Elite M.D
A.K.A. 02Silverado
Last Saturday (April 24) I detail my family friends Tahoe that I have known my entire life. It is a 2002 and his son and I used to take it to Lake Tahoe snowboarding. As some may know, going to the mountains just tears up vehicles and the paint. I used to wash it but for a long time there kids have been washing it to make some money so you probably know what happens there. When I had my red truck, our trucks looked like they had 2 different paint jobs even though they were the same. They have done a lot for my business and me and are setting me up pretty big here soon at a new office complex they are building that’s almost done. That’s pretty much the story, so here is the good part.
-2002 Chevy Tahoe Victory Red
-Never detailed
-Washed about once a week but not properly
-Lots of deep swirls and scratches
-Light Oxidation
-Lots of dirt in the paint
-Dried out trim
-Carpets and seats not to bad
-Door panels/dash/panels need a little work.
Here are the before pictures.
First thing on the agenda was to give the truck a very good cleaning. First I acid washed the back of the rims and rims to get them completely clean (lug nuts and in there), degrease wheel wells, degrease and spray adhesive remover to lower panels to remove dirt/tar/road grim and gum. I then pressure washed the entire vehicle and washed with dawn. We then Chamois dried the truck and pulled it into the garage.
I had my employee start claying with Clay Magic and Quik Detail (using up CM to get Meguiar's clay) and tape off some plastic parts.
I pulled out the DeWalt Rotary and put on a SOFTBUFF Finishing Pad W-7000. I got out Dual Action Cleaner Polish #83 and tested out a small section of the hood to see if it would get all the swirls out. I set the rotary to 1800 rpms and used moderate pressure and worked the product in. Here is a picture.
Everything looked good so I followed my employee (Daniel) while he was claying and taping off. He was having some problems with the clay smearing all over the place so he added some water that helped a little but it took a little longer then normal.
After using the rotary with #83 we washed the truck with normal car soap. Daniel used my New Porter Cable with my new Meguiars Pads. He used Swirl Free Polish #82 with a SOFTBUFF Finishing Pad W-9006 at speed setting of 4.5 and moderate pressure.
While washing the truck their youngest kid wanted to help us out but I wouldn’t let him since I just spent the last hour and a half cutting the exterior. After washing we dried it and I had him dry the rims, he he. While drying them he said they don’t look good so I said you could polish them if you want, and he said ok, ha-ha. So here he is polishing the rims.
While Daniel was polishing the truck and he was polishing the rims I followed Daniel and removed the Swirl Free Polish. I used a micro-fiber towel then applied NXT Tech Wax. I used my DeWalt Orbital with a final polishing pad to apply NXT (not Meguiars).
After that I applied a sealant to the windows, dressed the trim/tires/wheel wells and removed NXT.
Next was the interior.
The interior before pictures didn’t really show the condition so I wont post them. Here is what I did.
-Steam Cleaned Seats/Carpets and Mats
-Clean and dressed all trim/dash/panels
Here are the after pictures.
And that was it. Took us about 8 1/2 hours. Long day and I still had more work after that but it was worth it to get this truck back into shape, especially since I see it all the time. I did do the engine buy forgot to take pictures.
Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
-2002 Chevy Tahoe Victory Red
-Never detailed
-Washed about once a week but not properly
-Lots of deep swirls and scratches
-Light Oxidation
-Lots of dirt in the paint
-Dried out trim
-Carpets and seats not to bad
-Door panels/dash/panels need a little work.
Here are the before pictures.
First thing on the agenda was to give the truck a very good cleaning. First I acid washed the back of the rims and rims to get them completely clean (lug nuts and in there), degrease wheel wells, degrease and spray adhesive remover to lower panels to remove dirt/tar/road grim and gum. I then pressure washed the entire vehicle and washed with dawn. We then Chamois dried the truck and pulled it into the garage.
I had my employee start claying with Clay Magic and Quik Detail (using up CM to get Meguiar's clay) and tape off some plastic parts.
I pulled out the DeWalt Rotary and put on a SOFTBUFF Finishing Pad W-7000. I got out Dual Action Cleaner Polish #83 and tested out a small section of the hood to see if it would get all the swirls out. I set the rotary to 1800 rpms and used moderate pressure and worked the product in. Here is a picture.
Everything looked good so I followed my employee (Daniel) while he was claying and taping off. He was having some problems with the clay smearing all over the place so he added some water that helped a little but it took a little longer then normal.
After using the rotary with #83 we washed the truck with normal car soap. Daniel used my New Porter Cable with my new Meguiars Pads. He used Swirl Free Polish #82 with a SOFTBUFF Finishing Pad W-9006 at speed setting of 4.5 and moderate pressure.
While washing the truck their youngest kid wanted to help us out but I wouldn’t let him since I just spent the last hour and a half cutting the exterior. After washing we dried it and I had him dry the rims, he he. While drying them he said they don’t look good so I said you could polish them if you want, and he said ok, ha-ha. So here he is polishing the rims.
While Daniel was polishing the truck and he was polishing the rims I followed Daniel and removed the Swirl Free Polish. I used a micro-fiber towel then applied NXT Tech Wax. I used my DeWalt Orbital with a final polishing pad to apply NXT (not Meguiars).
After that I applied a sealant to the windows, dressed the trim/tires/wheel wells and removed NXT.
Next was the interior.
The interior before pictures didn’t really show the condition so I wont post them. Here is what I did.
-Steam Cleaned Seats/Carpets and Mats
-Clean and dressed all trim/dash/panels
Here are the after pictures.
And that was it. Took us about 8 1/2 hours. Long day and I still had more work after that but it was worth it to get this truck back into shape, especially since I see it all the time. I did do the engine buy forgot to take pictures.
Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
