Forgive me detailers, for I have sinned. (big pics)

I

imported_blackjetta

New member
Warning: Huge post.

Before posting today I looked back at my first posts here and noticed it was exactly two years ago when I started thinking about keeping my car properly detailed. Since that time I have worked too much and otherwise been too busy to care for my car's looks. At all.



In those two years I've washed the car two more times. Most recently last weekend after at least 18 months without washing. I guess I'll just get straight to the pics and type more after.



These pictures are AFTER washing.

Click the image to go to the gallery view, where you can either see lots more pictures or click it again to get the HUGE (3264x2448) original view.









Doesn't look half bad from 20+ feet away, but...





This is what most of the car looks like up close.





Bad water spots like I have might(?) be unavoidable here, as we sometimes get bright/hot sunshine and pooring rain simultaneously. Many times last month my car would be out in the parking lot at work with the sun glaring down, and then get rained on on/off through the day without the sun being blocked by clouds.



I thoroughly rinsed out my mitt after every 1 to 3 square feet, and after every few inches when below the trim line and on the rear of the car. Problem is the car looks filthy up close, after washing. I'm afraid to do anything to it right now, afraid that I might damage the paint more. I went back over many areas multiple times (rinsing mitt each time) and it wouldn't get any cleaner.



Used Meg's gold car wash stuff, meguiars deep pile chenille wash mitt.



The finish is only damaged by weather/driving/lack of care, not by bad washing or other forms of scratching/impacts. Except one deep key scratch below the rear license plate, and the dealership "detail" before I bought it.



My noobish and limited selection of products:

Mothers California Gold clay bar kit (haven't yet used)

Megs "deep crystal system" (1: paint cleaner, 2: polish, 3: carnuba wax)

Megs gold class hi-tech applicator pads

Megs gold class clearcoat paste wax (haven't used on this car)

megs gold class car wash

medium size MF cloth

Big MF waffle drying towel

Misc pure cotton towels and applicators



I hope not to need many more products, my budget is tight for now. If needed I can buy a few things. I want the pc 7424 but can't justify that money at this time.



Maybe I just need some dish soap? :grinno:
 
I'd suggest to work with what you have for now and see what kind of progress you can make. Definitely break out that Mothers California Gold Clay Bar Kit!! I think that will help to get rid of that 'dirty' look. If not, polishing would be your next step, but try the clay bar, I have the same one(well actually a few:D) and love it. Don't worry, it's never to late to get started:xyxthumbs
 
1. Clay

2. Paint cleaner at minimum. Polish if you'd like (will be difficult by hand)

3. Wax



Nuttin' really changed round' here. Detailing process is still the same: wash, clay, polish, protect.



Looks like a job for a rotary. Your shoulders gonna hurt!



Good luck,

JJ
 
Yep, you've got a nice layer of contamination on top of it :). On the plus side though, I bet you don't have too much in the way of wash-induced marring. You'll need to clay and hit it with a good paint cleaner, then wax. You can do clay, DC#1, GC paste and it will show a huge improvement... past that, invest in a PC.
 
18 months without washing OMG. I can't even imagine what our cars would look like after that :soscared:
 
Mark77 said:
18 months without washing OMG. I can't even imagine what our cars would look like after that :soscared:
Click to expand...



Not just 18 months, but 18 months of horrible conditions. Often in pooring rain on horribly dirty streets, getting all manner of road gunk thrown on me by semi trucks. I even sometimes have to drive it around the steel mill where I work. About 3 times a week on my way in I'm driving behind a slab truck, the trucks that bring in our steel slabs. The slabs have tons of "scalp", flakey loose pieces of metal, flying off them as the truck goes down the road. So I've probably got thousands of small metal particles imbedded in my paint as well. The bad conditions were a part of why I lost motivation for detailing the car.



Do you all think this little bitty clay bar will be enough for the whole job? Should I order more?
 
Anyone care to comment specifically on pictures 2 and 3 above? That water spot looks really horrible to me, maybe like the magnified sun burnt the paint under the clear? And that thing above the trim in number 3 is thick and crusty, but doesn't come off even if I poke it with my finger. It seems too thick to use a clay bar on.
 
blackjetta said:
Not just 18 months, but 18 months of horrible conditions. Often in pooring rain on horribly dirty streets, getting all manner of road gunk thrown on me by semi trucks. I even sometimes have to drive it around the steel mill where I work. About 3 times a week on my way in I'm driving behind a slab truck, the trucks that bring in our steel slabs. The slabs have tons of "scalp", flakey loose pieces of metal, flying off them as the truck goes down the road. So I've probably got thousands of small metal particles imbedded in my paint as well. The bad conditions were a part of why I lost motivation for detailing the car.



Do you all think this little bitty clay bar will be enough for the whole job? Should I order more?
Click to expand...



I would order some extra clay. The thing to remember is to take it slow, hell it took 18 months for the car to look this bad so its gonna take time to get it looking good again.



I am a newbee and I would agree that you need a machine polisher. A porter cable would be ideal as and when you can afford one.



In the meantime, at least give that poor car a wash, please :)
 
For jobs like this, dont look at it like you have to detail the whole thing in a day. It takes as long as it takes to do it right.
 
I would hit it with a degreaser or decontamination system before claying, because your claybar will be black after only half the hood otherwise. Then a good paint cleaner(like KAIO) and then polish, seal. And yes I would definitely get a PC or Cyclo. And like BJM said, you don't have to do it all in a day. I often just polish or wax just the roof and hood or just one side. Hope to see more pictures soon :)
 
^^^^ i was thinking the same thing...wash it with some APC mixed in to help break down the dirt even more...then clay with sonus grey block clay, then wash again and hit it with a compound, then polish, then wax
 
Id hit it with a more aggressive clay then Mothers. You wont be able to get it anywhere near good by hand and with that polish. The clear on the VW is pretty hard. To get that thing good IMO, it needs some Menzerna via a rotary and possibly some wet sanding.



I realize you dont have these products, but maybe youd be interested in purchasing them instead of using what youve got now. Good luck!
 
I'm going to see how my little Mothers clay bar does, since I already have it. If it gets used up before I get much done, then I'll just have that part done for now.



In 3-4 weeks I should be able to buy whatever I need to get this done right. So I'll get a PC, some kind of decontamination system (what would i get?), more/tougher clay, and determine what cleaner(s), polishes, protectants to get also. Then on to the equally neglected interior! I want to turn this beast into a beauty. More pics will come to show progress :)
 
I find this project interesting since it's a total makeover. Have you got any pics of the interior?

I would buy a gallon of Meguiars APC or APC+, I don't know how I cleaned interior before I got this stuff, but it can be used on everything. Maybe it will do the job on the exterior also.

Have you got a wet vac or extractor of some sort? It will also come handy on the interior.
 
instead of APC, you can try using citrus degreaser at 15:1. In Canada we have a store called Princess Auto, and I believe that the equivalent down south is Harbour Freight? Anyways I got mine there and it is paint safe.



That whole makeover looks like it will be very rewarding when it is complete. I would solely focus on getting the paint cleaned for now. You may have to clay more than once.



Good luck! :)
 
blackjetta said:
I'm going to see how my little Mothers clay bar does, since I already have it. If it gets used up before I get much done, then I'll just have that part done for now.



In 3-4 weeks I should be able to buy whatever I need to get this done right. So I'll get a PC, some kind of decontamination system (what would i get?), more/tougher clay, and determine what cleaner(s), polishes, protectants to get also. Then on to the equally neglected interior! I want to turn this beast into a beauty. More pics will come to show progress :)
Click to expand...



Id get the 7424 with LC pads, 6.5" white, orange, yellow, and 4" orange and yellow. Some Menzerna polish- SIP and 106FF. Then a glaze such as CK RMG or Menzerna to help cover up any swirls you couldnt get out. Then top with Souveran paste or SSII. If you want a sealant then go with WG DGS, but you cant put the glaze under this.



DP wheel glaze is great on the wheels. Then I love Pinn. Souveran Spray after washes to bring back any lost shine.



For the interior I love DP total interior protectant. This can be used on EVERYTHING except glass. For tough spots Folex works great. For the leather Pinn. Leather Conditioner works great. Windows get Stoners or Plexus, both tint safe. I love Plexus on wood trim. I havent found my favorite interior dressing yet. But Im looking to try PB Natural Look and some CG stuff.
 
Gonna bookmark this for when I have the money to buy more stuff.



My interior is light grey leather. I can't stand when some so-called detail places put gunk on the leather that makes it slimey, greasy, shiney, slick, etc. I've never had this done to mine, but hate it when riding in other cars that have. I just want it to be clean and dry, like when it was new. Same with all the other interior surfaces. No reflectivity on the inside. But only the driver's seat is dirty, hardly ever have anyone or anything in the other seats.



I'll get pics of the interior before I start cleaning it as well. Oh, and you guys haven't seen my door/trunk jambs ;)



I remember thinking there was some kind of before/after contest here on autopia, is that just a figment of my imagination? Maybe I'll get it good enough to have a shot at that :D If there's not, there should be!



And thanks for all the help!
 
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