Shark Attack

remember 20 years ago it used to be fun!.. now bending over to do the rocker and lower parts is just plain work!

Mother

All that hard work detailing car and in most places it rains, but in Arizona it.........

fpena944

I did the exact same thing because in the past the machine doesn't do a great job of removing the wax. Plus I always had to go back and buff up some spots that just didn't look right.

But the Griot's is great when it comes to polishing and even applying the wax. Plus it's difficult to damage the paint since you can literally put all your weight on it and the machine will not burn through. I had a couple of light scuffs on the hardtop and I was able to get them removed with some mild polish.

Thankfully it hasn't rained here all week so I still have a decent shine going on...

buddy911t

First point is "my god the things the size if a red rider wagon" It takes me exactly 1.5 hours to clean and wax my car. I use a product called permanon which is used in the yachting industry. It uses some very advanced technology to prevent the surface from fouling in the first place.

Quadcammer

absolute pain in the ***. Hate detailing. If it wasn't so bloody expensive and more technically difficult, I'd pay someone.

I stopped caring about my car being clean.

billyboy

I clayed and waxed my car by hand yesterday and my shoulder is sore today ... but damn it looks great.

robert r

I'm the same. The guy I go to defintly knows his stuff, and has that go the extra mile to make it perfect. No way I could compete with his skills without some major investment in time,tools, and materials.

I'll leave it to him to do what he does, although I do enjoy the regular maintenance work and interior/engine bay.

Cheers,
Robert

Thundertub

My favorite T-shirt has a giant Q-Tip in the front and back...
and a big red circle around it with a red slash through it.

I'm planning on wearing it next Monday at the Parade concours. I'm not entered in that event. But I will take pictures on Sunday of my fellow PCA'ers feverishly re-detailing their cars in the brutally hot Savannah August sun. I will keep my cellphone close by in case I need to dial 911 for any of them. Otherwise loving couples will be screaming at each other as if they were lost on the TSD Rally ( I AM entered in that event, but not with my wife, though she is an excellent rally navigator).

Once a year, I take my car to my very favorite Porsche dealership, request a mid-cycle oil and filter change and a Level 1 detail. Then I drive away in the free Porsche loaner and come back in a couple days to find a stunningly shiny car, treated leather, sparkling engine compartment, and wheels clean on the inside.

Then I wash it once every month or so with car soap/wax until the following year.

And I still often win my class at the local PCA concours. LOL! My preparation for that event usually consists of vacuuming the interior a few days before the event and then wiping down the morning dew the day of the event. LOL!
My car is otherwise a perfect 30 footer. LOL!

Dennis C

We had a PCA driving event today - the Peak To Peak Highway drive from Denver to Estes Park. We had brunch at the Stanley Hotel, which is where they filmed The Shining. We had about 45 cars. It was cool. Yesterday, in preparation for this event, I detailed my car for about 8 hours. This included 3 coats of Griot's Best In Show wax applied with the random orbital buffer and hand buffed to remove it. My car looked like it was wet... it was awesome. It was quite a bit of work, but well worth it.

SWK6Cup

A few weeks ago, I had an "all day date" with the garage. I took a couple of Ibuprofen before I started. Busted out the Griot's Orbital buffer, clayed the car, then step 1 polish, then Best in Show Wax and then a speed shine final wipe down. (Can't seem to get all the wax off with the buffer)...then treated the seats, took off the wheels they were cleaned, (checked the brakes/rotors), cleaned the windows, vacumed the inside.........basically an all day affair, manual labor, hell yes! But an enjoyable to me depsite the soreness, etc. Once the car was done the black paint looked amazing...and it was easy to see, because I was lying on the gargage floor, almost crippled...but satisfied with the results/efforts. I can only do this max, 2x per year..........just can't take the strain as much as I used to...sucks getting older.

Dennis C

I use the spray on wax on areas that I can't remove dried wax. One quick spray and it gets it moist again so you can buff it off.

dallison28

After i apply the wax with the porter cable and when it dries, i take the bulk of the wax off with a cheap orbital buffer with a terry cloth bonnet. That seems to really work well on light or dark cars.

fpena944

What about the hard-to-reach spots?

I found there were too many of those which is why I decided to apply with my machine but remove by hand. Since I kept having to go over spots that the machine couldn't reach it just made more sense.

Sure it was more exhausting but going on one week now the car still looks great!

sbpsu354

I used a great detail shop when I lived in Colorado, and hope to find one in Austin. I'd rather leave this activity to the pros