alpha Detailed: 08 S2000 GPW CR - In Progress & Help Requested

alpha

New member
Hello All,



This is my first time using a PC. I bought a 7424XP, but I had to send it back for an exchange since it was defective.



Anyways, I found out that one of my friends has a 7336SP and he let me borrow it.



I have some questions, and some in progress photos.



This isn't my first detail, but it is my first detail with a PC. And it's the first time I've detailed the s2k.



I don't drive it everyday, and I try and keep it clean, which is why the before pics don't show a lot of dirt.



Here's some before pics..



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Before pics of the swirl marks. Most of these were introduced from the dealer, as the car looked like this upon delivery.



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Before pics of the interior..



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Cleaning the arches and wheels. I used some Megs All Wheel Cleaner for the back of the wheel. For the front, I had some Turtle Wax Car Wash from back in the day, so I used that.



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A couple pictures of under the license plates..



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I then washed the car using Palmolive dish soap to strip any sealants and wax that happen to be on it. Honestly, I haven't waxed the car since I got it 7 months ago, but the dealer tossed in the protection package they offer, so it had should have had some sealant on it.



The following pic shows the beading before washing the car with Palmolive. I have washed the car with ONR, so I think some of the beading is from the use of ONR.



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The following pics are after I washed with Palmolive, clayed, and washed again wiht Megs Deep Crystal Car Wash. I clayed the car with Mother's clay that I bought OTC. The paint was fairly clean. It was a showroom car at the dealership, and it stays garaged at home.



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Some pics of it taped up..



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Here are some pics after a pass of polishing with the PC..



I'm using Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 because it came with the kit I bought the PC with. I'll be following this with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0, and then with Pinnacle Paintworks Cleansing Lotion (if necessary). I'm also doing an IPA wipedown after polishing each section.



Here's a couple pics of the driver's side of the hardtop. I used a LC CCS 6.5" white pad with the Total Swirl Remover 3.0. I spread it on speed 3 and worked it in on speed 5.



These pics were taken under halogens. I'm going to take some better pictures using the sun tomorrow.



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Here's a pic of the hood. Hard to tell since it's white.



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Here's a couple pics of the passenger side. In the first pic, I used a LC CCS Orange Pad 6.5" to see if I could get some better correction (since the white pad left some light swirls and scratches on the drivers side). I didn't notice better correction using the halogens, so I went back to a white pad on the right side of the hardtop (the second pic).



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So here are my questions:



1. The paint isn't looking fully corrected. I've read that Honda paint is soft, so I'm trying not to go too aggressive. There are still some traces of light swirls and scratches after the first pass of TSR 3.0. I was thinking of using the FG as a finishing polish to get rid of any holograms or anything if they do show up after the first step of polishing. I'm planning on using the FG with a white pad. Should I try another pass with the TSR and CCS white pad combo? Or should I try something else? Or should I just say thats good enough, go with the FG, and then the cleansing lotion? (hopefully if the latter, the paint looks fully corrected).

2. Is the product/pad combo not aggressive enough? Should I not expect full correction from the first step? I also have Megs Swirl X and Megs Polish (Step 2 in their 3 step system).



After polishing, I'm planning to add 2 layers of DPGS 3.0 followed by a layer of SSII as LSP. I'm applying 2 layers of DPGS 3.0 to maximize coverage.



I vacuumed the interior, but I'm going to be applying some Vinylex. I'm also planning to use Megs NXT Tech Wax to seal the wheels.



Any help and tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
 
Wha...your new 7424XP was defective?!?! Well, they are not getting off to much of a start. Looks like you're making good progress, but I can't help because I am really not familiar with those products you are using, you even lost me with the acronyms (good job!).



PS How did that wing get on the car? :p
 
^ lol. my first thoughts of the PC as well.



the wing and front lip are of course standard equipment on the CR, and while many don't like their look, at least they're actually functional.



I responded to this on s2ki W&W, but i'm sure you'll also receive some good info here ;)
 
I would recommend that whatever polish you use as your final polish that you use a zero bite pad with it.



You're off to an amazing start, btw...great attention to detail, and the results you've gotten with your PC are *very* good for a first timer.



Your thoughts on Honda paint are correct; it's soft. Since you have done the major correcting now, I would get some Meguiars 205 and apply it with a zero bite 4" pad. It will probably take several applications to get the finish down to where you want it. For an even higher gloss, you could follow the 205 up with Menzerna Final Polish II, but that's a lot of additional work.



Beautiful car.
 
My rule of thumb when I do my Civic SI (EP3 body style), is I step the pads down in aggressiveness. Usually you use the TSR with a orange pad, and the FG with a white. I usually go white with the TSR and gray/black with the FG. Then thing to be careful with is if you're working the product too long you could be reintroducing swirls/marring into the paint. Honda paint is just too soft in some places (My hood for instance you can look at it, and it gets a scratch in it). I would then use Menzerna PO85RD or 3M Ultrafina if you have it with a blue or red pad for a jeweling process. It'll take the lightest of marring out, and make it shine like no other. If you don't have those available, you can still do it with the FG.



On a side note, the Wolfgang stuff is partnership with Menzerna anyways, the Total Swirl Remover is basically like SIP, and Finishing Glaze is basically 106FA or Super Finish.



Looks good so far, good luck finishing that up, should be a gem when done!
 
Thanks for all the tips and complements! I've read so much over the past few weeks, but there's nothing compared to learning by doing it.



I just tried the following process on my hardtop, and the results look great! I'm pleased, especially since I'm new to the PC.



- Applied swirl remover with orange pad

- Applied cleansing lotion by hand

- Applied finishing glaze with white pad



I might even go over it again with a blue or black pad to jewel it. For the rest of the car, I'm going to try using a white pad with the swirl remover; and only step up if I need to.
 
Here's some after pics pre-LSP. I'm going to apply a layer of sealant tonight, let it cure overnight, apply another layer tomorrow, let it cure, and then apply a layer of SSII.



The second pic is of the hood..



It's not 100% corrected, but it's probably about 95% if not a little more corrected. Considering this is my first time with a PC, I'm happy with the results.



I'll take better pics after LSP.



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Another update:



I took a few pics after the first layer of DGPS 3.0.



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And the picture that makes all the hard work worth it.. :-)



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