1998 Nissan Maxima SE (Scotchbrite Edition) - Nov. '04 Entry

[G35stilez]

I did this detail at the beginning of September but felt I needed to enter it

I did this 1998 Nissan Maxima for one of my fraternity brothers. He purchased the car from his mom for a really nice deal. The car drivetrain wise was mechanically sound, but I couldn't speak the same for the exterior

The interior was heavily soiled and being light beige didn't help it either. I knew I had my work cut out for me so I went right at it. My final interior processes were:

-Oxy Mix (2 scoops:2gals water) on upholstery, mats, and rugs - pretreated with APC+ 10:1 in a sprayer and extracted with a ShopVac
-APC+ (10:1) on all plastic, vinyl, rubber...I really couldn't believe the level of dirt embedded...I felt like I changed the color of the interior
-AA to protect all plastic, vinyl, rubber
-Gliptone Glass Cleaner for the glass


Before


After




The car had a boat load of bonded contaminants that really filled up my claybar. Once QEW'd, clayed, and dried, I almost curled over when I looked at the hood in the sun :scared :scared :scared :scared :scared



It literally looked as though the car was washed with a Scotchbrite Scour Pad. If it wasn't, then it was washed with Comet and a Sponge...Something dramatically scoured this paint and I knew I had my work cut out for me.

[G35stilez]

I tried a couple of different polishes via rotary and LC cutting pad (DACP, SSR 2.5) but ended up busting out the big dog compound. Menzerna PowerGloss via rotary and LC 7.5" Foam Concaved Cutting Pad @ 1700-1900rpm did the trick. On horiztonal surfaces, 2-3 separate passes were needed, but it did the trick. Powergloss left an amazingly clear, glossy, and swirl-free shine with only the littlest amount of micro-marring. I followed up with Menzerna Final Polish with a LC 7.5" Foam Polishing Pad @1500 rpm, took the tape off, and grabbed this amazing side-by-side pic. Notice the tremendous amount of clarity regained after polishing




My final exterior processes were:

-QEW with 2 bucket/mitt method
-Wolfgang Poly Elastic Clay using a QEW lube
-Menzerna Powergloss via rotary and LC Concaved Foam Cutting Pad @1700-1900 rpm...Multiple passes if needed
-Menzerna Final Polish via rotary and LC Concaved Foam Polishing Pad @1500rpm
-Poorboy's EX-P by hand

-Armor All on tires and in wheel wells


Hood Finished

[G35stilez]

Although the front bumper was too far gone and the paint on it was very thin, I saved this owner from spending a couple thousand on a new paintjob. He was exstatic over the results . He ended up repainting the hubcaps and tinting the windows. This car was now ready to be driven with pride


Couple more afters








Enjoy!

[hftw Audi 6]

Amazing work sean! That taped off half--and-half pic is amazing!And yes i joined autopia and am learning a sh** load, anyway nice work!

[vdog0531]

wow, that is an amazing transformation. i can't wait to use my Menzerna polishes great job sean. the competition steps up, and you just have to one up us all don't you!! haha, oh well. at least the prize money goes towards a good guy. keep it up!

Vernon

[LightngSVT]

Damn it man, give some of the rest of us a chance to win! LOL! Your work speaks for itself.

[Corey Bit Spank]

You sure do know a lot of people with Maximas. heh

[hirosh]

you weren't kidding about the interior. the before and afters. yikes! :scared and great job on the exterior. that rear fender shot has some awesome reflections.

[DCopp]

is it black or green?

[G35stilez]

Thanks for the compliments . I really appreciate them.

DCopp: Dark Green Metallic.

[Greg]

How come you switched the mats for the after shot?

[G35stilez]

Originally posted by Greg
How come you switched the mats for the after shot?

It was an oversight on my part. The detail took in excess of 6 hours and by the time I was done I had forgotten whether I took them with or without.

You can see, however, the difference in the seats as well as the carpets surrounding the mats.

Greg, my humble apologies.