My 12 year old baby is back: 2004 FX35

[richy]

Some of you may remember this car. I bought it new in 2004. I loved it!! I had it 5.5 years and then my next door neighbour bought it. He`s great at maintaining his vehicles, and I`ve done it for him 3 years ago. It was now (over)due again.


Here it is as it arrived:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1814.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1814.jpg.html)


Looked good from far...but you know how that saying goes...and 2 bird bombs attacking the surface:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1815.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1815.jpg.html)


There were definitely some issues to take care of this time around:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1816.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1816.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1817.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1817.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1818.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1818.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1819.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1819.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1820.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1820.jpg.html)



I wasn`t able to remove this scratch last time...I`d get another shot at it anyway:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1821.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1821.jpg.html)



He had scraped the passenger door in his storage unit and took it to a PDR guy to fix the dents. The jackass volunteered to fix the paint transfer for him. This is what he left:



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1822.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1822.jpg.html)


PDR guy needs to stick to doing PDR!!!



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1823.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1823.jpg.html)



First up was wheels, barrels, tires and wells.

Barrels got cleaned with Tarminator.
Wheel faces and barrels then got cleaned with Zep Citrus and Megs HW.
Tires were cleaned twice with Zep 505.
The wells were cleaned with LATA.


It was then washed with Megs HW followed by a decontamination wash of IronX paste. It was then blown off with my Master Blaster and checked for true paint condition. This is what I was seeing:



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1825.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1825.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1826.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1826.jpg.html)


This was a monster chip, but there were quite a few that needed attending to:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1827.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1827.jpg.html)


A big scrape along the edge of the door:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1828.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1828.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1829.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1829.jpg.html)


There were several bird bomb etching marks:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1830.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1830.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1832.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1832.jpg.html)


Hood swirls:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1833.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1833.jpg.html)


I don`t remember the paint on this thing being so difficult, but it took a bit to figure out what would work best. I ended up going with my TB black wool, 3401 and then a 2-1 mix of M101 to M100. That gave me good correction, but also finished down well too. That was followed by M205 + 3401 + Americana black finishing pad. Here is a reflection shot of the driver`s door after that combination:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1837.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1837.jpg.html)


The whole car was done that way. I hand polished the wheels with M205 and a microfiber. It was then given a double coat of CQuartz (original). The trim was done with DLux. The tires shot with Opti Bond with my air gun. Here are some inside shots at 1 am:



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1838.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1838.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1839.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1839.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1840.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1840.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1841.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1841.jpg.html)



SHAMELESS PLUG, LOL...



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1844.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1844.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1845.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1845.jpg.html)


It ended up being only partly cloudy, so I got some good outside shots too:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1846.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1846.jpg.html)



Oh, I almost forgot. I hand polished the exhaust tips too and coated them with DLux:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1847.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1847.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1849.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1849.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1851.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1851.jpg.html)


Here`s the PDR screw up after I was done with it:



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1855.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1855.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1852.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1852.jpg.html)


Monster chip filled and coated:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1853.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1853.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1850.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1850.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1854.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/More%20Detailing%20Shots/DSC_1854.jpg.html)


Well, I don`t think it looks 12 years old anymore, after my 21 hours of work. Comments always appreciated.

[06vrss]

Awesome work. I always liked those vehicles.

[mjlinane]

Fantastic work!

[Pats300zx]

Great job Richy !!!!

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[richy]

Awesome work. I always liked those vehicles.
Thanks! Me too, they were so far ahead of their time styling wise and were a lot of fun to drive!


Fantastic work!
Thanks very much Mike!


Great job Richy !!!!

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk
Thanks Pat!!

[tom p.]

Richy, that came out great ! Nice save.

[Justins00ss]

Hell yeah!!! Awesome work! I bet the thought of buying it back crossed your mind lol!

One question for you. How do you like using the original Cquartz? I have only used the UK version and although a good product it is definitely a bit tricky to apply compared to other coatings I have used.

[JBM]

Great turnaround! I really liked those rides, there is no chrome damage on the rims at all in 12 years! Thats rare Id say.

[richy]

Richy, that came out great ! Nice save.
Thanks very much Tom..and for taking the time to comment.


Hell yeah!!! Awesome work! I bet the thought of buying it back crossed your mind lol!

One question for you. How do you like using the original Cquartz? I have only used the UK version and although a good product it is definitely a bit tricky to apply compared to other coatings I have used.

Thanks a bunch Justin! To be honest, I hate using UK. The regular version is much easier to use, although the 2nd coat was flashing almost instantly with the humidity and heat.


Great turnaround! I really liked those rides, there is no chrome damage on the rims at all in 12 years! Thats rare Id say.
Thanks JBM! There is some damage on them, but they`ve never been used in the winter so I think that really helps.

[AustinZ]

I had a Black Obsidian 04 we bought new. Sold it about 4 years ago and still miss it. I look for it around as I sold it to a local enthusiast. Anyway, thanks for the post and great work!

[4u2nvinmtl]

Looks better than new!

Really nice paint on that Infinity

[rlmccarty2000]

Beautiful job! Looks brand new again.

[allenk4]

Intrigued by mixing M101 with M100

I also use TB Wool with a 3401, but lately have been using the Meguiar`s DAMC pads, because the working time is longer and the wipe off is significantly easier.

How ow does the addition of M101 affect the polishing experience and outcome?

What ratio are you using?

Thanks

[jtford95]

Great job! Lots of work there.

[richy]

I had a Black Obsidian 04 we bought new. Sold it about 4 years ago and still miss it. I look for it around as I sold it to a local enthusiast. Anyway, thanks for the post and great work!
Thank you! I miss mine too, but I like the creature comforts in my MKX. It`s got more trunk room too.


Looks better than new!

Really nice paint on that Infinity
Thanks! I always tried to keep it mint when I owned it. That`s part of the reason my neighbour wanted it.


Beautiful job! Looks brand new again.
Thanks kindly!


Intrigued by mixing M101 with M100

I also use TB Wool with a 3401, but lately have been using the Meguiar`s DAMC pads, because the working time is longer and the wipe off is significantly easier.

How ow does the addition of M101 affect the polishing experience and outcome?

What ratio are you using?

Thanks

Hmm, that`s interesting that you say you get longer working time with the TB and 3401 with the mf pads. I work mine until it`s gone and is a brilliant finish. Maybe you`re using too much; I use very little product. The pad should not be gummy after your pass. The M101 cuts a bit better than either 105 or 100 (IME) but does not finish down as well, hence the mixture of the two. I put 2 small drops of 101 and then 1 slightly larger drop of the M100...so if I had to guess a ratio, I`d say 60/40 101/100. Hope that helps.

Allen,
Would you be interested in seeing a video of me doing it my way? I`ve got a detailer coming 8 hours to see me work in 2 weeks. I could have him film it. Let me know.
Thanks

Great job! Lots of work there.
Thanks very much!