DazzleFX
08-05-2013, 12:50 AM
Hi Everyone,
Keith here and I have been lurking on this site for a few days. I am a novice at detailing however my coworker likes how I take care of my bmw so much she wanted me to make hers look the same. That comes after I have been getting on her case for neglecting her 2002:)
So with some great advice from autogeek and this forum plus watching tons of videos I tackled the job this weekend. I had her car for two days.20427
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Boy I sure did have a filthy car. I have never had to clean one so caked in dirt before.
Day1- Saturday picked up the car. It was rainy in the DC area all day so all I was able to squeeze in was an engine wash, a vacuum and Folex spot clean on the carpet, a wipe down of the interior surfaces with warm slightly soapy water and a quick wash. I used Mother Wheel Cleaner on the wheels on this day.
Day2- Great weather all day! I started out with Sonax on the wheels to break down the caked in brake dust and iron particles. Sonax worked but only so much as these wheels were the dirtiest ever! I then have it a second pass with IronX and that broke it down better plus some brushing it cleaned them well. Next was a dawn wash followed by an IronX spray.
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After a good rinse and dry I used Griots Garage speed shine and clay kit then it was time to polish. This was the not so fun part because I did it all by hand. I used Meguairs Ultimate Compound and did the polish by hand(never again). I hated it...waxing on and off sucked and this compound was hard to buff. I had planned to follow with Ultimate Polish but skipped that step. Still had some scratches and swirl marks so I was not so impressed. I am thinking a DA polisher would do better than my karate kid moves..lol Went on to KlasseAIO then Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Went on to clean the interior. I finished off with a final detailer spray and buff with the Speed Shine. It took all day & I am exhausted. Good first time experience though and I made $250 for the whole job.
My prep...I need to learn to do this better as I had to clean out wax in crevices inbetween panels.
20435
Final Pics...sun was going down and these are iPhone pics.
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Basically I have a lot to learn. I need a polisher and I am thinking Porter Cable with Lake Country pads. I need a good compound and polish combo that's not too hard to buff out but still great results. I'm thinking Menzerna Instant Polish & Final Polish Combo, HD Advanced Cut or something from the Optimum line. I like the Optimum hyper polish spray video. Any suggestions for a newbie would be much appreciated. I returned the keys to her boyfriend and he was amazed(even though I am so so about the result). He asked if I can do his CLK320 next:) I need to pick my weapons fast!
Keith here and I have been lurking on this site for a few days. I am a novice at detailing however my coworker likes how I take care of my bmw so much she wanted me to make hers look the same. That comes after I have been getting on her case for neglecting her 2002:)
So with some great advice from autogeek and this forum plus watching tons of videos I tackled the job this weekend. I had her car for two days.20427
20428
20429
20430
20431
2043220433
Boy I sure did have a filthy car. I have never had to clean one so caked in dirt before.
Day1- Saturday picked up the car. It was rainy in the DC area all day so all I was able to squeeze in was an engine wash, a vacuum and Folex spot clean on the carpet, a wipe down of the interior surfaces with warm slightly soapy water and a quick wash. I used Mother Wheel Cleaner on the wheels on this day.
Day2- Great weather all day! I started out with Sonax on the wheels to break down the caked in brake dust and iron particles. Sonax worked but only so much as these wheels were the dirtiest ever! I then have it a second pass with IronX and that broke it down better plus some brushing it cleaned them well. Next was a dawn wash followed by an IronX spray.
20434
After a good rinse and dry I used Griots Garage speed shine and clay kit then it was time to polish. This was the not so fun part because I did it all by hand. I used Meguairs Ultimate Compound and did the polish by hand(never again). I hated it...waxing on and off sucked and this compound was hard to buff. I had planned to follow with Ultimate Polish but skipped that step. Still had some scratches and swirl marks so I was not so impressed. I am thinking a DA polisher would do better than my karate kid moves..lol Went on to KlasseAIO then Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Went on to clean the interior. I finished off with a final detailer spray and buff with the Speed Shine. It took all day & I am exhausted. Good first time experience though and I made $250 for the whole job.
My prep...I need to learn to do this better as I had to clean out wax in crevices inbetween panels.
20435
Final Pics...sun was going down and these are iPhone pics.
20436
2043720438
20439
20440
2044120442
Basically I have a lot to learn. I need a polisher and I am thinking Porter Cable with Lake Country pads. I need a good compound and polish combo that's not too hard to buff out but still great results. I'm thinking Menzerna Instant Polish & Final Polish Combo, HD Advanced Cut or something from the Optimum line. I like the Optimum hyper polish spray video. Any suggestions for a newbie would be much appreciated. I returned the keys to her boyfriend and he was amazed(even though I am so so about the result). He asked if I can do his CLK320 next:) I need to pick my weapons fast!