How to Restore and Maintain Your Camaro's Finish - The Videos!

[VictoryMuscleCars]

Another kick butt video series, Jukeman!! Thanks a ton for putting this together for us. The thing that makes your videos so darn good is that when I watch them I can really tell you're a huge car guy, solid auto enthusiasts and having fun. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by VictoryMuscleCars

Another kick butt video series, Jukeman!! Thanks a ton for putting this together for us. The thing that makes your videos so darn good is that when I watch them I can really tell you're a huge car guy, solid auto enthusiasts and having fun. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Now you know why I do this for fun. Charging money would kill the love of it for me.

[TexasTechZ06]

Great work!!!

[ChadG]

Here is my car after an 8 hour detailing session. I didn't do any polishing with Swirl and Haze remover, only the Fine Machine Polish so I still have some very minor swirls. I did Rinse > Wash > Clay Bar > Wash > Fine Machine Polish > Machine Superwax.

[Junkman2008]

I take it that you are happy with the results? For members who may have never done this to their car, what pointers or advice would you pass on from a novice perspective, if you are a novice to machine detailing?

[ChadG]

The biggest advice I would give is to not inflate your expectations. You can't expect completely perfect paint after trying out these techniques for the first time, I can tell they are going to take hard work and practice to master. I watched all of Junkman's videos several times and felt like I was armed with all of the knowledge required to be successful, the rest is just practicing technique which takes patience.

For a first attempt at machine polishing I thought the car looked great, but even only doing the fine machine polish in one day was an incredible amount of work. You'll still get tired using the PC, and the law of diminishing returns starts to kick in. I would highly recommend just choosing to do a section of the car at a time and doing a really good job on that section. Spread the work out over several days, you'll do a better job and your body will thank you for it.

Some problems I ran into - I have no garage and had to do all the work outside on my driveway. With a black car this is tough, you try to time it right so you can get as much shade as possible but with a big job like this the sun is going to end up shining on the paint and heating it up. I tried spritzing the pad with detail spray so I wouldn't get as much powder coming off the pad as I polished but it didn't seem to make a big difference - any other suggestions?

[tgdtown]

I got the junkman kit from Adam's and I love it, great stuff!!!

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by ChadG

The biggest advice I would give is to not inflate your expectations. You can't expect completely perfect paint after trying out these techniques for the first time, I can tell they are going to take hard work and practice to master. I watched all of Junkman's videos several times and felt like I was armed with all of the knowledge required to be successful, the rest is just practicing technique which takes patience.

For a first attempt at machine polishing I thought the car looked great, but even only doing the fine machine polish in one day was an incredible amount of work. You'll still get tired using the PC, and the law of diminishing returns starts to kick in. I would highly recommend just choosing to do a section of the car at a time and doing a really good job on that section. Spread the work out over several days, you'll do a better job and your body will thank you for it.

Some problems I ran into - I have no garage and had to do all the work outside on my driveway. With a black car this is tough, you try to time it right so you can get as much shade as possible but with a big job like this the sun is going to end up shining on the paint and heating it up. I tried spritzing the pad with detail spray so I wouldn't get as much powder coming off the pad as I polished but it didn't seem to make a big difference - any other suggestions?

Very good post Chad! You have covered and highlighted some very important points.

Expectations: For a novice who has never, ever picked up a polisher to expect their results to be superb is a little bit out of whack. However, one man's superb may be another man's so-so. Thus, if you do end up with tryly superb results, I would say that you are among the exception and not the rule. Like anything, this takes a little practice. You will, however, find that your results will improve the more you use the machine. That is, as long as you use it correctly.

The results will come as long as you stay true to a correct technique.

Time Frame: I know how to do this and I still will not finish one car in one day using the PC. I can with a different polisher but the PC does not do anything fast. Thus, when I see a thread where someone has clayed, polished and waxed a car in 4 hours, I think one of two things. That car had little to no damage or it wouldn't pass my inspection. Don't be fooled into thinking that you are going to knock out a car with bad damage in a couple of hours. You can significantly improve its appearance but to get it perfect in a few hours?

Absolutely not happening with a PC.

I also like your suggestion to break the car up over a few days. This is very sound advice and is what I do even with a more powerful polisher. One thing to note. For those of you who think that a more powerful polisher is a better way to go, keep in mind that a more powerful polisher will fatigue you MUCH faster than the PC. I can work a PC with one hand. I have to seriously hold on to anything else or it will try to throw me across the car. This really wears you out much faster. If I was working in an air conditioned garage, I might last longer. For someone working in high humidity and heat, you won't last long.

Working in direct sunlight is what I do at all the shows. This really takes a lot of practice, clean pads and the proper amount of spritzing and product on the pad to keep the dusting down. At certain temperatures, forget about it. If the surface of the car gets too hot, you are not going to be effective or be able to control the dusting. Heat can quickly put a end to your effectiveness.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[DaddySS]

Outstanding! Thanks!

[Junkman2008]

You're welcome sir.

[Coop]

This is why I need the Junkman to do a clinic or something here in Oklahoma cause I suck at using a PC and Adams products. I do not get it I guess.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by Coop

This is why I need the Junkman to do a clinic or something here in Oklahoma cause I suck at using a PC and Adams products. I do not get it I guess.

Hey Coop, have you watched this series of videos that I did? If you don't understand it after those videos then I'll believe that this is not for you but to date, no one has been confused after those videos.

[Coop]

I have watched a few times but I am a person who needs someone to show me not watch a video and do.

[calbert1999]

Wow. I've been cleaning my SS since I bought it last spring. I'm no expert but I was always doing a pretty good job. Also, I take the vehicle to a touchless were the boys then dry it off with crappy towels.
So, I've learned a few things.

1. This summer I will have the vehicle clayed.
2. I will then have it polished and waxed by the experts.
3. I will have to be more carefull when cleaning. ie - 2 buckets if possible.
4. If I use a touchless, I can go to a mechanical touchless and then use my own microfibre clothes (with no tags) to dry it off.

Currently, I reside in a condo building complex, and don't have the option of washing my car myself unless I go to a manual car wash, and it's difficult to carry all the right materials / products in an SS.

Wondering, though, do you have any recommendations to deal with deep scratches and paint chips or is that something that needs to be addressed at the body shop?

BTW - Still remember your video on the Atlanta track. Keep in touch.