Resuming a job the next day?

[PaulMys]

Funny! I ate a bbq sammich for lunch today! Memphis without a doubt has the best bbq in this world

I have been to KC, and Texas and had their BBQ as well. They are both excellent.

But, I can't say you're wrong.........

[Texchappy]

When I did my wife’s navigator I spent several days. I did the machine, wipe down, and then coating a panel at a time

[Flash Gordon]

I've had NC, KC & TX bbq. There is no comparison to Memphis bbq imo. Even our bad restaurants are good.

Was in Los Angeles not long ago. Tried a bbq shop there. Ended up throwing half a sammich in the trash.

[PaulMys]

I've had NC, KC & TX bbq. There is no comparison to Memphis bbq imo. Even our bad restaurants are good.

Was in Los Angeles not long ago. Tried a bbq shop there. Ended up throwing half a sammich in the trash.

Los Angeles BBQ?

That would be like going to Chicago for pizza..........

[Honda Fan]

Thanks for all the suggestions (even the ones for local BBQ, LOL)

I don't know why but I always seemed to hesitate jumping back in on a car the next day (especially on the paint). I guess I thought I'd be grinding in all these "invisible" contaminants and doing more harm than good. I now know that is not the case and will begin with a light wipe-down and jump back in. I'm also going to sit down and come up with a plan of attack in order to maximize my time and energy. This Honda Pilot is a bit more car than I've had to work on before and I think a day and a half plan is probably in order.

I also like the idea of doing several panels at a time and then hitting several more after the next wash.

[Lance Mark]

it's a side hustle for me, so a few hours in the evenings, sometimes just a morning on a Saturday or Sunday....it's less efficient, and I do some extra prep wiping, but i still get it done

[Coatingsarecrack]

I can't finish even a small vehicle in a day anymore either, especially since I destroyed my dominant shoulder

I also don't apply coatings, just sealants/waxes, so I will completely correct/polish a panel, wipe it down with a panel wipe, and get my preferred sealant/wax etc applied and buffed out, and move on to the next panel

When I get back to the car to resume working I do a rinseless wipe as well on each panel before I start machine work

I plan on trying Can Coat this next year but even that will probably be a few panels at a time rather than trying to get the whole car done in one go

I know my process is inefficient as hell but it is just my cars and now that I am back home it will be family cars as well but still, they get them when they get them

With that AK road film i would look into coatings. Not that much harder than applying a sealant nowadays.

I am nothing close to a pro and was pretty intimidated my 1st time coating. Was my 1st time polishing too. Was pretty easy and only had 1 high spot that I lived with. I named him Steve.

With things like CanCoat and CP lite that wipe on and wipe off. Will give you a true year. Perfect for that weather.


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[Don M]

I also have found that age (combined with a mental loss of 'drive') has slowed me way down. 30 years ago, I was easily able to do an entire car (inside and out) in a day (I had drive AND youth on my side then, LOL).

Nowadays, it's almost ALWAYS a multi-day process, unless it's just an exterior wash (which, even with experience and practice can take me over 2 and 1/2 hours) - my OCD has definitely gotten worse as the rest of me has slowed down.

Now, if I'm doing an interior, with a wash/polish and "wax" on the exterior. it can easily take 2 or even three days, because like I said, my OCD has gotten so much "worse,' (and my skill, fortunately, has improved greatly over the last 30 years).

Day 1: Interior - vacuum, clean and dress (along with the interior windows).

Day 2 (or day 1, if I start early enough and my drive hasn't fizzled): Exterior wash, windows, tires and wheels cleaned and dressed.

Day 3 (or day 2 IF I was able to do the interior and exterior cleaning in 1 day): Polish (for deep cleaning/correcting the paint) and "wax," including coating the exterior glass and all the other "details."

Between the wash day and the "wax" day, the car goes into the garage after the wash. MOST OF THE TIME, there is not enough dust collected to even worry about. But if there is a lot of dust (because the garage windows were open), I will take a good QD and a 'plush' (really fluffy) microfiber towel and wipe the car down before polishing.

I have found that by 'breaking up' the job into smaller parts, done on different days, it really limits burn out and I end up doing a better job overall.

[Desertnate]

That would be like going to Chicago for pizza..........

Hey now! Those are fighting words! I've driven four hours, to Chicago, to get a good Chicago-style pizza.

If a pizza isn't built upside down in a deep crust with enough cheese to make a normal person lactose intolerant, it isn't a real pizza.

[chilly]

I also have found that age (combined with a mental loss of 'drive') has slowed me way down. 30 years ago, I was easily able to do an entire car (inside and out) in a day (I had drive AND youth on my side then, LOL).

Nowadays, it's almost ALWAYS a multi-day process, unless it's just an exterior wash (which, even with experience and practice can take me over 2 and 1/2 hours) - my OCD has definitely gotten worse as the rest of me has slowed down.

Now, if I'm doing an interior, with a wash/polish and "wax" on the exterior. it can easily take 2 or even three days, because like I said, my OCD has gotten so much "worse,' (and my skill, fortunately, has improved greatly over the last 30 years).

Day 1: Interior - vacuum, clean and dress (along with the interior windows).

Day 2 (or day 1, if I start early enough and my drive hasn't fizzled): Exterior wash, windows, tires and wheels cleaned and dressed.

Day 3 (or day 2 IF I was able to do the interior and exterior cleaning in 1 day): Polish (for deep cleaning/correcting the paint) and "wax," including coating the exterior glass and all the other "details."

Between the wash day and the "wax" day, the car goes into the garage after the wash. MOST OF THE TIME, there is not enough dust collected to even worry about. But if there is a lot of dust (because the garage windows were open), I will take a good QD and a 'plush' (really fluffy) microfiber towel and wipe the car down before polishing.

I have found that by 'breaking up' the job into smaller parts, done on different days, it really limits burn out and I end up doing a better job overall.

I will go a step further and (at least in my case) blame a portion of my need for extended time on the design of many newer vehicles

My newer car is a case in point with all the little character lines, ledges, swoopy bits, etc that have to be dealt with

It just simply takes me longer to effectively tape, correct, polish, etc than a car even twice the size with simple lines

I posted something last spring after we rented a Dodge Challenger for a few days

Acres and acres of paint, yet huge flat panels with simple lines that you could correct/polish easily and quickly, all things being equal, as opposed to my little crossover, simply due to design

I am forever looking at cars in traffic, parking lots, etc and sizing them up in my mind as to how I would attack them with a machine and there are cars out there that just boggle my simple little mind with their complex construction

Having a 5-6", 3", and 1-2" machine all laid out and ready to go is almost essential these days to cope with it all

Yeah, I did a lot of cars for a lot of years with a single PC by swapping 5" and 3" backing plates (a total time suck) and lots of hand polishing on the intricate bits, but those days are long gone, for me at least

Rant off, soapbox put away, resume your previous programming...