2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack gets a little love

[Desertnate]

After a busy summer, I`m finally getting a chance to catch up on posting some work I`ve done.

Back in January my daughter and son-in-law started shopping for a new car. I had the privilege of helping them through the process as first time car buyers and also helping them get something fun. My SIL has dreamed of owning a Hemi-powered Charger since they hit the market when he was a kid, so this made the car a little more special. When asked if I would detail the car, I answered "yes" without hesitation. Here are the results from the work I did over Memorial Day weekend.

The car was brand new with very few miles. The dealership honored their request and didn`t detail it. Due to winter weather and constant rain, the car had only been washed a couple time and they gave it a layer of Griots 3 in 1 to protect it until I could come down and coat it for them (they live a couple states away). The paint was pristine it only a couple random spots of marring. Most likely from removal of the shipping materials.

This project had a few "firsts" for me which made it a great learning experience.

- First time I`d worked on a car in someone else`s garage (out of state!). Took come careful planning to make sure I brought everything I needed.
- First time working my new LED work lights. My old halogen ones caught fire while doing a previous job. I love them due to their flexibility in positions and the fact they generate far less heat.
- First time using my new G8 polisher. Love it when working around all the vents performance cars have the body work, hood scoops and vents in the front facia, and A/C pillars
- I experimented with lighting to help avoid high spots when applying the coating. I found keeping the garage dark and pointing my lights at the ceiling, I could imitate a dark cloudy day. This made the coating really stand out as it flashed and I could not only buff it out better, but could spot any high spots and smears before they dried.
- Since coating flash times are getting longer across the board, I tried different work flows and figured out a good work flow which allowed me to not waste time standing around waiting for the coating to flash.

Here is the car as I found it. A little wet and muddy from being driven in the rain for weeks.

Since I was going to coat it, I gave it a quick polish using Griots BOSS Perfecting Creme and a variety of polishing pads I have on hand. While I didn`t have much to correct and the car was only a few months old, polishing it out did actually improve the gloss. The gloss was much more crisp and the paint looked like it was glowing.

When the polishing was complete I coated it in CQuartz UK 3.0. My go-to coating when I`m doing someone else`s car. The blue color is insane. I`ve mentioned being a sucker for blue cars in the past, and this is a top contender for the best blue I`ve every seen. This is under my work lights in their garage.

Once I finished I backed it out for a couple quick photos. Sadly there was more rain on the way, so I couldn`t get some full sun pictures, but it still looks really good.

 

[Sizzle Chest]

Very nice, I love that blue too! They should be happy with the results!

 

[Lonnie]

Desertnate:
Thanks for posting your detailing exploits on your daughter and SIL`s Blue Pearl (?) Dodge Charger Scat Pack.
AND, thanks for posting your methodologies you developed and used in applying CQuartz 3.0 UK coating. There is a lot of angst and anxiety in how to apply a coating to avoid some of the "problems" that you mentioned.

So, who makes those LED work lights that you are using?
Did you apply the CQ 3.0 UK to the rims and did you apply a tire gel or coating to the tires?
Are you using Griot`s Garage 2" and 3" pads with the small G8 polishing machine and what are some of your thoughts about using this machine, other than the areas on this vehicle you mentioned where you used this??

Excellent results and the pics show that.

 

[Desertnate]

thanks for posting your methodologies you developed and used in applying CQuartz 3.0 UK coating. There is a lot of angst and anxiety in how to apply a coating to avoid some of the "problems" that you mentioned.

I hope folks find it helpful. Unlike when I`ve working on my own cars or even the couple paid jobs I`ve performed, there was no time crunch when I did this job. This allowed me to slow down, think things through, and do a little experimentation.

So, who makes those LED work lights that you are using?

They are the LED work lights made by a company called LUTEC. You can find them at Amazon and Home Depot`s web site. In my area, Home Depot doesn`t stock them in the store any more. I don`t remember who I bought them from, but it was the cheaper price between the two locations. I have the 9000 lumen unit and it`s a great light rig all around. It packs up really small and portable and the heads have great adjustability. Not only do I use them when detailing, but I`m also in the process of repainting the majority of the inside of my house and they`ve been great in this application too. Far better than my old halogen rig and have more than paid for themselves already.

Did you apply the CQ 3.0 UK to the rims and did you apply a tire gel or coating to the tires?

No, I didn`t coat the wheels because I didn`t have the ability to pull the wheels and I didn`t want to do just the faces. Also, those wheels are a factory satin finished paint or powder coat and I didn`t want to experiment on how the coating would work on brand new wheels on a brand new car. However I did give them a wipe down with Ech2O and they looked fantastic. As for the tires, I hit them with one application of Duragloss 253.

Are you using Griot`s Garage 2" and 3" pads with the small G8 polishing machine and what are some of your thoughts about using this machine, other than the areas on this vehicle you mentioned where you used this??

I`m using 3" Griots pads (orange and white) on the provided backing plate. I really like the machine. At first I was afraid it would be too tall to get into some of the lower areas on the front facia, but it turned out to work fine. I was also a little worried about home much shaking a vibration a polisher of this size would make with an 8mm throw. The answer is very little. It`s smoother than my HF polisher. I also noticed it got warmer than my G15, but no more so than my HF used to, and only when running for an extended period of time.

If you lean into it too hard it will stall, but I only know this because I did it on purpose to see what would happen. Not only did I use it to polish certain areas on this car, but I also used to restore the headlights on the gray Mazda you see in the background of a couple pictures. It was great for that purpose too. In the past I`ve used an electric drill and hated how much work it took to get good results. With the G8, it`s a breeze. It took me far less time and energy to get the job done.

I`ve also found the tool great for doing spot job rather than breaking out a bigger tool. Not long ago, I noticed a small, but very noticeable, mar on the passenger door of my car while going home from work. Looked like someone carelessly rubbed a bag/briefcase across the paint. Instead of breaking out the big guns, I pulled out the G8 and quickly polished out the spot and re-coated it.

Excellent results and the pics show that.

Thanks, I appreciate it.