how long does a full exterior detail take you?

[nuwde]

just wondering how obsessed you guys really are



also...



if i don`t have time to wash, clay, polish, wax all in same day can i split up the tasks and do them on different days?



can i get my car to look nice without a pc?



will any orbital buffer work or does it have to be pc?



where do you guys usually get your products?



thanks a lot guys!

[Thomas Dekany]

can i get my car to look nice without a pc?

I guess so - search for older Scottwax posts.



I do everything the same day.

Buy most things on line, but there are Meguair`s and 3M products that you can buy locally.



PC would be best according to most here.



Welcome!

[dcswd]

You can split up the tasks. It would be best if the car was garaged so you would only need to QD it after each session... Assuming that you didnt drive it and get it dirty again.



The PC is going to be the best. Some people have modified a dewalt orbital to accept the pads if I remember as well. The cheap orbitals can work, but they wont be as good. They can still be better than nothing sometimes. Just make sure you have good foam bonnets for it.





The online stores are really great. Stuff like wheel brushes, Eagle One tire swipes, Glass cleaners, soap, and more "basic" items can be found pretty much anywhere. Pep boys, Carquest, Target, etc...

[Mazz]

Originally posted by nuwde

just wondering how obsessed you guys really are



also...



if i don`t have time to wash, clay, polish, wax all in same day can i split up the tasks and do them on different days?



Yes but its better to not drive the car because if you wash it then drive it...kinda pointless



can i get my car to look nice without a pc?



You can make it look nice. You will not be able to remove even close to half the swirls on a car if any or scratchs..it is not possible by hand no matter what someone tells you you just cant do it.



will any orbital buffer work or does it have to be pc?



Try to stick to a well known company. I like dewalt everyone else here prefers porter cable.. but any well known name should be a good choice even mikita.



where do you guys usually get your products?



Everywhere from poorboys..to detail king..to Ardex labs.



thanks a lot guys!

Anytime.

[Mazz]

Originally posted by dcswd

You can split up the tasks. It would be best if the car was garaged so you would only need to QD it after each session... Assuming that you didnt drive it and get it dirty again.



The PC is going to be the best. Some people have modified a dewalt orbital to accept the pads if I remember as well. The cheap orbitals can work, but they wont be as good. They can still be better than nothing sometimes. Just make sure you have good foam bonnets for it.





The online stores are really great. Stuff like wheel brushes, Eagle One tire swipes, Glass cleaners, soap, and more "basic" items can be found pretty much anywhere. Pep boys, Carquest, Target, etc...

modify the pads? The dewalts I use and portercable both have 6" disc`s so there is no need to modify anything? pads are interchangeable....

[dcswd]

lol, nm then I guess I was remembering something incorrectly

[sQuashed]

I work 6 am - 5pm at a Radio Station. I detail cars at my house from 6pm - 9pm. If im lucky (hardly ever) I can get the car done in 1 night or 3 hrs.. But most the time I just let the customer know that it will take 2 nights for me to finish. My passion is my Radio Station,detailing cars I do for fun with one heck of alot of pride for a car that makes the owner freak out !!:up

[TW85 HHI]

Took me seven hours to fully detail the exterior of my car. Larger cars will take me 2-3 hours longer, LOL. I can completely detail interiors in about 1.5 hours.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

A complete detailing, interior and exterior, of an average size car usually takes me about three to four hours. However, SUV`s can take about five to six hours and Hummers are at the top of the list at about eight hours. It actually takes me about two hours just to thoroughly wash a Hummer prior to polishing and waxing.

[JasonD]

My mother`s Mercedes took me a total of 18 hours, but that was spread out over a course of 5 days. I was battling mid-summer heat and I don`t have a covered area to work under, so I had to wait for early mornings and late evenings before I could do anything, and of course had to re-wash every time since it was outside. This car was a mess, oxidized, scratched, swirled, everything. But it looks brand new now!



On average, I would say a basic detail which consists of paint cleaner, prep, topper, interior, wheels, etc. would take me around 6-8 hours. I usually spend 1 hour on the interior alone and another hour on the wheels and tires (if they are in bad shape, otherwise 30 minutes tops)

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, I`ll spend many hours over many days doing the S8 or the Jag. Hours just inspecting the S8`s silver paint for the flaws that "you can`t see on silver". Hours on just a grill, getting each surface of the sixty-some slots absolutely perfect with multiple products. How many surfaces *are* there in the average doorjamb/underside of a hood? Quite a few, takes a while.



But I can do an OK job on a "driver" in a day. Otherwise, I`ll often split up a job by panels, doing a certain combo of panels e.g., hood and front fenders, one day and then the doors after the *next* wash, etc.



Once you get it nice it`s a lot easier to just keep it that way.



No PC? Just use user-friendly products and split up the job into manageable portions. Do the portions start to finish (clay to LSP).



Polishers- Get a quality unit from PC/Cyclo/Dewalt/Metabo/etc. If they`re too expensive buy used or wait. The inexpensive ones don`t have the oomph to do the job so save your money towards something good instead.



I get my stuff online and/or from auto paint/body supply places.

[ALAN81]

AVERAGE CAR 3-4 hours

SUV 5-6 hours