'06 GTO - My first S&S +reviews (Long)

[dontsleeponit]

Hey everyone, so here is the work Ive done on my 2006 GTO. Ive maintained it very well since day one, its garaged, and only has 3900miles so there was no real correction to be done, but it was its dirtiest its ever been when I did this. Got a chance to play with most of the stuff I ordered from AGO, and I was completely impressed with id say 95% of it, which is just awesome. Before I get started on this whole writeup, let me say thank you to AGO and all of its members for all the great advice, knowledge, and great products/prices/customer service... you guys all rock

Pre-CLean: PB BS 3:1, Pinnacle Bug and Tar Scrubber, and S100 Total Cycle Cleaner(P21S Total Auto Wash but cheaper)
The BS worked wonders on the bird bombs that were about a day old, alot of them washed right off without touching them. At first I was worried about using the bug and tar sponge, because it seems so aggresive. If you load it up good with suds, pre-treat the area, and wipe it over the surface lightly, its like the junk jumps off of the paint. I also sprayed down the lower panels with the S100 and it really seemed to break down the stuff slung all over from the tires. I wouldnt do this all the time, but it needed it this time.

Wash: DG 901 (2oz), DP 4-in-1 (1.5oz) in garden sprayer AKA poor mans "not so foamy" gun, Ulti-Mitt with rinse bucket
DG 901 was great like everyone says, best soap ive used, the combo with the 4in1 made for an ultra slick and sudsy wash, although next time I will cut it down to 1.5 and 1 oz because there was too much left over. The sprayer dilutes the mix as you use it because of how it works, but it still works very well (See Pic).
The ultimitt cleaned very well and held tons of suds. I found myself making fewer passes over areas then with my sheepskin, but I felt like it was going to fall off my hand. It never did, but it would be nice if it had a cuff like the sheepskin mits.
I dried with my two guzzlers and compressed air for the crevices, water hides in alot of places on this car.

Wheels and Tires: ARO 1:1, EZ Detail Wheel brush, Aquawax, Surf City Garage Beyond Black Tire Pro
I'm liking ARO alot, it cleaned just as well as my old harsh acid cleaner I was using, and I know its much safer. Its a bargain too. I really like the EZ detail brush too, it got into all the little crevices because of its thin long bristles, and it was great to be able to finally reach the whole barrel of the wheel. It does spray back at you though, be prepared.
I sprayed the wheels with a spritz of aquawax while drying them, and it turned out awesome. They have a nice glow and shine to them that they never had before. The surf city tire shine worked well, its very liquid but worked fine with my foam applicator. It spread even and didnt sling at all. Im still debating whether I like the looks better then Mother FX which ive been using and like alot, but all in all a good product.

Paint Prep: DP Clay, DP 4-in-1 Clay lube mix, XMT 360 with UDM and White Pads
First time claying this car, it only has 3800 miles so I didnt think it even needed it, but it certainly picked up alot of stuff, I was surprised at the end. This is the only clay ive used so i have nothing to compare it to, but it was milder then I expected. I even removed my spoiler so it was easy to work on the whole rear end. Rare picture of my car spoiler-less included!
Also my first real polishing (I practiced on my other old car). I dont know how well I did, the 360 seemed to disappear really really fast, and I dont know if I used the correct amount, but the outcome is pretty nice so I'm happy. Its hard to see a difference because the paint was in near perfect condition to begin with, and its silver. I think I like 5.5" pads better than 6.5", and I also may like the regular flat pads better then the CCS. It was like I could work the polish more evenly with the flat pad, and the pockets in the CCS pad seemed to deposit new spots of product here and there while polishing. I still gave way more practicing to do, but its a very forgiving process so thats OK.

LSP and Details: DP Max Wax, 303 Protectant, PB Spray n Gloss, DP Plexall, SIG
I am very happy with Max wax to say the least. Its amazingly easy on and off, spreads thin and even using the foam applicator pockets. You can get it on anything, wipes right off, no staining no residue. Looks MUCH nicer then anything ive used before. Quick wipedown with Spray and Gloss for the extra glow, I like this stuff too.
I then did all the trim with 303, and was equally impressed with this stuff. Gave a very dark black look, and wiped up from glass easy. Windows cleaned with SIG and my new cobra glass towel, which worked well, but I still hate windows! Cleaned the headlights and tailights with plexall, didnt really notice any big difference here, I felt like it was SIG re-labeled, but im not giving up on it.

On to the pics. The befores are bad because it wasnt sunny and I was using and old crappy camera. I borrowed my dads nice camera for the afters, but Im still going to go out and take more and update this thread later. My car stays garaged all the time so Im not a durability buff, so next time I might wanna try some glaze before the wax, Im looking to get as much as I can out of the silver.
Also detailing your own car really makes you crazy about stuff because you study the car and see all the imperfections and all the new chips/scratches. I really hate the paint job that was done on this car, It has so many things wrong with it I can make a list, but thats another thread. My newest one is the orange peel, I never noticed it as much as now.

Before






Washing with the garden sprayer
The suds dont stick around long, but it eliminates the need for a soap bucket if you just keep the sprayer in hand, it has a setting for rinse water, and you can soak the car with soapy water.


Rare shot of my car spoiler-less
It went right back on when done though


DP Clay after entire car


After Xmt360
Finish is nice but first pic is where I really noticed the orange peel, more in person




Finished














Again Im going to take more pics soon, I think I can do a little better. I'm also going to clean the interior which also isnt bad probably tomorrow, and Ill post those pics.

Thanks again to all of you for your help and I open to all kinds of criticism so let me know what you think, or any more tips you may have

[alban61]

Man! Your car looks great!! Love the AFTER full-car shots. Looks like a freakin' showcar with that city backdrop! Great picture taking skills! Which I lack! LOL
Nice write-up as well. I like it when there is an explanation, application method, along with the products used. Good job!!

[Pauly6401]

I think the XMT 360 did a better job on your car than you initially thought it was doing. Nice! What camera do you use?

[dontsleeponit]

Thanks guys I am pretty happy with how it all turned out.

All of the pics up until finished were on my VERY OLD Nikon Coolpix 775, i think its like 2 megapixel or something terrible like that, but the finished pics are with my dad's Nikon D70 with a Tamron (sp?) lens and nice flash. I really want to get my own Digital SLR and play with it, so much stuff to learn about taking pictures.

[6LS2]

Looks great mate Nice work. And, the car looks alot better without the spoiler dude How did you take it off though? Dont you have the cable running through it for the light on it?

[Reddwarf]

Great job! The car's shine is so much brighter and deeper in the after pictures. I love Max Wax too. You made that car look really clean with a deep wet gloss.

I love the pictures of NYC in the background. Was that taken in West New York, NJ?

[dontsleeponit]

Looks great mate Nice work. And, the car looks alot better without the spoiler dude How did you take it off though? Dont you have the cable running through it for the light on it?

Thanks man, its real easy to take off. Four bolts, then pull back the upholstery on the trunk lid, disconnect the terminal for the brake light, take off the spoiler and pull the wire through.

Great job! The car's shine is so much brighter and deeper in the after pictures. I love Max Wax too. You made that car look really clean with a deep wet gloss.

I love the pictures of NYC in the background. Was that taken in West New York, NJ?

Thanks for the compliments, pics were by the docks in Hoboken.

[Reddwarf]

Hoboken, well, I was close! I spent some time on a project in NJ and was in an Apartment in West New York, just a walk north of the passenger ferry.

[Microlab]

Cool car, and cool pics Great result too

[Dust2Glory]

Awesome job... car looks great! And nice write ups on the products you used. I'm still on the fence bout max wax, the only thing I would like different about it is that it would be sun friendly. I used it out in the sun and, well it just sucked. the truck still turned out nice, but alot harder to work with.