Exterior Detailing
 

Its Summer!

I have Q's abt exterior detailing..

I've tried to seach here, but couldn't find satisfying answer..

I've (most of the time) always hand-washed my car ever since the ownership, i can even count with my fingers how much i've detailed my car.

Car looks good when it's freshly cleaned, abt the time when the sun goes down, HOWEVER,

when it's afternoon, when the sun is @peak, i can see all the swirl marks and etc etc on my parked accords' body.

Below pics are examples how my car looks after washed, on HOT afternoon..




-_-;;



So, i've decided to detail my car soon,

and wated to know if there's any particular / easy steps for detailing,

and recommened products that i should use.

All i know is " Wash - Wax " lolz

If i can clearly figure out, i am willing to spend $$$ for good products and detail at least once per month :)
(i already have basic wash tools such as power-washer, microfiber cloth, soap, turtle wax, bucket, etc...)


i've also took a look at pricing on unique and dwntwn auto spa , but those are $ for college boy :(



TIA.

-M

try using klasse products.. their klass all in one, and sealant will cost around 60 dollars. but they work like a charm!

There's quite a few swirls on there. If you want to get rid of most of the swirls, you're going to need to use a somewhat abrasive compound to polish out the swirls. There are compounds that are fillers that will "hide" the swirls but after a few washes, the fillers will usually get washed away and you'll have the swirls again.

I'd recommend finding someone with a orbital buffer and buying some good polishing compound and try your hand at buffing them out. If you need to save money but want a professional to do it, see if they have a cut/polish package to remove most of the swirls, and then just seal and wax it yourself.

ohhh... spider webs are a bitch get out.. you'll have to use a polish..

and when you wash your car.. try to use the two bucket method =)

get a PC 7424 its one of the best buffering machine u can get out there

http://www.corollacustomz.ca/forum/v...a0f92ad35fecca

long read but no doubt beneficial =P

question... do u remove the old wax then wax again?

i got the same problem with my prelude...
I was told that the orbital buffer + a good compound would do the trick.

Today seems like a good day to do it - not too much sun, nice shade...

minhokim86
do u dry ur car before u wax? (assuming u dont clay) because if u dont use microfiber or auto towel it might b y u have scratches...
and when u u buff out the wax do u use juss regular towels? or microfiber?

Thx for the opinions guys !

yes, i do dry my car before i wax, with blower :)

i used to wash - dry - wax. and i do use microfiber however, i wash mt car in circular motion..

i will try to wash and clay , paint cleaner , and wax and see how it turns out...:)

Thx !

wax only makes it shine for how ever long the wax can stay on (probally not too long)

wax = makes ur paint shiny
polish = get rid of swirls

invest in a porter cable 7424 and research for products
should b 300$ investment but much betterin than 150$ at the detailing places
and dont go get anyuthing but the 7424 make sure u read about the random orbital in the 7424 ;) gl

WOW. thx for the reply guys ! it really helped me A LOT ! :)

here's the result from 8 hrs of pain in the arm/leg work..

so what did you end up doing to try and fix the swirls? Also to show how the swirls are you need to take a sun shot. That's when you take a picture with the reflection of the sun in it....so you can use your hood....take a picture with the sun somewhere reflecting on your hood.

edit: I found you an example of what i meant
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...CadiRSX097.jpg
That was a before picture. Here is an after

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...CadiRSX102.jpg

@minhokim86

that looks awesome! i'm sure the 8hrs was well worth it!

but now you must share the details as well. what did you use and what did you do?

Out of curiosity, what car are these rims from?
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/9026/img6767ja1.jpg

Looks like Acura TL stock rims (not the ones from the 08's but before that...04-05?)

oh sorry for the late reply lol

a. washed car with car soap + microfiber + 3 bucket method (1 for soap, 1 for warm clean water , another for cold clean water)

b. dried with chamione(?) towel from costco + air blower for gardening

c. Meguires clay bar kit

d. Turtle paste wax..


oh and those are 2005 TL OEM Rims :)

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3...797editwb0.jpg

did you do it by hand or with a machine?

to get a good polish you need to use a variable speed polisher though not recommended unless you'll had training on how to use one because at 3000rpm you can burn your paint, and if you cant control the polisher you could injure yourself. any variable speed polisher will do they can range from $79.99 to $289 for Makita. then after that you gotta look at the polishing pads. there are heavy cut, medium cut, light cut and finishing pads. in foam, or wool. for cutting pads. then you gotta get the polishes.

Clay Magic Clay Bars are available from your local AutoMagic Dealer along with a slew of other products that are really good.

lol i wanna details my car too
thx for the information

Nice job - looks great!

good info!

but i still wanna know if minhokim86 did it by hand or machine cuz it looks crazy nice!

Very thorough guide to hand detailing from H-T. http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1782397

why dont you guys just bring it to Richmond Auto Spa or Yaletown Auto Spa

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

and some people like to spend the time
to work on their own cars.

I know, i like to spend some time and
detail my ride, every couple weeks

I spend a whole day washing my car:)