Girlfriend's mom wants me (noob) to detail her car...

[CleanFlow]

I'm going to come out and say it, I'm scared of my girlfriend's parents. They are very successful businesspeople and are a very intimidating. They heard that I was interested in and researching detailing cars and offered theirs for me to practice. Needless to say, I can't screw this up.

I'm a little nervous because it is a red 2006 Honda Accord and I heard Honda paint was very soft. I have no problem going away at my Mustang's hard clear coat but am too scared to touch this paint haha.

What steps should I take to fix this car? The paint is in good shape with no clear coat failure, just very dull and has a lot of spiderweb swirls. It also has door dings in numerous places. Here are the related products I have...

PC 7424XP
Soap and Clay Bar which I'll obviously use

Here's Where I'm Unsure:

1) M105 then M205 then Synthetic Wax
2) Just M205 then Synthetic Wax
3) Just Cleaner Wax then Synthetic Wax to stay on the safe side

Thanks for the help.

[Setec Astronomy]

First of all, you need to lower their expectations if somehow they equate detailing with PDR and expect your detailing process to remove door dings (I had a friend who thought that "detailing" was doing things like putting pinstripes on).

As far as the paint being soft, don't worry about that too much, if you're really worried, pick up some Meg's Ultimate Compound OTC, it's got a bit less cut and a bit more workability than M105. What pads do you have/plan on using?

[Flash Gordon]

I'm going to come out and say it, I'm scared of my girlfriend's parents. They are very successful businesspeople and are a very intimidating. They heard that I was interested in and researching detailing cars and offered theirs for me to practice. Needless to say, I can't screw this up.

I'm a little nervous because it is a red 2006 Honda Accord and I heard Honda paint was very soft. I have no problem going away at my Mustang's hard clear coat but am too scared to touch this paint haha.

What steps should I take to fix this car? The paint is in good shape with no clear coat failure, just very dull and has a lot of spiderweb swirls. It also has door dings in numerous places. Here are the related products I have...

PC 7424XP
Soap and Clay Bar which I'll obviously use

Here's Where I'm Unsure:

1) M105 then M205 then Synthetic Wax
2) Just M205 then Synthetic Wax
3) Just Cleaner Wax then Synthetic Wax to stay on the safe side

Thanks for the help.

For the gf's parents you're gonna wanna go all in. Go with 1

After they get their jaws off the ground, tell them your only regret is you wished you'd had more time... http://adamsforums.com/forums/images/smilies/bf-sunglasswinksmiley.gif

[Rsurfer]

For the gf's parents you're gonna wanna go all in. Go with 1

After they get their jaws off the ground, tell them your only regret is you wished you'd had more time... http://adamsforums.com/forums/images/smilies/bf-sunglasswinksmiley.gif
Send it to a Pro detailer

[CleanFlow]

As far as the paint being soft, don't worry about that too much, if you're really worried, pick up some Meg's Ultimate Compound OTC, it's got a bit less cut and a bit more workability than M105. What pads do you have/plan on using?

I have 5.5" LC Flat pads: Orange, White, and Black.

And is Meg's UC really that good? In my research I read tons of people say go with 105/205 and so many others say they use the UC. In which scenario do you use each application?

[CleanFlow]

For the gf's parents you're gonna wanna go all in. Go with 1

After they get their jaws off the ground, tell them your only regret is you wished you'd had more time... http://adamsforums.com/forums/images/smilies/bf-sunglasswinksmiley.gif

After 6 months you would think I wouldn't be so intimidated anymore... Maybe my detailing is a way to win their hearts.

What risk is there in going with the cut of #1?

[Flash Gordon]

After 6 months you would think I wouldn't be so intimidated anymore... Maybe my detailing is a way to win their hearts.

What risk is there in going with the cut of #1?

No risk. Don't lean to hard on the bumpers on either step though

Sounds like these people love their daughter very much and are concerned about her future well being. The best thing you can do is show them respect, show them your responsible and that you're not lazy


When are you doing this, tommorow?

[y8s]

maybe you're reading too much (or too little) into their offer. clearly they trust you enough to give you the opportunity. and clearly they aren't too worried about a 2006 honda with swirly paint. maybe all they want is to reach out and show you they're not intimidating.

you can treat them like a customer and ask them what their expectations are. explain the same you thing you did in your first post in general terms.

1. is the most aggressive and could yield the best results but also means a little risk.
2. is less reward but almost no risk
3. is safe but limited results.

they will tell you what they're comfortable with and if you're lucky, it'll be "learn something! try #1 and see how you do!"

[Kaban]

Rsurfer...that's not a bad idea.

I dont do this for a living, but if you send me the car, I can take care of it. PM me.

[Bill1234]

If you are going to do a show car, by show car I mean a full detail, use this method

1.rims and tires -wash scrub rinse
2.two bucket method wash with quality car soap
3.dry
4.clay
5dry
6 total interinor detail -degrease door jambs vaccum, clean mats , interior protectant windows
7. paint correction inside is best as heat will mess up your compound
8 shine tires and fix up little pieces

[CleanFlow]

No risk. Don't lean to hard on the bumpers on either step though

Sounds like these people love their daughter very much and are concerned about her future well being. The best thing you can do is show them respect, show them your responsible and that you're not lazy


When are you doing this, tommorow?

It would be Sunday. I'm compounding my own car completely tomorrow sun-up and doing my girlfriend's - just the cleaner wax (bad clear coat). By then I should be comfortable enough to tackle the job.

[CleanFlow]

maybe you're reading too much (or too little) into their offer. clearly they trust you enough to give you the opportunity. and clearly they aren't too worried about a 2006 honda with swirly paint. maybe all they want is to reach out and show you they're not intimidating.

you can treat them like a customer and ask them what their expectations are. explain the same you thing you did in your first post in general terms.

1. is the most aggressive and could yield the best results but also means a little risk.
2. is less reward but almost no risk
3. is safe but limited results.

they will tell you what they're comfortable with and if you're lucky, it'll be "learn something! try #1 and see how you do!"

Great advice!

[CleanFlow]

If you are going to do a show car, by show car I mean a full detail, use this method

1.rims and tires -wash scrub rinse
2.two bucket method wash with quality car soap
3.dry
4.clay
5dry
6 total interinor detail -degrease door jambs vaccum, clean mats , interior protectant windows
7. paint correction inside is best as heat will mess up your compound
8 shine tires and fix up little pieces

Thank you. This list is very helpful.

[Flash Gordon]

It would be Sunday. I'm compounding my own car completely tomorrow sun-up and doing my girlfriend's - just the cleaner wax (bad clear coat). By then I should be comfortable enough to tackle the job.

You might not ever win their approval. Some people are just goofy. Thats why they are called monster in laws

G L on the detail

[Bill1234]

If you are scared of using m105 on such soft paint, you could try ultimate compound with a test spot. I reccomend also drying in shade as the water will form water spots quickly.