My Car! Please post opinions! Zymol

jeff2417

What combo to use next?
Hey there everybody! I'm sort of a novice detailer, yet I have some great homebrew finishes for a sparkly shine. I'm new to this site, so take it easy on me. I have a few pics of my 2003 Acura RSX Type-S, taken with a 1.0 megapixel camera. This particular job took me approximately 9 hours, and I think you'll agree it was worth it! If you wanna see more, I've got a whole set of 'em!

P.S.--The car was purchased in December of last year, drives 90 miles per day, and has approx 11,000 miles on it!

Let me know what you think!

Jeff.
:p
 
very nice man! great reflection. 9 hours dang thats makin my back ache, usually takes me about 4 1/2, and i can barely walk after that. did u do the engine bay? and what were your steps?
 
Mac,

I don't usually put a bunch of dressing and stuff in my engine bay, but I wash it regularly so it's free of dirt, dust and grime. Attached is a picture of it.

The process that took 9 hours consists roughly of this:

Wash and dry car (dishwashing liquid to remove wax)
3M Perfect-it Deep Gloss Swirl Remover for Dark colored cars
3M Perfect-it Imperial Hand Glaze
3M Perfect-it Imperial Hand Glaze (easier 2nd time around)
3M Perfect-it Car Show Wax
Zymol Cleaner Wax (Nearly impossible to buff out if let dry)
Sprinkle of water on finish and final buff
Zymol Detailer (for finishing touches)


Thanks for the response guys! Let me know if you'd like to see more....I'm feeling Exhibitionistic. :D


jeff.
 
EBP:

i-vtec is insane. If you've ever been in a Prelude Vtec, take that experience and add in computer controlled timing, a 6 speed gearbox, and an 8200rpm redline. The result is a rather torquey 4cylinder from Honda that is a blast to drive. As far as mods, nothing much yet. Just the intake as you can see in my post above. BTW, Nice Si! Ever thought of going with Vortech for their Supercharger? Supposedly it's about 50% bolt on power! :eek:


jeff.
 
Yeah, I have looked at vortech and comptech. I think for now I am going to stay NA. I am kind of in the same boat as you are, I drive around 80 miles a day. My car is a 2000 and has 79,000 miles on it. When I change my timing belt I may look into cams(of course adj. gears) throttle body, and a few other goodies. BTW what is the paint called on your RSX?
 
It's called Arctic Blue Pearl. Depending on what type of light you're in, it can be Light Blue, Dark Blue, or Purple. Not quite as bright in tone as your Electron Blue.

P.S.--You didn't notice the Mugen radiator cap? ;)
 
How could I miss the Mugen piece!:D

With your color you would really like the UPP, I used it on mine this week and don't think I'll be going back to carnuba(unless I just want a topper for a special occasion).
 
I'm going to go with Hans on this one in 9 hours I could have waxed the exhaust system down. However the car looks great and I love the 3M product line.
 
Well, 9 hours is reasonable if you start at 6pm @ night the day before, work until dark, break out the drop-light, continue to work till 1am by that light alone, start again in the morning at 9am and go nonstop until 1pm. BTW, if you use Zymol in the particular step that I did, it doesn't adhere too well unless you let it dry. And when you let it dry...it's a bitch to get off. :rolleyes:
 
Very nice! Looks great. Just one question though.....after all the 3M polish layers then a layer of 3M Show Car Wax isn't the Zymol cleaner wax removing the 3M wax and possibly even some of the IHG?:confused:

I do agree that it looks great but can't help but wonder if you couldn't get the same results with fewer steps and a lot less time and elbow grease.

BTW...that's a nice clean engine bay and a great shade of blue!!!

Natty
 
Well, the Zymol might possibly be taking a layer off...maybe I can skip at least the 3M Show Car wax step...It just wasn't as brilliant and smooth without the Zymol, that's all...

Thanks for all the props, guys!

If you have any suggestions on another possible "Combination" of waxes/polishes, let me know!:p
 
I managed the following in 4 1/2 hours, and I am a newbie

Vacuum
Vinyl clean
Tire & Wheel Clean
Wash
Degrease Engine Bay (Eimann Fabrik)
1 x Megs Kwik Kote on engine bay
Degrease door jambs and other nooks and crannys
Clay
Wash
1 x Megs #9 SR 2.0
2 x Megs #7 Cleaner Wax
1 x Megs #26 Hi Tech
2 x Megs HE TG
Haze (30 minutes)
Rebuff
QD car to remove any final touches
Buff again
Clean windows
Buff again

What in the world took you 9 hours? I started that one at 5:30 PM.
 
Check the previous page for information on why it took 9 hours. Also, Meguiars is very easy to put on and remove. I've used it before, and yes, it took me about 4 hours. I was just curious, am I the only one that thinks that detailing isn't a race, but a work of perfecting?



jeff... :confused:
 
Hi Jeff,

Hey the car looks great. I know what you mean about taking the time to enjoy the job. When you have the time to do your own car its far more ejoyable than working on a customers car like I do. I have a detailing business and I at times have so much work to get done the I have to rush around trying to get done and I dont enjoy those times. I like taking the time to enjoy each step since I love detailing and the awesome results of many hours of work.


One thought about your steps, The cleaner wax AFTER all the polishing and waxing. I suppose that if it works for you and your happy thats all that matters but if you want to achieve the perfect finished look you might consider a different approach.

The cleaner wax does 2 things by cleaning the surface and protecting at the same time. It does neither exceptionally well but only does a ok job of both. For the longest lasting, deepest shine a pure wax will give better results. The cleaner wax will erase some of the polishing effort that you worked hard to achieve. A pure wax will cover over the polish and give superior results.

I have never used the 3M show car wax but I hear its good stuff. If it isnt giving the results you like I would suggest trying a different finishing wax that would possibly give better results.

I prefer 2 or 3 finishing waxes that to me are superior to the others I have tried. I like One Grand Blitz for everything I work on. Its a carnauba thats awesome. Another that I like is Collinite Insulator wax. Its like a synthetic wax that glides on and off soo easily and lasts long and the shine is awesome. Anthony recomends Trade Secret wax for dark colors and I take his advice highly.

I would give these a shot if the 3M wax isnt leaving you feeling satisfied but I would suggest not going over all that time consuming polishing with a cleaner wax that will actually undermine some of the effort you invested.


This is just my opinion and I hope you try a different finishing wax instead of the cleaner wax and I believe the Blitz would make you very happy :). If you try it let me know how it goes, I would love to hear if you find a different product that you like more.


Best regards,
John
 
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