First complete detailing job, yikes!

[kilobravo]

Inside alone is 3 hours

<smiling> I suffer from OCD to the max, LA, but not so much on the interiors of vehicles. I can't even think of enough things to do for three hours. :-) That said, I say, rock on. :-)

All of 3 hrs worth of work on just the outside.

On the other side of the coin..

I have to say, I was astounded when I read this post, AJ. If I were to do a two-pass polish as you described, on a normal-sized vehicle, it would probably take me three or four DAYS. Consequently, I'm thinking the "dust storm" results might have had something to do with the time spent..just sayin'.

Also, one thing I learned early on was to have great lighting conditions when polishing. I even add a couple spots on tripods and move them along with me.

I bet if you go back and spend some time with 205 or maybe better yet, Sonax Final Finish and a fine/ultrafine pad, you'll get her back to shinesville again. :-) Good luck.

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[32Ford]

I'm at 6 hours to strip and start to apply Adams Advanced Graphene coating. I still have to do the sides of the car and the wheels. I do a little each day. I'm not looking forward to the wheels.....
Luckily where I live, there is still salt on the roads, so there is over a month before driving.

 

[19gtMD]

<smiling> I suffer from OCD to the max, LA, but not so much on the interiors of vehicles. I can't even think of enough things to do for three hours. :-) That said, I say, rock on. :-)



On the other side of the coin..

I have to say, I was astounded when I read this post, AJ. If I were to do a two-pass polish as you described, on a normal-sized vehicle, it would probably take me three or four DAYS. Consequently, I'm thinking the "dust storm" results might have had something to do with the time spent..just sayin'.

Also, one thing I learned early on was to have great lighting conditions when polishing. I even add a couple spots on tripods and move them along with me.

I bet if you go back and spend some time with 205 or maybe better yet, Sonax Final Finish and a fine/ultrafine pad, you'll get her back to shinesville again. :-) Good luck.

Oh im sure. I call it a low budget paint correction. Now i didnt go all in depth. But i hit the whole car with both. And the shine was great. My garage is pretty well lit. So no issues there. What i dont have is a clean room. Man even today after another wipe down yesterday i came to the car this morning with dust. I just think its in the air. My garage has a mini split i run along with a oscillating fan. Im sure thats contributing to my dust issue, at least at home. But its also march, so pollen might be getting ready to pick up too. I just really hate putting in crazy work to make sure that black shines, and dust just settles on it so visibly. LOL... ehh all the more reason to think about wrapping the car in a brighter color

 

[Bobn57]

That last pic is stunning, the depth and gloss is amazing. Well done.

Thanks Deyon! I'm afraid to take it back on the road now that its done

 

[LaMustang62]

I usually pay to have my car detailed and ceramic coated once a year. It's worth it!

I don't understand the ceramic once a year. These are 5-7 year coatings

 

[LaMustang62]

I hear ya. I just spent past 3 days detailing mine. Complete strip off last years wax then clay bar, polish and ceramic coating applied to all paint and trim. Applied glass coating to exterior glass and finished today with interior. I’m beat

Looking great

 

[Bobn57]

I don't understand the ceramic once a year. These are 5-7 year coatings

me either....my single coat is supposed to last 36 months.

 

[LaMustang62]

TE="DFB5.0, post: 3510193, member: 29348"] I think it would be an understatement to say I enjoy detailing my car. I'm going to get much deeper into this, so sorry if this is a ramble. I have always loved cleaning my car, starting by cleaning my parents cars and progressing onto my own once I was old enough. As the years have ticked away, I have gotten deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. When the pandemic and lockdowns hit , I was sidelined from my job and suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. There were other things I would do to wind down and relax, things that were no longer possible due to lockdowns. It was during these on-off-on-off lockdowns when I really doubled down on detailing. I started detailing more cars, more often. Both my own cars and I took on a few customers as well. The money I was not spending on other activities, I was directing towards detailing. A new pressure washer was the big one, but also stepping up my microfiber collection, installing a sink in the garage and investing in a new floor. All the while I was documenting this across several online forums. While detailing is a lot or hard work, it's more than that to me. I'm not ashamed to say that I have had a lot of health struggles to deal with over the last few years, both mentally and physically. The detailing is a way to unwind, forget the world around me and loose myself in the "process", often with music or a podcast playing through my noise cancelling headphones. Afterwards, editing photos, writing about what I have been doing and sharing it among like minded people has been very beneficial to my mental health. I call it "distractive therapy". When I'm detailing and writing about it, I forget my troubles and feel good about myself. So yes, a bit more than "I like to detail my car". Everyone has that thing they love doing the most, the thing that makes them happy and content. [/QUOTE]


Well said. It is exactly what you say. more people need an activity which at least for a while divorces them from a lot of things going on. It is healthy

 

[ScottyRyan2018]

I love cleaning the vehicles. Puts me in a state of zen.

Darling wife asks me why I don’t put as much effort into cleaning the house? I told her that’s woman’s work


RIP…ScottyRyan2018

 

[LaMustang62]

What are people using as a go to for Glass Sealing or coating. Rain-x Doesn't count.

Windows are a pet peeve of mine being slightly dirty. Just seems to make the whole thing dirty. So I clean them way to often but so for can' t convince myself on a product. Need more research. Right now after a wash it is clay bar and detail spray of some sort

 

[Bobn57]

What are people using as a go to for Glass Sealing or coating. Rain-x Doesn't count.

Windows are a pet peeve of mine being slightly dirty. Just seems to make the whole thing dirty. So I clean them way to often but so for can' t convince myself on a product. Need more research. Right now after a wash it is clay bar and detail spray of some sort

I just used this over the weekend...
https://gtechniq.com/shop/auto/glass-metal/automotive-glass-care-kit/
Its a cleaner and polish/sealer. I don't know how long it will last but I'm happy with initial results.

 

[DFB5.0]

What are people using as a go to for Glass Sealing or coating. Rain-x Doesn't count.

Windows are a pet peeve of mine being slightly dirty. Just seems to make the whole thing dirty. So I clean them way to often but so for can' t convince myself on a product. Need more research. Right now after a wash it is clay bar and detail spray of some sort

If regular cleaning is not giving you the result, perhaps try polishing the glass.

I use CarPro CeriGlass and Rayon pads for glass polishing. Polishing can be done on a machine or the small hand polishing cubes supplied with the CeriGlass kit. Make sure you mask up the rubber trim before starting.

As for sealant, I'm using Gyeon Q2 Quick View at the moment. This comes as a combined bottle and applicator and is as simple as wipe on, wipe off. If you don't polish beforehand, at least clay bar the glass first and wipe over with an IPA product like CarPro Eraser or Gyeon Prep.

 

[kilobravo]

These are 5-7 year coatings

I'm not sure where you obtained that info, LA, but I'm fairly sure it's exaggerated. A ceramic coating is only a couple molecules thick and despite being hard as a rock, over time, it will get abrated until it is gone.

So, how long one will last depends on a number of factors but IMHO, no coating would last seven years and I think five is a stretch.

I use CarPro Reload every few months to restore some of that sacrificial layer.

 

[m3incorp]

I feel your pain. I clean the car and usually don't drive for a few days. Every single time it is dusty by the time I get ready to pull it out of the garage. I never thougth I would need in an indoor car cover, but I am beginning to do some research on them. The crazy thing is I know that as soon as I drive it, the pollen and dust will get on it anyway.

Oh im sure. I call it a low budget paint correction. Now i didnt go all in depth. But i hit the whole car with both. And the shine was great. My garage is pretty well lit. So no issues there. What i dont have is a clean room. Man even today after another wipe down yesterday i came to the car this morning with dust. I just think its in the air. My garage has a mini split i run along with a oscillating fan. Im sure thats contributing to my dust issue, at least at home. But its also march, so pollen might be getting ready to pick up too. I just really hate putting in crazy work to make sure that black shines, and dust just settles on it so visibly. LOL... ehh all the more reason to think about wrapping the car in a brighter color

 

[kilobravo]

Completely agree, James. I've reached the point where I don't even cover it in the garage any longer.

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