Leadfootluke
New member
My boss has seen my detailing work and asked if I would take care of his vehicle. His truck's manufacturing date was 6/02 and he thought it would be appropriate for it to be protected for the first time in it's 10 year existence [I gets regular tunnel washes]. For having never been waxed, the truck was in remarkably good condition. The agricultural season that I work in has winded down which gave me time to clean up the vehicle right over the course of 3 days.
Here is it as it was pulled in.
And this was the largest defect on the paint.
It had normal wear and tear which included soiled wheel wells.
A filthy engine bay.
Dirty door jambs.
And there was a large buildup of dirt and grease behind the trim that surrounds the doors.
The bed also had a topper removed from it [the top is taken off each year and new seal is caulked around the bed] so I spent some time removing the dried rubber.
The interior needed to be cleaned as well.
Some dust
First it was time to decontaminate it. I soaked the paint in APC and Optimum's car wash and washed the paint and during that time, I also washed the engine bay [no pictures, sorry!]. I used Wolf's Decon Gel to remove the rail dust and iron from the paint. I am still figuring out the best way to use it as I used more than I wanted to on this vehicle, but I enjoyed watching it work.
While the Decon Gel did it's thing I worked on removing the rubber on the bed.
After the wash, Decon gel, and TarX, the clay removed the rest of the contaminants from the paint. And there were a lot given the fact that this vehicle hasn't been waxed or decontaminated since it was brought home.
The interior was vacuumed, compressed air was used to blow more dirt out of the carpet, and then it was vacuumed again. Plastics were vacuumed, dusted and cleaned with Megs QID and Adam's interior cleaner depending on how dirty it was. Folex was used on the carpets that were soiled. The door jambs were soaked with Megs APC+ and cleaned with various brushes and towels and wiped down with ONR multiple times as needed.
Correction was carried out using the PC7424XP, Optimum MF Polishing pads and HD Polish. Some spots received Surbuf pads and M105. The paint was rewashed and completely wiped down with IPA to prepare it for Opti-coat. Tires were dressed with Megs HD 3:1.
I didn't have any "in progress" pictures, but here are the afters.
Interior
And this is to get an idea of the Folex in action on the door.
The fuel door was cleaned and sealed
The tailights polished and OC'd
The green stain on the door removed
The bed cleaned of all rubber
Windows spotless
And a few random post OC pictures
There are no after shots of the engine bay but it as blown out with compressed air, rinsed, soaked with APC, brushed, rinsed, and wiped down to leave the plastic clean but not dressed.
Overall I loved using Wolf's Decon Gel, but I do need to find a more efficient way of using it. I may just need to find a fine-mist sprayer if it will work with the gel. HD Polish worked very well with the MF pads and removed effortlessly. Using opticoat for the first time was a pleasure, but I really had no idea how to approach it as I had not used it before. It is such a thin liquid that comes out in small drops. I checked my panels and I had adequate streaking before it flashed, so I had enough product. To do the paint I used about 3ml. I did not do the glass or the wheels due to corrosion, and I felt I was able to cover it all. I have used Opti-seal and I definitely reminded me of that.
Thanks for reading!
Here is it as it was pulled in.
And this was the largest defect on the paint.
It had normal wear and tear which included soiled wheel wells.
A filthy engine bay.
Dirty door jambs.
And there was a large buildup of dirt and grease behind the trim that surrounds the doors.
The bed also had a topper removed from it [the top is taken off each year and new seal is caulked around the bed] so I spent some time removing the dried rubber.
The interior needed to be cleaned as well.
Some dust
First it was time to decontaminate it. I soaked the paint in APC and Optimum's car wash and washed the paint and during that time, I also washed the engine bay [no pictures, sorry!]. I used Wolf's Decon Gel to remove the rail dust and iron from the paint. I am still figuring out the best way to use it as I used more than I wanted to on this vehicle, but I enjoyed watching it work.
While the Decon Gel did it's thing I worked on removing the rubber on the bed.
After the wash, Decon gel, and TarX, the clay removed the rest of the contaminants from the paint. And there were a lot given the fact that this vehicle hasn't been waxed or decontaminated since it was brought home.
The interior was vacuumed, compressed air was used to blow more dirt out of the carpet, and then it was vacuumed again. Plastics were vacuumed, dusted and cleaned with Megs QID and Adam's interior cleaner depending on how dirty it was. Folex was used on the carpets that were soiled. The door jambs were soaked with Megs APC+ and cleaned with various brushes and towels and wiped down with ONR multiple times as needed.
Correction was carried out using the PC7424XP, Optimum MF Polishing pads and HD Polish. Some spots received Surbuf pads and M105. The paint was rewashed and completely wiped down with IPA to prepare it for Opti-coat. Tires were dressed with Megs HD 3:1.
I didn't have any "in progress" pictures, but here are the afters.
Interior
And this is to get an idea of the Folex in action on the door.
The fuel door was cleaned and sealed
The tailights polished and OC'd
The green stain on the door removed
The bed cleaned of all rubber
Windows spotless
And a few random post OC pictures
There are no after shots of the engine bay but it as blown out with compressed air, rinsed, soaked with APC, brushed, rinsed, and wiped down to leave the plastic clean but not dressed.
Overall I loved using Wolf's Decon Gel, but I do need to find a more efficient way of using it. I may just need to find a fine-mist sprayer if it will work with the gel. HD Polish worked very well with the MF pads and removed effortlessly. Using opticoat for the first time was a pleasure, but I really had no idea how to approach it as I had not used it before. It is such a thin liquid that comes out in small drops. I checked my panels and I had adequate streaking before it flashed, so I had enough product. To do the paint I used about 3ml. I did not do the glass or the wheels due to corrosion, and I felt I was able to cover it all. I have used Opti-seal and I definitely reminded me of that.
Thanks for reading!
