Beginning to now - compare your detailing work

S

stilez

New member
Well, here are pics I dug up for a thread over at DC of when I just begun detailing. It was before I knew about properly machine polishing and the importance of clay. I only clayed my car, and just did a cleaner wax/finishing wax for customers, paint wise.







First set are off my friend's Acura CL. Tons of caked brake dust. According to him, he washed his car once every 2 weeks over the 5 month winter, but just hosed off the rims. I used On/Off Hull Cleaner !!! Strong **** yes, but take a look :) ...Meg's Endurance on the tires.



Before

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During

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See the green stuff :)



After

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On his entire car, Ibiz Twins :lol

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My first experience with Klasse...just the twins, no prep :scared ...I didn't know better!

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My car, Mothers Clay, Gliptone Probuff, Gliptone 100% Carnauba

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The thing I notice most about comparing these to my pics now it the vibrancy of color and depth of reflections I get :) ...My product lineup and all around techniques have improved 10 fold.





Compare your beginning to now work :wavey
 
Gliptone on the TEG?!?! :shocked



I think there are two cars I can compare:



1. Prior ES300 - #26 wax, Griot's car soap, buffing with terry towels and lots of marring. #26 tinting Oyster Pearl silver too much to the gold side.



2. ES330 Today - polishing technique improved vastly, now claying car periodically, better cleaners and waxes like AIO and P21S and Pinnacle products like Signature and Souveran on my friends black cars.
 
5-6 years ago: Used a quick detailer as a waterless wash a couple of times. Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax and old rags with no nap. Whatever sponge I could find was used to wash the car, and used circular motions with everything.



Today: I'm beyond obsessed.
 
a couple years ago, I used NuFinish to "wax" my car. I used whichever hand/dish soap was on the kitchen sink to wash the car...with the cleanest looking sponge I could find in the basement.

I would wash the car, and leave it out to air dry....often in the sun.

When I would apply NuFinish (or later-Turtle Wax Carnauba), I used an old T-shirt from the basement (rags) to apply the wax, and buffed it off with another Tshirt. Oh yeah I would gob the stuff on the paint too. It would be a PITA to remove.
 
heh heh, i look at my pre-autopia day pictures and post-autopia pictures and i can't really tell the difference. :o well, my pre-autopia days the pictures were taken in the shade, not under the sun.



on my 1989 stang, i started off with Meg's Deep Crystal system then moved up to Meg's #9, #7, and #26. i think at that point i had a 6.5" Waxmaster orbital buffer. :p but the swirls on the side of the car always reappeared after a few weeks, telling me i had to wax the car again. :p i think before these combos was Eagle One's Wet Polish/Wax thing.



i think this is the Meg's #9, #7, #26:

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one of the latter details with EX-P, i think:

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i can't tell the difference. :nixweiss



with the Mach1, post-Autopia taught me how to get rid of the swirls and make the paint look really wet. part of the credit goes to sean. :xyxthumbs
 
I just found Autopia at the beginning of this year as I was starting to detail cars on the side for money. I was one of those casual enthusiests who read automotive boards and was convinced that Zaino was the best product out there and nothing else was necessary...got some swirls...well just pay me to put 3 coats of Z5 on there and we'll hide them like they were never there....man have I come a long way in a short time.



I now appreciate the act of actually being able to remove swirls rather than try to hide them and to actually having a nice finish under a halogen as opposed to just regular lights...As my work improved...customers became more and more happy with the results and business really took off. As a matter of fact I'm going to have to hire someone next year as with me still working full time I was (and still am) either turning away business or scheduling it out quite a distance.



Andy
 
Pre Autopia '94 Maxima GXE



At the time, I preferred to wash my cars with Joy dishwashing detergent, use Bleche White even on blackwalls, use Espree Wheel Cleaner, The Meguiar's 3 step system, and #26. I NEVER clayed before I came here.



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Same '94 Maxima Post Autopia:

This car was clayed with a Meguiar's QuikClay Clay Bar, Polished with 3M SMR for dark colored cars, and topped with the Klasse Twins.



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2002 Maxima SE

Meguiar's Gold Class shampoo, Clay Magic Clay Bar, CWB, Klasse AIO, Souveran, Nevr Dull



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I think my biggest improvement has come from better paint prep via the PC and great attention to details like the fenderwells.
 
i remember when i would pretty much get all my car stuff from supermarkets...



ahh those were the days when i was easily impressed with turtle wax. no literally i thought my car looked awesome.. now ive tried over 16 waxes/sealants and probably like 5 different combos. i love this website and DC. i learn soo much every day
 
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