2000 Ford Taurus (silver Frost) | Michalski Detailing

J

JimO

New member
Our 2001 dark green Honda Accord is about 6 months old and I have noticed very minor swirl marks all over the car. I plan on buying the BlackFire kit, but I'd like to know if surface prepping necessary on my car considering it's only 6 months old.



If you guys recommend it, what surface prep do you recommend for our dark green Accord? We also have a silver Montero and white Integra, so I was hoping to use the same products on all the cars. Also, all our cars are parked outside because we don't have a garage.



TIA!
 
Some cars need surface prep before they even leave the car lot. Any car that sits outside is subject to atmospheric and biological (bird poop, bugs, pollen, sap)fallout. Transporting cars by rail also produces rail dust that can settle on the cars finish. You will achieve better end results by preping first IMO.
 
saw how dirty your car was when it was delivered - well, you wouldn't be asking this question! You should have seen my vette when I took delivery (I told them not to touch it.)



Seriously, most cars are in need of surface prep even before they leave the manufacturer's lot. Delivery by truck or rail kicks up all sorts of gunk that sticks to the nice fresh paint. Add that to the car sitting in the dealer's lot for months on end (in some cases) and it can really get ugly.



I would Dawn-wash and clay the car, then check for swirls. If you have them, read the many threads here that describe ways to eliminate them. You should always evaluate swirls in the paint after all sealants have been stripped - Dawn and clay will do this if the car just had wax on it (if anything.) Reason is that the swirls may be in the sealant and will go away when the sealant is removed. The clay will make the paint smooth as glass and pick up the rail dust and other gook. If the car had a synthetic sealant on it then you may want to use PPCL before or after claying.
 
Preperation is the most important step to a great looking car.



Take your time and prep the car. Check out the Autopia site for great tips and do some searches.



Check your finish before you begin so you can decide what you need to do.
 
This weekend the owner and I finally were able to schedule his car to bring the glass back to the paint. Owner is a good friend of mine, and also available to lend a helping hand in the detail when possible. I was unable to secure a lot of good photos due to: a) weather, raining during the early stages of the detail, and reports of more rain later on b) very light metallic color, and pressed for time before any more rain came

Process:
- Pressure rinse vehicle via pressure washer
- APC (4:1) tires
- Optimum Car Wash soap for pre-soak of wheels, they were rather clean
- foam down vehicle with foam cannon via pressure washer, and CG's Citrus Wash & Clear, followed by hand wash
- pressure rinse
- clay vehicle

Polishing:
- FLEX, via Hydro-Tech (cyan) pad with M105 (original version)
- Menzerna 87 with blue Lake Country pads via Makita 9227
- IPA wipe-down (2:1 dilution, using 70% IPA)

LSP:
- Blackfire Wet Diamond via PC, red Lake Country CCS pad
- tires dressed with Optimum Opti-Bond dilution and Showroom FX (equal parts)
- rocker panels and cowel dressed with Meg's Hyper-Dressing (2:1)


Thanks for viewing!

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Very nice job.

When you stated that you used Opt. Car Wash for pre-soak of the wheels, what did you mean? Did you use a sponge and apply and then let dwell before wahsing off?
 
bmw5541 said:
Very nice job.

When you stated that you used Opt. Car Wash for pre-soak of the wheels, what did you mean? Did you use a sponge and apply and then let dwell before wahsing off?
Click to expand...

I have a 32oz. spray bottle that has approx. 1oz. or less of Optimum Car Wash. I use this to when areas are not too dirty. These wheels were fairly clean, so that's all the wheels faces needed. The solution was then agitated with a Swissvax wheel brush.
 
michakaveli said:
I have a 32oz. spray bottle that has approx. 1oz. or less of Optimum Car Wash. I use this to when areas are not too dirty. These wheels were fairly clean, so that's all the wheels faces needed. The solution was then agitated with a Swissvax wheel brush.
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting. I have Opt. Car Wash, so I just might have to give this a try.

Thanks for the tip:hurray:
 
I'm the owner of the car. I cannot thank Michakaveli enough for his time and work. Plenty of things learned during the detailing session. I never thought the metallic in the Silver could pop like it did. Now I need to save up and purchase a Flex... :Dancing Dot:

It is amazing how the water beads on the paint now. The water doesn't adhere to glass or paint anymore either. :)
 
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