What to do when you don't have the time?

C

cptzippy

New member
I would like to take care of my personal daily driver but at the moment (and for forseeable future) won't have a full day or two to do the whole polish and wax routine. Now I've gone the route of getting started and then not finishing do to rain or work or whatever and that is discouraging.



I read on another website that one person there does it in sections - ie does the full process on say one door then the next panel. Any warnings or tips on doing it this way? Any better strategies? I'm going to need a full polish because I've got a lot of swirls after a move during a tough winter and a few months of paint neglect.



So, what do you guys do when you don't have time to spend on your personal cars and they need attention?
 
I have a similar situation and I don't even have a garage. My plan (although I don't even have time for that...) is to polish just the severe sections, and rely on glazing and filling (Yes, I know, blasphemy!). I wish I could spend more time but that's reality.



I know its just hiding the problem but a daily driver just keeps getting beaten up so I try to do what I can.



Also, for regular maintenance, I research using the products that work the fastest and most convenient.



Eg. ONR for wash, OCW for wax. (currently looking into another quick wowo like opti-seal or something similar)



Oh and save money to afford a local Master detailer to fix it properly ;)
 
I've done both my Camry and my Sequoia in sections before for the same reason. I didn't run into any issues with doing it that way if you don't mind not having the whole car done at once.



One tip for doing this is to use ONR for washing if you're not already. That way, you can easily just wash the panel you're about to work on rather than having to wash the whole car every time you want to do a panel.



The only other thing is to be careful about overlap so you're not taking LSP off a finished panel when polishing the next panel.
 
eddie926 said:
The only other thing is to be careful about overlap so you're not taking LSP off a finished panel when polishing the next panel.
Click to expand...



Terrific tidbit right there! And a bit of newspaper and tape ought to sort that right out.



I need to do this again with my car, and I think I'll do it in thirds. Front clip, doors and roof, rear quarters and trunk/spoiler. The ONR process should make this much easier.



I love this place, such great advice.
 
Already doing the ONR bit so that's good. Don't have to do the roof - convertible :) So It looks like I'll do the doors (which need the most attention) the front clip, and the back third. Actually drove my wife's car this afternoon so it wouldn't rain on mine that I'm about to do (washed it yesterday).



BTW, what would you guys think of claying the whole thing (which I could do quickly) and then doing the rest in sections. That would be the easiest for me but not sure it would give the results I'm looking for.
 
You aren't going to pick up too much in the way of contaminants in a week or two. I'd just clay the whole car and go from there.
 
cptzippy said:
BTW, what would you guys think of claying the whole thing (which I could do quickly) and then doing the rest in sections. That would be the easiest for me but not sure it would give the results I'm looking for.
Click to expand...



Might depend on how long you plan to stretch the whole job out. Claying will remove your LSP, so if you plan to spread the job out over a long time you may want to clay just the section you're about to do.
 
I also do my own car in sections for the same reasons as everyone else has already stated.



I didn't do the ONR trick. I personally don't care for the stuff and only use it when it's too cold to do a regular wash.



Now that the weather is nice, a regular wash before doing each panel doesn't take that much time. Also, if the time between one panel to the next is several days, then you're probably due for an all-over wash anyway. This also gives you a chance to maintain the sections you've already done. Which is important.



The only pitfall I can see is if you break the car up into too many sections. If you can't do it in three sessions or so, then you might get into trouble. Like I said, for me, it was best to start with my regular maintenance routine (wash, dry, wheels, trim, interior vac, windows, etc.) and then start polishing/glazing/waxing. If you break it up into too many sections, then you'll never get ahead. By the time you finish, it will be time to start over again.
 
Less said:
I also do my own car in sections for the same reasons as everyone else has already stated.



I didn't do the ONR trick. I personally don't care for the stuff and only use it when it's too cold to do a regular wash.



Now that the weather is nice, a regular wash before doing each panel doesn't take that much time. Also, if the time between one panel to the next is several days, then you're probably due for an all-over wash anyway. This also gives you a chance to maintain the sections you've already done. Which is important.



The only pitfall I can see is if you break the car up into too many sections. If you can't do it in three sessions or so, then you might get into trouble. Like I said, for me, it was best to start with my regular maintenance routine (wash, dry, wheels, trim, interior vac, windows, etc.) and then start polishing/glazing/waxing. If you break it up into too many sections, then you'll never get ahead. By the time you finish, it will be time to start over again.
Click to expand...



Just personal preference on the ONR. I don't like to use it if my vehicles are too dirty, but when they're just "mildly" dirty I really like it.



It really helped when doing my Sequoia too. That thing is like washing a bus, and if I had had to wash the entire vehicle before every polishing session I never would have gotten done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top