2013 Black Chevy Tahoe (HAMMERED!), my poor PC...

[PapaChop]

I moved to a different unit a few months ago, and my work weeks are back up to 90+ hours - not much time for detailing. Yesterday the wife and I worked a 2013 black Chevy Tahoe - this thing was TRASHED.

Unfortunately it was raining all morning, so I don`t have any photos of condition as it came in.

Washing: Foam Cannon with Chemical Guys Citrus







Wheels and Tires: Meguiar`s D108 Super Degreaser, Tuf Shine Tire Brush, EZ Detail Brush, Wheel Woolies











Hand Wash: Two bucket method with Grit Guards, Chemical Guys Citrus Wash, Lake Country Wash Wedge





Decon: After testing with Iron-X, there really wasn`t much in the way of fallout\brake\raildust, and the baggie test showed I didn`t have much bonded contaminants either - on to drying with the Toro Electric Blower and DI Waffle Weave.


Detailing: Meguiar`s D101 All Purpose Cleaner, DI Atlasta Soft Tip Brush, microfiber towels, Q-Tips








Paint: Even before it was washed I knew I had my work cut out for me. The swirls from hell, bird dropping etching, scuffs, serious RIDS throughout - pretty much the only defect it didn`t feature was buffer trails.











I had a sneaking suspicion the winning combination would involve FG400, but tried a few test spots anyway. I`m still rocking the Porter Cable 7424XP - thinking this will be my last detail with it as my primary buffer... I knew I wasn`t going to be able to get 100% on a vehicle with such deep and prevalent RIDS, but I wanted to get as much as I could.


Menzerna PF2500 with Lake Country White Polishing Pad - had an effect, but not nearly enough


Menzerna FG400 with Lake Country Orange Light Cutting Pad - getting better, but I didn`t want to have to do two or three applications.


Meguiar`s D300 with Meguiar`s Microfiber X-Tra Cut Discs - cut a little bit less than the FG400 with LC Orange, but left more hazing. Nope.


Menzerna FG400 with Lake Country Yellow Cutting Pad - now we`re cooking with gas.


6" pads were used throughout, and 3" pads for some of the smaller areas.





A few spots needed FG400 with the new thin Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool pads. I hate working with wool due to the mess, but some of the larger areas of RIDS (particularly around the door handles) really needed it.





I wasn`t overly worried about hazing, because I knew I was going to be using Menzerna`s new AIO, and it cuts about the same as PF2500 on a white pad.

[PapaChop]

Now on to the interior - the wife had her work cut out for her just as much as I did with the exterior. The owner has five kids. Fortunately, we have three, so we`ve got some experience in this area.
































I didn`t hold out much hope for getting the red juice stain out of the carpet. The wife tried everything - carpet pre-treat, Meguiar`s APC, home remedies with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda... we were able to turn it pink instead of red, and that was about it.


I don`t have as many after photos of the interior as I would like - we were really crunched for time getting it done.


The mats got hit with the Bissell SpotBot - a wonderful little tool - and our Bissell Big Green. The interior carpets got the SpotBot treatment.


The leather was cleaned with Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil and Prestine Clean - it had, as usual, a dramatic effect.






































The tires and wheel wells (after the photos) got a coat of Meguair`s D161 Silicone Free Dressing.


Regrets: I didn`t have time to stripe the carpets, and would have liked more time to try to get some more of the stains out. Definitely learned that for SUVs, an overnight stay is pretty much required.


The client was tickled - she mentioned her husband would be calling me for his Suburban (also black - yay!). Definitely investing in a Flex, CG TORQ, or Rupes before then, and turning the PC into my dedicated 3" machine...

[JSFM35X]

Nice job. That is a lot of paint to tackle.

[Ronkh]

Really nice !!!

[tropicsteve]

all that hard work really paid off.

[pmnewton]

Great work. I admire your courage. I wouldn`t have even tried that with a PC.

- Patrick

[ccarney]

Looks great, good work.

[4u2nvinmtl]

Fantastic job man looks great!

[65chevy]

nice job there

[kylemstn]

What was the time on this detail? Amazing work

[mnehls86]

Great work! Really cool that you have your wife to help out. I think I need to have a talk with my wife now haha

[Scottwax]

Terrific job!

And just FYI, all black SUVs are in that kind of shape so you`ll know for future reference.