March Entry: 1994 Acura Legend

[01bluecls]

Well folks it has been VERY busy weekend. A guy at work knows i do detailing as a hobby/side job. He asked me to detail his 1994 Acura Legend (has 122k miles!) in dark green. I see the car before I qoute him any pricing; seeing that it was swirled like no other car I have ever worked on! Well I had just got my new Makita Rotary on Thursday with pads, and Menz Power Gloss. I started the detail early Friday morning expecting to finish the car by end of day. I was wrong! I only ended up gettin half the car done in 6 hours!!!!!!!! Using the rotorary for the first time on an actual vehicle (instead of test panel), I was little scared and worked very slowly. So with both of us working over the weekend, I picked the car up on Monday and begin where I left off, except washing it again to get the added dirt and dust off from the weekend. Spent another 4 hours on it today and FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!! Total Time over 2 days : 10 Hours!

The following is my process that I did over two days.
EXTERIOR:
1. NXT wash
2. Mothers Claybar
3. Horizontal panels (Trunk and Hood) got Menz Powergloss via Rotary @1500 with yellow LC pad
4. Whole car (Paint) received Menzerna IP via Rotary @1300est w/ 6. orange LC Pad
5. Areas where I received slight holograms from rotary recieved Menz IP via PC @6 with orange LC pad.
6. Whole car Received Menz FPII via PC @5 with white LC pad
7. Washed car again to get all the Polishing dust off!!!
8. Applied Meg's NXT via PC @5 with white LC pad.

Tires and fender wells were treated with NXT Insane shine with EO Tire wipe
Door jambs cleaned with APC
Wheels were cleaned with EO A2Z with LOTS of agitation!!
Glass cleaned with Stoners IG

INTERIOR: (Was kept in good shape and relatively clean)
Floor Mats - Vacuumed and scrubbed with Oxy clean mix
Leather, dash, vinyl was wiped down with Woolite 6:1
Leather Treated with Z10 Conditioner

Now on to the many pics I have taken!!!!

Before pics was AFTER I had washed and clayed it!!

The before pics with swirls you see are ALL over the ENTIRE car like that!

Befores Pics:

[01bluecls]

DURING Progress PICS:

[01bluecls]

AFTER Pics! :

[01bluecls]

More AFTERS:

[01bluecls]

After everything: There is still a lot of rock chips major scratches and dings. I sided with caution with this car because there were a lot of areas were clear coat was failed or failing. So i took extra care and didnt remove all defects (scratches) simply cause I didnt want to take too much clear off! I learned how better myself with the Rotary. I learned to better estimate time a job will take hopefully.

I look forward to seeing everyone's comments and ** maybe ** some of you people can vote for me!

[Burlyq]

You got my vote. It is interesting what part of the pad you use for polishing. You don't use the edge, or the center, but the center ring, do you always use that for polishing? I haven't seen that before, but it obviously works, good job! Have you ever used constant pressure pads? Also, do you apply polish to car first via applicator, then machine the surface?

[tdekany]

I'll vote for you too. Excellent detail in & out.

Question - how did you work the rotary *slow*?

[01bluecls]

Well the pad's I ordered with the Makita were 7.5 inch LC Variable Contact.

Here's the info from Lake Country What do we mean by variable contact?

Lake Country's patented design features a "stepped, concave" buffing surface that varies the level of pad-to-surface contact depending on the pressure applied by the operator.


Benefits:

Improved operator control - Ability to vary pad pressure allows the operator to"work" the compounds and polishes for the desired results.

Eliminates Splatter and Waste - As the pad rotates, polishes and compounds migrate toward the center of the pad, virtually eliminating splatter and waste of expensive compounds. Especially effective on vertical surfaces.

Ideal for Tight Spaces - The profile of the curved edge pad is great for buffing around objects in tight spaces. The recessed back prevents contact between the backing plate and the working surface.


The PC pads I have are also LC pads but the cutting pads are concaved towards the center, while the white polishing pad is flat.

[01bluecls]

Originally posted by tdekany
I'll vote for you too. Excellent detail in & out.

Question - how did you work the rotary *slow*?

I really just meant I took my time. I could have gotten polishing and compounding done a little faster but I didnt apply any pressure at all. I also wanted the polish to break down all the way.

I think I made my passes too fast and not using enough pressure caused me to go over the area twice as much. ( Little scared about buring this "old" paint.) Plus the tight places with the rotary are kinda of a PITA.

Kinda of hard not being able to tell how much clear is left on this 11 year old car There was already clear coat failures in several places all over the car. Just remember this was my first time doing a full car with the Rotary and not just my little test panel I had been practicing on with a cheapie chicago rotary.

[01bluecls]

By the way, to everyone, I apologize for some of my sunlight (or lack there of) after pics. The before pics I was able to take on Friday when there was lots of sun. Monday, (Yesterday) when I finished, the day remained partly cloudy for the most part

[Burlyq]

I use the same pads as you but I was wondering if you have tried the newer pads that have no edge, they just have a flat surface. How many pads did you use, or how many times did you have to clean them? I would have used several pads on something that was that bad off.

[01bluecls]

Burlyq, not sure what pads you are referring to "have no edge"

Here's a link that shows the exact pads I have. http://www.lakecountrymfg.com/foamcurv_feat.html

Well, the yellow pad with the and Menz Powergloss I had to clean almost every panel or half a panel. That stuff is super thick!!! When I used the Orange Pad with IP I cleaned it every 1-2 panels. Cleaning them, i take a detail brush, soak the pad with water, spin the rotary with brush contacting the pad, then spin the pad dry. Ready to go! It takes me about 5 minutes to clean a pad using that method. With Menz Powergloss I got dusting like it was the Great Depression!!!! IP wasnt as bad, but still dusted.