Would anyone know the answer?

N

Nickshades

New member
I recently detailed a 1994 Lexus ES 300. The car looked horrible due to scratches, worn out leather, stains in the carpets, brake dust build up on the rims that have baked on. (I have to start remembering my camera.)



Anyway, I was coming up on my eighth hour working on the car and was about to apply AIO. The previous steps that were completed was:



Wash

Clay

Gliptone Heavy Buff Compound

Menzerna FP

(*suppose to be AIO next)



The issue that arose was that it started to rain. Even still there was some nice beading on the surface similar to one that i did a few days ago at the same location in which I applied Blackfire wax. My question is whether Menzerna FP will have any duration of protection on the surface of the car if anyone would know that?



The other question I have is relative to those mobile detailers. Any tricks to cut down on work time spent on the car. Took me about 5 hrs just to do the wash/clay/and the whole interior (cleaned and dressed/cleaned and conditioned leather) I know this may be a lot to type, but any recommendations would be helpful. I'm starting to hate my job cause it feels like forever by myself. And I love when people ask me if I can more than one car in a day. I tell them I can't. Next week is a Ford Expedition that I'm dreading already cause its so big?



Also, in order to remove orange peel, you need to wetsand right?



Thanks to all for any comments and support that can be given. :)
 
Nickshades said:
I recently detailed a 1994 Lexus ES 300. The car looked horrible due to scratches, worn out leather, stains in the carpets, brake dust build up on the rims that have baked on. (I have to start remembering my camera.)



Anyway, I was coming up on my eighth hour working on the car and was about to apply AIO. The previous steps that were completed was:



Wash

Clay

Gliptone Heavy Buff Compound

Menzerna FP

(*suppose to be AIO next)



The issue that arose was that it started to rain. Even still there was some nice beading on the surface similar to one that i did a few days ago at the same location in which I applied Blackfire wax. My question is whether Menzerna FP will have any duration of protection on the surface of the car if anyone would know that? Its a polish with no protective qualities.



The other question I have is relative to those mobile detailers. Any tricks to cut down on work time spent on the car. Took me about 5 hrs just to do the wash/clay/and the whole interior (cleaned and dressed/cleaned and conditioned leather) I know this may be a lot to type, but any recommendations would be helpful. I'm starting to hate my job cause it feels like forever by myself. And I love when people ask me if I can more than one car in a day. I tell them I can't. Next week is a Ford Expedition that I'm dreading already cause its so big? practice practice practice! Sounds simple but thats the secret. And try to over-lap jobs ( ie clean the wheel wells while the sealant/wax hazes etc and stuff like that )



Also, in order to remove orange peel, you need to wetsand right? In a word yes. Is a bugger of a job and quite involved.



Thanks to all for any comments and support that can be given. :)
Click to expand...
 
A word about wetsanding.



You may or may not get out orange peel...depending on how severe and if it is in the color coat, clearcoat, or both.



Also remember than some newer cars have thin paint, and in many cases, wetsanding could remove enough clear to cause clearcoat failure.
 
Nickshades- Yeah, I'd be *very* careful about the wetsanding. My A8 has orange peel, and it's pretty bad (let alone for a car in that price range, but the S8 is even worse, truly *awful*!), but I'm just gonna live with it. No way is a smoother surface worth any compromise of my clearcoat.



I've done a *little* wetsanding on the S8 after the "deer incident repairs" using a 2500 grit block. It removed the problem I was concerned about, but it didn't completely remove the orange peel. Which is probably good, as a totally smooth area would've really stuck out like a sore thumb on that car. Doing anything more aggressive (something that would've truly smoothed the paint) is something *I* would never trust myself to do on the whole car. Something would've gone wrong at some point.



I know plenty of people do wetsand to remove orange peel, but IMO if you want a mirror-smooth/flat surface type of paintjob, the real answer is to have the car reshot or get another car.



As far as speeding up the process, depending on what you're working with, sometimes you just can't finish it any faster than that. Doing the interior and exterior both, on a neglected car, is just a lot of work. If there's any way to speed up the polishing (maybe one aggressive product followed by a LSP that also has some cut to it) that might be something to consider.
 
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