i think it looks awesome...and if you like it that is all that matters

Part of being a vette owner

nate

 

Looks great Meguiar's is by no means high end detailing, but definitely quality stuff that you can get off the shelf at any store. That's where i started as well . My 200 dollar hobby turned into about 800 dollars worth of products and equipment in the past 2 years. Not too bad I suppose. I'm not a detailer for money by any means, I only do it for myself and friends. Usually when I first buy my car I spend about a day detailing every inch of it. Just exterior is about 8 hours haha.

 

Nice job and it looks good. When I got my '01 coupe about four years ago, that was the first thing I did. I filled a bucket with dish soap washed it and then used a combination all-in-one Meguiar’s polish and wax. As stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with Meguiar’s products. It was only a few weeks later that I discovered the products I now use. It can run into some money if you want to maintain an ample supply of the products, but that includes the exterior products as well as the interior and engine bay.

I am by no means a pro when it comes to detailing, but the money that the professionals charge is worth it if the car has swirls and scratches. They can remove them rather than simply covering them up. The products you used are good all around products, but they are formulated for the do it yourselfer. You will never find off the self products in a detail shop. A true detail can take a full day and maybe more depending on the condition of the paint.

It starts with a complete wash with a high quality auto shampoo, followed by clay baring the entire painted surfaces, then a product to remove all swirls and scratches. Next the paint gets a good polish applied and finally a minimum of two good coats of wax to protect the paint.

As for an orbital buffer, they will not cause swirls. The most popular one out there is the Porta Cable (a little over a $100). As stated by the pro, they will not remove deep scratches, but work great on swirls and minor scratches.

If you decide to have the car done professionally, check them out completely. There are many out there, but some can do more harm than good. The professional detailer can take most daily drivers and correct the defects in the paint. Once this is done, it then is up to you to maintain that finish. It will start with the proper washing, and that is washing by hand, not an auto car wash. Daily drivers will never stand up to a garage queen, in shows, but if maintained properly, they will standout at cruises, local shows or anytime on the road.

One last thing, again it looks good and if you are happy with the results, that is really what matters.

 

Mike

 

It came out looking great......good for you.

 

I wasn't simply stating a "Pro" could do it better. I was justifing the $150-$300 cost, which is cheap compared to what I typically get for paint corrections. Nor was I tring to down grade your work. If you took it that way, I appoligize.

So you know, if the paint was corrected and then properly maintained you could get more than six months out of your investment.






[QUOTE=JerzeyJoe;1573278777]Car looks great.

I have never looked at a car, on the street that was clean and said, "oh look, he didn't use polymer resin outta this world supersonic swirl remover with acrylic paste wax".



If your not worried about the swirls and minor paint defects in the paint to begin with,then you wouldn't, and those are typically the type of people that would not invest that kind of money in paint correction in the first place.

Most people don't even know there car has swirls and scratches till you point them out. But perfectionists like myself spot them from a mile away. And if you think i'm the only one...guess again.
I, and i'm willing to bet alot of others on this board could easily tell if a car is "clean" or if its "show quality".

 

[QUOTE=SSTG;1573283332]I wasn't simply stating a "Pro" could do it better. I was justifing the $150-$300 cost, which is cheap compared to what I typically get for paint corrections. Nor was I tring to down grade your work. If you took it that way, I appoligize.

So you know, if the paint was corrected and then properly maintained you could get more than six months out of your investment.






Maybe he/she is happy with a "clean car", and doesn't need "show quality"!

 

I think you have done a great job and even if you do this 4 times a year you will still be ahead and know you did it yourself

 

No worries. I am a perfectionist but on a military budget. For $100 I have supplies to do this several times and have the car always looking great!! If I have the disposable cash to do the full correction process I'll do so (as stated earlier).

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I was actually surprised how easy it was. Honestly, I've never even used a buffer before.

 

[QUOTE=JerzeyJoe;1573284099]Is that possible?

 

If you want to see how many fine scratches and swirls you have, use a halogen light and shine 12" off your paint.

If you really want to work the swirls and fine scratches out, use a 'swirl/fine scratch remover' (I'll leave brands to you, I'm sure Zaino has all these products and is a sponser, there's also A...ms which is not, but anyway) and use a porter cable 'dual action' buffer (or any brand 'dual action' or 'random orbital' ). then a fine polish, then wax (all after clay bar to remove fine grit in clear coat.

The 2 bucket is good, but you need a strainer at the bottom of the rinse bucket- you rub the glove into the strainer to knock the grit below.

Use a detail spray, put 3 drops of 'swirl remover' on the pad, then squirt pad with detail spray (2 sprays) and work in 1' square sections at a time. east to west, then north to south (front to back) and do in 'S' turns. Never take the buffer off the car. When it starts to look pasty, turn off the buffer (on the car), spray detailer again, and continue. Repeat this 3 times. Use a microfiber towel to remove (real micro fiber, if they're $1 a rag, it will scratch-look for micro fiber without tags sewn in , or cotton diaper)-

IMPORTANT! Always finish north to south (front to back of car). ALWAYS start the buffer with it ON THE CAR and always stop the buffer ON THE CAR. This will stop burn-out on your clear coat. This is why you need 'dual action' or 'ramdom' and not just a buffer. If using a porter cable- do all this on #5 setting. Always use different pads for each chemical.

After you've completed the car, do the same technique with a 'fine polish'.

then wax.

You can hit any areas you still see scratches with the 'swirl/scratch remover, then polish, then wax.

Use masking tape over light lenses and vinyl near the doors etc. to keep chemicals and buffer off these areas.

 

Nice work

 

Now don't you just love a "what you can do better next time" post as opposed to the "what you didn't do" stuff?!! Thanks for the great information. I'll definitely work in those tips next time around.