Autopia Noobie Exterior Detail

T

The_Terminator

New member
Hi Everybody,

I'm glad I found this website, and I have been lurking and trying to learn whatever I can from the masters.

I'm on a super low budget so after reading thousands of posts, I came up with this routine. I'm not fluent in all of the abbreviations yet, so please forgive me:



1) Wash car with Meguiars Deep Crystal Wash.

2) Clay car with Meguiars Detailers Clay.

3) Wash again to remove clay residue.

4) Polish car with Meguiars ColorX.

5) Wax car with Meguiars NXT high tech wax.



I'm not new to car waxing, as I've done it many times before.

but this is my first time claying and trying to minimize swirls.



I was not going for "Ultimate Show Car Finish" (please don't stone me for saying that:D ) b/c this is my daily driver, and I just don't have the time or resources to maintain such a high level of finish.



Rather, I was aiming for a "Looks pretty darn impressive" type of finish, which I think I achieved.



Thanks to all of you for the advice I gleaned from this site, and thanks to David W. Bynon for his fabulous ebook on detailing.



Please let me know what you think.



Without further ado, here is my '03 Civic LX in Eternal Blue Pearl:



Before:



Civic_swirls1.jpg






And another Before shot:



Civic_swirls2.jpg








And after lots of work by hand only:



Civic_Reflections1.jpg




I love this shot!

Civic_Reflections2.jpg






Civic_Reflections3.jpg






Civic_Reflections4.jpg






Thanks for looking, and have a great day!
 
All by hand, my friend, all by hand. I don't have any funds available whatsoever for buying the PC. I've already got too many other hobbies that consume any extra cash I might have.



...And thanks for the compliment! :)
 
looks good, remember to take the pictures in the sunlight too! sometimes its hard to see if the swirls are gone if the sun isnt shining on them. I know that feeling i was there too and i remember thinking that they were gone when in reality they were just hidden. Looks good though for sure!
 
Thank you all for your compliments.





randomman84 said:
...remember to take the pictures in the sunlight too! sometimes its hard to see if the swirls are gone if the sun isnt shining on them. I know that feeling i was there too and i remember thinking that they were gone when in reality they were just hidden.
Click to expand...
You are on to me. heh heh.

I know they're not completely gone. but my time and patience are.



They are reduced enough that I'm happy. The fact that it's a daily driver, plus I don't have a garage, makes me stop before being completely obsessed about it. I want my car to always look good and I want to maintain it well, but I just don't have the time and resources to to make it perfect.



I'm probably going to do another coat or two of NXT after this coat has had time to cure.



I'm a mountain biker, and after another two coats of NXT, I will be putting on my roof rack and hauling dirty, dusty and muddy bikes to many different trails in my area. The trails are almost all located off of dirt roads with dusty parking lots.



So a perfect finish wouldn't last more than two days.

This is a picture of what my car looks like for much of the spring, summer, and fall:



Addison_Oaks_Car.jpg




I will maintain the car with frequent washings and quick detailing, but sadly, I can't get this thing to show car condition, even though I would love to deep in my heart.

Thanks for the feedback though. I really appreciate it.
 
Any after shots in the sun?

Your 2nd before shot shows the paint looking almost as good in the shade.
 
Now that you mention it, you're right about the second photo.

I took a quick look at it this morning on my way to work, and in the sunlight, the swirls are still there only they are minimized.



Back to the drawing board, eh?

I think I'm gonna cry.
 
Looks awesome for being done by hand. I also have a darker blue car and know how hard it is to keep it perfect. I bet you got a pretty good workout after all that polishing, hehe. Keep up the good work!
 
Thanks again for the compliments. Yeah, by hand really sucks. I have been majorly charlie horsed since Sunday.



I really do want to get a PC or find a fellow autopian in my area that will work with me. I've got the shine and the reflections, but I've still got the swirls and now they are driving me nuts.



I hate that I went to the $2 car wash in my area throughout the winter, but we had a very tough winter in regards to automoble paint. Every day was freezing cold with salt and grime getting caked onto every single part of the car.



Oh well, we'll see how things develope. But I really appreciate all of the comments and the feedback. Thanks.
 
ColorX wont do anything except for really light swirls. It's more of a chemical cleaner in my experience.

You probably have to step up to #9 or SSR1 or maybe even stronger but I wouldn't recommend it by hand (I think you know why). You can try doing it like I used to, do the hood one day, then the next day do the roof ... etc.

To keep my car clean when I can't do it at home, I go to the manual car wash and use their pressure hose. Blow away the dirt and grime with just water and finish with a spot-free rinse.
 
where exactly is it that your located? and im a fellow mountain biker i ride a Specialized Enduro Expert FSR



i think i see a specialized and a schwinn on ur rack there but not sure? what bikes you ride?
 
Hi. I just noticed your reply. I'm in Southeast Michigan and I ride the schwinn 4 banger (which I converted to a straight six). My buddy rides the FSR. What year is your bicycle? I love that model.



Incidentally, I'm trying to maintain the shine on my car with Megs QD and MF, but my car collects dust like a whatchmacallit.



I HATE not having a a garage.
 
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