How long do you take to (wash, clay, polish, wax, etc ) ??
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david328ci
New member
Depends. By hand can take forever especially if I'm layering.
Anywhere from 5-7 hours. I'm doing it all by hand, and I don't rush. I take breaks if I need them.
I'm talking about wash, clay, AIO, SG (several layers) and topping with P21S. If I'm just washing, polishing and waxing it's more like 3-4 hours.
I find that if I rush, I make mistakes. So I don't!
I'm talking about wash, clay, AIO, SG (several layers) and topping with P21S. If I'm just washing, polishing and waxing it's more like 3-4 hours.
I find that if I rush, I make mistakes. So I don't!
.I think for most it is going to vary much. It all depends on how in-depth the detail is.
But I would say a wash&wax would be two hours, but a full detail would be at least four hours if not more.
As turboCat mentioned, taking breaks helps a lot. If I am going straight thru, after like 3hours straight I start rushing and will be disappointed in the final result.
But I would say a wash&wax would be two hours, but a full detail would be at least four hours if not more.
As turboCat mentioned, taking breaks helps a lot. If I am going straight thru, after like 3hours straight I start rushing and will be disappointed in the final result.
Accumulator
Well-known member
To only wash will take from 1.5 (Volvo beater) to 2.5 (WRX daily driver) to a minimum of 3.5 (S8)- depends how gentle of handling the car requires. But then, I ALWAYS do the door jambs, under the hood, wheelwells, etc. I wash as quickly as I can, as in aerobically demanding (and I'm in shape). It still seems to take me a long time.
When I do my friend's A6 (was my late father's car), it usually takes me an entire weekend, and I feel I give it a sorta sloppy job (at least compared to my cars).
To really DETAIL a car always takes me several days. I washed the XJS Friday (just dust from sitting all winter, still took 2.5 hours), compounded and coarse polished it Saturday (over 8 hours), final-polished it Sunday (over 10 hours, just doing the inaccessible areas with q-tips took forever), and I'll get some VM on it today. It won't be ready to drive until at least the end of the week. And then there's the interior to start on. Many, many hours, and that's working as fast as I can without getting sloppy.
I marvel at how some of you can do a whole car in a few hours, let alone you folks who do it without machines.
Cleaning the S8 takes so long I find I seldom drive it, which is screwy. I keep taking the Volvo because "it's already dirty" and it sits outside anyhow. I've been thinking I need to reprioritize this stuff, but after 18 years the XJS only looks like it does because I've spent more time detailing it than driving it.
When I do my friend's A6 (was my late father's car), it usually takes me an entire weekend, and I feel I give it a sorta sloppy job (at least compared to my cars).
To really DETAIL a car always takes me several days. I washed the XJS Friday (just dust from sitting all winter, still took 2.5 hours), compounded and coarse polished it Saturday (over 8 hours), final-polished it Sunday (over 10 hours, just doing the inaccessible areas with q-tips took forever), and I'll get some VM on it today. It won't be ready to drive until at least the end of the week. And then there's the interior to start on. Many, many hours, and that's working as fast as I can without getting sloppy.
I marvel at how some of you can do a whole car in a few hours, let alone you folks who do it without machines.
Cleaning the S8 takes so long I find I seldom drive it, which is screwy. I keep taking the Volvo because "it's already dirty" and it sits outside anyhow. I've been thinking I need to reprioritize this stuff, but after 18 years the XJS only looks like it does because I've spent more time detailing it than driving it.
Tim Lingor
New member
Because my truck is 20.2' long, and has a canopy on it, it takes @ 10-15 hours to do a complete detail to just the outside!!! I do not even take time for lunch!!
That covers: wash, clay, wash again, DACP with cutting pad(rotary), DACP with polishing pad(rotary), #82 SFP with beige finishing pad(rotary), #82 SFP with the PC if needed, then S100 SEC, then #7(sometimes but usually the S100 SEC is good enough), then #20 topped with S100 paste wax.
The windows, I use a PC and C-27 Glass Polish(Pro Wax), S100 Finish Restorer on the chrome, #20 Poly on the wheels, No Touch to the tires.
Add more time if I detail the HUGE wheel wells!
Come to think of it, no wonder I am always so darn tired afterwards!!!
That covers: wash, clay, wash again, DACP with cutting pad(rotary), DACP with polishing pad(rotary), #82 SFP with beige finishing pad(rotary), #82 SFP with the PC if needed, then S100 SEC, then #7(sometimes but usually the S100 SEC is good enough), then #20 topped with S100 paste wax.
The windows, I use a PC and C-27 Glass Polish(Pro Wax), S100 Finish Restorer on the chrome, #20 Poly on the wheels, No Touch to the tires.
Add more time if I detail the HUGE wheel wells!
Come to think of it, no wonder I am always so darn tired afterwards!!!
tkr128
New member
I detailed the Accord on Friday and it took me 8 hours! To be fair, it was extremely filthy.
What I Did:
1. Clean Wheels, Tires and Wheel Wells
2. Washed Car
3. Clayed
4. Dried car
5. SMR with PC and white pad
6. Dawn washed
7. Dried car again along with door jambs and wheels.
8. Dressed tires, wheel wells and trim.
9. Z2 x 3 with Z6 in between
What I Did:
1. Clean Wheels, Tires and Wheel Wells
2. Washed Car
3. Clayed
4. Dried car
5. SMR with PC and white pad
6. Dawn washed
7. Dried car again along with door jambs and wheels.
8. Dressed tires, wheel wells and trim.
9. Z2 x 3 with Z6 in between
Accumulator
Well-known member
Lynn- Well, doing our sorta-older Jags might have something to do with it. Lots of details to be, well, detailed and you get in the habit of doing every car that way. I just spent nearly 2 hours on a few pieces of trim and the black panels on the C-pillars.
TurboCat- When I only had one car I ended up bumming a lot of rides!
tkr128- Well, I think you did just fine, doing all that in 8 hours.
BTW/FWIW, this is only the third time in 18 years that I've worked like this on the Jag. Having different products (especially some diminishing-abrasive polishes) would have saved a lot of time. I DID decide not to pull off the bolt-on trim this time, or it would've REALLY taken a long time!
TurboCat- When I only had one car I ended up bumming a lot of rides!
tkr128- Well, I think you did just fine, doing all that in 8 hours.
BTW/FWIW, this is only the third time in 18 years that I've worked like this on the Jag. Having different products (especially some diminishing-abrasive polishes) would have saved a lot of time. I DID decide not to pull off the bolt-on trim this time, or it would've REALLY taken a long time!