Dodge Neon Extreme Makeover with Dodo Juice

Mike Phillips · 12-13-2010, 02:10 PM

Dodge Neon Extreme Makeover with Dodo Juice

This is an example of a KISS Detail

KISS Detail = Keep It Simple Simon Detail

A common tendency I see when people are new to detailing, especially with an inclination to start detailing part time for money is they tend to get caught up in the idea of doing multiple-step procedures like you would with a show car, or special interest car.

Nothing wrong with that especially if you're new to detailing and you need to get experience doing multiple-step procedures but when it comes to a daily driver, in order to make the customer happy and also make a profit you need to keep it simple and consider using a one-step cleaner/wax.

Your exterior process would like like this,

Wash
Clay if needed
Apply a one-step cleaner/wax - By hand or machine
Dress tires
Clean glass

That's about a basic as you can get when it comes to a simple exterior package.

In the below example, I met Chris, the owner of the extremely oxidized blue Dodge Neon, in the parking lot of a local grocery store and after starting a conversation with him about the condition of the paint on his car, invited him down to the studio to do an extreme makeover.

2-3 years ago Chris purchased this used car for simple transportation to and from work so his nice car could remain in excellent condition parked safe in the garage. He purchased a popular brand car wax at the local auto parts store and applied it according to the directions on the label on the can. He told me the results weren't that great so he figured it was the paint and since that time has not even washed the car again.

The pictures below show what can be done using a simple process with only a few products and is a great example of taking a car's finish to it's maximum potential using only a one-step cleaner/wax.

This car has been re-painted using what appears to be a low quality single stage paint and exposure to the cruel Florida weather plus a lack of maintenance has left the paint extremely oxidized.

I told Chris he would have to help me and by helping out he would have the opportunity to learn how to machine polish. I also snagged Nick, an employee here at Autogeek to help speed up the process. It took the 3 of us approximately 3 hours from start to finish and it would have been faster had we not taken the time to tape-off the car down the middle and take before and after shots of the results.

Without further ado, here are the pictures...

For this project I chose Dodo Juice products since they offer a one-step cleaner wax that can be applied by hand or machine. We used the Griot's, Meguiar's and Porter Cable DA Polishers.

Wash using Detailer's Pride Rinseless Wash and Gloss
Skipped claying because the dead oxidized paint will simply load our clay up with dead paint.
Machine cleaned, polished and protected using Need for Speed Cleaner Wax
Topped with Supernatural Wax Machine Stick

The paint was so oxidized that we went over it twice with the cleaner/wax, once with a Lake Country 5.5" CCS Orange Light Cutting Pad and then a second time using a Lake Country 5.5" CCS Green Polishing Pad and then we applied the Topper using a Lake Country 5.5" CCS Gray Finishing Pad.

The orange light cutting pad with the Need for Speed Cleaner/wax was very effective at removing the oxidation but it was leaving a haze in the paint so we re-buffed using the green polishing pads which removed the haze. A person could have used just the polishing pad and spend more time removing the oxidation but we chose to use the more aggressive cutting pad to really get in there and chop out the dead oxidized paint and once the dead, oxidized paint was removed, removing the haze using the polishing pad went fast...

Anytime you're working on extremely neglected paint, a good practice is to use your choice of product heavy or wet, this means be sure to use plenty of product, especially for the first step as in this case the dried-out, oxidized paint was soaking up some of the liquid wax as we worked it against the surface.

Ample and even extra product in an example like this also helps to keep the surface lubricated for good pad rotating which means good cleaning or abrading action.

We applied the Need for Speed Cleaner Wax on the 6.0 speed setting with the cutting pad, on the 5.0 speed setting with the polishing pad and on the 4.0 speed setting for the stick wax with the gray finishing pad.

Dodo Juice Need For Speed Cleaner Wax and Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax in stick form plus DA Polishers and Lake Country 5.5" CCS Pads.

Severe oxidation

Using the Pro Blend Bottle Proportioner to measure out the DP Rinseless Wash and Gloss

Here's Chris using the Porter Cable to remove dead, oxidized paint using Need For Speed Cleaner Wax. This was the first time Chris has ever used a machine to polish paint.

"Each one teach one"

Here's Nick tackling the vertical panels which while oxidized, required a lot less work to restore than the horizontal panels.

This is me using the Clean your Pad on the Fly Technique to clean my pad on the fly as we removed the oxidation off this Neon.

After the oxidation was removed we topped the Need for Speed using a finishing wax for more protection and to bring the appearance quality up a tick higher.

Half the car is finished, we're just waiting for the wax to set-up before we wipe it off and then take some pictures.

Mike Phillips · 12-13-2010, 02:27 PM

Continued...

Here's the before and after, side-by-side results...

Here we've flipped the car around to do the other side...

In the below pictures you can see RIDS or Random Isolated Deeper Scratches.

Where I'm pointing you can see the reflection of the overhead florescent lights on the 'after' side...

The before side is as flat as chalk and there is absolutely no shine or depth to the finish...

Time to knock out the passenger side...

After removing the oxidation and applying the Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax which is available in stick form to make machine application easier.

Simple, fast and effective.
This isn't a show car and we didn't use a show car process on it, we kept it simple on purpose but the results are still dramatic and impressive.

Mike Phillips · 12-13-2010, 02:56 PM

Continued...

Products Used

Dodo Juice - Need for Speed Cleaner Wax

Dodo Juice - Supernatural Wax Machine Stick

Lake Country 5.5" CCS Orange Light Cutting Pad

Lake Country 5.5" CCS Green Polishing Pad

Lake Country 5.5" CCS Gray Finishing Pad

Pro Blend Bottle Proportioner

DP Rinseless Wash and Gloss

Cobra Blue Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt

The Guzzler Microfiber Drying Towels

5 Gallon Wash Bucket System with Dolly and Grit Guard

Cobra Indigo Microfiber Polishing Towels

Articles Referenced

"Taking your car's paint to it's maximum potential"

RIDS - The Definition of RIDS and the story behind the term...

How to clean your foam pad on the fly

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business

**Shane731** · 12-13-2010, 03:10 PM

Nicely done!

Did you do anything to the headlights? They look clearer in the after photos.

**Meghan** · 12-13-2010, 03:14 PM

That is the true art of detailing when you take take oxidized paint to glowing paint!

Mike Phillips · 12-13-2010, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by CieraSL

Did you do anything to the headlights? They look clearer in the after photos.

Yes, we used the Flitz Mini Scuffpad on them and then polished them clear using the Diamondite Clear Plastic Enhancer using my new Flex PE 14-2 150 Rotary Buffer.

Same thing we used in this Extreme Makeover

KISS Detail - Extreme Makeover - Toyota Highlander

**Mister B** · 12-13-2010, 03:28 PM

Those are some awesome 50/50 shots. Most people would think the paint on that car was beyond repair. Great job.

**AndrewBall** · 12-13-2010, 03:29 PM

how did the paint look up close?
i have noticed that when removing heavy oxidation that the paint even after removing the oxidation from the surface still has a haze to it. Possibly from the reaction of the paint with various things but using a simple cleaner in my cases didnt restore shine very well. it was shiny, but if you looked at it from the right angle you could see this strange haze. using a more aggressive product corrected this.

have you experienced this?