Car Detailing at Night?

G

G35_Coupe_6MT

New member
I did use the search and even googled this and couldnt find the answer sorry for a new thread...



I live in Florida so it gets pretty hot during the day. Not only this, but I dont have a garage (I live in an apartment complex with a roofed parking). I know direct sunlight is a big NO NO when polishing with a Porter Cable, so I keep out from sunlight by taking up two roofed parking spaces no problem and I begin washing my car 5am to avoid water marks due to water evaporating.



My issue is, there is nothing I can do to make the metal not get hot during the day and I know products work better on cool surfaces. So my question is, is it recommended to start washing+polishing say at 3am or at night to work on cool surface? The only problem I see is visibility (not wiping all the polish) even though my roofed parking does have light. I just think it might be a good idea because I can wipe off the excess wax/polish the next day using Zaino Z6 or any other product typically used to wipe off the polish residue.



Any input would be appreciated.
 
Nothing wrong with that at all if you can keep the dew off of it.



Only problem would be the lack of light. Do your best then give it a look over in the sun light.
 
thanks for the help, I might try doing the night thing this weekend. Hope the neighbors dont mind. I dont think the PC is loud enough.
 
G35_Coupe_6MT said:
thanks for the help, I might try doing the night thing this weekend. Hope the neighbors dont mind. I dont think the PC is loud enough.
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It's a lot louder than you think in the dead of night. Be prepared for some pissed off neighbors. Unless the parking is far away from the apartments (unlikely).



Good luck.
 
bad idea at night.

#1 noise from polisher.:nono

#2 cant see that good,need sunlight.:tumblewee

#3 dew / condensation build up is hard to stop. ive done it.:scared:

#4 noise from polisher again.:furious:

#5 dangerous by yourself that late at night working on your car.:soscared:
 
The biggest problem I see is getting enough light, and then you have to worry about the bugs (attracted to that light). I know in the summer I can't leave my garage door open with the lights on because it draws too many bugs inside. But just try it and see how it works out for you.



An alternative is to wash and dry early enough to have some light but before it gets hot. Then use some sun friendly products (Poorboy's, ClearKote, etc.) or start polishing after the sun starts going down, you should still have 3 or 4 hours left. During midday you could work on the wheels and/or interior.
 
Light is always an issue for me. I always see areas that I missed details. The are usually on the sides where you get less light.
 
If you try the night thing, you can probably improve the light with those double-halogens/floodlights on a tripod thing that one can buy at the hardware stores... just get a couple of them to try out, if it doesn't work out for whatever reasons, you can return them.
 
My biggest problem is dew. Paint correction and LSP seems impossible.



Also, the lights attract alot of bugs, which is most annoying when they get in the car on squished by a pad or MF.
 
I can definately relate to your efforts to avoid full sun polishing in Florida; especially on a black vehicle. I don't suggest doing any kind of correction without inspecting it in sun light to make sure what you are doing is actually effective. Atleast do a large test panel to get a base line on the results. Defects (or lack of) under artificial light may not allways show up until observed under natural light. We had a night crew at my old shop and vehicles that looked great under our inside lights many times were totally different outside the next morning (for more than 1 reason). This in turn caused extra work by having to re-do the prior work. Just a thought....
 
You guys are correct, it wasnt that good of an idea. The dew really kept moisturizing my car. I turned my PC ROM inside my room and walked outside to see how bad it would be and yeah it probably would wake up my neighbors. They are already pissed as is because I take up two parking spots when I detail my car (I go for 5am wash and finish at 2 or 3pm using Mezerna IP,PO106FF, and FMJ so a lot of the neighbors come and go and see me there).



I guess I will just keep doing this the old way until I get a garage.



Thanks for the hel guys
 
G35_Coupe_6MT said:
(I go for 5am wash and finish at 2 or 3pm using Mezerna IP,PO106FF, and FMJ so a lot of the neighbors come and go and see me there).
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Why do you wait until 2 or 3 (the hottest part of the day)? Why not start at 8:30-9? Any earlier and you are back to pissing off the neighbors. Also, are you actually having issues when trying to polish, or do you anticipate problems? The surface being ambient temp (under the covered parking you mentioned) will not prevent you from achieving good results. If the car is in the direct sunlight, then you will have issues. There are a lot of mobile detailers that use those products under pop up canopies, all throughout the day in FL. To be honest with you, covered parking is better (for the person) than a garage, as long as the cover is broad enough to keep the car out of direct sunlight. Covered parking will let you get some airflow, versus a garage that will only sometimes have a breeze. Although here in FL, a breeze is like being blow dried by a hairdryer! :D
 
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