jb26jb

perfectly fine

leedav

Back to the test car... It has some etching in the paint on the hood from the washer fluid. If I owned this car I'd be very torqued. It's a 2005 and washer fluid drying once on the hood between the squirt head and the windshield have damaged the paint. My PC 7424 has not arrived as expected (on back order) but I hit it today by hand with Meguiar's fine cut, then scratch-x, then #3, then #7 (the last 2 to remove the haziness from the first 2) to no avail. It seems that the edges of the drops have etched the clear coat quite deeply.

any thoughts?

StanSoph

Look skyward and be thankful it's not yours.......... I can't think of anything I would have done any differently. There is a guy on the concour board; Anthony Orosco who is a detailing guru. I have read a number of his posts and I think he knows what he is talking about. He revived a Corvette's paint with his magic and the pictures are in a post.

StanSoph

Lee, how about a good Oregon Pinot; $30-$50, to be paired with salmon. Got any good picks ?

leedav

If you go Oregon, Willa-Kenzie or Thomas (2001's). Wife says French Burgundy, and how is he going to prep the salmon?

We just had a 2003 rose Cotes du Ventoux Le Vielle Ferme. It was very nice and would be good with salmon.

StanSoph

The fish will be grilled. I will prep the salmon with a drizzle of olive oil, a touch of salt and fresh ground pepper. My final secret is a coating of garlic Pam on top of the filet. The Pam as it cooks leaves a thin crispy "skin" on the filet and helps to seal in some moisture. I leave the skin on the filet as it helps to keep he filet together on the grill and prevents over cooking. I turn the fish only once starting real skin side down. Also a couple lengths of fresh Rosemary from the yard soaked in water for an hour or so add a nice smoky flavor. Fresh grilled asparagus and tomatoes over angel hair.

leedav

Sounds great. An Oregon Pinot would be good. My wife would choose a Savigny-les-Beaune or a Volnay.

Hmmm... Maybe a NW regional BBQ needs to happen this summer...

StanSoph

Great minds think a like. The wine and the BBQ. Sometime after July %, thats when it supposedly quits raining. I'm all in.

peterp

I just bought a 2001 C4. The dealer detailed it before delivery, but it had a lot of swirl marks and generally didn't look very good so I had to start from scratch. I just went through the car this weekend with the following: Clay bar, P21S cleanser, 3M antii-swirl, 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, P21S, and Meguires NSX topcoat. It's a night and day difference, though it's hard to tell from this photo.

StanSoph

Lokks like day to me. Did you use a buffer? I think I am going to bite the bullet and buy one. Your car looks awesome. A lot of work, but worth it.

leedav

I'm in about week three of the NXT trial on the bluesmobile. Took the bikes out over the weekend and got the car (and ourselves) good and muddy, and the car with lots of bugs. Went through the car wash (no scratches or swirls) and shot it with the NXT booster spray wax and (for a Detroit barge) it is looking pretty good. I'm very impressed with this product and thinking of applying it to my Porsche.

I was wondering about the clay bar. I have one, and the few things I've attempted with it haven't worked..each thing I tried turned out to be something that wanted a little more abrasive. One was a slight stain that came out with Scratch-X and the other was the etched clearcoat from the wiper solvent.

Anyway, to the point... what was the consensus on whether all wax had to be removed before clay bar, and whether a synthetic (such as Rejex or NXT) would be removed by a washing with dish soap?

programmatore

Lee, if you like NXT then I highly recommend you try Zaino. I tried NXT after I ran out of Zaino (since NXT was available at the AutoZone) but I was disappointed by how short it lasts. After 2 car washes it stops beading. Zaino lasts a lot longer. Needless to say I went and re-ordered Zaino online.

Every spring I strip everything and start from scratch. I first wash the car with Dawn and then use a clay bar lubricated with some car wash detergent and water mixed in a spray bottle. Then wash the car again with car was detergent. It really gets the car squeaky clean and ready for the swirl remover and polish.

Here's another picture:

c4bliss

I have to agree with the comments on zaino. I used rejex on mine four or five times, looked great for a week and then you could definately tell it was wearing down. I just did a dawn wash and zaino z5 for two coats, and all of the swirl marks and fine scratches are gone. I am waiting for my kit to arrive in the mail to finish the final wax. Had it out in the driveway after the Z5 and it was so brillant it was hard to look at in the sun! Love it so far.... Ill post before and after pics when i finish it up..

leedav

Wow! Programmatore that looks great. Guess I'll get some Zaino for the P-Car.

StanSoph

I don't think he really drives the car. Too clean and shiny. It looks awesome. I can vouch for the Zaino; did my black Landcruiser with it and it shined like a new baby.