Pictures from my summer details - lots of cars and pictures

[budman3]

Hello DC members! This summer was a very difficult summer for detailing with weird weather patterns where it basically rained every afternoon. I think 70% of the vehicles that I did, it rained within 12 hours after the detail. A big pain in the you know what. Also, working full time and trying to keep up with friends and family, details were limited to a select few.

Sadly when the details came around I didn’t take many pictures or detailed shots, I was focused to get the jobs done and get the vehicle back to the owner before it rained. Since I didn’t document the details all that well with photos, I didn’t write down the specific product and machine combinations either. Plus most of these details weren’t anything special, not many full correction details, just simple wash/quick polish/wax details.

It seems like pictures of details have slowed lately, so I’ll give you plenty to look at, some of which you may have seen before. Let me know if you have any questions about the vehicles, products used, techniques, and so forth.

First up is a Lexus GX470 … PwS and OCW:

Next is the ’01 Mustang Bullitt (refresher) … 106FF and DG105:

 

[budman3]

Here is an F250 Superduty with a bunch of tar and junk on the paint. It is a work truck and needed a lot of attention, inside and out. I used Meguiar’s 105 with PFW with the Makita and followed that up with PwS and the Makita. LSP of choice was either OCW or Opti-seal.

Tar! Used Stoners Tarminator and plastic razor blades on the bad stuff:

Here was another quick detail where I was fighting the rain and a very very small garage, a Honda Ridgeline. SSR2.5 with 4” pads with the PC, Poly-seal with polishing pads and OCW made up this detail.
Before:

Grimy:

To keep up with the trend of large vehicles (most were trucks or SUVs ….) here is an 03? Chevrolet Suburban. There were a lot of RIDs and deep swirls. The hood got wet sanded and 105 with PFW while the rest got Optimum Compound with the Makita. LSP was Ultima Paint Guard Plus.

 

[budman3]

Here is a Toyota 4 Runner which was a prep so the vehicle can be sold. Again, sorry for the lack of pictures and lack of products used, I don’t remember what was done to it. Probably Poli-seal or PwS then topped with OCW or Opti-seal.

Here is a VW Touareg. SSR2.5 and PB Black Hole Glaze topped with OCW:

And a Chevy Tahoe which was the same as above but got PB White Diamond instead of Black Hole since it is a lighter color:

Here is an ’03 M3 with about 15,000 miles on it. The outside was just dusty and with minimal swirling and marring. It received 106ff and then UPP with Polycharger. The interior was very dusty and got the Leatherique treatment and Optimum protectant on the plastic panels.

 

[budman3]

And since you’ve made it through this far, I might as well post some pictures you’ll like, the 328GTB. I did a refresher wash (ONR) and wax (P21S 100%) for a local car show.

And right next door was the 365BB still looking good from its treatment a few weeks earlier (WG polishes, P21S 100%):

Thanks for taking the time to look through the details. We all know that people like to look at pictures, so there you go! Overall it was a quick summer detail wise, full of trucks and SUVs. It was a nice break to work on the Ferrari and M3 after working on F250s and Suburbans.

 

[budman3]

While I'm in a posting mood, here is some other work I've done over the summer. I was looking for a 5" backing plate for the Makita to use with my 5.5" pads and it is the only size BP that I have for the UDM / PC which I don't for the rotary. Instead of buying another, I found a flexible BP that I bought from AG which is 6". I originally purchased it to use with VC 7.5" pads but the BP was too big for the backing on the 7.5" pads. AG took care of the issue and sent me a 4.75" BP while the proper BP was fabricated to use with the 7.5" pads (actual diameter of 5.75"). The original 6" BP never got any use so I decided to trim it up a little. I attached the BP to my HF rotary and secured it to a vise. I turned the rotary on Speed 1 and took a Dremel with a drill bit on it and trimmed the BP. When I got the desired diameter, I took some 80 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. The results are below, perfect for 5.5" pads. This wasn't my first time, I trimmed down the 4.75" to use with 4" pads a few months ago with the same technique. Pics:

Boxed up to contain the shavings:

Trimmed:

End results:

Next up were some defective Lake Country pads. This was the only issue I've ever had with these pads and they occurred on the first and second use, so I believe it was a defective batch or something strange. The plastic molding cracked and with the centrifugal force that the PC and rotary exert wouldn't allow the pad to stay attached to the BP, making them useless. I received replacement pads from the vendor and had 6 unusable pads. Luckily I saved them and was able to experiment with them. Unfortunately I ruined all of the white polishing pads leaving one light cut pad that may be usable. I basically used the same technique as above except I used a razor knife and a pad spur (with the cheese grater things on it). While it doesn't look all that great, I think it is still usable. Overall, this wasn't really worth the effort, IMO, and was much more difficult that the BP. However, it was a good experience and now I have a one of a kind pad :cheers:.

The defective pads:

 

[budman3]

And for good measure, a picture of my detail cabinet ... nothing fancy. Only the best of the best get put in the cabinet . Everything else (including extra product, gallon sizes, etc) are stored elsewhere. LSPs up top, polishes below, dressings on the next shelf and soaps on the bottom shelf.

And the corner set up in the basement. APCs and cleaners are in the other cabinet with MF towels in rubber maids and dresser.

 

[Beemerboy]

Great post!!..your stash looks just like mine!

 

[budman3]

Thanks BB. The stash is working out pretty well. I'd still like to narrow down the product choices but it's difficult because most of them have some type of use for me. My purchasing has decreased significantly this year, which was good so I could have time to figure out what I like and don't like out of all of the products, since the new product hype and excitement has worn off.

 

[Beemerboy]

Thanks BB. The stash is working out pretty well. I'd still like to narrow down the product choices but it's difficult because most of them have some type of use for me. My purchasing has decreased significantly this year, which was good so I could have time to figure out what I like and don't like out of all of the products, since the new product hype and excitement has worn off.

Same here I've narrowed it down to a select line..of products...but like you I have some that are real specialized for those times when needed

 

[RyansAutoDetail]

megs gold class cleaner conditioner FTW, i love it i did my whole moms van interior leather 8 years old looks like new now ! and feels soft as it should and it was never treated or cleaned once !

how does the NXT wash compare to gold class car wash ?

and wow that cabinet is jam packed !