newbie questions

[capt512]

I am new to this site and have a few questions I would like to ask about detailing.

1st. I have a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, and it has the coil on plug design where there are seperate coils on each plug. Due to all these coils most people who have the car are afraid to wash under the hood, including detail shops. So my question is what would you recommend to clean up my engine and engine bay, but wouldn`t get everything soaked? I really don`t want to have to pay for all the coils to be replaced again. Thanks.

2nd. When I got the crown vic the rubber seals and plate frames had wax in them. What would you suggest to take the wax out permanantly, unlike wd-40 and alcohol which only temporarily makes it go away.

Finally - I just bought a 2003 Mercury Marauder about 4 months ago. Its garage kept an hardly any miles are put on it. I took the car to be Ming Mirror Glazed. Once I got it home I noticed how cloudy it looked and that I noticed quiet a few swirls. I then applied Mequiars professional swirl remover, glaze, and yellow wax. Which still looked bad. I then proceeded to remove that wax and applied Mequiars Gold Class, it looks better but still not as good as i`d like. What would you suggest to give it a great shine that isn`t milky, but is easy to put on and get off.

Thanks

Mike

[YoSteve]

hmm, welcome to autopia



As for detailing under the hood, doing it by hand is far the best way. Just get at it with some multipupose clean (my favorite is Emann Fabrik Hi-intensity) and go at it. It`ll be really dirty, you can even use papertowels for the first round.



You`re going to need to buff out the swirls if you don`t like them. There are number of waxes and glazes out there that can minimize them, but nothing to the effect that we would all like. You did say you used the Meguiars professional swirl remover. Did it not work? Maybe you can talk about your experience.

[capt512]

Thanks for the reply,

When I first got the car it was filthy, so i took it home and washed it, once all the dirt was off, i noticed that it had been SOS pad washed, which thoroughly scratched this paint. I then went out and bought some 3m fine compound and compounded the car, but this didn`t do much at all. I then got a tube of meguiars scratch X and tried a circle of that on the hood to see if it would help before redoing the whole car. It helped a little more, but still not near enough to be worth waxing the car in it. Yesterday I went and bough some professional meguiars scratch and swirl remover, and tried that on the car. It also had little to no effect on the scratches. I know that this car will probably never look great until I repaint it, but i would like to see how good I could get it too look to possibly avoid having to repaint it.

[Deanski]

Looks like you will have to step up to DACP and a yellow cutting pad to remove the swirls and polish it in one step.



If the DACP does not remove them, it may require a cutting compound such as fine cut.



Do a section at a time to check the progress. DACP really need to break down fully to be effective.



Regards,

Deanski

[JustinR32]

capt512,



I learned detailing from a situation very similar to yours; my car was so full of swierls and scratches that I thought it would never look right, that it would have to be painted. I decided that buying the tools was cheaper than painting, and thinner original paint is better than any re-paint.



Reading your account, I assume that you are working by hand. STOP WORKING BY HAND. You have two huge cars, one that looks like it was polished with steel wool, and one full of swirls. That ain`t comin` out by hand. Get the PC7424, and learn how to use it. The only confusing thing is which pads to buy and which polishes to use, and those are addressed in the "definitive PC accessory" post in the HOF. Using the PC itself is pretty simple.



I haven`t seen your cars, but based on your description, my belief is that they can be brought back to near-showroom condition, and that they are at a point where it will take a decent amount of work, work that you will be able to be proud of. Take before and after pictures; you want to be able to astound your friends.





Tom

[Deanski]

OK, time to step up to at least a PC.



Here`s the info on the PC:



PC: Beginners guide and details (http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1)



Read through this and see if this helps.



Regards,

Deanski

[Accumulator]

capt512- Welcome to Autopia. Heh heh, Ford`s Panther platform cars...cool.



Get the PC and check out the threads suggested.



On the Mercury, you just need to polish out the swirls and get something good on there. Lotsa info here on what and how.



On the P71, same thing only be MUCH more aggressive. Wool pad on the PC, aggressive compound, etc. You`ll be AMAZED at how well it will clean up (trust me on this, I`ve had a few ex-cop cars, including a P71 Crown Vic).



To clean under the hood, just cover the stuff that shouldn`t (when in doubt, cover) get wet (Saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc.). Then clean those areas by hand using swabs, brushes, etc.



Do a search on the wax-removal stuff. Different approaches work. Maybe try some 3M adhesive remover or some AIO. *I* would just buy new plate frames and expend my energies on the seals (only).



And as Mosca said, TAKE PICS! You`ll be glad you did.

[russ968]

Welcome capt512,



Big job(s) ;)



YoSteve has it right here - If you`re truly concerned about moisture in your engine compartment cleaning it by hand is the route. I like to use Simple Green but your results will be as good with the other degreasers/engine cleaners. One tip...in addition to your spray bottle of cleaner have a spray bottle of water available. You`ll be able to localize where you put the water and if it is really a mess you`ll need the extra water or you`ll end up wasting your degreaser.



I can`t say anymore about the PC. Just get one w/some aggressive pads. I`d suggest a few hours reading up on some of the views here, tons of great info on pads, polish/cleaners and PC techniques.



Good luck and bring us back some pics.:up