Easy jobs! Accord, New Beetle, LS430, Jaguar XK

Scottwax · 02-23-07, 05:26

2006 Honda Accord and 2007 Volkswagen New Beetle. I've posted these before but I want to take you through a typical maintenance/wash type job and how you can do them quickly and easily.

I normally clean the Accord owner's Titan at his office but he drove the Accord to work this time. He is on a maintenance plan, so basically, I do what the vehicle needs each time for a set price. That is only something I do on cars I have already completely detailed, or new cars I have done a polish/wax on. The interior really only needed a wipe down but the cloth seats in the new Accords are lint magnets, so my son had to run a lint roller over the seats after vacuuming. While my son was doing that, I got busy on the exterior. I had last waxed it in December and although it was still beading well (Natty's Blue, if I remember right), we had a tough few months of weather and spring rain is coming up. I decided to apply Optimum Car Wax while I washed it with Optimum No Rinse. Basically, I wash a section with ONR, make the first drying pass, spritz the area with OCW, and then make a final drying pass. Very fast way to wax a car and you only have to go around it once. The car was actually pretty dirty but silver hides it well, especially on a sunny, mid 70s late February day. No, your eyes do not deceive you, the tires, wheels and fenderwells are already done. I do them first, especially on windy days so any dressing overspray that gets on the car when spraying the fenderwells is washed off when I wash the body of the vehicle.

Fender washed/waxed, door untouched-the dirty film is most apparent on the door below the side molding:

Both sides finished:

Door untouched:

Door ONR'ed and OCW'ed:

Finished shots:

I had polished and sealed the New Beetle a couple of weeks ago, using Poorboy's Polish w/Sealant and Werkstatt's Acrylic Jett. Just an ONR wash this time.

This first shot really isn't indicative of the Beetle's color, the picture above where it is next to the Accord is more accurate. I included this pic especially for you people still freezing up north-you can see how my son is dressed in February in Texas (although, admittedly, it was in the 30s for highs last week).

No swirls....

A shot of the two together. They are not moved back to keep them out of the shadows for the pics but to make sure the tires are evenly dressed. I find that is it necessary to move the car so the tires are 180 degrees from their position when originally dressed to make sure the dressing is applied evenly all the way around the tires.

BTW, my son and I were in and out of there in 90 minutes.

Scottwax · 02-23-07, 05:43

2005 Lexus LS430. Another easy one. He has a Civic (daily driver) and the LS430 he and his wife use mainly for long trips. I wash one and wax the other about every 6-8 weeks. It was the Lexus' turn and this time it needed some light polishing. They've had the car a year now and this is the first time I've had to do more than just wax. It has a couple minor paint transfers on the back end and some tar spots on the rocker panels. No real correction was needed, very swirl free for a 2005! I polished it with Poorboy's Polish w/Sealant and buffed that off with Werkstatt's Acrylic Jett Trigger. Really fast way to polish and seal a car.

Close-up of the pearl flake, not sure why the color is so far off.

==============

2006 Jaguar XK. Last polished out and waxed in mid-November. Was originally supposed to just be a wash but when I reminded him it had been 3 months since it was waxed, he said if I could wash and wax it in 90 minutes (he had a plumber coming out to his house he had to let in) to go for it. As I washed it with ONR, I also applied OCW and then finished it off with a coat of Meguiars #16 Paste. Ended up taking about 80 minutes.

DieselMDX · 02-23-07, 05:53

I used AJT this week on a maxima I polished then AIO with a AJT topper. I was impressed with the ease of application of both but esp AJT. I am just wondering why you dont use AIO as a base? I was under the understanding that AIO is a good base for AJT as they are both acrylic and they will give you the best durability besides using prime.

Do see any diff by using PWS or OPS as a base? Why did you choose PWS instead of OPS?

thanx!

Bigpoppa3346 · 02-23-07, 05:56

Very nice results across the board. Love the side shot of the XK.

RTexasF · 02-23-07, 06:25

Scott,

When using the ONR do you use the suggested amount to 2 gallons of water or add a bit more to suit the dirtiness of the car? I'm going to follow your lead and order ONR because the regular wash/rinse/dry routine is taking too much time. Not to mention the water spots that have to be addressed afterwards from the Texas sun.......and it ain't even hot yet!

As always your results are impressive and the tips are invaluable, thank you.

Nimble · 02-23-07, 06:54

I enjoyed that post Scott, thanks.

Scottwax · 02-23-07, 07:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselMDX

I used AJT this week on a maxima I polished then AIO with a AJT topper. I was impressed with the ease of application of both but esp AJT. I am just wondering why you dont use AIO as a base? I was under the understanding that AIO is a good base for AJT as they are both acrylic and they will give you the best durability besides using prime.

Do see any diff by using PWS or OPS as a base? Why did you choose PWS instead of OPS?

thanx!

Normally, I use Prime, the superior version of AIO that Werkstatt sells. However, it needs about 30 minutes to cure for best durability and sometimes I don't have the time. PwS fits the bill perfectly in that scenario. Next time I order Prime, I am going to get Prime Strong since it doesn't have a cure time like regular Prime.

I chose PwS since the paint only needed mild cleaning, not light defect removal. If it had noticable light swirls or scratches, I would have used OPS.

RTexasF-I normally add about 1 oz to 5 quarts of water, more ONR and water if the car is especially dirty, or I just change the water out halfway through.

rydawg · 02-23-07, 09:26

Great job Scott! That Jag came out spectacular for a quicki!

tdekany · 02-23-07, 09:50

all are beautiful details.

I love the look of that Jag.

sftempest66 · 02-23-07, 09:54

Great job on the cars as always! How do you like the OCW??? (Optimum Car wax correct?) What kind of durability are you looking at and is that the spray kind that I've seen online? If so, how abouts do you apply it, just like you would AJT or something of that matter?

Scottwax · 02-23-07, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by sftempest66

Great job on the cars as always! How do you like the OCW??? (Optimum Car wax correct?) What kind of durability are you looking at and is that the spray kind that I've seen online? If so, how abouts do you apply it, just like you would AJT or something of that matter?

OCW=Optimum Car Wax.

I get around 3 months durability with it in the Dallas area. About as easy to use as a detail spray, has a nice carnauba glow. Depth seems to improve with 2-3 applications.

Basically, spritz on a section, spread, wipe, flip towel for final wipe.

sspeer · 02-24-07, 01:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Prime Strong since it doesn't have a cure time like regular Prime.

Interesting to know...and curious why. Maybe I need to keep up with the latest Werkstatt interview thread...

Luckily, I have some JW-PS!