Detailing steps help

[wallace03]

Ive been reading and researching alot about detailing and im not sure if there are some minor steps i am missing. are you suppose wipe down or wash after compound before polishing? and than wash again before waxing? here are the steps i follow, let me know if there are any minor steps i am missing, thanks.

1.rinse,foam,rinse
2.clean tires/rims
3.iron removal,rinse
4.clay,rinse,dry
5.tape
6.D300 compound<--- wash again?
7.M205 polish<--------
8.PB EX Sealant with Carnauba

[umi000]

Where is your wash step? (It's supposed to be between 3 and 4.)

[Mike Phillips]

Ive been reading and researching alot about detailing and im not sure if there are some minor steps i am missing. are you suppose wipe down or wash after compound before polishing? and than wash again before waxing?


Some people like to wash the car after compounding and polishing to remove any compound or polish residue splatter especially in cracks and crevices.

I've done this before for really mess jobs but don't make it a habit and haven't done it for years since compound and polish technology has vastly improved.

Keep in mind, each time you stop during the process to wash and then dry the car it's going to take you at least an hour and this is going to drag out an already long process.

Instead, after buffing a section, immediately wipe the residue off. If it helps, keep a spray detailer around or a mixture of IPA and water to spritz on the panel and then wipe.






here are the steps i follow, let me know if there are any minor steps i am missing, thanks.

1.rinse,foam,rinse
2.clean tires/rims
3.iron removal,rinse
4.clay,rinse,dry
5.tape
6.D300 compound<--- wash again?
7.M205 polish<--------
8.PB EX Sealant with Carnauba



Here you go,

1. Rinse off loose dirt, foam car, wash and then final rinse

Some people will not do the first rinse because the foam from a foam gun will cling to a dry surface better then a pre-whetted surface. If there's a lot of visible loose dirt on the surface then you can blast this off with a strong spray of water first. It's all about doing whatever it takes to get the car clean but also to not grind dirt on the surface into the paint.

2.clean tires/rims

I'm a big fan of doing wheels, tires and wheel wells first and explain why in this brand new article.

How to wash your car KISS style! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/52981-how-wash-your-car-kiss-style.html)


3.iron removal,rinse

You can do this a couple of ways, I discuss how to do your wheels in the above article and you can do your car's paint the same way. I show using Iron X on the paint of this black Porsche on page 2 of the below thread.

1994 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 - Modeled by Janna and Amy (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/sign-up-open-garage-classes/40652-1994-porsche-964-turbo-3-6-modeled-janna-amy.html)


Next up... decontaminate the body panels using Iron X
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW19.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW20.jpg


After allowing the product to dwell for a few minutes I gently re-washed the paint and then rinsed all the residue off...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW21.jpg



4.clay,rinse,dry

Just clay and wipe the residue off as you work around the car, save time.


5.tape

If you have any plastic, rubber or vinyl trim then yes, tape it off...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW34.jpg




6.D300 compound<--- wash again?

Nope, just compound and wipe the residue off carefully as you work around the car.


7.M205 polish<--------

You're good here. Also, no need to wash the car after polishing.


8.PB EX Sealant with Carnauba

Perfect. Apply the Poorboy's and then remove and then stand back and admire the shine!


Remember, don't make things any harder than they have to be...

And yes, the Porsche above came out nice.


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW51.jpg



:xyxthumbs:

[Sponger8]

Great explanation Mike. I love how you can explain everything to where it makes sense to someone new like me. I've gone from someone who just washed my car with 2BM and applied wax 2x/year, to completely addicted to car detailing (my own cars) in two weeks. Thanks a lot! haha I thank you, but my wallet hates you. I wish you guys could open an Autogeek HQ on the west coast so I could attend your bootcamp.

[Mike Phillips]

I wish you guys could open an Autogeek HQ on the west coast so I could attend your bootcamp.




Now that would be cool, especially considering I spent from 2002 to 2009 doing this already for Meguiar's at their corporate headquarters. It would be nice to work both sides of the U.S. and maybe even someplace in the middle...

:)

[cleanmycorolla]

Now that would be cool, especially considering I spent from 2002 to 2009 doing this already for Meguiar's at their corporate headquarters. It would be nice to work both sides of the U.S. and maybe even someplace in the middle...

:)

I agree, Los Angeles needs something from AG!

[ttnguyen104]

Now that would be cool, especially considering I spent from 2002 to 2009 doing this already for Meguiar's at their corporate headquarters. It would be nice to work both sides of the U.S. and maybe even someplace in the middle...

:)

Down south in Louisiana would be great!

Sent from my HTC One X using AG Online

[DEXTERITY]

Jersey would be wonderful as well lol

Mike where did you get the tire covers from? can't seem to find them on the site..

[wallace03]

Thanks Mike! very helpful post, just what i needed.

[sleeper]

would be fun to have a place in Montreal also.

[statusdetailing]

I like how mike taped the car and used wheels covers, but I also do one more thing that really saves me a lot of trouble.



Use one or 2 large cotton towels to cover the windshield wipers and area between windshield and hood. If you open up the hood, you can slide the towel in and then close the hood to hold it in place. A really large towel will also cover about half way up the windshield, where compound usually splatters.

I always HATED cleaning up the wipers and windshield. Now my problem is solved.

[Mike Phillips]

I like how mike taped the car and used wheels covers, but I also do one more thing that really saves me a lot of trouble.


Taping-off takes a little time upfront but saves a lot of time on the back-end, (when you're tired) because you'll have a lot less "detailing" to do, in other words getting the wax out of the cracks.


"Polishing paint is polishing paint, detailing is getting the wax out of the cracks" (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/22285-polishing-paint-polishing-paint-detailing-getting-wax-out-cracks.html)






Use one or 2 large cotton towels to cover the windshield wipers and area between windshield and hood.

If you open up the hood, you can slide the towel in and then close the hood to hold it in place. A really large towel will also cover about half way up the windshield, where compound usually splatters.

I always HATED cleaning up the wipers and windshield. Now my problem is solved.




I agree, that's my normal practice for a lot of cars, especially if using a rotary buffer because it tends to sling splatter onto the wipers, glass, trim etc. I call this the Beach Towel Tip and have an article for it here,


The Beach Towel Tip (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/30894-beach-towel-tip.html)


Here's a tip I use on some cars I detail to cover and protect the plastic surrounding the wiper arms at the back edge of the hood of cars, just before the windshield.

Beach Towels tend to be longer in one direction than the average bath towel; on average, beach towels run around 60" or 70" in length. Where this comes in handy over a bath towel is that your average car, truck or s.u.v. windshield is around 5' to 6' across so a Beach Towel is usually long enough to cover and protect the plastic, wiper arms, and glass in one fell swoop whereas the average bath towel falls short.


See if you can relate...
Sometimes it seems like splatter, that is the little white dots of product that land on the glass can be some of the hardest little things to remove 100%, not to mention time-consuming. So with this technique you can avoid the hassle entirely.

This tip is mostly for working with rotary buffers as they will tend to sling-out splatter more than machines like the Flex 3401, the Cyclo and DA Polishers like the Porter Cable.

I have seen people lift these other non-rotary buffers off hoods while the pad is still spinning at a high rate of speed and completely cover a windshield with splatter so it does happen. See these threads,

Here's a tip... don't lift the pad off the paint till you've turned the polisher off and the spinning pad has slowed down... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/28940-here-s-tip-don-t-lift-pad-off-paint-till-you-ve-turned-polisher-off-spinning-pad-has-slowed-down.html)

What not to do when detailing a car! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/28226-what-not-do-when-detailing-car.html)



I know detailers that never tape-off or cover anything up and that's okay too, it's personal preference and it could be that you're just incredibly careful as well as incredibly good at this craft. It could also mean the cars you're working on it won't matter if you do get spatter into hard to detail areas.


For the rest us, here's how you use a Beach Towel to cover-up and protect areas you don't want to get splatter onto or into and then have to "detail" these areas and components later, after the polishing and waxing is over.


This is a stylish Beach Towel I found at Walgreens for around $6.00, my normal towel is white and ugly so I thought this would make for a more fun how-to article. Just to note you could also use paper or plastic, whatever works for you... I like Beach Towels for a number of reasons that paper and plastic don't offer but I have used both plastic, (2 mil painter's drop cloths), and paper, (usually newspaper but painter's masking paper works great too).


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip000.jpg


Here's the area I'm talking about that you want to cover up on modern cars, they often have plastic material with grill or vent openings that if you get splatter onto and into these areas it can be difficult and time consuming to remove.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip001.jpg


In most cases, if you're restoring the paint on someone's daily driver, not only is the paint neglected but the plastic is neglected meaning it's weathered, dried and dull and it seems like splatter really likes to stick hard to plastic in this condition.

If you do get splatter on these areas, it's also very unsightly and your customer might not appreciate it if you don't remove it. So with this technique, you never get splatter into and onto these areas in the first place. The old an ounce of prevention idea...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip002.jpg


Not only does a Beach Towel work well for this type of job you can also re-wash it and use it again... so it's green technique...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip003.jpg



Start by opening the hood and locating a place to tape one edge of the towel too, make sure the ends of the towel don't bind in the hinge mechanism and don't place dry cloth anywhere on a hot engine where it could be a fire danger or get caught into any moving parts. In other words, use common sense.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip004.jpg


After carefully closing the hood, then use some Painter's Tape to affix the towel to the windshield so it doesn't fall down and if you're also taping off other plastic, vinyl or rubber trim, then tape-off these components accordingly.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip005.jpg


In this instance the towel did not reach all the way to the top of the windshield; this is okay however because the sling and splatter is mostly an issue for the lower portions adjacent to the hood where the buffing is taking place. You can also use this for the rear window. Side windows are not usually a problem for the glass because the panels are vertical.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip006.jpg



Notice how I've run a couple of strips of wide tape along where the Beach Towel meets the rear edge of the hood?
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip007.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip008.jpg


In some cases, the design of the vehicle means there's no gap or air space between the edge of the hood and the glass or wiper arm area, in these cases, you have to be careful when running your polisher not to run the buffing pad into the Beach Towel because the nap is grippy and your buffing pad could grab it and yank it into itself.

So for cars with a low or no air-gap between the paint and the area you're trying to cover up, being careful when buffing these areas is important, but I also run a couple of strips of tape across this area as a buffing pad that's lubricated with product will just bump into the tape, it won't snag it and possibly pull it off the area and into the pad.

Just an extra safety precaution, you can decide how DO or AR you want to get.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip009.jpg


Then continue working around the car taping areas off you don't want to get compound or polish residue.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip010.jpg



Classic and Antique Vehicles
For classic cars, there's usually zero plastic around the windshield, wiper arms and edge of hood but you may still want to cover-up the windshield glass so you can use the Beach Towel Tip for classics too...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip012.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip013.jpg

And of course... since most classics have air vent grills in front of the windshield, so Tape it off and avoid a lifetime of ugly... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/29951-tape-off-avoid-lifetime-ugly.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip014.jpg




And any other areas that you don't want to run a toothbrush or some kind of detailing brush...

"Polishing paint is polishing paint, detailing is getting the wax out of the cracks" (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/22285-polishing-paint-polishing-paint-detailing-getting-wax-out-cracks.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip015.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/BeachTowelTip016.jpg


I've also used the extra large Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towels and while not always long enough to reach across 100% of a windshield, they do work as you can see in this thread,

Damp-Sanding Tools, Tips and Techniques by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/25915-damp-sanding-tools-tips-techniques-mike-phillips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/836/redelcamino_015.jpg


The Beach Towel Tip... simple and effective plus a real time saver...



On the Autogeek.net Store

Meguiars Professional Masking Tape Combo (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-masking-tapes.html)
3M Automotive Performance Masking Tape 3 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-auto-masking-tapes.html)
The Ultimate Guzzler Waffle Weave By Cobra 28 x 44 inches (http://www.autogeek.net/waffle-weave-drying-towel.html)


:xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

Kind of a related tip...


The Soft Flannel Bed Sheet Tip
I like to cover up the engine on special interest cars and especially show cars or restored cars where the engine and engine compartment are clean enough to eat off of. The reason for this is because it's all to easy for stray splatter from either wet-sanding or machine compounding and polishing to spray onto the engine and engine compartment and cleaning these areas can be difficult and very time consuming.

Here's a video I made a number of years ago that explains why to cover an engine and shows my method of using a clean, soft flannel bedsheet to carefully cover and protect the engine. You can also do this for trunks and interiors if you're working on a convertible with the top down or off the car.


Covering the motor on the Panic Parrot

YouTube- Covering the motor on the Panic Parrot...




The Panic Parrot - 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

Keeping it covered, keeps the engine clean...

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/PPFrontShot1.jpg

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/PanicSpeedGlaze7.jpg




Keeping it covered means no detailing the very detailed engine afterwards...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2PanicFinished1.jpg


:xyxthumbs:

[statusdetailing]

Very nice article Mike!