Hey everyone - I`m a new guy here.
This is a long post, hope you don`t mind.
First off, I`m glad I found this site, you all are just chock full of information!
yesterday I detailed my girlfriend`s Red `95 Civic, inisde and out. I used the limited tools I have available, no PC yet.
Here`s what I did:
Exterior:
1. Wash
2. Clay (Mother`s California Gold) w/ QD as lube
3. Meguiar`s #7 Show Car Glaze
4. Meguiar`s #26
5. Dress vinyl/rubber (tires, window trim, etc.) with Meguiar`s Vinyl/Rubber Shine/protectant
6. Cleaned Glass with microfiber and glass cleaner.
Interior:
I cleaned all of the plastic dash, stereo, etc., got all of the dust out of the vents, vacuumed, spot cleaned some grease stains, went over everything again with a toothbrush to get out all of the caked on grime in the little crevices, and dressed the interior vinyl with the Meguiar`s vinyl protectant. This took forever.
So all in all it took me 7 hours! This is my first detail, so It took me longer than it should have, plus I missed a lot the first time I did the interior and I had to go back over it.
It was worth it! The exterior was very reflective - more than I had ever seen. I think the interior is cleaner than it has been since the car was new.
And of course it pours last night...
Ok - after all of that I know that I can definitely DEFINITELY improve. There are some swirls in the paint that I couldn`t get out (I didn`t really polish, just the glaze, and all by hand.) There are some acid rain (?) spots on the roof and hood I couldn`t get out and the paint has some other random scratches that I can see, but not feel.
I have two other cars that I will be working on - A light blue 1986 Toyota Celica Gt with BADLY neglected paint and a Silver 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. The Eclipse is getting a new bumper and left front fender this week and those parts will have new paint.
Finally my question:
Seeing my process and my product list, what would you all suggest? The car is outside 50% of the time, and it is a daily driver. Is ther a polish that will fit into my regime? What time saving steps can I take, or should I just practice until I get faster? What can I use to get the acid rain spots off?
What products would be safe for use on the new paint on my eclipse? How long should I wait before washing? Waxing? What can I use to protect it in the meantime?
Are there any other hints/tips that you all can provide to help a beginer out? I`ve been absorbing as much info as I can from this board and other places...
Whew!
Thanks!!!
Jamie
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