Dr. Woo
New member
mosborn9 said:
Interesting - will have to try this.
The 2 hour "detail"
- Thread starter Dan
- Start date
Interesting - will have to try this.
AeroCleanse
New member
yakky said:
It would take more a lot longer than 30min to wash, clay and polish a car. Might be able to get the interior done.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Now that the new Meguiar's MF polishing system is out, I wonder how the second step of that would work for cases like this :think:
Accumulator
Well-known member
AeroCleanse said:
Instead of wash/clay, what about just washing with something like FK1119 (yeah, I'd use that instead of ValuGard's "A" in this case).
AeroCleanse
New member
Accumulator said:
I would rather take my time and do it right rather than feeling rushed.
Accumulator
Well-known member
AeroCleanse said:
Well, yeah...which is why I hesitate to post on this thread in the first place (me of the "first hour spent on wheelwells"
) but when people are trying to do some 2-hr detail I'd think the decon wash would do a few things with one quick step.The whole topic of a 2-hr detail kinda intrigues me, in what I guess is a guilty pleasure sort of way :chuckle:
AeroCleanse
New member
If I had done a complete detail myself on a car, I could clean it back up in 2hrs. For me, 2hrs of correction alone is a rush job, which is why dealer cars always look like crap on the lot.
Don
Darth Camaro 12/27/15
Accumulator said:
+1 There is almost no way I could feel good about a wash that took less than 2 hours especially on a car I'm touching for the first time.
Dr. Woo
New member
Dr. Woo said:
Interesting - will have to try this.[/QUOTE]
Gave this a shot yesterday and it really saved me some time on a "quick" wash - which was still 2 hours long and involved a good thorough cleaning of the fenderwells, about 20 minutes on the exhaust tips with some NEVR-DULL (they're still sooty and nasty in some spots, but they mostly polished up nice), and an ONR once-over. Didn't even touch the interior.
Had someplace to be. Otherwise I might've continued with the exhaust tips and hit the interior.
Accumulator
Well-known member
AeroCleanse- Heh heh, I gotta admit it's rare for me to correct a single *panel* to my satisfaction in two hours, even when I start with the rotary! And yeah...now that you mention it, I think I have cleaned a "detailed but got dusty" car in a couple of hours before.
But if only as an intellectual exercise...what about the guys who *have* to get a "detail" done in a couple of hours? I had to do stuff like that as a kid when I was working new-car prep and let's just say that I was the only person allowed to do the dark colored cars A while back I did my pal's K9 van in about 2 hours (with him helping) after he got houspaint overspray all over it; not Autopian but still the best that thing's ever looked. In hindsight, I coulda gone about it differently and done a lot better.
Yeah, we're all about really doing it right, but if somebody can put food on the table by doing quickie jobs, well... a) beats unemployment and b) there's gotta be a lot of tricks (oops, I mean "good techniques"
) that can help things turn out better.
But if only as an intellectual exercise...what about the guys who *have* to get a "detail" done in a couple of hours? I had to do stuff like that as a kid when I was working new-car prep and let's just say that I was the only person allowed to do the dark colored cars
A while back I did my pal's K9 van in about 2 hours (with him helping) after he got houspaint overspray all over it; not Autopian but still the best that thing's ever looked. In hindsight, I coulda gone about it differently and done a lot better.Yeah, we're all about really doing it right, but if somebody can put food on the table by doing quickie jobs, well... a) beats unemployment and b) there's gotta be a lot of tricks (oops, I mean "good techniques"
) that can help things turn out better.
Dan
Well-known member
AeroCleanse said:
Who said anything about washing, claying and polishing in 30 minutes? I said I could wash and clay in 30 minutes (and do regularly).
apoirier594
New member
Wow, it takes me 2 hours to hand wash, clean wheels and tires, hand dry. Shine tires..mine is a F150 tho. And I take my time
Don
Darth Camaro 12/27/15
yakky said:
That's the key, you do it regularly so your car is in good shape and doesn't need to be 'brought back' to good shape.
Dan
Well-known member
Don M said:
While it does help that my cars are well maintained, Scottwax's method of ONR and claying at the same time is an amazing timesaver.
Accumulator
Well-known member
I'm getting lost here...I thought we were discussing how a Pro would handle a "typical customer car that needs it all" if said Pro only had a couple of hours :think:
Don
Darth Camaro 12/27/15
The OP was asking us how we would handle such a vehicle if there were only two hours available to do the work, that's when most of us chimed in that a wash alone could take that long and it just branched off from there...still lost? :wink1:
Accumulator
Well-known member
Don M- Heh heh, that's what I thought, just making sure So many responses sounded like "it just can't be done!"...and I was thinking along the lines of "but what if it *has* to be done in that time?".
So many responses sounded like "it just can't be done!"...and I was thinking along the lines of "but what if it *has* to be done in that time?".I thought I was the only one getting old and taking 2 hours just to clean the car. Glad to see I am not the only old guy here
I have, however, been able to do a "2 hour job" on in-laws car and get decent results. My time calculations include setup (prepare soap, prepare tools, etc) Remember, the average person doesn't care or even notice things that would make us cry. As long as the car is clean and decently shiny, it will look wonderful to them:
-Swirls?
"Aren't those marks normal? All the cars have them!"
- Door jams?
"You can also clean those!?"
- Fenderwells?
"I didn't know they can be cleaned and look black!"
- Engine?
"The only one that looks at it is the guy that changes the oil?"
- Exhaust tips?
"Isn't dull gray their natural color?"
Steps
1) Get stuff ready
2) Start to rinse, starting with the tires, wheels and wells. Just a quick pass to loosen dirt and mud. do a second pass with more focus. Apply wheel cleaner to them.
3) Start rinsing the body. Try to blast as much dirt as you can. This is key to move fast. A PW might be invaluable here.
4) Go back to the tires and wheels. Brush them. Unless they are beyond any hope, they will look much better. Rinse them, brush the wells. You are done here. Finish rinsing the body
5) Start washing, 2 bucket method of course and done properly (rinse mitt after one panel). Try to rinse after 4 or 5 panels (top and glass in one group; hood, front fenders and bumper; trunk, back fenders and back fender; doors)
6) As the car is still wet, clay quickly. You are only trying to take out the nastiest stuff.
7) Dry
8) Apply a one step wax. You need strong cleaners. KAIO comes to mind. I have used mothers cleaner wax and works wonders in this scenario. Remove it.
9) Move to the interior. Vacuum it
10) Clean surfaces with an interior detailer if not too dirty. Clean with HD total if soiled. You are not restoring, just cleaning. Move as such.
11) Fabric, seats and carpet, just a quick rubbing with HD total IF needed.
12) Clean glass!! Most of the people who cannot notice anything else will notice clean glass and mirror.
13) Dress tires.
14) Pick up stuff. You should be right under the time.
Alternatives
- Wash with a waterless car wash. 3D waterless and HD free cut time a lot. Going from conventional to rinseless saves a lot of time. Going from rinseless to waterless is a saving as big. The waterless can wash anything the rinseless can. Remember, you have already blasted the nastiest stuff. If time is really a constraint, you should already be using waterless. 4 oz should be enough to clean a properly blasted car.
- Skip the clay.
- The other way around, add a paint cleanser or polish if you washed fast. Use something that can be applied by hand with an HD unopad or a 4" polishing pad. You are not trying to remove swirls, just making the gloss pop. HD uno works great, and I have also used the turtle wax premium rubbing compound with fantastic results. Wax after this, no need to wash again.
- If time allows, door jams with waterless wash / quick detailer. Focus on the more visible and exposed surfaces. Forget the door harnesses grommets
How does it look? Fantastic for how it was!
Autopian stardards? Well, let's juts say "autopian in a hurry" Grab a beer and celebrate another conquest!
Alex
I have, however, been able to do a "2 hour job" on in-laws car and get decent results. My time calculations include setup (prepare soap, prepare tools, etc) Remember, the average person doesn't care or even notice things that would make us cry. As long as the car is clean and decently shiny, it will look wonderful to them:
-Swirls?
"Aren't those marks normal? All the cars have them!"
- Door jams?
"You can also clean those!?"
- Fenderwells?
"I didn't know they can be cleaned and look black!"
- Engine?
"The only one that looks at it is the guy that changes the oil?"
- Exhaust tips?
"Isn't dull gray their natural color?"
Steps
1) Get stuff ready
2) Start to rinse, starting with the tires, wheels and wells. Just a quick pass to loosen dirt and mud. do a second pass with more focus. Apply wheel cleaner to them.
3) Start rinsing the body. Try to blast as much dirt as you can. This is key to move fast. A PW might be invaluable here.
4) Go back to the tires and wheels. Brush them. Unless they are beyond any hope, they will look much better. Rinse them, brush the wells. You are done here. Finish rinsing the body
5) Start washing, 2 bucket method of course and done properly (rinse mitt after one panel). Try to rinse after 4 or 5 panels (top and glass in one group; hood, front fenders and bumper; trunk, back fenders and back fender; doors)
6) As the car is still wet, clay quickly. You are only trying to take out the nastiest stuff.
7) Dry
8) Apply a one step wax. You need strong cleaners. KAIO comes to mind. I have used mothers cleaner wax and works wonders in this scenario. Remove it.
9) Move to the interior. Vacuum it
10) Clean surfaces with an interior detailer if not too dirty. Clean with HD total if soiled. You are not restoring, just cleaning. Move as such.
11) Fabric, seats and carpet, just a quick rubbing with HD total IF needed.
12) Clean glass!! Most of the people who cannot notice anything else will notice clean glass and mirror.
13) Dress tires.
14) Pick up stuff. You should be right under the time.
Alternatives
- Wash with a waterless car wash. 3D waterless and HD free cut time a lot. Going from conventional to rinseless saves a lot of time. Going from rinseless to waterless is a saving as big. The waterless can wash anything the rinseless can. Remember, you have already blasted the nastiest stuff. If time is really a constraint, you should already be using waterless. 4 oz should be enough to clean a properly blasted car.
- Skip the clay.
- The other way around, add a paint cleanser or polish if you washed fast. Use something that can be applied by hand with an HD unopad or a 4" polishing pad. You are not trying to remove swirls, just making the gloss pop. HD uno works great, and I have also used the turtle wax premium rubbing compound with fantastic results. Wax after this, no need to wash again.
- If time allows, door jams with waterless wash / quick detailer. Focus on the more visible and exposed surfaces. Forget the door harnesses grommets
How does it look? Fantastic for how it was!
Autopian stardards? Well, let's juts say "autopian in a hurry" Grab a beer and celebrate another conquest!
Alex