3 Details, 5 Days, 30+hours...LOOOOONG POST (LOTS oF PICS) (56K NO!)

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01bluecls

New member
Hello ladies and gents, been a while since I have posted in click and brag of my own. I WILL APOLOGIZE UP FRONT ABOUT NO “BEFORE PICS.� These vehicles are taken care by me and really doesn’t show badly on camera. I did wish I took pics of my car before as detailed as I did it but time was a factor on the days I worked on it.



This past week I have ordered tons of goodies and have detailed my car, my dad’s Lexus and my gf’s TC. All three has been over the last 5 days and in this freaking unbearable 100 degree plus heat. I will do “mini-reviews� of some of the new products I have received, if further details of a product I’m reviewing is necessary, then PM or post here. Mini reviews are after details have been posted in this thread (towards the bottom.)



First up my Dad’s 2006 Lexus GS300. Bought last March 2nd 2005, I have babied this car and have kept Zaino on it since day one.



Process for this detail as follows:



Wash Z7

Clay with Zaino Clay and FK425 as lube.

Zaino ZPC via PC and polishing pad on 5.

Zaino Z5PRO ZFX’ed x2 with Z8 Spray before, between, and after all by hand

Interior Vacuumed with new MetroVac, water/woolite on everything.

Z10 Leather on leather and 303 on vinyl

Windows cleaned with stoners IG

Wheels cleaned with Meg’s wheel spoke brush and wheel brightener cut 4:1 (water/solution)

Tires Dressed with Z16



Total Time: About 4-5 Hours



Pictures:



06_Lex_drive_fender_dark.jpg




06_Lex_Driveway_pass_side_rear.jpg




06_Lex_fr_dr_shot_driveway.jpg




06_Lex_fr_pass_fender_driveway.jpg




06_Lex_front_driver_driveway.jpg




06_Lex_front_fender_WET.jpg




06_Lex_side_driveway.jpg
 
My girlfriends car is a 2005 Scion TC bought last February. I have tried to take care of it as much as possible but we don’t live together so washing it with our different schedules is very hard. Anyways, her car definitely had not been waxed for months. Last time I have FK2180 and Collinite IW845 on it about 5 months ago. Held up decently, but not all that well. Car sits out 24/7.



Process as follows:



Wash Z7

Clay with Z Clay and FK425 as Lube.

Zaino ZPC via rotary 1200rpms and polishing pad.

Optimum Polish via PC and polishing pad at 5.

Z6 wipe down after polishing.

Zaino Z5PRO ZFX’ed x1 with Z8 Spray after. ( I let it cure overnight and didn’t have time to do a second coat.) All by hand

Interior quick vac and window cleaned with stoner IG.

Wheels cleaned with Meg’s wheel spoke brush and wheel brightener cut 4:1 (water/solution)

Exhaust tip cleaned with Flitz Metal polish.



Total Time: About 4-5 hours.



Pictures:





IMG_0138.jpg




TC_Drive_Fender.jpg




TC_Driver_fender_driveway.jpg




TC_pass_fender_driveway.jpg




TC_Rear_pass_Street.jpg




TC_Wet_Autopia.jpg




Tc_Drive_Pass_Fender_Autopia.jpg
 
NOW, on to my baby (car)!!!!! I wanted to go above and beyond on this one as it may be its last detail until next year but not this thorough. This process was spent over 3-4 days and over 15 hours put into it. I will be as thorough as possible but without talking you to death. Last detail my car got was in early march, light polish and waxed every 3 weeks since then with washes at least once a week. Car had some swirls and marring. Hood and trunk had some etching that I really never got rid of since I got the car just over 2 years ago.



Here’s the long Process!:



Headlights: There was some oxidation and hazing that made them look cloudy. Polishing alone wasn’t getting me the results so I taped them off from the rest of the paint, wet sanded with 2000 grit paper, polished with Power Gloss and 4 inch cut pad on drill. Then final polished with IP on 4inch polish pad with drill. Wipedown with 50/50 alcohol water mix and Applied 3 layers of Z5PRO x3 ZFXed. Total Time: 1.25 hour



Engine Bay: Engine bay washed about 2 years ago from the dealer I bought it from so dirt levels were light to moderate. With engine cool, sprayed down the entire area with Greased Lightning APC from Advanced Auto Parts (AWESOME APC for this purpose). Let the APC dwell for about minutes then pressure washed all of it. Used Metro Vac to blow the water out and dry the engine bay. The top valve cover I polished the metal part with my new Mothers Mini Ball and Flitz Metal Polish. All plastics were treated with FK Top Coat Protectant (don’t remember the number) and rubber hoses and hard to reach areas I used WD40 to spray down. Total Time: 1 hour



Wheels: I usually keep the wheels inside and out clean but I wanted go with the overhaul process and proceeded to take the wheels off individually to get the inside of them polished. Had to use the car jack from the trunk to jack each side up and take each wheel off. Once each wheel was off, washed them with Wheel Brightner 1:1 while using Steel wool #0000 There was pitting, tar bits and some corrosion that was making them an eye sore (to me at least). I used new Flitz ball and the Mothers mini ball on the drill and Flitz Polish on the inside, some areas I used Power Gloss. After polishing inside and outside, wheels got FK2180. Tires treated with Z16. The results were ok, I was disappointed with some of the “corrosion pitting,� looked like nothing short of complete SANDING DOWN would get it out. The pitting isn’t visible from more then 5 feet but being Autopian it bothered me. I did try sanding some areas with 1500 grit but after 10 minutes sanding a 1 foot section, I realized power sanding and more aggressive grit would be needed. But the amount of time that went into them, I am disappointed to say the least. � Total Time: 5 hours for all four wheels. (Including taking them off and putting them back on.)



Paint: Washed with Z7 dried and proceeded to clay with Zaino Clay with Qew as lube. Spoiler was taken off for polishing those area I commonly cant get to with it on. After claying started to Polish the Hood, roof, and trunk lid with EC/OP via rotary at 1500rpms and cut pad (to remove the acid rain etching I was talking about.) All paint was polished with OHC via Rotary and orange LC pad at 1200 rpms. Followed with OC via PC and Polish pad at 6 Then I used a combo of 50/50 ZPC and OP via PC and polish pad. All swirls and marring with some slight scratches were removed up to 95% or more! Z6 wipedown and applied 2 coats of Z5PRO w/ZFX. Both coats were on the paint overnight in the garage for 1 night each. After the second coat, I kept the car in the garage two days after without driving it and wiped down each day with Duragloss AW! Total Time: 9 hours



Glass: After the polishing was done on the paint I cleaned the windows with stoner IG and started to polish/clean them with Zaino Glass polish via rotary at 1000 rpms. Zaino Z2 (not Pro) applied x 2. Total Time: 1 hour



Trim: All the exterior trim that was “flat finished� I used CK RMG which did an excellent job cleaning and treating them. More porous plastic finishes received FK Top Coat Protect. Total time: 15 minutes



Interior: Just my ordinary routine…Vacuumed with my new MetroVac and used water/woolite on leather and dash and all vinyl. All plastics treated with 303 and leather treated with Z10 leather conditioner. Total Time: 1.5 hours



Whew! Keep in mind All this was done over 3-4 days here and there. The car was garaged all those days with out being driven. That has been the most time I have ever spent on any car total. Probably would have done even more if the heat wasn’t over 100 degrees everyday. I plan on selling her next year because I will be needing the money after I graduate from GMU. I have the car for 2 and half years and it has 65k on the clock right now. Mods are: Cleared headlights (amber reflector removed), Comptech Headers, Comptech Icebox, Cusco Strutbar, H&R springs with Tokico Blue Shocks, Neuspeed sway bars front and rear. Wish I would give her some nice shoes, but don’t have the cash for the one I would get.
 
MINI-REVIEW OF NEW STUFF:



Flitz Polishing Ball: Little disappointed with it. It looks like strips of cloth, looks pretty durable though. When I used it on the inside of the wheels it was pretty good but not great. I could seeing this tool being useful more for chromed surfaces for some reason. IMO its not worth it and if and when this one wears out I will not be repurchasing.



Mother’s MINI Power Ball: Very Impressed! Pretty small hence the Mini part but seems like it would be very durable. The foam strips are nice and thick and closely and tightly compacted. I used this on the valve cover and inside the wheels with the 10inch extender it came with. VERY effective cleaning and polishing capabilities because of its composition. I haven’t tried the regular size yet btw.



MetroVac N Blo: Freaking amazing! Very compact and powerful! Comes with a variety of attachments for detailing. The blowing power is awesome and I used it to blow crevices and wheels dry after each details wash. Also used it to blow the engine bay dry after washing. The suction is great for the inside. The tools made it easy to get into hard to reach areas. I also got the wheel dolly which I recommend, otherwise the vac, if rested on the floor will easily get scratched. I have a Shop Vac now and I don’t think I will have to use it again. Since the MetroVac is portable it will be great for those guys doing mobile details!! Best investment since the PC and Rotary!



Bissel Little Mean Green Machine with Heater: Another amazing tool! I haven’t used it in any cars YET, but I did get to use it on the house carpet with some stains. I payed 90 bucks from Target and it came with the built in heater, and “Turbo Brush� I wish the container were bigger but again its only 90 bucks and its meant to be portable. The turbo brush actually works very well and has a built in sprayer. I used the Bissel cleaning solution it came with which worked well. Be careful of what solution you use, it doesn’t seem to like heavy foaming solution. The extractor works well considering its size and price. The heater is awesome for keeping the cleaning solution very warm to increase its effectiveness! Overall another great purchase I can use around the house and cars!



Z5 PRO: I have Z2, Z5, and Z2 PRO, and Z5 PRO blows them out of the water. I noticed the difference immediately in the application and appearance afterwards. Applying was MUCH EASIER then the other versions, spreads easily. The only downfall and this is probably due to the environmental conditions, is the curing was taking a while. Probably took about 2-3 hours to cure fully due to the humidity. Appearance is VERY WET and DEEP!! Used it on the two silver cars and my blue CLS. The silver never shimmered so wet and the blue looked like a clear lake! Keep up the good work SAL!



OHC, OC, OP: Very short review, as many have already read. Great polishes! They are replacing my Menzerna Line up officially. (Except for Power Gloss) My only gripe I guess the loooong working time when used with PC. Hard to tell when the polishing step is done so I probably spent more time breaking down the polish then necessary. Wasn’t use to that. Via Rotary it broke down quickly enough to where it was great. All leave a great finish. OHC did leave micro marring on my finish but OC cleared it up and my OP/ZPC mix gave the finish an LSP ready look.



Flitz Metal and Fiberglass Polish: After reading G35Stilez using it I tried it for myself. I don’t think its have many if any abrasives but it removes hazing, TAR BITS!, and oxidation like a champ. Finally found a metal polish I love! Used it on my chrome tips, wheels, valve cover, and polished strut bar. All cleaned up VERY well!



Thanks to all to who took the time to read this LOOOOOONG POST! Comments, questions welcomed as always….Any questions about more details in my processes and/or review please don’t hesitate!
 
Canon Powershot SD630 Photos were mainly taken with manual setting of Exposure 0 to +1, Auto White Balance, "Colors" off, Superfine Quality, 1600x1200. All re-sized to 700x525 and sharpened slightly through Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0.
 
The SD630 I bought mainly for its size, price and quality. It has a nice 3.0 inch LCD! Im still a N3WB to photography, so my pics arent as good as others have posted. Im still learning the camera, lighting, and proper techniques and angles.
 
Sounds cool. We've been using my Powershot A75 (thumbs down) and Chris's Oly 5060WZ. I'm likely buying a Panasonic FZ20 this next week through someone.
 
drew.haynes said:
Sounds cool. We've been using my Powershot A75 (thumbs down) and Chris's Oly 5060WZ. I'm likely buying a Panasonic FZ20 this next week through someone.
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Panasonic sounds good. I researched mine thoroughly for a week and hours of reading. Of course whenever you buy some electronic, something new, better and cheaper comes out. I will invest in a Digital SLR in the next few years once I feel my photography skills reaches a point to be able to use such a camera. Not cheap either!
 
01bluecls said:
Panasonic sounds good. I researched mine thoroughly for a week and hours of reading. Of course whenever you buy some electronic, something new, better and cheaper comes out. I will invest in a Digital SLR in the next few years once I feel my photography skills reaches a point to be able to use such a camera. Not cheap either!
Click to expand...



Yeah, Chris has been lookin at a Rebel XT or 300D
 
truzoom said:
That is quite possibly the cleanest Acura I have ever seen.



Great work!
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THANKS! LOL Your avatar is funny....can you please tell me what the h3LL that commercial is promoting!?!!? When I saw the commercial, I didnt know if it was a joke commercial or what!!
 
drew.haynes said:
Yeah, Chris has been lookin at a Rebel XT or 300D
Click to expand...





MMMMmmmm...REBEL XT!!! Prices Have dropped on those. Around 800ish. If you add telescopic lenses and stuff its gonna be over a 1000 easy. I would love it, but im broke now while in school. I love to pick up photography in general as a second hobby behind detailing of course.
 
your pictures look great and the details are fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Both silver cars are so wet looking - wow!



You're good.... you're very good :D



Where did the vac come from and how much?
 
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