro area. I drive through dust, construction zones, etc, on a daily basis. That's just life and I expect some impact on the paint from this environment.
2. No garage. I have a driveway, but the old carport is converted to a living space, so she gets full exposure to the elements.
Here' where the n00b confession comes in:
1. I did a crappy job in between careful washing with sloppy maintenance. I would see dust, or minor water spots, etc and I would grab a microfiber and QD and wipe down the offending area. And I would see another area and wipe it down, etc, etc. I probably wiped down the 80-90% of the car within a few minutes using this method 5 or 6 times over the last year. Looking back, I used and re-used a dry microfiber that probably had dirt or debris in it that I should have never used for this method. This is the main offense I used to create the swirls.
2. In a moment of weakness (I had a cold, work was stressful, life was stressful, it was winter, blah, blah, blah), I ran my baby through a local car wash. I don't know what I was thinking. I lost my mind for a day and ran the damn thing through the local wash. I'm sure this put some of the swirls into her and now I've got to polish them out.
My lessons:
1. Don't try and run around the car and wipe it down with an almost dry and possibly dirty microfiber! Either let it go and let the car be dirty or do a quick waterless/rinseless washes.
2. Do not take it through the local car wash! Duh!
Have you ever had a moment of weakness in maintaining your car's paint? Have you ever done something stupid to mess up the paint? I can't be the only one who has made rookie mistakes or goofed something up?
:dunno: