Detailed to showroom fresh

After saying just a few weeks ago that I'd never really, really detailed my cars, I decided that I would. What prompted this change in heart? Well, it was this photo of my car taken next to a visitor's MBZ B-Class FCV last week. I decided my paint had become somewhat flat and lifeless looking (though the sun in this pic makes it look worse than it actually was):



Tools Used

Peak 2-in-1 Microfiber Wash Mitt (tentacle-style)
Harbor Freight DA Polisher
Harbor Freight 6" Finishing Foam Pad
Meguiar's Foam Applicator Pad
Eagle One Foam Tire Swipes
Microfiber towels
Carrand 2-in-1 Microfiber Wheel Detailer

Products used

O'Reilly Car Wash Concentrate
Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax
Mothers' Back to Black
Blue Coral Black Magic Tire Gel

Time invested

About 6 hours, over two days.

Number of beers consumed

3 (Newcastle Brown Ale).



Rewarded with rain tonight for my efforts. Sigh. To paraphrase a line from 'Blade Runner' - "It's a pity it won't last. But then again, what does".

Totally Awesome Michael! makes my blue LEAF look, well..."blue"

Funny thing is, every time I wash my car I do what most people would consider a "detail" job. Funny that I saw this post this morning. I'm sore from waxing my Leaf last night. I've had the car for almost 2 years and I decided it was time to wax it. Besides, I'm going to be showing it off to a group of cub scouts in a few days so I want to clean it up a bit for the presentation.

adric22 said:

Funny thing is, every time I wash my car I do what most people would consider a "detail" job. Funny that I saw this post this morning. I'm sore from waxing my Leaf last night. I've had the car for almost 2 years and I decided it was time to wax it. Besides, I'm going to be showing it off to a group of cub scouts in a few days so I want to clean it up a bit for the presentation.

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Me too, but I was really starting to notice swirl marks in the paint, especially on horizontal surfaces like the hood and roof. Which is why I wanted to do the machine polishing above all else. And if you've gone that far, you might as well go the whole hog.

BTW, I was really concerned about polishing on that black plastic panel between the hood and the windshield (which also had it's share of swirl marks), but the Meguiar's Ultimate Polish brought it back a treat!

i know a local who will do it for $75.
i was astounded.
i had him do it last year, and that week -- i got rear-ended. much worse than rain.

thankyouOB said:

i know a local who will do it for $75.
i was astounded.
i had him do it last year, and that week -- i got rear-ended. much worse than rain.

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Funny you should say that...I was just mulling the business opportunity in my head. I undervalued myself @ $50. :lol: Just for friends and neighbors like, and I sure as heck wouldn't spend 6 hours on a car!

Nice job. I noticed hand washing provides a much better result than the spray it down yourself car washes. The weather has been weird enough this winter that I've been able to hand wash 3 times because it was warm enough. Depending on forecast, might make it #4 next weekend. It needs it again after the last winter mix that blew through.