dsms
08-31-2008, 08:39 PM
Yesterdays agenda: Silver Lexus IS250 with the typical wear an tear.
Interior needed the most work, lots of dirt and scuffs everywhere. The car was scheduled for a 1 step polish only, no full correction was needed. Being as the owner keeps a busy schedule I tried to make this as pain free of a process as possible for him and he was very appreciative.
I picked up the car at the owners house at 7:30am, the keys were left in it for me and it was unlocked, so there was no need to ring the bell and wake anybody up:loud: I drove the Lexus back to my house (about 10minutes away) and began the detail at 8:00am. I worked straight through until 7:00pm and then got back in the car and drove it back to the owners house...VERY VERY slowly:waiting2: and made sure the car avoided any leaves and puddles along the way. Once back at the owners house I opened the garage and pulled the car in, gave it a quick wipedown and closed the garage and then went home. I didnt actually see the owner even once the whole day, I felt like the invisible man detailer:giggle: I mysteriously show up to your house, take your dirty car and return it to you later freshly detailed.
On with the job...
Wash/Clay
2 schmitts
P21s TAW presoak
2BM w. CG CWG+Zaino Z7 (I like the cleaning power of CWG and Z7`s lubricity)
Dried w. CG Miracle Dryers
Megs mild blue clay
Last Touch 1:1 lube
Autoglym intensive tar remover
Karcher PW
Wheels/Tires/Wells
E-Shine APC
EZ brush
Swissvax wheel brush
DD stiff bristle wheel brush
Lugnut brush
OXO tire scrubber
Adams Invisible Undercarrige
Racatac
Polishing
Cyclo VES
Gloss It One Step machine polish
White edge pads
Infratech
Racatac
Trim
Adams metal polish #1 and #2 on exhaust and chrome trim
Adams In and Out spray
CG liquid extreme shine on the tires
IG on glass topped with Zaino ClearSeal
Interior
Leather Masters strong cleaner
Optimum Leather Protectant
1Z CP
1Z Plastik Reinger
Swissvax brush
Lusso Oro on wood trim
Folex
5.5hp Shop Vac
LSP
Gloss It Signature Gloss x1 (base coat)
Gloss It Gloss Finish x1 (second coat)
Gloss It Gloss Enhancer Wipedown
The initial state
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05212.jpg
First thing was the wheels, this was the first chance I had to try out my new Racatac rolling seat and I will say this thing really took the pressure of my knees and lower back when cleaing the wheels
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05220.jpg
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05222.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05224.jpg
The tires appeared pretty clean until I agitated the E-Shine apc and saw the amount of drit and grime which came off , I then re- pressure washed the wheels tires and cleaned the wheel wells
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05223.jpg
Now for the wash, after the TAW presoak came CWG+Z7 using 2 shmitts
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05229.jpg
Once thoroughly cleansed the paint was rinsed and sheeted with water followed by claying with the mild blue clay and Last touch lube from Meguiars. IMO Megs clay has just enough bite to pick up a good amount of contaminants without being too harsh on the paint.
Next the floormats needed a good scrubbing, E-Shine APC was used again (why not it is an APC right) with an OXO brush followed by a thorough pressure wash with the Karcher
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05233.jpg
The weather began to turn so I pulled the car in the garage, which is now Air Conditioned! It really makes a difference on those humid summer days.
The exhaust were polished using Adams Metal polish #1 and #2
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05234.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05236.jpg
Then came the chrome grill...
During
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05239.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05241.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05243.jpg
Then came polishing the door sills, again using the Adams twins
Working metal polish #1
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05244.jpg
This MF pad was brand new before polishing the door sills, you can see the amount of grime which came off
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05247.jpg
The after,
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05245.jpg
The license plate frame needed some work as well, not much but a marginal improvement was achieved
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05248.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05249.jpg
Next came polishing, I used the Cyclo with the double sided white edge pads, these pads are very soft and great for a final polish or jeweling step. I used the new Gloss It 1step Machine polish to bring the paint to a high gloss with the cyclo before applying the LSP.
The lights were hand polished with Plastix
After polishing I made my way to the interior, which was less than stellar:shakehead:
Lots of dirt from waht looks like a baseball field and scuffs from sneakers or cleats
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05252.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05294.jpg
I removed the headrests for cleaning, I then proceeded to clean the rear windown from the inside and vacuum behind the headrests before putting them back
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05253.jpg
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05251.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05299.jpg
The wood was pretty scratched so i hand polished it with Zaino Z-PC before topping it with Lusso Oro wax, some scratches were too deep to polish out
The before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05263.jpg
The after
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05302.jpg
I also took the liberty of using some of the Adams metal polish #2 on the shift knob
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05300.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05272.jpg
The trunk was a mess in this car, again lots of dirt in the carpets and just a lot of "stuff" in general. I vacuumed and then folded and re-organized everthing neatly, any personl small belongings were put in a plastic bag
before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05211.jpg
After..like I always say "Presentation is everything"
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05266.jpg
I then cleaned the gunk out of the jambs in the trunk
Back to the ineterior after being conditioned with Optimum leather protectant, i found this product leaves a nice matte finish on leather its a bit streaky though so I have to always go back and inspect the areas where it was applied.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05270.jpg
With the interior all finished up it was time to apply the LSP.
I used Gloss It Signature Gloss as a base coat, applied via the Flex and an LC blue finessing pad on speed 1, let it haze for about 15minutes and buffed off. Signature gives silver a super wet look and has insane durability.
I then followed Signature gloss with Gloss Finish, another sealant made by Gloss it exept this is one you can buy off their site. Signature Gloss is not a product for sale to the public, it is designated for use by certified Gloss It detailers (I am one of them), its something that will keep customers comming back to us for details because they cant get Signature Gloss anywhere else:thumb:
Interior needed the most work, lots of dirt and scuffs everywhere. The car was scheduled for a 1 step polish only, no full correction was needed. Being as the owner keeps a busy schedule I tried to make this as pain free of a process as possible for him and he was very appreciative.
I picked up the car at the owners house at 7:30am, the keys were left in it for me and it was unlocked, so there was no need to ring the bell and wake anybody up:loud: I drove the Lexus back to my house (about 10minutes away) and began the detail at 8:00am. I worked straight through until 7:00pm and then got back in the car and drove it back to the owners house...VERY VERY slowly:waiting2: and made sure the car avoided any leaves and puddles along the way. Once back at the owners house I opened the garage and pulled the car in, gave it a quick wipedown and closed the garage and then went home. I didnt actually see the owner even once the whole day, I felt like the invisible man detailer:giggle: I mysteriously show up to your house, take your dirty car and return it to you later freshly detailed.
On with the job...
Wash/Clay
2 schmitts
P21s TAW presoak
2BM w. CG CWG+Zaino Z7 (I like the cleaning power of CWG and Z7`s lubricity)
Dried w. CG Miracle Dryers
Megs mild blue clay
Last Touch 1:1 lube
Autoglym intensive tar remover
Karcher PW
Wheels/Tires/Wells
E-Shine APC
EZ brush
Swissvax wheel brush
DD stiff bristle wheel brush
Lugnut brush
OXO tire scrubber
Adams Invisible Undercarrige
Racatac
Polishing
Cyclo VES
Gloss It One Step machine polish
White edge pads
Infratech
Racatac
Trim
Adams metal polish #1 and #2 on exhaust and chrome trim
Adams In and Out spray
CG liquid extreme shine on the tires
IG on glass topped with Zaino ClearSeal
Interior
Leather Masters strong cleaner
Optimum Leather Protectant
1Z CP
1Z Plastik Reinger
Swissvax brush
Lusso Oro on wood trim
Folex
5.5hp Shop Vac
LSP
Gloss It Signature Gloss x1 (base coat)
Gloss It Gloss Finish x1 (second coat)
Gloss It Gloss Enhancer Wipedown
The initial state
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05212.jpg
First thing was the wheels, this was the first chance I had to try out my new Racatac rolling seat and I will say this thing really took the pressure of my knees and lower back when cleaing the wheels
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05220.jpg
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05222.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05224.jpg
The tires appeared pretty clean until I agitated the E-Shine apc and saw the amount of drit and grime which came off , I then re- pressure washed the wheels tires and cleaned the wheel wells
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05223.jpg
Now for the wash, after the TAW presoak came CWG+Z7 using 2 shmitts
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05229.jpg
Once thoroughly cleansed the paint was rinsed and sheeted with water followed by claying with the mild blue clay and Last touch lube from Meguiars. IMO Megs clay has just enough bite to pick up a good amount of contaminants without being too harsh on the paint.
Next the floormats needed a good scrubbing, E-Shine APC was used again (why not it is an APC right) with an OXO brush followed by a thorough pressure wash with the Karcher
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05233.jpg
The weather began to turn so I pulled the car in the garage, which is now Air Conditioned! It really makes a difference on those humid summer days.
The exhaust were polished using Adams Metal polish #1 and #2
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05234.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05236.jpg
Then came the chrome grill...
During
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05239.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05241.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05243.jpg
Then came polishing the door sills, again using the Adams twins
Working metal polish #1
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05244.jpg
This MF pad was brand new before polishing the door sills, you can see the amount of grime which came off
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05247.jpg
The after,
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05245.jpg
The license plate frame needed some work as well, not much but a marginal improvement was achieved
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05248.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05249.jpg
Next came polishing, I used the Cyclo with the double sided white edge pads, these pads are very soft and great for a final polish or jeweling step. I used the new Gloss It 1step Machine polish to bring the paint to a high gloss with the cyclo before applying the LSP.
The lights were hand polished with Plastix
After polishing I made my way to the interior, which was less than stellar:shakehead:
Lots of dirt from waht looks like a baseball field and scuffs from sneakers or cleats
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05252.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05294.jpg
I removed the headrests for cleaning, I then proceeded to clean the rear windown from the inside and vacuum behind the headrests before putting them back
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05253.jpg
Before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05251.jpg
After
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05299.jpg
The wood was pretty scratched so i hand polished it with Zaino Z-PC before topping it with Lusso Oro wax, some scratches were too deep to polish out
The before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05263.jpg
The after
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05302.jpg
I also took the liberty of using some of the Adams metal polish #2 on the shift knob
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05300.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05272.jpg
The trunk was a mess in this car, again lots of dirt in the carpets and just a lot of "stuff" in general. I vacuumed and then folded and re-organized everthing neatly, any personl small belongings were put in a plastic bag
before
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05211.jpg
After..like I always say "Presentation is everything"
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05266.jpg
I then cleaned the gunk out of the jambs in the trunk
Back to the ineterior after being conditioned with Optimum leather protectant, i found this product leaves a nice matte finish on leather its a bit streaky though so I have to always go back and inspect the areas where it was applied.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/DSC05270.jpg
With the interior all finished up it was time to apply the LSP.
I used Gloss It Signature Gloss as a base coat, applied via the Flex and an LC blue finessing pad on speed 1, let it haze for about 15minutes and buffed off. Signature gives silver a super wet look and has insane durability.
I then followed Signature gloss with Gloss Finish, another sealant made by Gloss it exept this is one you can buy off their site. Signature Gloss is not a product for sale to the public, it is designated for use by certified Gloss It detailers (I am one of them), its something that will keep customers comming back to us for details because they cant get Signature Gloss anywhere else:thumb: