First Detail - 2012 Black Jetta

[dragoncub]

So I detailed my first car this past weekend and I though I'd share. It is my wife's car which is a daily driver and the paint had been neglected pretty badly (car washes, dealer washes, etc). There are swirls marks every where along with wather marks. After reading the forums, I purchased the Griots 6" da along with LC 5.5" flat pads. Also purchased polishes, waxes, towels and other products to get myself a starter kit.


My process was as follows:

Wash car with dawn
Iron-X
Clay
M105
M205
PO85RD
Blackfire Wet Diamond

Even after using M105 with an orange pad there were some scratches left. Based on reading the forum, next time i'll be using a microfiber pad to work on this hard VW clear coat. The M150 is a pain to work with, it would dry and dust after a couple of passes. I started using spritz of water which helped a little.
Thanks, to all those who helped and provided me with suggestions. Still, after the whole process there are some scratches. I think I can live with them for now since it is a daily driver. I think I did a decent job for my first detail. What do you guys think?

This process took me over 2 days to complete. How do you guys do a complete detail in one day?? It took me almost a whole day to do one pass of the M105. How long does it take you guys to complete one pass of the whole car with each product?



Before pics.

Hood


Roof




Trunk






After

[jamesboyy]

Wow now that's what I call a amazing job well done that black paintwork looks amazing in the sunlight

[Desertnate]

I can't see any of the pictures, but here are a couple thoughts from a fellow owner of a 2014 black VW.

Time: I was able to compound, polish, wax, polish the exhaust, and do all the trim on my GTI in 8 hours. It took me about 1.5 hours the night before to wash, clay, and de-bug.

Products: You might want to try something a little more suited to hard German Paint. I used the Blackfire Duo (SRC Combound, SRC Polish), but I know one of the VW guru's here, Lawrence, uses the Menzerna products with great results as well. For me, the Blackfire products worked really well and were very user friendly. The polish knocked out all but the deepest scratches and the compound finished down so nicely you almost don't need to use a polish afterwards if you're in a hurry. I used the compound on a orange LC Flat Pad and the polish on a white LC Flat Pad.

[refreshauto]

that was a nice turn around on that VW, the 1st few details i did seemed like they took forever. you will find what works better, but for now take your time and get your process down. then you can work on getting a little faster

[Paul A.]

Don't worry too much about the time you spent. You will get faster with more time under your belt. All that should matter to you right now is how great it came out and from the pictures it looks great!

I used to obsess myself years ago when i first started with this illness. I have gotten faster and you will too the more you do it.

Nice job!

[RevitalizeAutoSpa]

Good work! Sometimes you have to settle for less than 100% if it means making sure you don't burn through clearcoat. Keep in mind if your fingernail can catch on a scratch, it's typically through the clear...

[aburgeson]

That is a great job on the car. Looks awesome. I think for a daily driver its gonna be better than most on the road. Remember most of the pro's on the forums (not me lol) have been doing this for years. It still takes me a long time as well to detail but previous posters are correct in saying the more you do it the faster you get.

[dragoncub]

Thanks guys! I see your points on speed, I know it will come with more practice. But to tell you the truth, there was a point where I almost thought of giving up and having someone do the detail for me because of how long it was taking.

@Desertnate
Thanks for the tips. Next time I do this car I'm pretty sure I'll use a compound other that the M105 and maybe even try a microfiber cutting pad.

[HenkeL]

I would try M105 with MF first. Slow passes and moderate pressure. I also used MF with D301 but I found out that on black paint I have to finish with soft pad and fine polish so now my process is:
1. Correction compound D300 and MF cutting disc.
2. Ultimate polish or D301 and MF finishing disc.
3. UP or D301 with black soft pad
4. Ultimate liquid wax depending on wheter I use UP or D301.

Since I think Ultimate liquid wax is hard to wipe of I think I will use D301 in the final step since I polish the car frequently and use both Ultimate quick wax and M135 quick detail to enhance the hydrofobic properties between polishing/waxing.

[lawrenceSA]

Awesome turn around - well done.

Yes VW tends to be on the harder side, but this is not a 'golden rule' so always ensure you perform a test spot(s) to dial in the appropriate combo.

Having said that I tend to favor Menzerna Polishes especially when working on German paint, so my advice may be somewhat biased, nonetheless, what I have found 'works for me' is:

FG400 as a 1 step on badly damaged paints
PF2500 as a 1 step on medium
SF4000 as a 1 step on paint in good condition

FG400/SF4000 for a 2 step on badly damaged paint
PF2500/SF4000 on mildly damaged paint for a 2-step

As for how long it takes, I know everyone is saying you will get quicker, and you probably will.... and I also completely accept the difference between production type detailing and what I do.

For me, it is always only 1 car per weekend that gets treated as if it were my own, and thus I usually spend somewhere between 20 to 30 man-hours per car - I prefer the slow and steady approach and it works for me, but may not for you.

I would say that first focus on getting your technique etc sorted and produce quality work first (I am not implying your work was not quality - the turnaround on your wife's car is great and I am sure she appreciates it) and only then try and focus on saving time.

Another key issue is to slow down to speed up [I seem to recall Mike Phillips saying something along those lines] - in other words, slowing down your arm speed and working a smaller area at a time, will deliver better results than skimming the polisher over the surface, and in the end, actually makes the whole job go quicker

Hope this helps a little and don't get discouraged - detailing is hard work, but the results make it all worth it.