DeansDetailing
10-28-2015, 05:38 AM
2006 Nissan Sentra ~ Nanoskin Mitt to the Rescue!
A woman saw my work on Facebook and wanted her car done. She decided on a basic wash and vac package with headlight restoration. Her appointment had to be rescheduled due to weather. She is only available on Saturdays and I only have 2 Saturdays a month I can Detail with one of those taken up already. So, she waited a full month before I could do her car.
I told her I’d go above and beyond her package since she was kind enough to wait for me.
I did not see the vehicle prior to the appointment day. Indeed, it was a good bit dirtier than I thought upon initial inspection.
Looking at it more closely revealed a large buildup of dirt IN the paint. It’s a white car so it really shows the dirt. I sprayed an area with my Wheel cleaning APC bottle, which is 4:1 3D APC and wiped with a microfiber towel to see what would come off.
While some dirt came off, what remained was impossible to get off via normal manual chemical methods.
I was not going to polish the car at the price agreed and she is price sensitive.
Another issue was that the work area was too tight for my comfort. The car was right next to the neighbor’s truck. It was windy and I didn’t want stuff flying onto the man’s truck. So, I asked her to move it onto the grass. That was great for space, however it put me fully in the sun. Not a huge deal since it was fairly cool that day. Beautiful actually!
So, how to best go about decontaminating this vehicle at a low price point?
Firstly, I hosed it off then sprayed the entire car, wheels/tires down in APC paying special attention to the lower panels. Then I loaded up my Foam Gun with 3D Pink soap and several ounces of 4:1 APC. I very liberally foamed the car up. My wash mitt did very little as I suspected.
Okie dokie.
I then used the bug sponge to wipe down the entire vehicle using heavy pressure. That did a decent job getting the topical dirt off. It looked a lot better; relatively speaking but there was still a noticeable dirty film IN the paint.
I did NOT plan to clay the car, but it was unavoidable to get a basic clean vehicle…I HOPED the Nanoskin would help some. I broke out my Nanoskin Medium mitt I’ve used many times already.
Now, mind you this is a WHITE car in the direct SUN and I learned the hard way using the Nanoskin mitt on a white vehicle may (will) end badly especially if it’s warm or in the sun!
I thought about asking her to move it back, but she is older and I didn’t have much shade left anyway. I felt the panels and they weren’t too warm even in direct sun.
I hosed down each section I worked on with very cool water prior to working it.
I was simply AMAZED at how well the Nanoskin mitt did to get the embedded dirt out! Yes, I’ve used it many times and have always been pleased with how wel it made the paint FEEL after using it, but I’ve never SEEN the mitt literally take dirt out of paint before. Mind you, the mitt was removing YEARS of dirt/contamination. I became a 100% died in the wool Nanoskin mitt devotee!
I had to use VERY high pressure on the mitt in order to get the dirt out, but it DID work. Amazingly, none of the mitt came off in any scratches.
When I explain claying to people I tell them it’s like giving your car a facial, removing dirt you never knew was there. I wish I would have taken before/afters between the bug sponge wipe and the Nanoskin mitt…but didn’t. That would have been a perfect visual representation of what claying can do on the paint.
So, I gave the paint a walk around and caught a few spots I missed. Just hit it up with the mitt and the spots came off. It was great. I just use clean soap water as a lube.
So, what was the condition of the pain after attacking it with a bug sponge and aggressively using the medium Nanoskin mitt? Not bad at all. Yes, it could use a polish but it’s not terrible. I explained polishing to her and that will be done in the Spring.
I was way over my initial time estimate even after the wash/clay. I polished the headlights quickly and they came out great. Sealed with Opti-Lens 2 coats.
I ended up using Duragloss 105 which I haven’t used before. It reminded me of WGDGPS in texture and color as well as application/removal. On this white vehicle in the harsh lighting, it was actually hard to tell where I applied it. I guess it came out OK, but I was hoping for a bit more pop but protection was more important than looks. Hopefully, the 105 protects as long as most reviews state it will.
I hit the interior very quickly. I wasn’t happy with the level of detail on the interior but I couldn’t go nuts.
I told her I was mostly done, just needed her to move it back to the driveway so I could get the tires. She came out and was ecstatic with my work saying that it looked “brand new”. Then she saw the headlights and got even more thrilled. She opened the door to get in and was thrilled with my basic interior job too!
She told me many times how happy she was and how she was a customer for life. She told me to let her know when she should have me work on it again and we’ll do it.
I’m glad I went the extra mile. I ended up working on the car for 7hrs.
Wash – 3D Pink Soap 3D / APC 4:1/ Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad / Dry Me a River Towel /
Wheels / Tires / Wheel Wells – 3D APC 1:4 / Speed Master Wheel Brush
Paint – / Nanoskin Medium Mitt / Porter Cable 7424XP / LC Black Flat / Duragloss 105
Interior 3D APC 1:10 / RIDGID WD1270 / Folex / Chemical Guys Fabric Clean / Gray Cyclo Brush on PC / CarPro PERL
Glass – Megs D120 Glass Cleaner Concentrate / Waffle Weave Glass Towel
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/_0_zpsqp9jwylf.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/_0_zpsqp9jwylf.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/0jpg_zpsjrilfojv.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/0jpg_zpsjrilfojv.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/1a_zpsqvxas76q.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/1a_zpsqvxas76q.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01b_zpsalhvpfgh.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01b_zpsalhvpfgh.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01c_zpsec4jxzgs.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01c_zpsec4jxzgs.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01d_zpstf3av7d5.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01d_zpstf3av7d5.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01f_zpsfosbicyn.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01f_zpsfosbicyn.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01g_zpsbtmxejvr.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01g_zpsbtmxejvr.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/2a_zpsnjvewmch.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/2a_zpsnjvewmch.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/2_zpsbckxxq9h.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/2_zpsbckxxq9h.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/3_zpszowvw8xh.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/3_zpszowvw8xh.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/4_zpsszm2gsl3.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/4_zpsszm2gsl3.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/05_zpsnpumvxlg.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/05_zpsnpumvxlg.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/06_zps9fgk1kek.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/06_zps9fgk1kek.jpg.html)
A woman saw my work on Facebook and wanted her car done. She decided on a basic wash and vac package with headlight restoration. Her appointment had to be rescheduled due to weather. She is only available on Saturdays and I only have 2 Saturdays a month I can Detail with one of those taken up already. So, she waited a full month before I could do her car.
I told her I’d go above and beyond her package since she was kind enough to wait for me.
I did not see the vehicle prior to the appointment day. Indeed, it was a good bit dirtier than I thought upon initial inspection.
Looking at it more closely revealed a large buildup of dirt IN the paint. It’s a white car so it really shows the dirt. I sprayed an area with my Wheel cleaning APC bottle, which is 4:1 3D APC and wiped with a microfiber towel to see what would come off.
While some dirt came off, what remained was impossible to get off via normal manual chemical methods.
I was not going to polish the car at the price agreed and she is price sensitive.
Another issue was that the work area was too tight for my comfort. The car was right next to the neighbor’s truck. It was windy and I didn’t want stuff flying onto the man’s truck. So, I asked her to move it onto the grass. That was great for space, however it put me fully in the sun. Not a huge deal since it was fairly cool that day. Beautiful actually!
So, how to best go about decontaminating this vehicle at a low price point?
Firstly, I hosed it off then sprayed the entire car, wheels/tires down in APC paying special attention to the lower panels. Then I loaded up my Foam Gun with 3D Pink soap and several ounces of 4:1 APC. I very liberally foamed the car up. My wash mitt did very little as I suspected.
Okie dokie.
I then used the bug sponge to wipe down the entire vehicle using heavy pressure. That did a decent job getting the topical dirt off. It looked a lot better; relatively speaking but there was still a noticeable dirty film IN the paint.
I did NOT plan to clay the car, but it was unavoidable to get a basic clean vehicle…I HOPED the Nanoskin would help some. I broke out my Nanoskin Medium mitt I’ve used many times already.
Now, mind you this is a WHITE car in the direct SUN and I learned the hard way using the Nanoskin mitt on a white vehicle may (will) end badly especially if it’s warm or in the sun!
I thought about asking her to move it back, but she is older and I didn’t have much shade left anyway. I felt the panels and they weren’t too warm even in direct sun.
I hosed down each section I worked on with very cool water prior to working it.
I was simply AMAZED at how well the Nanoskin mitt did to get the embedded dirt out! Yes, I’ve used it many times and have always been pleased with how wel it made the paint FEEL after using it, but I’ve never SEEN the mitt literally take dirt out of paint before. Mind you, the mitt was removing YEARS of dirt/contamination. I became a 100% died in the wool Nanoskin mitt devotee!
I had to use VERY high pressure on the mitt in order to get the dirt out, but it DID work. Amazingly, none of the mitt came off in any scratches.
When I explain claying to people I tell them it’s like giving your car a facial, removing dirt you never knew was there. I wish I would have taken before/afters between the bug sponge wipe and the Nanoskin mitt…but didn’t. That would have been a perfect visual representation of what claying can do on the paint.
So, I gave the paint a walk around and caught a few spots I missed. Just hit it up with the mitt and the spots came off. It was great. I just use clean soap water as a lube.
So, what was the condition of the pain after attacking it with a bug sponge and aggressively using the medium Nanoskin mitt? Not bad at all. Yes, it could use a polish but it’s not terrible. I explained polishing to her and that will be done in the Spring.
I was way over my initial time estimate even after the wash/clay. I polished the headlights quickly and they came out great. Sealed with Opti-Lens 2 coats.
I ended up using Duragloss 105 which I haven’t used before. It reminded me of WGDGPS in texture and color as well as application/removal. On this white vehicle in the harsh lighting, it was actually hard to tell where I applied it. I guess it came out OK, but I was hoping for a bit more pop but protection was more important than looks. Hopefully, the 105 protects as long as most reviews state it will.
I hit the interior very quickly. I wasn’t happy with the level of detail on the interior but I couldn’t go nuts.
I told her I was mostly done, just needed her to move it back to the driveway so I could get the tires. She came out and was ecstatic with my work saying that it looked “brand new”. Then she saw the headlights and got even more thrilled. She opened the door to get in and was thrilled with my basic interior job too!
She told me many times how happy she was and how she was a customer for life. She told me to let her know when she should have me work on it again and we’ll do it.
I’m glad I went the extra mile. I ended up working on the car for 7hrs.
Wash – 3D Pink Soap 3D / APC 4:1/ Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad / Dry Me a River Towel /
Wheels / Tires / Wheel Wells – 3D APC 1:4 / Speed Master Wheel Brush
Paint – / Nanoskin Medium Mitt / Porter Cable 7424XP / LC Black Flat / Duragloss 105
Interior 3D APC 1:10 / RIDGID WD1270 / Folex / Chemical Guys Fabric Clean / Gray Cyclo Brush on PC / CarPro PERL
Glass – Megs D120 Glass Cleaner Concentrate / Waffle Weave Glass Towel
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/_0_zpsqp9jwylf.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/_0_zpsqp9jwylf.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/0jpg_zpsjrilfojv.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/0jpg_zpsjrilfojv.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/1a_zpsqvxas76q.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/1a_zpsqvxas76q.jpg.html)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01b_zpsalhvpfgh.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/01b_zpsalhvpfgh.jpg.html)
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http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq197/DeansDetailing/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/3_zpszowvw8xh.jpg (http://s447.photobucket.com/user/DeansDetailing/media/2006%20Nissan%20Sentra/3_zpszowvw8xh.jpg.html)
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