Horace01
10-12-2014, 07:21 AM
So as we had some nice weather yesterday I thought I would have a go at doing come correction to my 2007 VW Caddy van.
I thought the paint was in pretty good shape until I started reading this and other forums. As can be seen from the attached pictures there are swirls everywhere and a few light scratches. Not pictured are the heavy scratches and chips in the paint that I will tackle at another time.
Having time and space constraints - I do not have access to a garage where I can work so I was conscientious of not being in direct sunlight - I really only had enough time to do the sliding door once I had foamed and washed the van.
Method:
Foam wash with Karcher pressure washer and Karcher 2.643-147.0 FJ6 Foam Jet Nozzle. I was not expecting much from this foam jet nozzle but I've got to say for $30.00 the results were pretty awesome. It took awhile to get the soap:water ratio correct but once I did I was very happy with the amount of foam produced. I imagine with a proper foam solution it would only get better. I will try this theory out in good time once I have gone through all the Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner I currently have.
2 bucket wash with Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner and an Armor All Wash Mitt. I do not have grit guards so was extremely careful to ensure the mitt was properly rinsed before sticking it back in the bucket with the soap. TBH though once I had rinsed off the foam there was pretty much no dirt on the van as I never really let it accumulate. Hand dried with waffle weave towels.
I had already done a test spot a few weeks ago to try my technique and the various products that I used so the next steps where:
1) Mothers' California Gold Clay Bar Kit - worked over the panel (sliding door). I had no idea how smooth this would actually make it feel. hmmm smoooth.....
2) With a foam had applicator and Meguiar's Scratch-X 2.0 I went over the big arse scratch that runs the length of the van (this was caused by a shrub that was overhanging the driveway. It's now been ripped out and burnt so wont be scratching my paint again!!). I know Scratch-X is less aggressive than the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound but as I was doing it by hand and using a fair amount of pressure I wanted to do this step first then blend it into the surrounding area in the next step.
3) Speed 5 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Orange. Pretty reasonable pressure. Very slow arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
4) Speed 4 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - White. Just a little pressure. Medium arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
5) Speed 3.5 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Black. No extra pressure. Medium arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
6) Speed 3 on the DA. Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Liquid Wax. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Blue. No extra pressure. Medium arm speed. Waited about 30 minutes to let it dry off then wiped off with micro fiber towels. Gave it another 30 minutes them repeated this step.
So Im pretty happy with the results. There are still a few swirls left. I will need to think about how to deal with these next time, more pressure, a more aggressive product or pad, more passes, really not sure so would appreciate suggestions.
List of all products used:
Karcher pressure washer with Karcher 2.643-147.0 FJ6 Foam Jet Nozzle
2 buckets - No grit guards
Armor All Wash Mitt
Rockwell shop series DA polisher
HD Flexible Backing Plate for DA 5"
Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pads Orange, White, Black, Blue
Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
Mothers' California Gold Clay Bar Kit
Meguiar's Scratch-X 2.0
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish
Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Liquid Wax
Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant
Meguiar's Non Acid Wheel Cleaner
Various foam hand applicators
Waffle weave towels
Various micro fiber towels
Export tire shine
Before
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/fa992cbef25fc6a62ef678721cfca653.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/eb83e86e61c9060712211d7b6b526d9d.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/7be992f54ad08368fc86da4ef37c3cd1.jpg
After
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/c76176e0ade9dfc314a5115180e6688f.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/3cd684482d67511366eaa86ec933e96b.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/7dc21d07f296fca1ec1d3be2aaedc3b6.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/fea3a4dbe7bcdf47637d5de34788dbf4.jpg
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
I thought the paint was in pretty good shape until I started reading this and other forums. As can be seen from the attached pictures there are swirls everywhere and a few light scratches. Not pictured are the heavy scratches and chips in the paint that I will tackle at another time.
Having time and space constraints - I do not have access to a garage where I can work so I was conscientious of not being in direct sunlight - I really only had enough time to do the sliding door once I had foamed and washed the van.
Method:
Foam wash with Karcher pressure washer and Karcher 2.643-147.0 FJ6 Foam Jet Nozzle. I was not expecting much from this foam jet nozzle but I've got to say for $30.00 the results were pretty awesome. It took awhile to get the soap:water ratio correct but once I did I was very happy with the amount of foam produced. I imagine with a proper foam solution it would only get better. I will try this theory out in good time once I have gone through all the Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner I currently have.
2 bucket wash with Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner and an Armor All Wash Mitt. I do not have grit guards so was extremely careful to ensure the mitt was properly rinsed before sticking it back in the bucket with the soap. TBH though once I had rinsed off the foam there was pretty much no dirt on the van as I never really let it accumulate. Hand dried with waffle weave towels.
I had already done a test spot a few weeks ago to try my technique and the various products that I used so the next steps where:
1) Mothers' California Gold Clay Bar Kit - worked over the panel (sliding door). I had no idea how smooth this would actually make it feel. hmmm smoooth.....
2) With a foam had applicator and Meguiar's Scratch-X 2.0 I went over the big arse scratch that runs the length of the van (this was caused by a shrub that was overhanging the driveway. It's now been ripped out and burnt so wont be scratching my paint again!!). I know Scratch-X is less aggressive than the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound but as I was doing it by hand and using a fair amount of pressure I wanted to do this step first then blend it into the surrounding area in the next step.
3) Speed 5 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Orange. Pretty reasonable pressure. Very slow arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
4) Speed 4 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - White. Just a little pressure. Medium arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
5) Speed 3.5 on the DA. Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Black. No extra pressure. Medium arm speed. Wipe off with micro fiber towels.
6) Speed 3 on the DA. Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Liquid Wax. Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pad - Blue. No extra pressure. Medium arm speed. Waited about 30 minutes to let it dry off then wiped off with micro fiber towels. Gave it another 30 minutes them repeated this step.
So Im pretty happy with the results. There are still a few swirls left. I will need to think about how to deal with these next time, more pressure, a more aggressive product or pad, more passes, really not sure so would appreciate suggestions.
List of all products used:
Karcher pressure washer with Karcher 2.643-147.0 FJ6 Foam Jet Nozzle
2 buckets - No grit guards
Armor All Wash Mitt
Rockwell shop series DA polisher
HD Flexible Backing Plate for DA 5"
Lake Country 5.25" CCS Foam Pads Orange, White, Black, Blue
Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
Mothers' California Gold Clay Bar Kit
Meguiar's Scratch-X 2.0
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Polish
Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Liquid Wax
Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant
Meguiar's Non Acid Wheel Cleaner
Various foam hand applicators
Waffle weave towels
Various micro fiber towels
Export tire shine
Before
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/fa992cbef25fc6a62ef678721cfca653.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/eb83e86e61c9060712211d7b6b526d9d.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/7be992f54ad08368fc86da4ef37c3cd1.jpg
After
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/c76176e0ade9dfc314a5115180e6688f.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/3cd684482d67511366eaa86ec933e96b.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/7dc21d07f296fca1ec1d3be2aaedc3b6.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/12/fea3a4dbe7bcdf47637d5de34788dbf4.jpg
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk