After buying everything I thought I needed, and reading the forums for a few weeks for encouragement, I finally did my first full detail utilizing my Griots Garage machine. Here is how it went, step by step.
1. Clean it. Pretty basic, used some Meguiars wash I had, california blade followed by yellow microfiber towel from Target. I probably should pick up some of the waffle towels for the future.
2. On to the clay. I used the DI Gentle Fine Grade clay with Poorboys's S&W. The claying went well, I kept the surface very lubricated but needed to go over a few areas more than once. The rear end and trunk were especially difficult to get a nice smooth finish. I used much more pressure than earlier and went over each section twice.
3. Polish try. After reading about the Meguair's 105 dusting and the challenges of being a newbie, I thought I would give the pain a go with 205 and a LC white pad. Easy on, easy off, but looking closely could still see some swirl marks. Attempt failed, on to the 105.
4. Bring on the 105. Starting with a small area to work in, prime the pad LC Orange pad, small amount of product ... off we go, as in everywhere. Too much product and a soaked pad results in 10 minutes of cleanup. After that, it went well. I would hit the pad with a small spray of M34 every third section, the sections where I used too much material would be more difficult to remove, but overall not bad. The swirls and scratches were nearly gone.
5. Next step, 205 with a white pad. Before starting, I went over the finish with Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer to remove any dust I missed. The 205 went on easily and came off just as easy. I was doing larger sections and felt like I was making good progress. There was a nice deep shine to the finish, I am happy! Unfortunately, I had now spent most of the day working on the car. off to bed and a fresh start in the morning.
6. Collinite 845. I did a quick round with the Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer to pick up any dust that may have accumulated overnight. Reading some of the recent horror stories had me worried. I decided to forgo application with the black pad, instead using foam pads by hand. It went on easily, I kept thinking, thin, thin, thin. I did the whole car before wiping it off. Stepping back, it looks great with a nice shiny wet looking finish!
Overall, the process was much more time consuming then I expected. Start to finish was probably near 6.5 hours or so. The good news is the car looks great. The bad news is the girlfriend was not real thrilled that I spent a majority of the weekend in the garage. I think in a week or so I will put another layer of 845 on, then hopefully one additional coat before winter gets here.
Thank you to everyone who provided advice or encouragement as well as great reading material.
1. Clean it. Pretty basic, used some Meguiars wash I had, california blade followed by yellow microfiber towel from Target. I probably should pick up some of the waffle towels for the future.
2. On to the clay. I used the DI Gentle Fine Grade clay with Poorboys's S&W. The claying went well, I kept the surface very lubricated but needed to go over a few areas more than once. The rear end and trunk were especially difficult to get a nice smooth finish. I used much more pressure than earlier and went over each section twice.
3. Polish try. After reading about the Meguair's 105 dusting and the challenges of being a newbie, I thought I would give the pain a go with 205 and a LC white pad. Easy on, easy off, but looking closely could still see some swirl marks. Attempt failed, on to the 105.
4. Bring on the 105. Starting with a small area to work in, prime the pad LC Orange pad, small amount of product ... off we go, as in everywhere. Too much product and a soaked pad results in 10 minutes of cleanup. After that, it went well. I would hit the pad with a small spray of M34 every third section, the sections where I used too much material would be more difficult to remove, but overall not bad. The swirls and scratches were nearly gone.
5. Next step, 205 with a white pad. Before starting, I went over the finish with Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer to remove any dust I missed. The 205 went on easily and came off just as easy. I was doing larger sections and felt like I was making good progress. There was a nice deep shine to the finish, I am happy! Unfortunately, I had now spent most of the day working on the car. off to bed and a fresh start in the morning.
6. Collinite 845. I did a quick round with the Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer to pick up any dust that may have accumulated overnight. Reading some of the recent horror stories had me worried. I decided to forgo application with the black pad, instead using foam pads by hand. It went on easily, I kept thinking, thin, thin, thin. I did the whole car before wiping it off. Stepping back, it looks great with a nice shiny wet looking finish!
Overall, the process was much more time consuming then I expected. Start to finish was probably near 6.5 hours or so. The good news is the car looks great. The bad news is the girlfriend was not real thrilled that I spent a majority of the weekend in the garage. I think in a week or so I will put another layer of 845 on, then hopefully one additional coat before winter gets here.
Thank you to everyone who provided advice or encouragement as well as great reading material.
Might even be worth posting up in the detailing guide =]
) about excess product, I bet the next M105/M205 session will go even easier. But yeah, this stuff often *does* take a whole lotta time. Actually, I think you did things rather quickly!