A little frustrated....

E

ExplorerXLT95

New member
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:



Alright. I bought in excess of $275 worth of stuff from CMA (Souveran Sizzling Shine Kit, Pinnacle PolyClay Kit, Klasse Concours Kit, Eagle One Scratch Remover, Eimann Fabrik Powerwash+, (2)Kit of Five Microfiber towels), not including the $50 I spent at PepBoys (3M SMR, 3M IHG, 3M P-II, EO Tire swipes) and the $15 at West Marine (Plexus).



All being said and done, I have not had time to properly do my car up. Instead, this weekend, I'm giving in and letting the local detailer shop do my interior full-bore. Shampoo, protectant, vinyl/rubber/leather protectant, vacuum, mats, etc, etc. Paying for the interior doesn't bother me too much, because I simply enjoy cleaning the paint/body much more. Anyways, the thing that I'm frustrated about is the fact that I haven't gotten a dang full day to do all of the stuff that I planned to do. I haven't gotten to witness the power of the products that I have firsthand. I've washed the car like 4 times in the past month and done maybe one thing to it afterwards, then had to go do something!! So instead, I'm going to do some basic clean-up of my girlfriend's dad's black Lexus SC430. (TALK ABOUT MAJOR BROWNIE POINTS). I figure experimenting on this car (which needs a good wax but by no means is in disrepair of any kind) will be a good way for me to see the awesome effects of the products I have. Here's my plan for that (which will be done while I'm waiting on my interior in my Explorer to get done at the detailer's):



1) Eimann Fabrik Powerwash+

2) 3M SMR for Dark Colored Cars in a few small areas

3) 3M IHG

4) Klasse AIO (x2 coats)

5) Klasse SG (x2 coats)

6) Pinnacle Souveran (x2 coats)



Only problem is, I'd like to get all of this done before I go pick up my car from the detailer. Are the cure times that everybody talks about absolutely necessary with the SG and Souveran?? Is there any way to speed up the process?? Also, there's a water-use ban on car washing right now(not that I really care, but it's a $400 fine if caught :scared). Is there any way to use a lot less water while washing?? Basically, can all this be done in the space of about 4 hours and still look good??



Now... more questions about my own personal dilema. I have some pretty nasty swirls and have tried (with only one application) to remove then using the SMR. It didn't work extremely well, but I can notice a difference. I would like to remove them moreso, but I would rather just get the car looking nice. Basically, can I just use the following procedure (assuming moderate-heavy swirl marks and a few minor scratches) to spruce up the car (ie can I just cover up the swirls)??? NOTE: This is all by hand



1) Eimann Fabrik Powerwash+

2) PolyClay

3) Repeat #1

4) Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion

5) 3M SMR/Eagle One Scratch Remover

6) 3M IHG

7) Klasse AIO (x2 coats)

8) Klasse SG (x2 coats)

9) Pinnacle Souveran (x2 coats)



Help me out guys/gals!! I'm getting kinda peeved that I haven't been able to dedicate more time to her...
 
The short answer is....



- NO WAY can you properly do the Lexus in 4 hours.

- It is a complete waste of time and effort to use SMR then IHG.

- Forget the AIO, not needed after SMR

- Yes you should wait for cure times, especially with Souveran





Personally, I wouldn't even try and use the SMR without a Porter Cable. You'll never be able to break it down by hand.



You mention scoring major brownie points and "experimenting" on a Black Lexus. You may be counting your brownie points a little early. Black cars show all your "experiments" real well. I'd "experiment" on something like a 1995 Explorer before I'd go looking for brownie points.



Good Luck.
 
I agree TOTALLY with dbackfan. What if your "experiments" screw up this black lexus?? Can you immagine going to him afterwards asking, "can I marry your daughter" and him saying "hell no you b#stard you ruined my 60K Lexus' paint job, how can I let you marry my daughter in good faith?!" (Trust me, I had a friend who something very close to this happened to)



You need to get your detailing routines down perfect on your own ride before you even think of detailing someone else's car, let alone a black one looking for "brownie points".



Also, just remember something if you're going to be a successful detailer in the Autopian-esque sense of using the products you/we are using: DO NOT TRY AND RUSH PERFECTION!! Perfection is something that comes with many hours of hard work, dedication, know-how, skill, luck, and fun. If you try and squeeze a complete start-to-finish job into 4 hours, it is inevitable that you WILL screw up something, somewhere along the line. Personally, I don't want to see you having to make a thread on here saying "HELP! Emergency! I've got a problem I need to fix!"



I'll admit, even I sometimes let my car get a little less-than-autopian in its cleanliness, simply because I don't always have the time or energy to do the job right. And I believe that its better to do the job right, all the way through, than to half-azz it. So it is done right or not at all because if you try to do it half-right, you could end up causing more dammage to the vehicle than if you left it dirty for a period of time until you could effectively get to cleaning it.



Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make sure the point got across. :xyxthumbs :wavey
 
I concur with Shiny and dbackfan.



You're going overboard with steps.

I personally think it's overkill to apply more than a couple of coats of something, unless it's called for after you've applid given product and results are unsatisfactory.



just...

clay

SMR

IHG

wax

...that's it... repeating steps is only necessary if you screwed something up, or if it doesn't look right {IMHO}.



And get a cheapie orbital if you have to, there's no way you can break down the SMR by hand.



Also, I 've said this before, and I never get tired of saying it:

“Think more about the process and less about the products.� You can have only so-so products and make the car look great if you use the right techniques. And in the same vein, you can have some of the best products that cost and Arm-And-A-Leg, and use bad techniques and it will still look like crap.

good luck!

:xyxthumbs
 
dbackfan said:
The short answer is....



- NO WAY can you properly do the Lexus in 4 hours.

- It is a complete waste of time and effort to use SMR then IHG.

- Forget the AIO, not needed after SMR

- Yes you should wait for cure times, especially with Souveran





Personally, I wouldn't even try and use the SMR without a Porter Cable. You'll never be able to break it down by hand.



You mention scoring major brownie points and "experimenting" on a Black Lexus. You may be counting your brownie points a little early. Black cars show all your "experiments" real well. I'd "experiment" on something like a 1995 Explorer before I'd go looking for brownie points.



Good Luck.
Click to expand...







.....as the same words came out of my mouth..........
 
I have little to add, other than:



I would still do AIO to remove fillers.

Klasse SG works best with more than just 2 coats, IMO.

Patience is a virtue, and I would space a few SG coats and then Souveran a day apart each.



Oh yeah, and when you mentioned you wanted this in 4 hours I instantly thought, 'I hope you have a PC...' Then when you said "by hand" I went :eek: and :( because SMR by hand alone will take that long, if not longer to do properly.
 
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