Zaino Z5 x 3 + A Royal Blue Pearl Acura TL = GLITTER!

G35stilez

G35stilez

Ari Gold
I recieved an IM from a troubled new car buyer a couple weeks ago. He picked up his new TL and he said he hasn't been happy with the finish on it since he purchased it (5k miles now). I told him about my products/processes, showed him some of my work on similar colors, and scheduled the appointment.

I showed up this morning around 9am to a rather clean (or so I thought!) Acura TL. He mentioned again how the surface felt gritty when he put his hand in a plastic bag (had him do that to test contamination) and it really lacked the metallic 'pop'. I went over a couple quick things with him and he took off. I attacked the interior first. It was in very nice shape, so nothing too crazy. My finals were:

-Folex to clean leather, rubber, vinyl, and plastic
-Kids & Pets on carpets, pedals, and rubber mats
-Poorboy's Trim Restorer to protect everything
-Meguiar's NXT Glass Cleaner on glass
-FK1 #425 on wood, aluminum trim, and in jams


Before
DSC06799.jpg


After
DSC06818.jpg




The exterior certainly needed some more TLC. I washed and clayed, then surveyed the damage. The whole car was covered in rotary trails and acid rain damage :(. Since the car had already been buffed pretty hard and only had 5000 miles on it, I chose to not go 'insane' on the deep water spots, but rather abolish the swirls and bring out the depth of the blue. My finals for the exterior were:

-TOL Bubble Bath wash with FK1 Ultimate Cleaner cut 10:1 as a presoak
-Optimum Clay with TOL Bubble Bath as lube
-TOL Tire Cleaner cut 50/50 for tires and wells (agitated with bug scrubber)
-Meguiar's Wheel Brightener on wheels (agitated with bug scrubber)
-Power washed clean and WW MF dried

-Optimum Polish via rotary and LC Polishing Pad @ 1200 rpm
-Menzerna PO 85RD via rotary and LC Finishing Pad @ 1500 rpm
-Zaino Z5 x 3 (ZFX'd) on paint, wheels, and windows
-FK1 #425

-Flitz on exhaust
-Meguiar's Hyper Dressing cut 3:1 in wells
-Wolfgang Tire Gel on tires
-CD2 Engine Detailer on lower black grilles on front bumper


Before
DSC06797.jpg


After
DSC06814.jpg



Before
DSC06802.jpg


After
DSC06812.jpg



DSC06815.jpg


DSC06828.jpg


DSC06826.jpg


DSC06821.jpg


DSC06830.jpg


DSC06810.jpg



When the owner returned, he commented something to the extent of "Holy ....". After I explained the acid rain damage again and my reasoning, it didn't bother him. He said "This is exactly what I was looking for". He noted the metallic 'pop' and handed me my payment (Matt, if you are viewing, thanks for the very generous tip). All in all, a very good day.


Total Working Time - 4 hrs. 15 mins


Questions?
Comments?
Advice?
 
what advice can you give about using the rotary with optimum and not creating holograms,swirls :eat: I will do my first rotary work next week.
 
Jeeezus H, that came out nice!

How can a car with 5K on the clock get that F'd up? That's some fine work, on a very fussy finish. You know your way around Honda paint, that's for sure!

How did K&P compare to Folex on the carpets?


I've been working on the Tahoe this weekend. One of these days I'm gonig to sand it down and let Rust-Oleum protect the beast (LOL). If I buy black again, it won't be on a sport utility!
 
Great Job Sean!! really digging the flake pop. what cut does po85rd have as compared to FPII? The teg is really looking nice in the backround as well.

Greg
 
GregCavi said:
The teg is really looking nice in the backround as well.

Greg
Click to expand...

No kidding. It distracts you from looking at the TL.


Sean, I forgot to ask about the CD-2? How is it? I haven't used it yet. It looks like it has potential to create a mess out of the engine area. I'm interested in the look after it dries, and if you think it's a dust magnet.
 
Miami: Run it at 1200rpm moving the buffer slowly and flatly over the surface. Do 3 overlapping passes per bead of product or work til the polish is still on the surface but transparent. Do not use any more force than the weight of the buffer.


John: No clue! I was kind of dumbfounded to see it that hacked up, that early. Luckily, I know Honda paint rather well.

K&P works very well. I still want to try it out a little more before I comment more. Tomorrow is just 2 exteriors, so no luck there, but on Monday I have a CRV. We'll see if the interior is light and I'll go from there. Thanks again for all of the stuff, you are too kind!

I've come to the conclusion that silver or graphite are the best colors for a daily drivers unless you own an Audi or Mercedes with CC.


CD-2 takes some getting used to. Do not get it on anything you don't want it on. If you do, wipe it away quick as the stuff dries like a thick candy shell :). However, it lasts very long and repels dust/dirt well. Once you get the hang of it, you'll like it more.


Greg: I believe PO 85 is about a 1.5 cut and FPII is maybe a 2. They are very similar. Thanks, but the teg has 300 miles on her since the last wash :(.
 
GSRstilez said:
Greg: I believe PO 85 is about a 1.5 cut and FPII is maybe a 2. They are very similar. Thanks, but the teg has 300 miles on her since the last wash :(.
Click to expand...

You need to take a day off and clean it then LOL ! It looks fresh in the pics though. I guess just dont get close.

Greg
 
Great work as always. The after pics make the finish look 2 shades darker. I'm always disgusted to see dealerships wreck a new car finish because they think running a buffer over the car for 30 seconds is actually doing something, besides created trails.
 
Sean,

Just wait until the new Z-5 Pro comes out. :)

That car looks awesome. Just wet as can be and the flake is super-popping.
 
Just wondering how do you adjust to all the tiny curves/grooves? I know you can run the rotary slower, different weight, and aggressiveness. Personally I'd just hack at the flat areas with rotary, then PC on certain tiny curves.
 
Woob: I've had a lot of experience behind the wheel. It's hard to say now how I do it, but I do. Obviously on the really tight areas, I hit briefly by hand, but being that they are in tight areas, they are usually in better shape. IE: the side mirrors and indented body line down each side. The rest of the vehicle I was able to buff. Just be weary on high point and near plastic/rubber trim.
 
A great detail as always! I'm wondering, with school back in session, what's your schedule like? Do you do cars in the afternoon? I ask this because gas costs are killing me with my new truck, and I desperately need to start detailing again. :chair:
 
Porkanbeans: Time management :).

I do the detailing usually on weekends (sneak 1 during the week here and there) and right now I'm home for Thanksgiving Break.
 
i've come back to this thread at least 3 times. So this time i gotta tell you the car and the flake are beautiful i like everything about it and you did a great job.
Contratulations you did a nice job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top