14 hours later -- my daily driver is better than new!

[AGAuto]

I`m going to start off by saying that I have been waiting forever for the right time to do this. Ever since I first received my Murano from the dealership, it was heavy swirls and buffer trails all over its black paint from the new car prep they do. I have always kept my car clean, but it has only been recently that I became completely confident using my Griots Garage random orbital (I know, not the best machine out there but I got it a year ago thinking I would stay on the safe side). I decided to detail cars for the summer before I head back to school, and have learned so much already from this forum its ridiculous. I just want to thank everyone for all your help with any questions I had...I am always learning



Now back to my car...I chose to do a complete exterior detail (wash, clay, polish, sealant) to get my car where I wanted it to be. I wish I took before pictures to show the complete transformation, but I wanted to get started. Here was the process:



WASH:



- Tires with Ardex New Wave & stiff brush

- Wheels with Ardex Proper & Car soap cause they weren`t dirty at all w/ soft brush

- EZ Detail Wheel Brush (A must have in my opinion)

- Wheel wells received same All Purpose Cleaner as the tires

- Then washed the car using the two bucket method using Meguiars Hyper Wash w/ Griots Microfiber Mitt



- I then dried the car with some towels and also cleaned the door jambs



POLISH:



- Taped off ALL rubber & plastic so polish would not stain it

- Removed all old wax by wiping the car down with a 50/50 mixture of IPA

- I started off using Meguiars Ultimate Compound on a 6" Lake Country Orange pad w/ Griots orbital to remove the heavy swirls

- IPA wipe down to remove any leftover polish/oils

- Followed up using Meguaris #205 on a 6" LC white pad w/ Griots orbital to clean up and holograms/marring

-IPA wipe down again



I was not aiming for 100% perfection in getting all the swirls out, but I would say that I got about 85-90% out, which I am very satisfied with.



SEALANT:



Since I was basically preparing the car to withstand all the elements of being parked outside at my school from August - May, I chose to use Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze to protect the paint. I chose to apply 4 coats, waiting about 20 hours in between each coat. I plan to apply at least 2 or 3 more coats after I wash it again before I head off to school.



DRESSING:



Tires were dressed with Ardex Dull Away (rubber brightener usually for the interior & engine hoses but I use it for the tires with good results. However, I just bought a gallon of Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel which I can`t wait to use)



Wheel Wells and mud flaps were dressed with CG Bare Bones



Here is the time breakdown:



Wash & Dry: 1.5 hours

Prep for Polish: 1/2 hour

Polish: 9 hours

Sealant: 3 hours



Also, I purchased silver vinyl overlays and put them on right before the pictures. I really am pleased with the way they look – in my opinion, it completely changes the front and looks great.



Please feel free to give constructive criticism. Its supposed to rain all week here so I wasn`t looking to make it look like a showroom car, just wanted to give her a lot of protection.



Now for the pictures...I really apologize for the lack of before pictures, but the first one sums up what the entire paint was like



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0303.jpg



and with my trip to the jersey shore over the past weekend, someone was nice enough to leave me a nice scrap on my front bumper...



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0297.jpg



and now for the afters:



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0308.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0311.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0314.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0320.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0321.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0323.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0326.jpg



now for some garage pictures...



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0374.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0376.jpg



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0381.jpg



and my cart with the essentials..



http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad134/gnotti211/DSC_0386.jpg



Thanks for looking!

[SoCalB6]

Look great, very wet! Did you use the new Griot`s polisher or the first gen.?

[BigAl3]

looks great, nice job...

[AGAuto]

Look great, very wet! Did you use the new Griot`s polisher or the first gen.?



I used the first generation. I read about the new one, but I think if had to choice to purchase another one I would buy something with more power and such.

[ohiostate]

great job!!!!!!!!!

[imported_OrangeStang]

Nice garage!

[kaval]

That looks fantastic!

[Kalon]

GREAT JOB I`m jealous. I would personally look into some black/chrome or all chrome aftermarket wheels. either way that black looks excellent.

[AGAuto]

thanks everyone for the comments..



Kalon -- I`ve looking into black chrome but it`s expensive, and I don`t feel like dealing with the hassle of finding and using after market wheels, and then taking them off in the winter....done that before with my old car. I did look into powder coating them black but I think that would take away from the look of the car.

[reshine]

IPA wipedown, could you please specify to product? (not to heavy into foreign detail lingo\short version of names)..



Other then that the job looks primo..

[AGAuto]

IPA wipedown, could you please specify to product? (not to heavy into foreign detail lingo\short version of names)..



Other then that the job looks primo..



This is just a basic 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol (91% in my case) and distilled water. It removes any leftover polish residue/oils/fillers and enables you to see your progress clearly.

[reshine]

Ok, new stuff learned, will implement on my next detail.. :)

[RustyBumper]

GREAT JOB I`m jealous. I would personally look into some black/chrome or all chrome aftermarket wheels. either way that black looks excellent.



If you do decide to get after market black chrome wheels, stay away from BOSS rims. I`ve got 20 inch 313 black chrome wheels that chip even if I just look at them (I`m ugly, but not that ugly). They look great but damage easily.



BTW, you did a great job on your vehicle. I like the rear guard. Is that just a regular brush/bump guard mounted on the rear?

[AGAuto]

BTW, you did a great job on your vehicle. I like the rear guard. Is that just a regular brush/bump guard mounted on the rear?



Thanks! And its just a rear bumper guard to protect my bumper when I park...its manufactured by a company called Waag.

[Chops]

Beautiful job! I`ve never been a huge fan of the Murano`s but yours is stunning.

By the way where do you find your assortment of wheel well brushes? I would`t mind a line up similair to yours in my garage for aesthetic reasons.