Detailing over 2 days

**dcapone** · 05-30-2007, 08:53 AM

Currently I only have one vehicle and typically only have a 2-3 hours at a time I can devote to cleaning my car on any given day. I`m curious if the detailing process can be broken up over multiple days if the car is driven for a night out. If so, what are the best points to break up the detail and what should be done to resume the detail.

My goal is to be able to add a coat of wax every other week and fully polish her every 2 months with an abrasive paint cleaner/one step product as needed for swirl marks.

The problem is, a lot of the tim I cannot find the 4-5 hours in a single day to devote to doing everything at one time. So if I were to do the following:

Wash

Clay

Polish (#7, have a bunch of it) / Clean (AIO) as needed

Seal (FMJ)

Wax (PS21/845)

What would be a good place to pause until the next day assuming the car is to be driven. I would definitely assume to wash again before resuming the rest of the process.

**HeavyB** · 05-30-2007, 09:31 AM

I have the same issue, particularly when I consider trying to spruce up our beater. If I were to tackle that job in one day, it would take 12+ hours. I may try to wash/clay/polish/LSP the car panel by panel to get the entire thing presentable. I should be able to complete the above regimen for 2 doors, or the hood, or the top in a couple of hours. That way in a few weeks, the entire car will be spruced up.

Cheers,

HeavyB

**bulgingtwine** · 05-30-2007, 09:40 AM

Depending on how you work, the washing and claying shouldnt take very long, the asme with the final sealant and wax.

all of the work will be the polishing depending on the state of your vehicle and how meticulous you are.

seems that heavyB`s suggestion might not be a bad idea. do a few sections at a time as your time permits. or, maybe it would be a 3 day event. wash / clay / interior on day one

polish on day 2, then seal / wax on day 3.

**Less** · 05-30-2007, 09:45 AM

I have the same problem with my wife`s car. She`s always running around doing stuff on the weekends so her car never really gets the care that I think it should have. I started doing just one thing at a time. Eventually the car will be completely done and I can just maintain it.

For example, two weeks ago I washed and clayed the entire car. I covered it with some NXT because its fast and easy to use. That way the car is somewhat protected until I can get my hands on it again.

next weekend I may have a few hours alone with teh car so I`ll hit it quickly with a pre-wax cleaner then top it with some Klass AIO and maybe another coat of NXT if there is time.

Then when I get some time again, I`ll hit it with AIO again and then some Klass SG.

After that, the next time I do the car, I`ll do another coat of Klass SG then hit it with a good protective wax.

So it will take me about four weekends to finish the whole job. But after that I can just maintain it with some spray wax weekly and perhaps a monthly AIO, KSG, Wax treatment

**dcapone** · 05-30-2007, 10:01 AM

Glad to see I`m not the only one with this problem :-).

Bulging, the problem I see with your suggestion is that I`d hate to take the car on the road and then take a pad to it without first washing it.

HeavyB, I think I like your idea the best so far.

On a similiar note and perhaps more time consuming than anything else, does anyone tape off the metal before going to work on the paint? I do, and it tends to take more time than the sealing/waxing, which is why I`m trying to come up with an efficient way to do all this.

**mikelea4ever** · 05-30-2007, 10:20 AM

^^^ I feel your pain dcapone. I felt same way too when detailing my SUV. I have a Sequoia and I felt that it takes forever to detail it. What I usually do is wash and clay it on the first day. Then wash and polish/wax it next time. I usually do panel by panel so lets say I`ll the the roof and hood first. Then next time it will be the driver side or passenger side that I will detail. I found it much easier and would not consume a lot of time by doing these. But of course, you can always experiment what you want to do first and so on. Good luck.

**dshreter** · 05-30-2007, 10:29 AM

I`ve got a handful of things to comment on:

What metal are you taping off, and why? Pretty much all sealants and waxes will look fine and protect anything with a shiny surface so you might not need to worry about that.

Also, if you`re going to be waiting between steps its really best to wash your car first every time. This shouldn`t take very long though, and if the car is already pretty clean it should be a breeze, taking maybe 20 mins? Also, because you`re trying to layer on your sealant and wax, make sure you don`t use soap that is too strong or you can make backwards progress and remove some of the coating already on your paint.

Lastly, I think polishing every 2 months is too often depending on what you call polishing. Using a genuine abrasive polish that would get rid of swirl marks, you`re going to wear away your clearcoat pretty quickly at that pace. If you feel that your car needs to be polished that often you need to improve your wash techniques and/or use a glaze with some hiding capabilities and/or learn to live with minor imperfections. If you`re just talking about using something like Klasse AIO that would be safe to use that often. I think if you get your car polished properly and keep it protected you`ll find its unnecessary to polish every two months, and you will be able to keep up the car longer with regular washing/waxing.

**dcapone** · 05-30-2007, 10:59 AM

DShreter,

As mentioned in my post, by polishing I mean non-abrasive like megs #7 just to keep it nice and shiny. Like the cleaning portion, this is something I intend on varying depending on what I feel it needs. I`m not going to polish just because 2 months have passed, however I figure in the 2-3 month range, some of the wet look may fade and a quick non-abrasive polish between full detailing will help restore some of it. Do tell me if something like Megs #7 will still burn some clear.

**bulgingtwine** · 05-30-2007, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by dcapone

Glad to see I`m not the only one with this problem :-).

Bulging, the problem I see with your suggestion is that I`d hate to take the car on the road and then take a pad to it without first washing it.

HeavyB, I think I like your idea the best so far.

On a similiar note and perhaps more time consuming than anything else, does anyone tape off the metal before going to work on the paint? I do, and it tends to take more time than the sealing/waxing, which is why I`m trying to come up with an efficient way to do all this.

sorry, didnt type it all out. you had mentioned in your first post about washing in between. same thing here.

quick coat of wax like mentioned above wouldnt hurt either, to offer some protection.

then go at it again when you have time. I do this as a hobby, so i take my time.