Ski

If you don't visit the Concours forum, I put a really good detail on my black car. Clay bar, paint cleaner, swirl remover, wax, finish off with lambs wool, Invisible Glass cleaner, Lexol Vinylex on the trim and tires.

I was really shocked by how much stuff came off in the clay bar. The Meguiars paint cleaner was sort of a PITA to take off but the others were fine. Used a 6" orbital buffer but I just orded the Porter Cable and some Sonus products to try next time. I might even go buy a POS hood from the junk yard to hone my skills with the PC a bit before diving off into it again.



before the rain came.

Cory9584

that looks great

ausgeflippt951

I've never used a clay bar to detail before, but I'm definitely curious to try it this next time i wax my car. How exactly does it work, what does it do, and how do I use it effectively?

Ski

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-perfect.html

good stuff here.

dougoh

looks great bret...does the swirl remover really work?ive been looking on ebay at the portercable buffer with the detail package but havent pulled the trigger yet.

KuHL 951

Looking good Bret. The Porter Cable is great with the right pads. On my black car I've got it down to 2 easy steps. I use the Meguiars Speed Glaze #80 1st for swirls and cleaning followed by their synthetic sealant #21. The sealant is straight polymer and is great for a black car and holds up for at least 6 months. I haven't used a wax product in over 10 years. Waxes in our hot climate here seems to embed more dirt. The polymer just dusts off so much easier with a California Duster and bugs and bird poop wipe right off with a damp microfiber towel. Black cars sure have their issues trying to keep them looking good but look so nice when done right. Sorry about that engine failure; did you ever find out if it was primarily a rod failure or not?

Ski

We think, think is the key word, because Jim cannot find any other seized part, that it was a rod failure. The head was in perfect shape, the gasket was new in Jan and I looked at all the bores. At least it didn't mess up the head or the turbo.

RogueM3

A) Beautiful detail..black is always the most rewarding!

B) Dont bother with buying a junked hood to work on. The beauty of the PC is that its damn-near impossible to damage your paint while using it (not enough heat generated as a result of the random orbits). A rotary on the other hand can EASILY damage paint in a hurry..so a junked hood isnt a bad idea for practice should you ever find the need for a rotary.

ELLSSUU

Bret,

Looking great, as always. I agree that there's no need to buy an old hood. Start slow and follow the Autopia tips and you won't have any problems. Speeds up the time to wax your car exponentially. Tell me how you like the Sonus pads. I'm currently using Excel's pad set and am happy with them.

Ski

Thanks Scott, especially coming from YO Shine. How's the engine project coming along, haven't seen you post on it in a while. Did you get to see the nasty pics of the track car engine?

333pg333

Great work there Ski. Love the finish. Tell me guys how long does it take to do these process' that you're all talking about?

Ski

The PC, foam pads, and products will reduce the time, but I took about 5 hours the other day, couple of breaks - phone, email, bite to eat. I did the interior the day before.

RogueM3

Exactly..the timing is really up to the detailer. The first time I ever detailed a car (with PC, Clay, etc) I spent probably 9hrs. That included hand-wash, claybar, 1 Swirl Removing Step, 1 Paint cleaner, hand wax.

Having done atleast 100 cars since then, I can clay while I wash (significantly reduces time), use the rotary to generally minimize polishing steps, and then generally use one of the newer spray sealants or waxes (depending upon Customer's preference) to finish it all of. This takes about 5hrs now and I truly feel as if I am taking my time and not rushing things (ie. I could go faster)

Ski

So you clay using a good car wash as lubricant or also use the spray lubricant with the soap - make up your own lubricant with a soap/shampoo etc? Ok, save the jokes on the lubricant

RogueM3

You can do a few of the things you suggest:

A) Use a quality car wash soap (I Prefer Mother's Gold, but there are a TON of suitable ones out there) and I generally make the solution slightly stronger/soapier than I would if I were to just wash the car normally. Then as usual I will wash with a mit to remove large contaminants and then follow that with the clay over the already slick surface. I then rinse and dry.

B) You can use a myriad of different car wash solutions as a QD (quick detailer) and Clay Lubricant. One that is particularly popular is Optimum's No Rinse (ONR). This is designed to be a waterless wash system, and considering the slickness/lubricity mandated in order to prevent swirls, makes a great QD.

I wouldnt bother using both a carwash soap as well as a clay lubricant if you choose to clay while washing...as the carwash soap should more than do the job.