14 hours later -- my daily driver is better than new!

A

AGAuto

New member
I'm going to start off by saying that I have been waiting forever for the right time to do this. Ever since I first received my Murano from the dealership, it was heavy swirls and buffer trails all over its black paint from the new car prep they do. I have always kept my car clean, but it has only been recently that I became completely confident using my Griots Garage random orbital (I know, not the best machine out there but I got it a year ago thinking I would stay on the safe side). I decided to detail cars for the summer before I head back to school, and have learned so much already from this forum its ridiculous. I just want to thank everyone for all your help with any questions I had...I am always learning



Now back to my car...I chose to do a complete exterior detail (wash, clay, polish, sealant) to get my car where I wanted it to be. I wish I took before pictures to show the complete transformation, but I wanted to get started. Here was the process:



WASH:



- Tires with Ardex New Wave & stiff brush

- Wheels with Ardex Proper & Car soap cause they weren't dirty at all w/ soft brush

- EZ Detail Wheel Brush (A must have in my opinion)

- Wheel wells received same All Purpose Cleaner as the tires

- Then washed the car using the two bucket method using Meguiars Hyper Wash w/ Griots Microfiber Mitt



- I then dried the car with some towels and also cleaned the door jambs



POLISH:



- Taped off ALL rubber & plastic so polish would not stain it

- Removed all old wax by wiping the car down with a 50/50 mixture of IPA

- I started off using Meguiars Ultimate Compound on a 6" Lake Country Orange pad w/ Griots orbital to remove the heavy swirls

- IPA wipe down to remove any leftover polish/oils

- Followed up using Meguaris #205 on a 6" LC white pad w/ Griots orbital to clean up and holograms/marring

-IPA wipe down again



I was not aiming for 100% perfection in getting all the swirls out, but I would say that I got about 85-90% out, which I am very satisfied with.



SEALANT:



Since I was basically preparing the car to withstand all the elements of being parked outside at my school from August - May, I chose to use Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze to protect the paint. I chose to apply 4 coats, waiting about 20 hours in between each coat. I plan to apply at least 2 or 3 more coats after I wash it again before I head off to school.



DRESSING:



Tires were dressed with Ardex Dull Away (rubber brightener usually for the interior & engine hoses but I use it for the tires with good results. However, I just bought a gallon of Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel which I can't wait to use)



Wheel Wells and mud flaps were dressed with CG Bare Bones



Here is the time breakdown:



Wash & Dry: 1.5 hours

Prep for Polish: 1/2 hour

Polish: 9 hours

Sealant: 3 hours



Also, I purchased silver vinyl overlays and put them on right before the pictures. I really am pleased with the way they look – in my opinion, it completely changes the front and looks great.



Please feel free to give constructive criticism. Its supposed to rain all week here so I wasn't looking to make it look like a showroom car, just wanted to give her a lot of protection.



Now for the pictures...I really apologize for the lack of before pictures, but the first one sums up what the entire paint was like



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and with my trip to the jersey shore over the past weekend, someone was nice enough to leave me a nice scrap on my front bumper...



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and now for the afters:



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now for some garage pictures...



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and my cart with the essentials..



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Thanks for looking!
 
SoCalB6 said:
Look great, very wet! Did you use the new Griot's polisher or the first gen.?
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I used the first generation. I read about the new one, but I think if had to choice to purchase another one I would buy something with more power and such.
 
GREAT JOB I'm jealous. I would personally look into some black/chrome or all chrome aftermarket wheels. either way that black looks excellent.
 
thanks everyone for the comments..



Kalon -- I've looking into black chrome but it's expensive, and I don't feel like dealing with the hassle of finding and using after market wheels, and then taking them off in the winter....done that before with my old car. I did look into powder coating them black but I think that would take away from the look of the car.
 
IPA wipedown, could you please specify to product? (not to heavy into foreign detail lingo\short version of names)..



Other then that the job looks primo..
 
reshine said:
IPA wipedown, could you please specify to product? (not to heavy into foreign detail lingo\short version of names)..



Other then that the job looks primo..
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This is just a basic 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol (91% in my case) and distilled water. It removes any leftover polish residue/oils/fillers and enables you to see your progress clearly.
 
Kalon said:
GREAT JOB I'm jealous. I would personally look into some black/chrome or all chrome aftermarket wheels. either way that black looks excellent.
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If you do decide to get after market black chrome wheels, stay away from BOSS rims. I've got 20 inch 313 black chrome wheels that chip even if I just look at them (I'm ugly, but not that ugly). They look great but damage easily.



BTW, you did a great job on your vehicle. I like the rear guard. Is that just a regular brush/bump guard mounted on the rear?
 
RustyBumper said:
BTW, you did a great job on your vehicle. I like the rear guard. Is that just a regular brush/bump guard mounted on the rear?
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Thanks! And its just a rear bumper guard to protect my bumper when I park...its manufactured by a company called Waag.
 
Beautiful job! I've never been a huge fan of the Murano's but yours is stunning.

By the way where do you find your assortment of wheel well brushes? I would't mind a line up similair to yours in my garage for aesthetic reasons.
 
Chops said:
Beautiful job! I've never been a huge fan of the Murano's but yours is stunning.

By the way where do you find your assortment of wheel well brushes? I would't mind a line up similair to yours in my garage for aesthetic reasons.
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Chops,



I got all my brushes from my local Ardex dealer, but I'm sure you can get them at any Lowes or Home Depot. Thanks for the comments..
 
Crimson said:
LOL at the "push bar" on a Murano :chuckle:



J/K, very nice detail on the Black
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It's not so much a "push bar"...from my understanding a push bar is integrated into the frame at two different places (usually a low and high point, like those on police cars and trucks)...its more a bull bar, and its only for looks.
 
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