Spring Cleaning (with pics)

[Yaemish]

After a hard winter, I had some imperfections in my paint and as always they drove me insane. I've spent the past few days taking out all the swirls and imperfections, polishing, and sealing the paint. Here are the results, I'm pretty happy with my selection o products.











I washed, clayed, porter cabled using Menzerna IP then again with Menzerna FP, Zaino Z-2 Pro 3x.

[cadillacnick99sls]

Dam That Car Looks Great. U Got To Tell Me How To Do That.

[Redlite]

could you post more details on the products used and also they steps in which you did the job? it looks great and my baby could use a little love. thanks

[Yaemish]

Thanks, yours looks great too. You have to post some close ups. I noticed that you didn't neglect the rocker panels on the bottom. Too many people will just wax from the top of the doors up. It really makes it look better to see the reflect off the ground as well.

The process I use is pretty intense and you have to dedicate the entire weekend, which means that you can't bring your car out. I start with a good wash and dry, nothing complicated. From there I clay the entire car to remove anything that may be embedded in the paint. You would be surprised at how much dirt comes out of a car that you just washed. The clay is great, especially on the bottom panels of the car. It is by far the best way to remove tar. The first time I did the process, I left out the clay and it was the worst thing I could have done. You may not notice any visual difference from the clay, but when you use your sealant it will bond to the paint very well.

After that I use the Porter Cable random orbital polisher and a heavy cutting pad paired with Menzerna Intensive Polish to get out all the swirl marks and fine scratches. Unfortunately, that process will dull the paint a bit when preformed on dark colors. because of this, you have to follow up with a lighter pad and Menzerna Final Polish. That will restore any dullness that you added to the paint. You should note that on light cars, you may not need to follow up with the Final Polish, as you don'y really get anything out of it. I did the Lexus this weekend as well and I only needed to use the Intensive Polish.

Once you have all the residue off (use good quality microfiber or you will just reintroduce the swirls that you removed), go over it again with another microfiber just to make sure its all off. Note, the microfiber you buy at most automotive stores is terrible and I wouldn't recommend using it.

I like to use sealants instead of wax. Its just a preference but a quality sealant will always last longer than a wax. I don't want to be waxing every two weeks. I like to use Zaino Z-2 or Klass (the one in the silver bottle). both of these products need to be applied in thin layers on cool paint. You need to give them several hours to harden (take longer on a humid day) before removing them. Once you remove them, let the paint sit for a few hours to that they can continue to harden and then apply another coat. I notice that after 2 coats, you stop seeing an more visual improvements and at that point you start getting diminishing returns for your efforts.

I didn't take any pictures, but i also did the engine bay and the interior. I used a diluted simple-green on the molding followed by some protectant. I also used the Leatherique kit on all the leather and the seats came out softer than when they where new.

[submariner409]

Menzerna, Porter-Cable, Pinnacle, DP, swirl, microfiber, cutting pad, finishing pad.....????? For those who want to learn, talk to a couple of our resident detailers or go to www.autogeek.net. < Surf a lot.

[Scottish-Dave]

that is stunning, al need to get mine pc'd sheduled in for july

[Yaemish]

Autopia.org is the place where I learned how to do it all!