Want it to look like new

[carter840]

Alright so i have not been on this site in a few months. Over the summer I did what i considered a full detailing on my 2006 Range Rover (dark blue). I used the full Menzerna Kit and got pretty good results. I just attempted the same thing last week and the finished product was not nearly as good. I also found out that my Mom had taken it to a auto car wash twice and that might be the cause. In fact i am sure it is. The car now has a lot of swirling in the paint. And has really lost that shine it once had. I would like to again attempt a full detailing, but i just did one and it seemed to have little effect.



First i am wondering if i have the proper materials. Is the Menzerna kit good, or should i be looking at other products. Second I find that hand polishing has not worked for me, i have been using the green microfiber applicator pads and the polish in the Menzerna kit. I have also used the Menzerna Glaze. I still see the swirls and I worked for 6 hours on my last detail (that includes start to finish not just polishing). How long should the whole thing take? Anyway what do you folks recommend I do to get rid of these swirls. Also I find that there are some water marks on the hood of my car that are slightly visible (went away some after a recent claying).



I am guessing that I need a good polishing, but I don`t even know if it is possible to do by hand. I have tried as I said and it seemed to do nothing. Also I found that the polish was nearly impossible to buff off the car. I would pay someone to do a good polishing job for me and use a buffer but there is no one near me that i trust to do the work. Most of the shops really don`t know what they are doing and often cause more harm then help. Not to mention that all the shops near me charge ridiculous prices for minor work.



On a side note the color of my car is a dark blue and 90% of people seem to think that it is black. When i first got the car that was not the case is there anyway to bring back the bluish shine?



Here is a list of the Products and tools I have (let me know what i am missing)

Menzeran car care kit

-Auto Shampoo

-Final Polish II

-Finishing Touch Glaze

-FMJ, Full Molecular Jacket



6 Green micro fiber applicator pads

6 small micro fiber towels

Large Bucket

Micro fiber sponge

Mothers carnuba wax

Mothers clay kit

Large Cross weave micro fiber dying towel

Large quick dry towel (dont know what to call it, but you wring it out and it is dry to use again) supposedly car safe.



Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also I have read the guide to detailing on the relevant topics so I know some stuff, i just need to know how to get better results.

[todd@bsaw]

I`ll try to make this short.

You are not going to get far hand polishing. You should step up to a DA polisher if you want results.

From me, a full detail on your car would take about 6 hours and cost near $300. Take into consideration that I use both a rotary and orbital and I do this professionally.

[imported_themightytimmah]

It`s going to need more aggressive polishing to remove defects. See if you can get your hands on a Porter Cable or UDM polisher and some Menzerna Intensive Polish.

[RIDDLE]

Armor All- make it shiny, like new:lol this is what i thought of when i read the title

[JustinDetail]

I`ll try to make this short.

You are not going to get far hand polishing. You should step up to a DA polisher if you want results.

From me, a full detail on your car would take about 6 hours and cost near $300. Take into consideration that I use both a rotary and orbital and I do this professionally.



You charge $300 for only a 6 hr detail? That seems extraordinarily high. Is that even with interior? I don`t see a wash, clay, 2 step, lsp, and full interior detail taking only 6 hours.

[todd@bsaw]

You charge $300 for only a 6 hr detail? That seems extraordinarily high. Is that even with interior? I don`t see a wash, clay, 2 step, lsp, and full interior detail taking only 6 hours.

That`s not high at all.

I estimate my prices at ~$50 per hour. This is much lower than others on this site.

And yes, I can do a wash, clay, polish, lsp, and full interior in 4 hours on a regular sedan. A dark Land Rover will take longer. If the car needs additional time for a 2-step, it will get charged accordingly. This is very typical with other pro detailers.

[ptaylor_9849]

Carter, there should be someone on this forum who lives near you. You are missing the polishing step which is the most important. The only way you`re gonna get the results you want is a professional polish. Another option is to spend the next year playing with a rotary or orbital but that is very time consuming. Get a pro on here to help you out and then maintain it with the products you already have. Then you`ll be :grinno:



Patrick

[ptaylor_9849]

While we`re on the topic I`ve got to ask you pro`s a question. How on earth are you doing a full detail in 6 or even 8 hours? Please tell me that you are not doing full correction in this time frame. I`ve been known to spend 4 hours on just a hood. How are you guys doing it?

[todd@bsaw]

While we`re on the topic I`ve got to ask you pro`s a question. How on earth are you doing a full detail in 6 or even 8 hours? Please tell me that you are not doing full correction in this time frame. I`ve been known to spend 4 hours on just a hood. How are you guys doing it?



I could debate about this at much length, but I`ll keep this thread on topic.



As a matter of fact, here I started a new thread:

http://autopia.org/forum/professional-detailers/102017-levels-professional-detailing.html

[fergnation]

Carter, you spent a ton of money on the products that you have. It would be silly not to spend another 120 and get a UDM or PC. You Have the products, MF, buckets, clay. Order one today and get it by the weekend. Then you can go to town on those swirls over the weekend. It doesn`t sound like the paint is too bad. You should only need a orange pad and a finishing pad. Then you can use the products that you have spent so much money on. The UDM and PC are virtually fool proof and you can get some outstanding results with these mochines if you are only trying to get out swirls and polish up that paint.



In all honesty, this forum is so you can learn to do the details yourself. Why pay fifty an hour to somebody else when you can enjoy learning and accomplish a deep shiny reflection on that blue paint. You are only one machine and two pads away from doin it yourself.



There are many threads on here to help you to learn how to use the UDM or PC. But like I said before, it is not rocket science.