detail job-WARNING many pix high band width only

[skyguy]

So, I decided to do a complete detail on my NSX. It took 2 weeks on and off. Steps and products:
-Removed seats, treated leather with Color-plus soffener
-shampood carpets
-treated interior vinyl with Meg's #40
-removerd wheels, cleaned & painted calipers.
-detailed and waxed wheels, (Oz Supper Leggra gunmetal)
-detailed engine, trunk, under hood, (waxed under hood)
-wash with zymol dry with MF
-Clay x 2 with Meg's fine detail clay
*Using a Porter Cable 7424 random orbit machine the following:
-edge 2000 blue light cut pad with Menzerna's Intensive polish
-edge 2000 white non-abrasive pad with Meg's swirl remover # 9
-edge 2000 white non-abrasive pad with Meg's #7 show car glaze
-hand applied Meg's #27 Hi-tech wax
-edge 2000 white non-abrasive pad with MF bonnet wax removal with MF hand towels
-final coat of Meg's NXT wax hand applied and removed
- exhaust tips polished with Eagle one never-dull wadding
-trim detailed with mothers back to black, (fine horsehair brushes used between cracks, etc.)
-Plastic cleaner used on plastic parts
-Meg's NXt glass cleaner used on glass

Whew! I'm sure I forgot something, but it was quite a job. Now if the weather would only turn sunny!

Pix: After wash

after claying

detail prep

after clay

after Menzerna intensive polish

The rest of the pix after job complete
*NOTE: It was overcast, no sun....

 

[steveny]

If you are like me...now you won't drive it for a month for fear of getting it dirty.

 

[skyguy]

steveny,

Hummmmm, The super doppler website is pre-drive mandatory!

:biggrin:

 

[pt91]

Looks great. I know how much work that can be.

Now, get in your car and drive all day to Tulsa and join us for a group drive scheduled for tmrw so I can see the detail up close :biggrin:
How did you like IP?

I gave my front end a menz. FP once over and wax a couple of nights ago. I only had to break out the menz. IP in one spot.

 

[Meeyatch1]

It is funny this thread came up.....I am considering putting my car on jackstands for a couple of days and detailing the underside as well.

 

[NRG]

Looks awesome.

Now, it's time for you to detail the floor . I did mine recently, and it looks great. I think it costs me about $150 Do It Yourself.

Very simple....

1) Go to Home Depot
2) Buy the Garage paint
3) You'll need misc. tools such as paint roller, extension, mop, etc
4) Don't forget to buy the pre-cleaner (use it to clean the oil, rust, and other stains first)
5) Wash the floor and let it dry.
6) Apply the paint (the fun part)

Bad thing is that you shouldn't drive your car inside the garage until several days so that that paint can absorb the ground.

 

[skyguy]

Engel07,

I did my shop floor in my basement last year. It is also quite a job. I plan on doing my garage floor when the weather turns a little warmer.

Regards,

Skyguy :smile:

 

[NSXVURGIN]

BRAVO!! I love the depth to the color, I just purchased my first NSX this weekend out of state (WA) and drove it home to CA.

It could use some detail work like that!! It has small small scratches(?) in the
gloss, like the previous owner didn't use soft enough towels.

Has anybody here ever used TR3? Any suggestions for removal? With exception to the above original post...any help appreciated.

 

[Anthony Orosco]

Really nice work and very thorough

My question(s) to you though is about your use of the NXT AFTER you applied a hand wax.

Since NXT is more along the lines of a sealant how is it going to bond to the surface if you have a layer of wax down already?

Secondly since NXT has some cleaning abilities will it not then remove your wax layer, hence making the whole effort pointless?

Again great work and I only ask these questions because I am not a big user of Meguiars, perhaps you can explain further.

Thanks,
Anthony

 

[KSNSX]

Nice Job. Did you apply the Menzerna by had or with a buffer? How did it handle the swirls, what was the before/after like.

Thanks,

-Jeff-

 

[skyguy]

Really nice work and very thorough

My question(s) to you though is about your use of the NXT AFTER you applied a hand wax.

Since NXT is more along the lines of a sealant how is it going to bond to the surface if you have a layer of wax down already?

Secondly since NXT has some cleaning abilities will it not then remove your wax layer, hence making the whole effort pointless?

Again great work and I only ask these questions because I am not a big user of Meguiars, perhaps you can explain further.

Thanks,
Anthony

You are right. The NXT was overkill, but it is a learning process. The research is a very inportant part of a deep detail job and the amount of information is a bit daunting.

Regards,

Skyguy

 

[skyguy]

Nice Job. Did you apply the Menzerna by had or with a buffer? How did it handle the swirls, what was the before/after like.

Thanks,

-Jeff-

Jeff,
I used the Porter-Cable 7424 with Edge 2000 pads. As far as swirls, well The Menzerna actually softens the swirl edge. The Meg's swirl remover is a misnomer. It uses oils, etc to "fill" the swirl and keeps light refection to a minimum. Over time the swirl will reappear, (if you only use Meg's #9 SR.)

Another swirl remover that is a light abrasive is Meg' #80, it works somewhat like Menzerna IP. *Menerza IP is water based. Meg's is not.

A very easy abrasive scales of Meg's products are the #, (regardless of name, polish,swirl remover,glaze,etc.) The higher the # the more abrasive the product. Hence: 8032 = 80 abrasive 32 ounce bottle.

*80 abrasive is not like a sandpaper scale, it simply is Meg's scale.

I am doing my wifes Audi A6 and I started with Menzerna IP and felt I need more scratch/ swirl removal. I stepped it up to Meg's #82 and am evaluating whats next.

BTW: About the only way you could harm your paint with the Porter-Cable 7424 is if you use a wool bonnet or use a rubbing compound. or drop the machine on your hood! Very safe machine!

Before / after......Like night and day!

Bottom line. I like Meguires products, but there are so many others to choose from.

Skyguy

 

[pt91]

skyguy
I am curious about your experience with IP. I have used it for the last year and found it to remove all of my imperfections. The only spot it wouldn't remove I very carefully wet sanded with 2000 grit wet/dry. The IP with an orange 4" spot pad on speed 5 remove the sanding marks. The IP can be a little gooey, but iso/water removes it.
I always follow with FP on the black car and the you can really tell the difference. Not sure if you could see as much more shine you would get on red but it is worth a shot.

Anthony,
What do you use to remove a finish? I don't have any chemical cleaners and don't really like to break out the PC when I want to change my product. I have heard that 4* paint cleanser works well.

 

[Anthony Orosco]

pt91,

The 4* paint cleanser should work OK as will Menzerna FP. If you have a sealant down on the paint you may need to clay the finish in conjunction with something like FP.

Pinnacle's Cleansing Lotion is also a nice non-abrasive paint cleaner. There is a product put out by Hi-Temp that is in the form of a wash and it will remove a waxed finish also.

http://www.topoftheline.com/32ozprepwass.html

Hope that helps,
Anthony

 

[skyguy]

Jeff,
I used the Porter-Cable 7424 with Edge 2000 pads. As far as swirls, well The Menzerna actually softens the swirl edge. The Meg's swirl remover is a misnomer. It uses oils, etc to "fill" the swirl and keeps light refection to a minimum. Over time the swirl will reappear, (if you only use Meg's #9 SR.)

Another swirl remover that is a light abrasive is Meg' #80, it works somewhat like Menzerna IP. *Menerza IP is water based. Meg's is not.

A very easy abrasive scales of Meg's products are the #, (regardless of name, polish,swirl remover,glaze,etc.) The higher the # the more abrasive the product. Hence: 8032 = 80 abrasive 32 ounce bottle.

*80 abrasive is not like a sandpaper scale, it simply is Meg's scale.

I am doing my wifes Audi A6 and I started with Menzerna IP and felt I need more scratch/ swirl removal. I stepped it up to Meg's #82 and am evaluating whats next.

BTW: About the only way you could harm your paint with the Porter-Cable 7424 is if you use a wool bonnet or use a rubbing compound. or drop the machine on your hood! Very safe machine!

Before / after......Like night and day!

Bottom line. I like Meguires products, but there are so many others to choose from.

Skyguy

Whoops! I mis-quoted the meg's ratings. I was thinking of something else entirely. I typed before I thought and hence the retraction.
This and other forums are an excellent way of being informed!

Here is a brief explanation by Meg's rep:

All of our 80 series products, including M-82, are water based. M-82 is also a cleaner / polish.

M-82 is a great product for removing very light swirls, but if it is not strong enough that is when you jump to M-80 or even M-83, which are more aggressive cleaner / polishes. Keep in mind, the numbers do not automatically represent abrasive levels...Follow the red bar chart that is on the 80 series bottles....

You could follow with a coat of #7, but you could also jump straight from M-82, M-83, or even M-80 straight to a protective product, such as NXT Generation Tech Wax. The coat of #7 is optional, and depending on your time goals, it is up to you...

Mike

__________________
Mike Pennington
Director of Training
Meguiar's, Inc.
[email protected]

 

[gobble]

Looks great. Do you use the machine buffer to save your arms or does it do a better job? I've always been afraid of using anything but my hands.

 

[spartan2-3]

Looks awesome.

Now, it's time for you to detail the floor . I did mine recently, and it looks great. I think it costs me about $150 Do It Yourself.

Very simple....

1) Go to Home Depot
2) Buy the Garage paint
3) You'll need misc. tools such as paint roller, extension, mop, etc
4) Don't forget to buy the pre-cleaner (use it to clean the oil, rust, and other stains first)
5) Wash the floor and let it dry.
6) Apply the paint (the fun part)

Bad thing is that you shouldn't drive your car inside the garage until several days so that that paint can absorb the ground.

Do what I did, move all the stuff on one side and paint 1/2 the garage first, let it dry for 7 days then move everything over and paint the other 1/2. Make garage looks a 10000X cleaner. (just a suggestion)

Awesome detail now go drive it

 

[KSNSX]

Jeff,
I used the Porter-Cable 7424 with Edge 2000 pads. As far as swirls, well The Menzerna actually softens the swirl edge. The Meg's swirl remover is a misnomer. It uses oils, etc to "fill" the swirl and keeps light refection to a minimum. Over time the swirl will reappear, (if you only use Meg's #9 SR.)

Another swirl remover that is a light abrasive is Meg' #80, it works somewhat like Menzerna IP. *Menerza IP is water based. Meg's is not.

A very easy abrasive scales of Meg's products are the #, (regardless of name, polish,swirl remover,glaze,etc.) The higher the # the more abrasive the product. Hence: 8032 = 80 abrasive 32 ounce bottle.

*80 abrasive is not like a sandpaper scale, it simply is Meg's scale.

I am doing my wifes Audi A6 and I started with Menzerna IP and felt I need more scratch/ swirl removal. I stepped it up to Meg's #82 and am evaluating whats next.

BTW: About the only way you could harm your paint with the Porter-Cable 7424 is if you use a wool bonnet or use a rubbing compound. or drop the machine on your hood! Very safe machine!

Before / after......Like night and day!

Bottom line. I like Meguires products, but there are so many others to choose from.

Skyguy

I have the Porter-Cable also and it does save a lot of time and elbow grease. I'm not big on the swirl mark remover for the reasons you stated.....they come back. After the FP I like to hit it with a hand glaze then multiple coats of the Pinnacle Souveraign (sp?) wax.