Show & Shine: 2012 Cadillac SRX CQ DLux, CQ Finest - Picture HEAVY!

[Dr_Pain]

Well, I just realized that I haven't shared a Show and Shine since last year LOL! So here it is.....

Sugarcane grinding is now over, YEEPEE!!! What that means is no more muddy field tractors and trucks hauling sugarcane to the mill..... but having said that I have to point out that the roads are a MESS!! To make things worst, it's been raining almost non-stop. What does that produce?? Cars that look like this most of the time.



The owner of this fairly new (but well used) SRX came to me for my expertise considering I live within a mile of a sugar mill and my truck looks better than the day it was bought. Obviously the answer is "clean the darn thing", but I can attest that this alone does not help because this road "junk" just gets all over your car in no time and clings like you would not believe. We spoke at length and explored a couple of options, but finally settled on coating the car. Why?

1) Ease of maintenance
2) Level of protection
3) Self cleaning effect (especially beneficial when raining)
4) He does not have to keep track of quarterly "waxing"

So off we go with plans on a complete exterior and basic interior. For budget reasons he opted not to coat the interior and we made plans to coat the glass as soon as he gets the windshield replaced.

The Process

It took us a 1) pre-rinse with the pressure washer, 2) a pre-foam and rinse, 3) a foam and 3 bucket wash, 4) a rinse, 5) a chemical decon with IronX and TarX followed by 6) a clay decon using CarPro's Polyshave towel to get the car ready for inspection. A six step process that took quite a bit of time.





Fortunately for us the level of contamination was slight but did have some road tar which TarX took care of easy. After the car was properly prepped we brought it in the shop and did a more thorough inspection. PTG readings was healthy enough for us to be aggressive.





Inspection revealed scratches and swirls throughout. The vehicle was maintained in the local traditional car wash, which was running an "All you can wash for a flat fee" which seems to be appealing to a lot of people, but unfortunately you can see the level of damage it produces. As they say you get what you pay for.






Some heavier defects were present as well



We selected a few pads and products and found that the best combo was an orange LC flat pad and Scholls S3XXL which made minced meat of those defects. This was followed by Reflect on a white LC pad.




Here are some nice before and after





The paint was coated with 2 layers of CQuartz Finest and all the hard exterior plastic was restored using CQDlux. Following application, the coating was baked under IR lamps







Now for those of you that actually read (and have read) my Show and Shine, you know how much I hate to take pictures of white cars. The contrast is always a mess and it ends up that the best representation are the high contrast pictures taken in the shop. Trust me when I say that this car looked GREAT in person and that the pictures do not do it justice. Here comes the glamour shot (some in the shop and some in the overcast sun)













In this 2 step paint correction I used a new compound (Scholls S3XXL), which I am planning on reviewing for you guys. I used it as a replacement for my favorite compound of all time, namely Menzerna FG400. I am not sure when I will have a chance to put this review together but be on the lookout. I also have plans to review the LC HD Orbital pads which David Patterson sent me to test. For some reason the box came in, but my secretary forgot to let me know that my package had been sitting in the front office for MONTHS!! On that note I will apologize to David for this MAJOR delay in reviewing the pads. A few more goodies are coming, which includes the PE8 I won from Flex for naming the mini rotary. This is going to be EXCITING! I am waiting for it to come in (to see what is included) and I will most likely delay the review to buy some pads and backing plates, unless Nick had the foresight to throw some in for me

I hope you enjoyed my first Show and Shine of the year, and are looking forward to some product review. As always I welcome and look forward to your comments.

[runrun411]

Wow Claude, that SRX looks fantastic. Talk about a clean surface!!! 3 bucket, 6 step wash. That's so clean you can have dinner on the hood. I have a white Honda Pilot and I love to see details involving white cars. If the pictures don't do it any justice I can't imagine how blinding it must be in person.

[Dr_Pain]

Wow Claude, that SRX looks fantastic. Talk about a clean surface!!! 3 bucket, 6 step wash. That's so clean you can have dinner on the hood. I have a white Honda Pilot and I love to see details involving white cars. If the pictures don't do it any justice I can't imagine how blinding it must be in person.

Thanks bud! The day I took the pictures was overcast as you can see but he came and picked it up on a sunny day at about 2pm and I could literally not look at the sun reflection off the hood (and I have transition glasses). I just wish I could really capture lighter colored vehicles on film the way they look in person.

[Sicoupe]

Outstanding CLAUDE!!! It looks better than new my friend

[dad07]

Another home run Claude! The SRX looks stunning!

And By the way Claude, what's wrong with you making us wait 6 days into the new year for a Show and Shine........I swear you are getting slack in 2015! LOL!




All Kidding aside thanks for your time and efforts putting things up here and sharing your processes. We all know how much time is involved not only in the detail itself but the extra time to put together a show and shine or even a review for that matter.

I for one appreciate all of it!

[JSou]

What a mess! Incredible turn around. Way to ring in the new year! I actually enjoy seeing paint corrections on white vehicles. Those are some skills Dr.!

[FrankS]

Excellent work Claude and excellent photos as well

[allenk4]

Another great S&S from you

I really appreciate the close-ups, 50/50 and quality Before and After shots

Nice work

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Nice job!

What polisher did you use?

[dsg03gt]

That's some nice looking paint! Nice job!