'06 Jaguar XK (the Aston-Martin looking one), ML350, horrifically swirled AMG CL55

[Scottwax]

In advance, I want to apologize for the exposure quality of the pics...while I love the beautiful late fall sunshine we have been having, it is making taking pics of dark cars (washed out background) and light colored cars (washed out paint) really tough. I may have to take my camera in and find out why the matrix metering system can't seem to compensate.



Anyway, on with the details....





2006 Mercedes ML350. A couple months old and the ceramiclear paint was still looking absolutely superb and swirl free. I just gave it a once over with my 80/20 mix of Meguiars #16 and FK's Pink Wax by hand.

 

[Scottwax]

2006 Jaguar XK. Referral from one of my black G35 customers, and I picked up a couple more details from passers-by while detailing this one.



Pictures do not do this car justice. It is absolutely stunning to look at in person!



Some guy was coming around the neighborhood washing cars on Saturdays but the owner was noticing more and more swirls each time his car was washed. He also had some light rotary holograms he wanted removed. I started off with Optimum Polish using green Propel lite cut Cyclo pads. First passes removed the holograms, a second set of passes removed at least 95% of the halo swirls and streaks in the paint. I probably could have gone with maybe the orange cutting pads or stepped up to Optimum Compound or Hyper Compound but I'd be doing two steps anyway, so I stayed with the least aggressive solution. I followed with Optimum Poli-Seal using a white LC polishing pad and my PC. With a finishing pad, Poli-Seal seems to have about the same cut as Vanilla Moose, with a polishing pad, it seems more on par with Meguiars #80. Anyway, it finished out so nice I thought about stopping but I promised a paste carnauba topper, so I went with my 80/20 mix of Meguiars #16/FK's Pink Wax by hand, which added even more wetness.

I tried to get a good sun shot but it kind of flared on me a bit, about as good as I could get with the low sun-plus I had to get home to watch my Cowboy's deny the Colts a 10-0 start.

 

[Scottwax]

Well, I matched my meat with this 2004 Mercedes AMG CL55. If you don't get the 'matched my meat' referrence, please go watch Demolition Man...



Beautiful car with a supercharged 493 horsepower...and apparently buffed with a 493 hp rotary and dirty wool pad. Absolutely the worst rotary swirls and hazing I have ever seen and in ceramiclear paint to make matters a lot worse. Even using the Cyclo with yellow cutting pads and Optimum's Hyper Compound, I wasn't make much headway on the worst of the rotary swirls. I talked it over with the owner and told him even with as aggressive products as I was using, I wouldn't feel comfortible charging him to polish it out seeing as I was not going to be able to remove the deepest swirls. I suggested he contact the shop that wetstanded and buffed out the 350Z I did a few weeks ago. He agreed and then asked if I could at least wax the car since it may be early next year before he'd have time. Holidays coming up and all that, you know.



I went with Optimum Poli-Seal and a white LC polishing pad via PC. I took some before and after shots so you can see that Poli-Seal does have some cutting power. Maybe some light filling too, but the difference for just using a one step was very impressive...



Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[Scottwax]

The trunk lid was absolutely the worst on the whole car, this is AFTER using Optimum Hyper Compound x 2 using yellow Cyclo cutting pads, Optimum Polish using green Propel lite cut Cyclo pads.

Believe it or not, this is after using Poli-Seal, PC and a white LC polishing pad x 2.

Another angle...

Full car shots:

If he doesn't have that shop wetsand and buff the car out, since I plan on getting a rotary soon, I will contact him after the holidays (and I have had a lot of practice with a rotary!) and see if he wants me to take another crack at it. Heck, who knows, maybe based on the improvement Poli-Seal made, he may just want me to hit it with that 4-5 times a year.

 

[firegate]

Wow, incredible improvement from the poli-seal. I've been trying to convince myself that I already have too much stuff and shouldn't buy any, but it's getting more and more difficult :waxing: .

 

[jp2175]

Hey Scott



Nice job. That Jaguar is beautiful and wouldn't life be great if everything was the same color as that ML?



I've always and only (for polishing) used a rotary. Since joining this forum and seeing all the use of the PC and cyclo( I do have one of each, but use the PC for 1 stepping the occasional wholesale car and the cyclo for carpets), I've thought heavily about learning to use the 7424 for my detailing. I can see on that CL that a non rotary just doesn't cut it (no pun intended). Don't get me wrong....it looks immensely better, but most of the cars that I see start out much more swirled than that car was.



If you can get the customer to have you do as you did today 4 or 5 times/year, I'd go for that. Those swirls will cover eventually.



You definately showed a lot of character not charging full price. I hate having character. It costs too much



J

 

[David703]

That Jag is sick!!!!!! Liquid glass!!!

 

[Scottwax]

Hey Scott



Nice job. That Jaguar is beautiful and wouldn't life be great if everything was the same color as that ML?



I've always and only (for polishing) used a rotary. Since joining this forum and seeing all the use of the PC and cyclo( I do have one of each, but use the PC for 1 stepping the occasional wholesale car and the cyclo for carpets), I've thought heavily about learning to use the 7424 for my detailing. I can see on that CL that a non rotary just doesn't cut it (no pun intended). Don't get me wrong....it looks immensely better, but most of the cars that I see start out much more swirled than that car was.



If you can get the customer to have you do as you did today 4 or 5 times/year, I'd go for that. Those swirls will cover eventually.



You definately showed a lot of character not charging full price. I hate having character. It costs too much



J

This is the first time I haven't be able to completely remove rotary holograms. Usually, Optimum Polish and green Cyclo pads get them out in just a few passes. The problem is the depth of the swirls combined with the hardness of the paint. Maybe a rotary could have reduced them a lot more but I am not sure even that would remove them completely. Usually halo swirls are a lot harder to remove than rotary holograms but not on this car. :nervous2:



I only compounded and polished the trunk lid, at that point and the only modest improvement, made me realize I wasn't getting this one anywhere near what the customer was expecting. I didn't see any point in busting my hump, charging full price and ending up with an unhappy customer.

 

[Hey Moe!]

Stunning work, and I bow to your ethics on the AMG. The work of a hall-of-famer.



People in your "neck of the woods" are lucky to have access to you.



You are always pushing the bar, in every way, for others to follow.



Cheers!



PS-A rotary in the future? I guess there really IS hard paint out there.

 

[Scottwax]

PS-A rotary in the future? I guess there really IS hard paint out there.

I've been seeing more Audis lately, plus my Mercedes customers are replacing their old ones with newer models with ceramiclear. My Optimum distributor said I could borrow his Dewalt to practice with and see if I like it.

 

[hrprem]

Amazing work as usual, that jaguar is absolutely stunning! I'd say the Jaguars here in Aus are the cars with the best paint from the factory, every one I've seen thats fairly recent (above the x-types anyway) has been beautiful and wet! Is it the same there? Or does Jaguar Australia have an autopian sales prep staff

 

[lambostealth]

Jaguar: I can't believe you leave your customers cars wet like that, I mean, the least you could do is dry it for them.







































Stunning work.

 

[audicoupej]

Great work as usual Scott! :up



Poli-seal seems to do a nice job. It seems to be a very nice 1 step product, at least in your hands :waxing:

 

[Hey Moe!]

Yeah, I keep looking at the Jag; it's driving me crazy. Half a day later, I'm still staring at it : )



It must be fun to be around cars like that, but it would keep one on his/her toes!

 

[gmblack3]

Scott, Great work as always.



IMO the XK is the best looking car that jaguar has put out in a long time.

 

[Bigpoppa3346]

WOW, that Jag looks fantastic! Extremely rich, deep, and glossy. That CL55, yikes, I can't believe that even after 2 passes with OHC it still looked like that. All of them look stunning, even the CL55.

 

[AkronSi]

Pictures do not do this car justice. It is absolutely stunning to look at in person!

I agree with you that pictures do not show how beautiful this cars are. You did a great job and I really love this photo. The wreath reflected in the hood is great.