Sweaty Northeast Details v. My car, Galant GTZ, BlaX5, & more! (56k warning)

S

stilez

New member
This past week has been hell for detailing. Although I'm not complaining about the temperature as I'd choose it any day over the cold, but the humidity is horrendous. 90% + every day for the past week which has made for some very sweaty conditions. Plus you wake up and the cars are all soaked from dew, so it's hard to keep everything clean.



Anyways, here go the details so far this week...







2004 Toyota Sienna



Did VM/EX-P 2 weeks ago and it rained the sameday, so when she called me back to wash it, I threw in a free coat of EX-P. So this one is VM/EX-P x 2.



DSC02256.jpg








1997 Jeep Wrangler



Same client as above, WG Polish, WG Sealant 1.5 weeks ago. Washed it up and applied WAUD as directed. Came out pretty nice and it's a very clean vehicle for a 97.



DSC02258.jpg




DSC02259.jpg








1996 Acura Integra



My car...I've been having the rims fixed after they were bent at a construction site. It's back in action with EX x 3 on the paint, PwC on the wheels, and Bold 'N Bright on the tires. Currently layering Natty's, so stay tuned.



DSC02261.jpg
 
Next up...



1999 Mitsubishi Galant GTZ



Did this for a good friend of mine. As you can see in the before pics, it is very swirled which left for a very dull appearance. I did an exterior only job and it took me 5 hours total. Final processes were:



-Mother's Gold Wash

-Wolfgang Clay

-#80 w/ Cutting Pad on Horizontal Surfaces

-#80 w/ Polishing Pad on All Surfaces

-VM w/ Finishing Pad on All Surfaces

-EX by hand



*VM on rims and lighting

*Rain-X on glass

*Bold 'N Bright on tires





Before



DSC02262.jpg




DSC02265.jpg






After polishing out tail end



DSC02266.jpg






After everything



DSC02267.jpg




DSC02268.jpg




DSC02277.jpg
 
Lastly, but not least...



2004 BMW X5





Did this one today (Wednesday) and today was by far the worst as far as heat/humidity. Temp and humidity were in the 90's. Anyways, this thing was a WRECK! Swirled and DIRTY!!! It took me 5.5 hours and I was in a wife beater (A-shirt) after the 1st 1/2 hour. By the end I was soaked.



DSC02278.jpg




DSC02279.jpg






First up, interior. It was a mess, but no before pics. I did my Oxy Mix on the carpets/mats, Water:Woolite on everything else, 303 on dash and doors, Lexol Conditioner on the seats. BTW: BMW mats are soo plus, I like...a LOT :)



DSC02282.jpg






Today was the true day for products to shine. I couldn't get full shade all day so working in the hot heat was a must. The two victorious products of the day were VM and EX-P. The rest of everything I used had problems.





This paint was weird. I'll try to explain. The swirls were medium, I'd say. I had to get quite aggressive with the rotary, boosting it up to 1750rpm with the polishing pad and #80 to get all of the swirls out, so I figured hard clear coat. Then, I slow down the speed to 1500 on the second pass and around 1000 on the final pass, lightening up on pressure with each pass as well. The whole thing was covered in buffer swirls and I was pissed. I figured I'd give it a shot and it came out amazing...VM w/ Polishing Pad @ 1000rpm took out ALL the buffer marks and made for a wet appearance. I was verrry happy :D





Swirls before

DSC02283.jpg






#80 on left, VM over #80 on right (big difference eh?)

DSC02284.jpg
 
And of course, the sun has to go down as I finish up. I did my best on the final pics to catch some sun. My final exterior processes were:



-Mother's Gold Wash

-Wolfgang Clay

-#80 w/ Polishing Pad on all painted surfaces

-VM w/ Polishing Pad on all painted surfaces

-EX-P by hand on all painted surfaces



*TOL's Wheel Wash to clean up rims/tires/wells

*Armor All on tires, in wells, and on all plastic trim

*VM on lighting



DSC02291.jpg




DSC02293.jpg






Enjoy!
 
MattZ28:



Both EX and EX-P are easy to apply. About the same IMO. I think EX is a tad tougher to remove completely (carnauba content maybe?)...It also leaves light traces so you have to look over your work a little more.



As far as looks, EX is very deep and wet, whereas EX-P is like a wet mirror...Very clear, very wet.
 
Thanks, I've been looking into a new sealant to try, but can't decide which. How is the durability of EX? Does it have the slickness of a sealant, or does the carnauba content make it more of a wax-type slickness? Is the look comparable to a pure paste wax like #16 or S100?



LOL sorry for all the questions...those cars look incredible. You sure that Galant is the same car? :D I first thought it was dark grey from the first pic....
 
Thanks Matt. I appreciate your kind words more than usual because this heat has worn me out like no other.



As far as EX, I'd say it's pretty slick. Nothing like Wolfgang or UPP. Probably a little less slick than EX-P. I just started using EX not too long ago, but I believe Scottwax said hes had it lasting about 5 months down in Texas.



I wouldn't compare it to any standard wax as far as looks. I like the deep and wet look of it and haven't found anything to compare it to.



A little tidbit of info... I applied my first coat of Natty's and noticed greater clarity in reflections/depth, slight darkening of the paint, and of course, added wetness. I think this combo is gonna be a killer, can't wait to get some layers of it going :D
 
Sick work man! :xyxthumbs



Gotta love the VM and EX-P in the sun. I've dealt with it too in those conditions, not to mention that humidity here in Jersey!



You think the VM really has the abrasives to remove holgrams and not just fill them?



How do you like TOL's wheel wash?



Lastly, what is your interior Oxy Clean ratio? Do you put it in a squirt bottle or a bucket. If it is in a bucket, how do you get the solution on the carpet?



Oh, by the way, I have hired on a helper (a kid I know) to do grunt work and interior. He has a digicam so I will be taking pics in the sun just for you ;) :p
 
I hear ya....the sun is pretty strong up there this time of year. I was up there for two weeks (got home Friday) in Floral Park and Bethpage. I was out fishing for a few hours and the sun got me pretty good! I looked like a lobster :(
 
Spilchy:



Thanks man. This Northeast weather is just killer!



I truly believe the VM coupled with a polishing pad on a rotary did remove the holograms. There are debates on it, but I truly believe it did remove them. I was in blazing direct sunlight and there was NO trace of them.



TOL's Wheel Wash is AWESOME. It really cuts up tough jobs. Make sure you follow the directions carefully and use a wheel brush or something that works into grooves nicely. I would DEFINATELY reccomend picking some up, I got the gallon and am very happy.



My Oxy Ratio is 2 scoops: 2 gallons of water. I do it in a bucket of warm water with a handled scrub brush. I kind of scoop some solution onto the carpeted/upholstered surface and work in small sections.



Can't wait to see pics :)





MattZ28: You should have let me know, Bethpage is like 30-40mins from me. I would've met up.
 
Why, I really like how that Jeep turned out. Not that the others turned out bad--just the combination of the round hood and the flat body panels shows off your work very nicely.



The Galant turned out nicely. :) Your friend needs to lower it another inch in the front. :o



That's probably not the best picture of the minivan--and white isn't the easiest to get a good shot of. I can tell it is pretty reflective from the tailgate though. :)



That X5 hoodshot is niiiice. :) Very reflective for a metallic paint.



And of course, your car is looking better and better.



Also, I think I'm going to nominate you for rotary king just because you do an amazing job with it.
 
Sean,



Once again you rocked on those cars!:bow And wth ths heat/humdity it's a wonder how you got through these!!



Nice wheels on the car!:xyxthumbs



The more I play with the Nattys/EX-P combo, the better it looks!

Just for SH** and Giggles I tried the Sonus Spriz QD on the EX-P. Not bad!



Your work is another example on how well a rotary can get a finish to look it's best! In the right hands, you just cannot compair! Sure PC's are fine for light work, but when you're in the biz of detailing, you need a tool to work for you. At 90 degree heat and throw in humidity not many polishes work too well with PC's.



Use any of the Menzerna yet? With a rotary, they are killer!



One day I got to have you try the SM Arnold pads. I like the "Cool-It" pads that have the cuts in the foam to keep both finish and polish from overheating. Here's the link:



S M Arnold COOL-IT pads



Now go and have that Heineken!:D



Regards,

Deanski
 
your 'tegra looks sweet with EX. is that with just one coat of Natty's?



and nice job on the other cars, especially the galant and bimmer. nice transformations! amazing how they went from a dark grey, like MattZ28 said, to black! :D
 
GSRstilez said:


#80 on left, VM over #80 on right (big difference eh?)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC02284.jpg
Click to expand...



Yes, quite a difference there. Interesting picture. And the hood shot of the X5 looks fantastic!



Humidity is a real killer. I've started working second shift, and even with the sun down, I start sweating after just a couple minutes walking around outside. Hate detailing my car in the high humidity too.. always end up with sweat dripping down on the paint as I'm applying products. I guess I need to wear a hat :nixweiss
 
Outstanding work...:bow I live in the Northeast and I have no idea how you can work like that in this heat and humidity.
 
Great job!!! I too am feeling this heat up here in the northeast...I don't mind it though...it seems as if the more hot it is, the more money I make!;) :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top