Are you ever really happy with how your car looks?

I

imported_FUEL

New member
Last night I decided I get too cranky when trying to do a complete detail on the exterior of my car. It takes me about 12 hours because I am that anal about it.

So I went and decided that I would do the hood last night and then work the rest of the car over the weekend. I didnt take pics so dont bother posting the TTIWWP banner (even though some one I know will lol)



Dawn washed the hood and dried

Went over the hood with 3M - PFI3 with rotary and CMA white pad

Dawn washed hood

Went over hood with DACP and PC with Orange power pad

Dawn washed hood

Went over hood with Klasse AIO with PC and Orange Power Pads (gosh I love AIO now)

Dawn washed

Three coats of the new Z5.



It shines done get me wrong and I know that I should end with Z2 but ran out of time. But still I have a few small pin head size imprefections that appear to be pits in the clear coat. I cannot get them out and they really irritate me. I dont kow how they got there the car is only a year old and has been cared for by me the life of the car. Anyway I can get those out with out going down to the paint? It just seems that no matter what I do I can never get my car to look the way I want it and I have virtually everyproduct that people use here. Any ideas? Comments? Suggestions?

Thank you
 
All I Can Say Is "been there done that".

Funny enough, last night i did my hood as well, gonna work on the rest as the weekend progresses.

I hit the hood with 3m smr via rotary, then followed that with #9 via PC. I have plenty of those little pinhead marks on my hood. I guess thats what happens after driving 30,000 miles in the slag and mess they call the mountains of NC. Before I cleaned it all up, they werent even noticeable, thats what kills me, now that it looks great, there they are staring in my face. :(
 
Never achieved the ultimate shine yet. When I originally purchased the Klasse twins I thought they would blow me away, but I was actually a little disappointed with SG. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, and perhaps it was too cold when I applied the twins.



P21s/S100 is the best I've tried to date. Only if they were more durable.



Always in the back of my mind I hear ... Zaino, Zaino, Zaino! But, haven't tried Z yet.
 
Not saying my car is the ultimate, but yesterday I went to lunch with a co-worker and as I was walking in to the restaurant, I couldn't stop looking back at my car. The pop on it was incredible. When we were leaving he noticed my car and was like "holy crap, that looks awesome!"



We then headed over to the nearby Ferrari/Maserati dealership to drool a bit. We tend to go every few weeks. Anyway, they had a F40 parked outside (it turned out to be the owner's car), and I couldn't help but notice how much more incredible the paint on my car looked. I've noticed that before when parking around back to oggle the customer cars that are in for service.



I was pretty content with how my car was looking...
 
Firstly - whats with all the multiple dawn washes ??



Waste of time and effort - if the DACP and PI-III aint going to get the paint clean with all those solvents and abrasives, i VERY much doubt a bit of dish soap is going to make much of an impact.



Give the poor paint a rest and just wipe it down!







As for 'the ultimate shine' it really depends on two things : Age of car/paint and colour.





As some folks know, you could throw a bucket of elephant urine on a black car and if you got the angle right it would looks a million bucks.



Reds not so easy, but a competent person could get one looking good.



Silver, White and Gold are all ALOT harder to get looking good.

Jngr has put enormous amounts of effort into his Acura and its about the best looking white car I've seen.



But I bet if he posted a photo next to Joe Blows POS Black Superfly everyone would say the black car looked better.



So - onto age/condition.



As a vehicle is used it picks up damage your not going to remove without a repaint.

Stone chips in metallics, minor dings, deep scratches etc all detract from that 'perfect finish'.



I am happy with a vehicle as long as it looks about as good as its going to get.



If you want perfection, buy a brand new car, threaten the dealer on pain of death and dismemberment NOT to touch it and once you've given it the 3 - week detail, wrap it in cotton wool and leave it in the garage!
 
as the owner of a vehicle, you are never going to be perfectly happy with your car if you expect perfection. The fact of the matter is that unless you keep your car in a big glass display, it is going to come in contact with rocks, other drivers, oxidation, and countless other things that erode that flawless finish it once had.



Also, remember that no one else gets their eyes 2 inches from your paint and studies it like you do. So, if you can get a little perspective and stop trying to achieve the impossible, I think keeping a detailed shiny car can be very enjoyable.



I'm usually very happy with the way my Accord looks.
 
Holy cow! 4 Dawn washes in one night? I hope you taped up your rubber and plastic trim to prevent drying and cracking from the alkaline solution!



Ever tried washing your hands with Dawn 4 times, and not using moisturizer afterwards? Feels like sandpaper......
 
I wash with Dawn after every buff and compound and polish to ensure I got all the residue off. And Zaino will adhere(sp?) better also.
 
I like the beginning of old "Happy Days" episodes where the Fonz stands in front of the Boys Room mirror, gets out his comb to fix his hair and then decides...it perfect!



More often than not, I find myself standing beside my car with product in hand thinking, "Naw, I'll wait till next week." ;)
 
I can make my Lexus look stunning, but I live and drive in the real world...not a concours d'elegance. I'm with Brad B. and even if I laze out and skip a week, my car still looks better than 98% of others I encounter.



Who said it?...The Passionate Pursuit of "Eh...Close enough".
 
Mine looks better than 98% out there as well but that Autopia in me says its never good enough. I think it partly relates to other aspects of life as well. Nothing is ever good enough it can always be improved.



Mmmph love the Homer Simpson quote!!!
 
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