Well it was finally nice enough to get out and try and begin to do the spring cleanup on my car. Being in rural Ohio I have plenty of dirt and crud all over. To begin with I was thinking I may need to do a 1 step polish to freshen up the paint, but after my wash this changed a little. After my initial wash to strip off the current protection I was very pleased to see that there was very little swirling at all. After the winter we had I was surprised and also proud that my winter washing regime worked so well. SO I don’t know that I would call this a full detail but more of a cleanup.
Process:
1. Foamed using CG Maxi Suds + APC to begin to strip off my winter Protection. (Menz PL w/ Colli 845. Then top with Opti-Seal half way through winter.)
2. Washed using Optimum Car Wash + some APC to strip off protection and clean the body prepping for clay.
3. Clayed using Clay Magic Blue and ONR as clay lube. Took about an hour to doo the entire car. I had quite a bit or contamination on my lower rocker panels and rear bumper.
4. Re-Washed using Optimum Car Wash and ONR. I usually use aprox. 1oz of ONR in every wash I do to help treat hard water.
5. At this point my original thought was to do a 1 step with Megs 205 or Menz 85rd. But after closers inspections and some time constraints I decided to apply a glaze and sealant.
6. Used CG Mirror Wet finish to fill in the minor imperfections and give the car a nice glossy finish. This was applied left to set for 30 min. It was then buffed off and left to “cure” for another 30 min.
7. Entire car was sealed using Opti-Seal. (Paint, Trim, Glass, Headlights, Door Jambs, Wheels)
8. Exhaust was clayed and then sealed using Colli Metal Wax.
9. Tires were dressed with Black Magic Titanium Tire Wet Gel. (I am looking pick sp some opti-bond and the Gun to use with my air compressor. But until then I am using local stuff.)
10. I ran out of time but the plan is to move to the interior next and protect my seats with Optimum Leather Protectant and top up the exterior with Optimum Car Wax.
Thought on Optimum Products:
1. Optimum ONR: I predominantly use ONR as wash additive or clay lube. I have tried it as no rinse wash but feel that on a regular basis the contaminates bonded to my vehicle are more than what a waterless wash is for. I have used it a few time when the car was simply dusty and ONR cleaned well with no marring of the paint. It left a nice gloss as well. As a wash additive ONR increases the lubracicity of every car soap I have tried it with. I feel it also helps in the encapsulation of dirt. As a clay lube ONR is a cheaper alternative than buying a dedicated clay lube. Also it helps me to keep my chemical inventory to minimum as ONR can be wash, clay lube and QD if needed.
2. Optimum Car Wash: It has a nice fruity smell. (I would love to know what the exact scent is) It has creates great suds that last all the way through a car was and even later as it lays on the side of the driveway. One of the best as far a lubracicity. It rinses from the vehicle easily while also having good cleaning ability. Some of the other soaps I have used that have good cleaning ability really cling to the paint and take extra flushing to get off. As a maintenance shampoo in my opinion it is very good but little expensive when compared to others such as Megs Shampoo Plus.
3. Optimum Opti-Seal: Can a sealant be any easier to use? It only takes me about 10 – 15 minutes to go over my entire car. I like to spend a little extra time spreading it out and going over everything twice. I have used Opti-Seal as a top up product up until now. I am going to use it this summer as my primary sealant on my car as well as any customer’s cars.
4. Optimum Car Wax: I have found this to be finicky to work with at times. If applied improperly it tends to streak. This is usually a case of humidity for me. But when applied properly you can wax a car in under 15 minutes (Start to Finish). It leaves a deep wet looking gloss. Overall I like the product but due to the finicky application I will only use this on my own vehicles or when I have extra time to buff off any haze. I don’t know of any other spray wax that claims up to 5 moths of protection.
5. Optimum Leather Protectant: Low Gloss and Non-Greasy Finish. Two of the most important things to me. It is very easy to apply using a foam applicator. I like it better than some of the lotion type products as this does not fill in the perforation in my seats and leave the little white spots that I have to come back later and clean/punch out. It has a clean scent to me. I can’t speak to the UV protection as I don’t have a way to test it.
Pics
Unfortunately I did take the time to take before or during picture. I had worked most of the day and only had a few hours in the evening to complete the exterior cleanup. And due the rain that started I don’t have any outdoor or sun pics.
