VroomVroom
New member
Hi Folks,
Finished (is it ever really finished?) a detail for myself today on my pickup...the first - and last - black vehicle I'll ever own.
Had plans to use Menzerna IP, but realized early on that it wasn't aggressive enough. So, went to old reliable SSR 2.5 for the heavy work. It got rid of close to 95% of the swirls and light scratches, which was good enough for me. Here's a rundown of what I used:
1. Wheels, nerf bars, exhaust tips, wheel wells & tires.
Sonus shampoo, Costco Oil Eater degreaser; sheepskin & tire brush.
2. Body wash.
Four Star ultimate shampoo & sheepskin.
3. Used a Clay Magic combo for the claying process. Worked perfectly fine - probably the most pliable clay bar I've used. Their lubricant left an ugly residue that didn't rinse off, so I switched to S&W about 1/4 of the way through.
4. Applied SSR 2.5 w/ an orange pad. Made two passes on the hood, front fenders, tailgate, and a few other problem areas along the way.
5. Applied Menzerna FPII with a white pad. I was really pleased with this product. My guess is that it's a wee bit stronger than Poorboys Pro Polish and UPC...purely subjective, though.
Running across the palm of my hand (through the camera strap) you can make out a scratch that I was able to improve, but not remove.
6. Applied Clearkote RMG with a black buffing pad. I LOVE this stuff. Definitely a permanent addition to the arsenal!
7. Applied Poorboys EX by hand. My original plan called for two coats of UPP followed by Natty's Blue, but Mother Nature refused to cooperate. Very clear & sunny with high winds...way too stiff for my EZ-Up. So - I compromised a bit. Although it's not as durable, nor does it leave the finish as remarkably slick, as UPP, EX yields great results and is so easy to use. I was done in just over 20 minutes.
Finished (is it ever really finished?) a detail for myself today on my pickup...the first - and last - black vehicle I'll ever own.
Had plans to use Menzerna IP, but realized early on that it wasn't aggressive enough. So, went to old reliable SSR 2.5 for the heavy work. It got rid of close to 95% of the swirls and light scratches, which was good enough for me. Here's a rundown of what I used:
1. Wheels, nerf bars, exhaust tips, wheel wells & tires.
Sonus shampoo, Costco Oil Eater degreaser; sheepskin & tire brush.
2. Body wash.
Four Star ultimate shampoo & sheepskin.
3. Used a Clay Magic combo for the claying process. Worked perfectly fine - probably the most pliable clay bar I've used. Their lubricant left an ugly residue that didn't rinse off, so I switched to S&W about 1/4 of the way through.
4. Applied SSR 2.5 w/ an orange pad. Made two passes on the hood, front fenders, tailgate, and a few other problem areas along the way.
5. Applied Menzerna FPII with a white pad. I was really pleased with this product. My guess is that it's a wee bit stronger than Poorboys Pro Polish and UPC...purely subjective, though.
Running across the palm of my hand (through the camera strap) you can make out a scratch that I was able to improve, but not remove.
6. Applied Clearkote RMG with a black buffing pad. I LOVE this stuff. Definitely a permanent addition to the arsenal!
7. Applied Poorboys EX by hand. My original plan called for two coats of UPP followed by Natty's Blue, but Mother Nature refused to cooperate. Very clear & sunny with high winds...way too stiff for my EZ-Up. So - I compromised a bit. Although it's not as durable, nor does it leave the finish as remarkably slick, as UPP, EX yields great results and is so easy to use. I was done in just over 20 minutes.
The two-tone is a custom job. The top color is GM's standard black while the lower color is 'storm grey' - GM's 14U code.
