do you mind a little cheating?

juliom2

New member
Hello everyone! I know that the result of a great shine is a well polished surface.

Time, effort and passion are the main drive to get this acomplished. An unparrarel

shine would not be reach without those three elements. But; What if theres no time

and you want a 2 hour wash look like full correction from a distance? Is it a layer after layer the solution?

Is there a combo that will help create the effect? do you mind a little cheating?
 
If you want the look you need to correct first , then maintain the finish. It is like anything there is no free lunch as you will get back what you put into it.
 
We use a flex with an orange pad and optimum polish for a one step on dealer cars and they come our looking like a 12 hour three step.



Total time is usually 2.5 - 3.5 hours fir a full detail. If the car is trashed it can take 6 hours sometimes.
 
Auto Concierge said:
If you want the look you need to correct first , then maintain the finish. It is like anything there is no free lunch as you will get back what you put into it.

I agree. If you do the prep and correction right. It is possible to maintain your vehicle in a shorter amount of time. But there are no corners to cut in detailing.

You either do it right,or you will be back doing it again after it rains. Never skip the steps!
 
Unless your paint is already top notch you're not going to make a "Wash" look like a "polish" no matter how long you want to wash it. Correct it first then maintain it by not inducing swirls through improper techniques
 
Best way to do this in about 2 hours, and this is pushing it, is to wash and QUICKLY go over the paint with something like Meg's D151 or KAIO or whatever else... this would polish out some of the roughness the paint might have, along with some swirls, and still leave a shiny protected finish...



Again, this is really pushing but I've done a small VW before in just about 2 hours without claying... about 45 mins to wash/dry, 15 to tape up then about an hour of polishing...
 
Noting that *I'M NOT A PRO* and that a two-hour wash would be pushing it for me...



juliom2- I don't think it's "cheating" to do the best you can in the time you have. But I wouldn't do *anything* that somehow does impress you as being "cheating" either.



After a pal drove through a mist of housepaint, I had less time than that to fix things on his work van. I washed, clayed, AIO-ed it (with his help, using two Cyclos) in very little time and it looked super for a dog kennel's work vehicle. Not "Autopian" by any means, but still the best that thing ever looked before or since.



Yeah, I'd say to just one-step it with something that has a little cut and will last a few weeks; I'd go with ZAIO (no real cut with KAIO or even my beloved Autoglym SRP).
 
Use a spray wax or a qd . I use these all the time , and my car looks great all the time. Do your marathon detail the first time , then it easy to maintain. If you just want to do a quicky on a friends car, two products come to mine , thats Megs Color X, and duraglass 501. These two products are pretty strong cleaner waxes , and they work great.
 
lawrencea said:
Use a spray wax or a qd . I use these all the time , and my car looks great all the time. Do your marathon detail the first time , then it easy to maintain. If you just want to do a quicky on a friends car, two products come to mine , thats Megs Color X, and duraglass 501. These two products are pretty strong cleaner waxes , and they work great.



BigJimZ28 said:
how about a glaze or a wax that has some filling like NXT2



You would need something with a little cut to refine the paint even just that little bit so it's not in the same state once the protection washes off... that's my goal on a quick one step anyway
 
lecchilo said:
You would need something with a little cut to refine the paint even just that little bit so it's not in the same state once the protection washes off... that's my goal on a quick one step anyway



well I would just polish it out as time permits



but the OP asked what to do in two hrs that looks good from a distance

so that is what I answered
 
There's really not a way to cheat it and get it looking show worthy, not in two hours.



A full correction will take a good 10 hours, and the only quicky solution I could think of is a single step polishing with an orbital, but that's not a 100% correction, maybe 50% and it will still take a good 4 hours at least.



I can bairly wash and clay a car in 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
 
I know many purist Autopians know its not possible because the process has its own rules and time sure is a factor, but, lately I've trying a wax/sealant named Goldsupreme from Ardex. Its cheap, no Autopian seems to like it because is not a piece of conversation in the forums but its does some kind of trick. Althoght it feels oily and kind of sloppy. Two coats then some UPGP and looks more like it. Finish with the Ultima Detailer Spray. But for sure there are better combos.
 
I came here to learn the best products and techniques from the best. What I have found is that everyone has their favorite products and styles. The basics are there,just different methods. So I try alot of different products. All on my vehicle first. The only draw back in this is I'm using everything on a light colored vehicle. I do get to occassionally experiment on my favorite color,BLACK. Right now I have 2 coats of DoDo Juice Light Fantastic,with a top coat of Souveran, I have been using C-Magic Quick Detailing Spray to maintain it. Most of the good waxes I have or have used. I just want my vehicle and any customers car to be as Wet,Smooth and Shinny as possible.
 
juliom2 said:
I know many purist Autopians know its not possible because the process has its own rules and time sure is a factor, but, lately I've trying a wax/sealant named Goldsupreme from Ardex. Its cheap, no Autopian seems to like it because is not a piece of conversation in the forums but its does some kind of trick. Althoght it feels oily and kind of sloppy. Two coats then some UPGP and looks more like it. Finish with the Ultima Detailer Spray. But for sure there are better combos.



lol i know ardex very well have used them in many high volume shops! you better of spraying you car with pledge and wiping it!!!! lol look man the ultimate wettest deepest look is not created by just the wax. its all in the prep work! my suggestion is pay someone who can do it right then maintain it!!!!!
 
To give you a little tip from some that has been doing this a long time... If you can master your technique product has very very little to do with anything. When I go to buy something new I look for "Does it have fillers" or "Dosen't it have fillers" I could give a rats butt about the name on it. Certian products I need filler free other products with fillers serve a different purpose. There's absoultly no reason at all to go broke buying products. The $30 products will work every bit as good as the $300 products regardless of what nonsense anyone else wants to tell you. The key to mastering your detailing is practicing your skills all the time. You're technique is what's going to set you apart from everyone else using the same product. Remember customers want to know why they need to choose you over the next guy. Simply saying "Well I only use this $300 bottle of polish" is going to get you a lot of funny looks ,and "so what, so is the next guy." Perfect your technique and you'll always have work.
 
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