Well, after much reading and homework here I decided to give some attention to my 98 Honda Civic. The difference turned out to be pretty amazing.
Dawn wash
Clay bar (didn't spend a lot of time on this, maybe 1/2 hour)
3M SMR w/PC yellow pad (about four hours)
Wash again
Klasse AIO w/PC white pad (about 2 hours)
Klasse SG by hand, wipe on wipe off method (about 1 1/2 hours)
I followed the SG with two more coats, allowing a week for each coat to cure. The "after" picture was taken just after the third coat was put on. The difference between the two pictures is a bit exaggerated since the "before" picture had an overcast sky. It doesn't show up all that well here but the paint was dull, swirled, spotted, etc. It was a six year old car that looked ten. Now it's a puppy again...
The PC is pretty fun to use. Much, much easier than hand buffing. Also, the big waffle weave microfiber drying towel I got from propercareauto.com (Big Blue drying towel, I think) is just amazing. Dried the whole car without a wring. I just wish it had a different name... I'm a die-hard Buckeye fan and it kills me to use "big blue" and "fantastic" in the same sentence.
Before:
After:
Rob
Dawn wash
Clay bar (didn't spend a lot of time on this, maybe 1/2 hour)
3M SMR w/PC yellow pad (about four hours)
Wash again
Klasse AIO w/PC white pad (about 2 hours)
Klasse SG by hand, wipe on wipe off method (about 1 1/2 hours)
I followed the SG with two more coats, allowing a week for each coat to cure. The "after" picture was taken just after the third coat was put on. The difference between the two pictures is a bit exaggerated since the "before" picture had an overcast sky. It doesn't show up all that well here but the paint was dull, swirled, spotted, etc. It was a six year old car that looked ten. Now it's a puppy again...
The PC is pretty fun to use. Much, much easier than hand buffing. Also, the big waffle weave microfiber drying towel I got from propercareauto.com (Big Blue drying towel, I think) is just amazing. Dried the whole car without a wring. I just wish it had a different name... I'm a die-hard Buckeye fan and it kills me to use "big blue" and "fantastic" in the same sentence.
Before:
After:
Rob
