2005 Ford Ranger - 1-Step Compound & Wax with Pinnacle

**Nick McKees37** · 03-10-2015, 02:42 PM

Over the weekend I detailed a 2005 Ford Ranger "Edge." The owner just picked it up last week and wanted it cleaned up for his new business.

I was originally planning on doing an AIO (all in one) with Pinnacle XMT 360, but decided instead to use Pinnacle Advanced Compound followed by Pinnacle Liquid Souveran. It was a nice day outside, and the Ranger had surprisingly nice paint (metallic flake), so I knew an extra step would really bring out the maximum shine potential.

My tool of choice for this detail was a FLEX XC3401 equipped with a WHITE Hybrid Polishing Pad. I used this for the compounding step, and a Porter Cable 7424xp equipped with a RED CCS Waxing Pad to apply Liquid Souveran.

Total time spent was 4 hours. That includes wash, decontaminate (Nanoskin), compound, and wax. The exterior trim/tires/wheel wells were all dressed as well.

Before:

It was obvious right away that the wheels and tires had not been cleaned for years. Pinnacle Advanced Wheel Cleaner Concentrate and DP Tire Cleaner & Restorer brought them back to life.

I wasn't able to snap any more photos during the detail because I was simply trying to get the job done as fast as possible. I had set a goal to knock out the entire truck in 4 hours.

After

Overall I was extremely pleased with how well it turned out. I couldn't justify an extra polishing step simply because Pinnacle Advanced Compound created a finish that was LSP-ready, plus this is a work truck and not a show car. Needless to say the owner was very happy with the end result.

This detail reminded me why I'm so fond of the FLEX XC3401. There's no way I could have knocked the truck out any faster with a different polisher.

On Autogeek.net

Pinnacle Advanced Compound

Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Car Wax

Pinnacle Advanced Wheel Cleaner Concentrate

Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher

Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish 6.5 Inch Pads

DP Tire Cleaner & Restorer

**FrankS** · 03-10-2015, 02:46 PM

Good job Nick, thanks for sharing!

**ryandamartini** · 03-10-2015, 02:49 PM

What did you do on the rims around the wheel wells and b pillars? 4" plate or angle the larger pad?

**Nick McKees37** · 03-10-2015, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by FrankS

Good job Nick, thanks for sharing!

Thanks Frank!

Originally Posted by ryandamartini

What did you do on the rims around the wheel wells and b pillars? 4" plate or angle the larger pad?

Only part of the truck that wasn't polished using 3401 was the a-pillar and front bumper. Those were completed by hand.

Smaller panels were completed by tilting the polisher.

**FrankS** · 03-10-2015, 04:15 PM

Nick, what did you use to dress the trim, tires and wheel wells?

**Marc08EX** · 03-10-2015, 04:20 PM

Great job Nick!!!

**AZ Mike** · 03-10-2015, 04:31 PM

Nice job. Great product placement in the wheel photo.

**ryandamartini** · 03-10-2015, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Nick@Autogeek

Thanks Frank!

Only part of the truck that wasn't polished using 3401 was the a-pillar and front bumper. Those were completed by hand.

Smaller panels were completed by tilting the polisher.

Just asking because I'm looking at the various tools available and want to make a decision on where I'll go. I don't want to have several buffers to tote around.