View Full Version : New 2007 350Z, first detail!
Tarik
06-12-2007, 02:09 PM
3 weeks ago I purchased my new 350Z and asked them to leave the car wrapped in plastic. They had never done this before and thought I was simply crazy, but I insisted. I drove it home, plastic flapping in the wind.
I worked on the car the following day - it was a mess, to say the least. I can`t imagine why new cars arrive in such poor shape, but I got to work and stuck with it for 8 hours.
This is what it looks like/process I used (I skipped using the glaze, but I think it turned out pretty good):
1. Wash and dry.
2. Clay, wipe down, Wax Cleaner.
3. Menzerna Final Polish 2, 1 coat.
4. Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket (FMJ), 1 coat.
5. No Touch on the tires.
6. Griots spray-on wax on the wheels.
I`m really happy with the results :)
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture038.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture037.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture036.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture032.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture018-1.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture017-1.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture015.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture012-1.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture011.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture008-1.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture007-1.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x209/tdintrono/New%20350Z/Picture004-1.jpg
Macruz19
06-12-2007, 02:27 PM
That looks good. Great job!
mikelea4ever
06-12-2007, 02:30 PM
did people looked at you strange when they see you driving your car wrapped with plastics? :) anyway, thats a very nice/clean car. love that wheels in there.
kkreit01
06-12-2007, 02:36 PM
Looks great. My new ride (Fusion) was in tough shape as well. It was made in Mexico, and the build date was last Sept. I hit it with DG101. I should have clayed.
I bought a new Mariner last Fall. It was in nice condition. Of course the assembly plant is only 30 miles away from the dealer.
Tarik
06-12-2007, 02:47 PM
It was at night, but driving down the freeway with plastic flapping all over the place must have looked seriously wrong.
I shopped several other sports cars, including the 996 and M3, but $ for $, I couldn`t pass up a new Z. So far I`m very impressed with the car :)
Hey, btw - does anyone recommend those California Dusters? I`d like to keep the dust off this car now without having to wash it every 3 days! Lol!
bjackson8
06-12-2007, 03:21 PM
Congrats on the new car. absolutely beautiful.
I love the Z`s and would get one if it had a back seat.
When I bought my last car I just could not get the salesman to comprehend that I did not want them to detail the car before I picked it up. He just could not understand why I would not want a free wash.
JDM99
06-12-2007, 04:54 PM
Congrats and great job!! I did the same thing with my 997 TT. I did let them remove the plastic so I could see if there was anything wrong - I did have a 10 hour drive home so would have been tough make that trip to find a problem.
Just think how many cars your dealer got out in the time it took you to detail yours!
BTW, my car was in pretty good shape. I clayed it but it was pretty good.
kster
06-12-2007, 05:17 PM
Great looking car! When is the next generation due out? 2008 or 2009?
moosey
06-12-2007, 06:02 PM
Great job. Love the car, wish I had one myself.
Hey, btw - does anyone recommend those California Dusters? I`d like to keep the dust off this car now without having to wash it every 3 days! Lol!
I`d stay away from the duster. A lot of the "dust" you see might be pollen and pollen will scratch your paint if you drag that duster over it.
Tarik
06-12-2007, 06:28 PM
I`d stay away from the duster. A lot of the "dust" you see might be pollen and pollen will scratch your paint if you drag that duster over it.
That`s exactly what I thought. Thanks!
cte500 - I saw your post (INCREDIBLE car btw...so jealous!). I know someone else who purchased a 997TT from Portland and drove it down to LA. Pretty cool.
By requesting the vehicle with it`s plastic/no detail, I saved them time/money - funny thing is when I have called them a couple times about the loan/parts, they don`t remember me at all. I made the initial call, was in/out all within 2 hours. Fastest deal they ever made, I`m sure, so I was forgotten, lol.
The Z got a little makeover this year with the 2007 - new hood, headlights, interior trim, but most of all a new engine. Twin intakes, individual throttle bodies, 306hp, whopper torque. I test drove damn near every sports car out there, including several 996`s, E46 M3`s, Caymans...I was truly shocked at the value/performance on this Z, so I opted to save $ and buy a new Z (almost pulled the trigger on a Porsche 996 a week before). It`s also new, so I`m loving that new car smell :)
I don`t think the Z is going to change much anytime soon. A spy photo I saw from Germany (testing on the `ring) hints at a slightly different hatch and wing (mine is wingless) - verrrry small changes and that`s good.
Way2SSlow
06-12-2007, 07:59 PM
Great choice! The 350Z is quite a sexy auto. Well done on the detail too!
FitSport
06-12-2007, 08:29 PM
Excellent work. I have to say though, the light silver doesn`t look good on that car. No offense. :)
coupe
06-12-2007, 08:30 PM
Im confused on steps 2 and 3.
2. You applied a cleaner wax and then polished?
3. What do you mean by "coat", FPII is a polish, there is nothing to coat.
hardrockTLS
06-12-2007, 08:39 PM
Hey, btw - does anyone recommend those California Dusters? I`d like to keep the dust off this car now without having to wash it every 3 days! Lol!
If you use your head when using a CCD they are perfectly safe and will not scatch. The trick is to use just the ends of the threads, and not applying any pressure. With a CCD, you don`t need to apply any pressure to remove the dust and pollen. I am talking about about one of the big CCD`s with like a 30 inch reach, the little ones are great for the interior but I would not want to use one on the exterior. If you go to any custom car show, you will find most of the guys there using a CCD on thier cars, and most of them probably have A LOT of money tied up in just the paint job. Just use your head, don`t use the CCD to "scrub" the dust off and you will be fine!!!! I have used one for 2 years now and have not had a problem with scratching or marring.