After studying this forum and another for almost a month; after ordering $$ of chemicals and accessories; after asking over a dozen questions, I finally cleaned and polished my 2004 Grand Marquis. I didn`t "detail" it, per se, because that would have meant cleaning the interior, trunk, and engine. I didn`t do those things - yet. Those are reserved for other weekends.
I started on Saturday the 30th. I did all of the work in my garage, so the car never got hot. Being obese, it took me hours just to do the portion of the car I`ve supplied pics of. I didn`t finish the entire car until 11:00 Sunday morning! (I did enjoy that extra hour of sleep.)
I used a mere double-bucket of water to wash the car (clean water on one side, and sudsy/dirty water on the other). As all of my chemicals hadn`t arrived yet, I used a tablespoon of liquid All detergent in 2 gallons of water. It made a nice lubrication for my mitt. I bought 2 microsuede mitts from Top Of The Line. One to wash with, the other to rinse with. Very smooth and lint-free. I bought the $79.99 shop vac from Lowe`s, the one with the detachable blower. I used the blower to blow-dry my car.
After drying each section, I applied Four Star`s Ultimate Paint Cleanser. This was very easy, using a terry towel. I buffed it off with the same towel as soon as I applied. I only had to bear down (not too hard!) on a few rough pieces of industrial fallout (I will clay the next time!). Right after that, I applied Four Star`s Ultimate Paint Protection. This was even easier! Finally, I finished with Four Star`s Ultimate Gloss Enhancer.
I applied UPC on the interior and exterior windows, then I applied Poorboy`s EX-P on the exterior windows.
I applied Top Of The Line`s Wheel Cleaner, Wheel Polish, and Grape Tire Dressing on the wheels and tires.
As I said, I washed, rinsed, UPC`d and UPP`d one section at a time. Now that the car is protected, I`ll try to maintain its appearance regularly. I ordered some Clay Magic clay and Lube. I found out that claying is an important step in detailing a car, as my fingers detected several choice pieces of IFO that I could not remove.
It`s raining today, and boy oh boy, I never saw water move so pretty on a surface before.
And now for the before and after pics:
Before:
After:
Charles
(tired)
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