EGad.. how long does it take you..

F

FocusRun

New member
I'm in the middle of detailing me car.. Here are my steps..



1) DAwn wash 6:00 pm

STatus: Done. Took me about 2 hours since I'm not allowed to use the hose due to water restrictions. So I used the bucket trick.

Some shoot me.



2) Clay bar with Pinnacle PolyClay 8:00 pm

Done. Yipes! I can't believe I actually did the whole car with that tinsy winsy clay bar. I just picked up my shoulders whenever it fell of and re-attached with duct tape. About an hour. Not even sure I did it right, I was dillusional from the heat, sweat and hot girls walking around.



3) PPCL 9:00 pm

I know this should have been easy. But at this point, i could not even see the results it was dark , just listening if it squeaks nicely after buffing out. Them applicators felt like 150 dumbells on each finger.



I still need 2x AIO and at least 1x SG



You think I should wait till sunrise? I was thinking the AIO should clean off whateve\r lands on the paint with in the 7 hours I'll be taking for sleep.



Now, how do you guys do this? If you were me and doing the "Perfect shine" thing as per the ebook, and doing all of it by HAND (not PC), how long would it take you?



My fingers cramped out, laters
 
Two hours to wash a car?? Heck, that's nothing. Ol' Puterbum takes FOUR hours to wash a car.:D



What you'll find with experience are ways to do the job in a time efficient manner. If it takes me more than 30 minutes to clay my entire car then I'm goofing off more than I'm working. A wash from start to end takes 45 minutes max.



Probably the best thing for you to do is break up steps into managible time chunks. Wash and clay one day. Next day PPCL and AIOx1. Then another AIO and maybe some SG. You've also got wheels, tires, trim, glass, and the interior to do so think small projects instead of the whole enchilada and you'll find things go quicker and are less stressful.



I tend to narrow my focus as much as possible. When I'm polishing the hood all I think about is the hood and the job I'm doing. When the hood is done its on to the next area. I'm not even close to considering when I'm gonna wax or seal the paint. I'm 100% focused on the job at hand.



Try that and see if it works for you. Best of luck! :up
 
bretfraz said:


I tend to narrow my focus as much as possible. When I'm polishing the hood all I think about is the hood and the job I'm doing. When the hood is done its on to the next area. I'm not even close to considering when I'm gonna wax or seal the paint. I'm 100% focused on the job at hand.
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Great advise! If I start thinking about the whole car, or the next full step, I start getting overwhelmed!! By concentrating on one section at a time, it seems much more manageable.



It takes tons of time, and your shoulders and arms feel like they are going to fall off, but in the end it's worth it.



And it's a great work out for those triceps, too! ;)
 
Oh man! I feel the same way when I do multiple coats with Zfx!



:bounce After 3 coats with Z6 in between, i can't even press the 'on' button to visit this nice forum!:D



A wash usually takes me about 45 minutes(with wheels and tires).

It takes me about an hour and a half to do the whole interior.

And I can throw on and buff off a layer of Z in about a half hour.



Don't worry, you'll get faster with time!



:wavey
 
Washtime : about two (2 ) hours

Z-time : per layer of Z-ZFX: 1.5 to 2 hours (applying-buffing)under normal conditions , when high humidity drying time takes longer

internal cleanup + dressing + windows:2 to 3 hours



I realize that it takes time ,

but,

radio on , never in a hurry , chilled beer or other refreshments within reach

I've changed my attitude : I used to rush to try to complete a job in a certain amount of time.

Not anymore : when I think I won't have time enough I start doing something I'm sure I can finish: tomorrow is an other day.

Detailing is a hobby to me , it can only last if it stays fun , it must never become a must or a chore to me.



:wavey



Christiaan
 
I agree with what people are saying here. Great advice. I'd also like to add, that if you have a good garage or shade, it makes life a whole lot easier. What i'll usually do is go panel by panel and coat the entire car or large sections. By the time I'm done applying the first part I've applied is ready to buff off. I take a 10 minute break between application and buffing. This is MUCH faster than following the instructions on the bottles that say go one panel at a time.

Clay should not require much effort either. Just glide the bar don't put too much effort into it.

Micro fiber is also a big time saver. Instead of having to rebuff streaking and worry about missing spots, the microfiber towels can usually take care of an area in one or two passes with minimal effort. I love it!

I do some kind of work to my car at least every other day, so it's become routine for me and I've learned to save time here and there. It's definitely my hobby so I'm really enjoying every moment. I don't reccomend detailing at night because of lighting issues, humidity and temperature may cause products not to behave properly. If you must, get some good artificial lighting from your local hardware store.



One trick that I discovered a while ago that has made my life MUCH easier is.... A rolling office chair!

Yes this simple device can solve your fatigue problems and help you work a whole lot faster. I found that most of my fatigue was experienced while squatting and trying to detail vertical surfaces such as door panels and fenders. Sitting on an office chair not only spares you the back pain, but lets you roll around your garage with ease and finesse! The back of the chair also makes a great place to hang MF towels :). Give it a try, when I detail my car I spend about 40% of the time sitting :xyxthumbs
 
Thank you so much for the encouragement and advices. I use to think "how hard could detailing a car be". AFter last night, I now have a new found respect to Autopians.... and realized that all of you, me included, are "PSYCHO!!!" :D

You people do this for fun?!?! Egad! and got me all hooked to it too! Not only that, despite the humidity and numbess of my limbs, I actually am enjoying this. AFter spending about 400 bucks, i better enjoy this , LMAO)

By the way, I don't have a garage, so I have to do this on the street. No shade either, so I have to wait till about 6 pm for the shade to appear.. YEp, hose, a garage and some working space will be great help... I just don't have any.. But enough of me whining.. Time to sniff some more Paste Glaze coupled with AIO and PPCL to get the old detailer's adrenaline flowing. It's great shoulder workout and aerobics too. I should do more often.



You guys are PSCHO, you hear me?! P-S-Y-C-H-O!!! I love it.
 
Think of this as a bonding experience with your car.



BTW I don't think you need to do PPCL and AIO x 2. Save a step?
 
IT takes me 1 hour to wash and dry and clean the interior of my car.IT takes me 1 1/2 hours to either p21s or Souvern or Blitz add and remove and buff out my car in total 2 1/2 hour process
 
The last detail I did was back in Maysomewhere I think, whenever the Pinnacle and Zaino review was written (its been a while but I get to detail next week.)



ML320, Wash (wheels and clean tires), PPCL with PC, dawn, dress tires and get wheel wells done, then 3X Z-2 with ZFX in about 4 hours (Z-6 in between and after applying Z2 with ZFX, of course gtta clean all the windows on the ML. Then a quick vacand treat some staind the next morning.



Wait, think I'm done, NO!!!! E320 comes into the wash spot on the driveway.



3 hours to wash (wheels and tires), PPCL with PC, then Souveran by hand. Then clean windows.



I was still energetic but being hot and getting dark, I jumped into the pool.



Jason
 
A Ford F150 Supercrew wash takes me about 1:30 minutes taking my time of course. I AIO/SG the truck in November when I got it,spent a full day detailing it but what a great day it was.

Normal up keep is pretty simple.

I went the layered SG route as well. I basically did a panel at a time (roof,hood,drivers doors etc). I would wash and rinse or Quick Detail then SG just a panel at a time each day until the truck was complete. Of course I am up to just layering SG at this point. I would wipe down the prior SG overnight dried panel in the morning just before work. I SG the next panel in the evening and continue.



I enjoy the wash days as the dirt/crud just flows off the SG surface.
 
Wow, some great hints and advice here. :up



I'll be honest. Since this was my first detail, major or otherwise I spent many many laborious hours toiling over my car's paint prep. The biggest PITA I found was the claying since 1) you're working with a small piece of clay 2) you have to fold and constantly lube said clay 3) many long minutes on knees massaging lower panels 4) my car is silver, so while it was a snap to get it smooth I started obsessing about getting every single embedded grain of tar I could see (upon reflection I should have just clobbered them with tar remover! :doh :doh).



SMRing was also hard because I wasn't using a PC, but I was expecting that and I did the whole car very thoroughly in a couple hours.



On a more positive note, after doing the clay everything else is a breeze by comparison! :D
 
I have a little rolling stool that will save your back. I highly recommend it to all. It's one of those Dr. stools with four wheels and about two feet high. Makes applying SG, AIO and claying a breeze.
 
Idrops said:
I have a little rolling stool that will save your back. I highly recommend it to all. It's one of those Dr. stools with four wheels and about two feet high. Makes applying SG, AIO and claying a breeze.
Click to expand...



I quite agree! my office chair is height adjustable too :xyxthumbs
 
On average, it takes me no more than 30 minutes to wash the outside of the Max and that includes drying it. The apron that I wash my car on has an extension from the garage and I wash the car under that.



But to reiterate what everyone else is saying, the more you do it, the faster you get. I usually wash 1/2 of the car at a time. :D
 
Egad! 1.5 hours just to wash? You guys ARE nuts! :D A full detail (without claying) usually takes me about 3-4 hours. That's washing, drying, wheels, tires, vacuuming, interior, polishing, waxing, trim, windows (not in that order, of course.)



I'm sure if I clayed and detailed the engine bay more often, it would up the time considerably. As I'm mobile detailing part time, I'm trying to be as efficient as possible and I practice on my vehicles first.



I'll wait until I'm retired to spend 8 hours detailing my car. I figure my wife won't want to see me moping around and bothering her.... ;)
 
I agree with everyone above. Auto detailing is my advocation (hobby) not my vocation. Frankly, I never time myself. After rushing though life all week this is my time-out. Me and my cars and it detailing products. Time to relax and seek perfection. No pressure just pleasure. If I finish ... great , if I don't... there is another day. Of course this is because of garage spaces and having a daily driver. If I apply some Zaino and do not feel like wiping off now I'll just wait to later when the urge hits and than finish. I think BretFraz's post states it best... Have fun with this hobby and do not over-whelm yourself in the deals and time needed.

There is such a thing as "detailing burnout" so keep it fun:bounce
 
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