Civic EG

What are your typical steps when you detail your personal cars or customers if you detail for a living?

I've gotten a little OCD about keeping my cars (and my girlfriend's) clean.

I personally use the 2 bucket system for washing.

Then bring the car in the garage and dry it using a waffle weave towel and compressed air to get water out of the cracks.

Then I check the paint for defects. Look for suface containination, swirls, scratches, etc)

I have a few different products I apply after those steps depending on a variation of the condition of the paint.

What methods, products, equiptment do you use?

Black cars are a bitch, right? I find that once it's clean & clayed & decontaminated, you have to keep a good coat of wax on it. Good wax - I find that the carnuba yellow wax paste in the tin can lasts longer than the liquid stuff.
Once the wax wears off, that's when you start to get swirl marks from washing.
My mustang's paint was in bad shape when you stopped by. It didn't look too bad in the garage but in the sun it didn't even look black parked next to a black car with nice paint.
I spent an hour a night for about a week and a half with a 6" DA variable speed buffer to get the paint looking new again. I used Meguiars 6" microfiber pads which are like $20 for a 2 pack but worth it.
First I used Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover.
That got the paint looking black again by polishing out the deep scratches/swirls but there were still a lot of very fine swirl marks when looking into the sun's reflection (a bright LED light like the kind on a phone works great for checking for swirl marks in a garage).
Then I used a 3M compound (forget the # on that one, I'll have to check) which then took out those very fine swirl marks left by the Meguiars #9.
Then I waxed it (did the front 2x since it gets pelted by bugs/dirt).

The before/after is amazing. The car hasn't looked this good in years - looks a lot less like a 16 yr old car now.

Next I gotta do the TSX asap, because the TSX looked great to me until I finished the Mustang. Now my standards have been raised

Man black is beautiful but damn it sucks to keep clean. I put 30+ hours into my girlfriends civic when she bought it. It didnt have any wax on it anywhere. I went through 2 clay bars working on it because the paint was so contaminated.

I've been rocking a 6" Griots garage DA polisher. I use foam pads though. I've been meaning to try the microfiber.

For deeper scratches including wet sanding spots I use Shine Supply Classic Cut. This stuff is amazing. (low dust solution with a long work time)
Then follow it with Shine Supply Classic Polish (no dust solution, very long working time) it is great for swirl marks.
After that I typically use Carnuba paste wax, followed by Meguires Gold Class liquid wax.
Then keep the car out of the elements for 12 hours to let the wax cure.

I've heard good things about 3M polishes and I have been meaning to try it. Where did you buy yours?

black cars arnt a bitch lol huge SUV's are a bitch in any color IMO lol. but when i go out detailing

its usually Exterior ( this also depends if the customer has a drive way or gravel driveway)

:rinse
:prep
:wash
:dry
optional) 4 stage (cut, polish, paint brighter, wax)
:wax

then interior
:vac
:plastics
:seats
:spot treat
optional) shampoo and extract seats/carpets
:dress
:treat seats (leather)
:wipe down
:windows
:vac

thats how my services usually go
we use most of the meguiars stuff which is pretty good and also out local supplier (Detail supply warehouse)

a trick i learned if you have stains on the Headliner you can dab a microfiber (or cotton towel if you prefer) in lacquer thinner and you just need a very minute amount and dab the stain on the liner lighter until it disappears (DO NOT scrub the stain)

and also waxing Clear windows (windshields mostly) will have a nicer cleaner look

as for people who smoke in their cars to get the tar off the windows ive had better luck with just hot water and a cotton towel on windows.

On my black car

rinse for a few min to wash away sand or things that might scratch my paint when washing it, starting at the top of the car so it washes down

i scrub one section at a time with dish soap and a microfiber pad and rinse after every piece( if it has an outline i do it one at a time call it obsessive) roof-windshield-side window-work my way around the rest of the windows-top of trunk-hood- and so on ( i think u get the point) (I always start on a top surface) open doors and wash door jams and quick rinse and close em work my way down always keeping the car wet so i don't get the white spots from soap or hard water and RINSE RINSE RINSE and tires last

while im doing glass surfaces i use a steel wool the finest one i think its four zeros? 0000 not a 100% might be 5 and scrub windows

force a cotton rag in between window and window seal hate when i put down my window and makes that scratching noise--- rinse well after using steel wool because if small metal fibers stay on paint it will rust , it makes ur windows super slick, sometimes i use degreaser ( mean green) if i have hard to get out water stains

dry with a super absorber from wally world- i think thats the name btw absorber (fake chamois) blow air in the cracks with compressor and blow out a/c vents with air and pull out carpets and blow them out,the carpets look new if u take your time and yes it seems endless especially if u live in a sandy state

rainX original for glass (love that product)
and a quick spray wax, i use nu finish( orange bottle) every couple months and rarely clay it cause i hate claying a car



Disclaimer: This may not be in order or done every wash

It all depends on how bad the car looks... Lets just say, you just bought the car or you are ocd about her looks.

Here is my system... used to work at Turtle Wax Car Wash.

beginning notes: You have car mitts and wheel and door jam mitts... (good and bad mitts) First you wash jams, than wheel wells, then wheels with bad mitts. Then you wash car, TOP TO BOTTOM!


1. Wash the car (use a bit of car wash soap, a good bit of dawn and a good bit of biodegradable degreaser concentrate (this is to remove the old wax and start fresh))

2. Clay Bar!!! with lube of choice (typically spray detailer).

3. wash car again!!... new mitt of course...

4. dry car.

5. Rubbing Compound, working in small sections do 6 passes with an orbital polisher and a foam pad. (one pass north south, one east west and repeat for 6 passes).
Remove compound after each small section, do not let the compound dry on there.

6. Polishing compound, same steps... new foam pad or use a new one.

7. paint sealant... such as Groit's Garage One Step... same steps, microfiber pad.

8. Meguiars Mirror Glaze #7 Show Car Glaze, same steps (although you could just do 3-4 passes.

9. Wax, user preference; but I prefer a carnauba wax... bout to try meguiars white wax on my EG.
2-3 passes with a microfiber or foam pad; due the entire car and let it sit a bit then remove the wax. Personally I like to remove a bunch of the wax by had than go over then entire car and use the polisher and a clean pad to remove and polish the surface.


(optional!!!)10. If you REALLY REALLY want to... use tire dressing... if you do, just remove the excess... no point in detailing a car just have have oily, dirty, disgusting tire slime on the cars paint.



Anyways these are the steps to restoring the paint... I just touched up a bunch of the paint on my car... so for me I also have to wet-sand the entire car as well.

You will need to devote a day to this process, but the car will look AMAZING after.

edit: glad I read reviews... meguiars white wax is more of a cleaner wax... used between polishing compound and sealant...

OR

If you are overwhelmed with my steps you could do.... meguiars white wax (or black if you have a darker color), then sealant, glaze, then a carnuba wax.

How do you go about finding a real detailer? I have asked around and most people's idea of what detailing is is standard wash, shampoo carpet, wipe down and clean out your cupholders. Stuff I do already.

Around the Chicago burbs there are quite a few places. They are the same places that also do your standard wash (n wax).

Leslies
The buildings that once were Turtle Wax.

Maybe a dealership...

The places to look at the car washes that have in interior bay as well. Typically for a detail you need to go inside and talk to a cashier... you typically set up an appointment and return to drop off the car. They will go over with you the level of detailing necessary and the costs... it is pricey.

I believe a typical exterior detail is... 120 and goes up from there... maybe to 180.


Outside of the steps I listed the main difference is the polisher they use... 80-120 dollar orbitals or the balls to the wall rotary polishers. Plus the staff there has been doing details for a while... It does take a bit or practice to get you eyes accustomed to seeing the swirls to remove them. And using a rotary polisher should be left to someone with experience... rotarys are MUCH more powerful than your standard orbital polisher, (mine is just a cheap 30-40 dollar hand held polisher... with not much in the way of torque or drastic orbit...ing...)

this is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Carrand-94000AS-P ... B0038YPF28
I like it... but i need MORE POWER when doing compounding and polishing... plus when I did my neighbors black car (THE WORST TO DETAIL) I got the foam too hot ( it melted and separated the foam layers).

Investing in the materials to detail your own car are well worth it... especially when neighbors see you doing your car and give you 50-100 bucks to do theirs.

But I but you can do a google search for 'exterior' "automotive detailers" and find some results... but expect to spend 120-200 for a detail and not have your car for a day... interior detailing is an extra 60-100 as well. (carpets shampooed, seats, dash, floor mats. NO PEDALS AND NO HEADLINER!

In fact, from experience, TIP WELL! and even tip the guy that is GOING to do the detail before he starts... say give him/her a 20 before and a 10 after... we always worked harder for people that tip well, or tip before... People that look like they will not tip... aka, stiff you... well, the job is "rushed".