A week ago, I got an email from a member of my British Car club. He was trying to sell a Buick LeSabre and asked if I would detail it for him. I had made an offer to club members for the month of June to do a basic cleanup on their classic British cars for $100. No paint correction or anything, just a cleanup. Idea being a wash, interior wipedown, and an AIO. He knows he can`t get that deal, but we settle on a price based on pictures of the vehicle.
Saturday I head out with my gear to do the car. I show up at 8am. It`s about 90F and the sun is rising quickly. I decide doing the interior before it gets sweltering is the best course of action. I open it up, and realize I am in trouble. It`s classic late 90s Buick. Tons of plastic, bad fake leather, and 117k miles on the clock. I don`t think the car has ever had the interior cleaned. The center arm rest looked stained. I`d find out later it wasn`t. The buildup of sweat was so thick it looked like the console was a different color. Anyway, I clean up the interior, and do the wheels and tires. It`s after noon, and it`s 102 with a heat index of 106. There is no shade on the property. I call it a day, and decide to come back Sunday to tackle the outside of the car.
In thinking about my arsenal, I`ve got sealants, and I`ve got AIOs, but the only wax I have is a rather expensive paste, and I am NOT going to use that for a quickie pre-sale cleanup. I want something quick and easy. So I decide to try the Surf City Barrier Reef product. I`ve heard others on various forums sing it`s praises, and I`ve had excellent experience with their other products. So I grab some at the local Pep Boys.
Sunday morning, I am on site at 7am. It`s only 95F when I arrive. I jump on the car doing a 2BM wash and forgoing the normal pre-soak. I just don`t have the time. I spray the engine down with Surf City Grime Destroyer cut 3:1. I use the Daytoma Speedmaster Brush to get that all cleaned up, and spray it down. The car gets dried with a WW towel after being misted with DP Rinseless mixed at clay lube ratio. Car comes out very nice and clean. I spot clay a few areas, and then apply the wax.
This is the first time I`ve waxed without polishing, and it felt like I was cheating. the wax went on very nicely. I applied wax on one full side of the car, then went back and buffed it off. Came off easily. I quickly finished up the car. The surface gloss was amazing for what I had done. Essentially a wash and wax on a car with 117k miles. It needed a 2-step polish at least, but that just wasn`t going to happen.
I dressed the tires and wheel wells, took some pics, and went home.
I will say this. Given what I saw from the Barrier Reef product today, I give it my full recommendation as a liquid carnauba LSP. Absolutely amazing results from it. I am going to detail my car again in July, and this will be my topper over Poli-Seal. I will also use it on the classic cars I will be doing in the coming weeks. Looks like I am going to be prepping a Triumph TR3 toward the end of July, and an Austin Healey 3000 also in July or August.
I have pics and they will be uploaded in the morning.
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