Took the plunge into detailing, looking for some general guidance

[terry_b]

So I work in operations, and I work a lot of night shifts. Sometimes I'm so busy my eyes bleed, other times I'm bored out of my mind. This usually results in late night shopping binges and so much YouTube.

I've been on a Ammo NYC binge and checking out tons of detailing videos with the winter finally letting up. I ended up buying a metric ton of chemical guys products and a Porter Cable buffer.

My head is spinning and I'm looking for a little more specific guidance. I have a general plan of attack, but some feedback would be appreciated.

I had my 1LE professionally detailed and a ceramic coating applied about 2-3 years ago so it's actually pretty good overall. I'm planning on removing the hash marks and after a really thorough cleaning and detailing (probably don't need to clay it, but maybe iron x), I'm thinking about a very light polish. I'm thinking chemicals guys slick finish or their all in one. Follow that up with their jet seal and a coat of butter wax.

I'm not exactly sure what I should do with the hood vinyl? I have some VRP, but I don't want the hood vinyl to look like crap once the rest of the car is fully polished. I was also thinking about fixing the dozens of rock chips with a GM paint pen but I could use some help there.

The wheels are in awful shape, so those will get cleaned with sonax, scrubbed down really well, clayed and maybe polished. I want to finish those off with a wheel wax to try keep them looking very nice.

Now, my girlfriend's mustang is another story. We bought it with 25k miles on it, and it's been improperly washed too many times. It's also black. My plan for it, is full wash and detail. Then I want to start with chemical guys VSS (I've been seeing good reviews and results online), then their blacklight glaze, and finishing with hey seal and butter wax again. I'm looking to get that mirror finish and to put a good amount of protection on it.

I know I'm in for many many hours of work, and I bought a ton of microfiber towels, applicators, pads and products. I stick with chemical guys just because they were easy to get and ultimately it's just a judgement call. With time and experience maybe I'll branch out, but this is a starting point.

Some day, I wouldn't mind making this a little side business, so I'd appreciate tips and tricks from those of you who have been doing this for a while now.

Thanks in advance!

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[hrpiii]

Wow, a lot of reading and hard to find the questions or remember the questions by the end or the write up...lol. No problem, just shows excitement about detailing your own car.

First. getting it professionally detailed and ceramic coated was a great investment! Can you do this, certainly! It does take time to learn the process, products, how to use them and when to use them. The more you read and watch, the more prepared you are to take on the challenge.

Next: The vinyl is easy to maintain, and will look great when cleaned up. It is Matte black, so you don't want anything that will leave a shine on it, because it would never be even and would look like crap. Using a specific vinyl cleaner and restorer is all you need.

I would not recommend an iron-x unless you really have some issues there, usually a good claying is all that is needed. Do NOT start with the strongest chemicals unless it calls for it. I don't know the condition of your paint now, but doesn't sound that bad.

The mustang sounds like it needs a lot of paint correction. Focus on that first, once corrected, then polish, seal, protect. The paint correction takes time and patience, let the buffer work for you. Preparation is important here, tape everything off, take your time, work small areas. Always use the right product and pad for this job. Lots of great videos on how to properly do paint correction.

I'm in IT, and know those Operations guys have it tough some nights. Good luck on your detailing and if you have questions, always come back, bring photos, etc.. plenty of great detailers here to assist.

[KenKat]

I periodically use a GM paint pen to touch up any rock chips and here’s what I find has worked well for me.

Shake the pen well before starting and periodically through the job if you are doing more than just a couple of touch ups. I get a piece of cardboard and get the pen point portion of the paint pen flowing onto the cardboard first. Once I have paint flowing, I will move from the cardboard to the car itself. For really small chips, you can just use the paint from the cardboard to fill in the chip - no need to press down the pen to get more paint; you have enough to work with on the cardboard. Larger chips you can press down on the pen to get a little more paint but don’t overdo it - move back to the cardboard if you have too much paint in a chip. The pen can remove a little as well as add it.

For bigger chips, you can use the brush that pulls out but hopefully you don’t have that situation often.

The paint tends to level as it dries so if you feel like it’s a little high at first, that will smooth out.

Good luck with the detailing!

[terry_b]

Yeah, it's a bit of a novel I guess... I suppose you can probably chain that up to night shift brain melt too! Thank you though, those are good points. I guess I'll skip the iron-x, that makes it a bit easier I suppose.

For the paint chips: I should clean first, fill them in and then let the touch up cure for a while before I hit it with the polisher right?

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[ChibiBlackSheep]

If you are going on a chemical guys buying binge, I really liked their matte detailer when I had my orange Camaro with matte black stripes.

It does a good deep clean and has UV protectant as well.

[KenKat]

Yes, I always do paint chip touch-up after a good cleaning. You could do it before or after polishing - they should be small enough that polish won’t make a big difference. If doing it before, you’d definitely want the paint to completely cure before hitting it with an orbital and polish.

[ChibiBlackSheep]

Originally Posted by KenKat

Yes, I always do paint chip touch-up after a good cleaning. You could do it before or after polishing - they should be small enough that polish won’t make a big difference. If doing it before, you’d definitely want the paint to completely cure before hitting it with an orbital and polish.

I would touch-up paint after polish, but before sealing.

[terry_b]

Had a little shower today and this is how well my coating has held up. It's been on for over 2 years and I have basically only done touchless car washes - especially throughout the winter and a hand wash using the 2 bucket method, microfiber mitt and optimum waterless wash.

I tried to get some close up just using my camera flashlight, but even in direct sunlight, there's very little swirling. I think it can definitely use a clay bar, but then maybe just a very light cleaner polish? Any recommendations?

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[Joe M 2012 2SS]

I wouldn't use an abrasive polish on your coating, all that will do is remove it, and cause marring in it. Instead try Carpro Essence Plus. It's designed to fill minor marring in coatings, and prolong the life of the coating as well. Don't use clay on ceramic coatings either. Iron X snow foam instead.


For rock chips if you decide to go with the GM paint, you will also need Langka Blob Eliminator to remove excess after paint has dried. Dr. Colorchip also works well, but is better for smaller chips. I'll post a couple video's below for using both of them.

If you have chips on the rear "gill" areas, rock guards behind your front tires will prevent them reoccurring after you fix the ones you now have. You can find these on E-bay for around $40, and you'll need the 3M two sided tape to attach them with.

I removed my vinyl because my car is outside 24/7. Too much sunlight on it to keep it looking new.

After getting your wheels clean and decontaminated, I'd recommend Carpro Hydro2. You just spray it on and rinse it off, very easy to do and lasts several months. Most wheels are clear coated, so if you already have some sealant or wax, you can use it as well. You don't need a special "wheel wax". That's just marketing hype.

I haven't used a lot of CG products, the Blacklight is a very good glaze, but any glaze just doesn't last long enough for my liking.

If your using a PC on your girlfriends Mustang, be prepared to spend a lot of time. If this is a car she daily drives, I wouldn't try to get the paint perfect. Black base coat with clear on top shows every single tiny defect in direct sunlight, and while it looks terrific when corrected, you'll never keep a daily driven black car anywhere near perfect.
Ford paint tends to be on the hard side, and the PC cuts very slow. It's a good machine to learn on, but a Rupes or Flex will do the job much faster while still being safe on your paint. So if you decide to do some cars on the side, make an investment in a better polisher. It will pay for itself.

[terry_b]

That is some awesome info, thanks! I will definitely check out the carpro.

So, funny story about the polisher:

I actually liked the flex better, and I read tons of reviews on both. Ultimately I went with the Porter Cable because I knew that at one point it was considered a very good entry level polisher.

The real kicker though: Amazon has a kit with the Porter Cable and a similar one with the flex. For some reason, they offer a subscribe and save discount on the Porter Cable kit, so by going that route I ended up with 20% off.

If the flex is that much better, I don't mind returning it.

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[Bandit63]

I used chemical guys clean slate to remove any old wax, then V38 polish, black light, jet seal and butter wax on my Camaro, I love their stuff. I use their synthetic quick detailer in between washes. You probably need to clay bar the mustang if paint is in bad shape.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

The Flex will cut twice as fast as the PC will.
The only downside to the Flex is because it's forced rotation, if the pad is not kept completely level to the paint's surface, instead of you guiding it where you want it to go, it will take you where it wants to go. This doesn't take long for you to get the hang of though. The PC has a lot of vibration, and after hours of use it will numb your arms/hands. The Flex has only a little vibration.
The Rupes 21 is the one I use the most. It cuts almost as good as the Flex but has no vibration whatsoever. I have the original version. You also need to get their 5" backing plate, and do a KB washer mod to it.

You really cant go wrong with either the Rupes or the Flex though, I have both and they are both great machines. The model for the Flex is the 3401.

Here is a video which gives a good demonstration of the arm speed used between the PC, Flex, and a Rotary. The Flex will cut your time in half.

[terry_b]

I was worried about vibration... You may have just sold me a Flex lol

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[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by terry_b

I was worried about vibration... You may have just sold me a Flex lol

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Since your only doing 2 cars, keeping the PC and learning with it is not a bad idea either. It will get the job done, but will just take you longer to do.

Plus you can see if this is something you enjoy doing, it is hard work, and it may not be something you want to pursue.

I just do paint correction on the side, and in the area I live in, there isn't a high demand for it, and the people want a full correction, and a ceramic coating for $300....I can't/wont do it for that. The market varies depending upon where you live, just 50 miles east of where I live, I can get jobs for $800 - $1000.

Most of the jobs I get are from referrals from people who take their cars to shows. These people are willing to pay a fair price for the job.

If you have detailers in your town, call them and ask what they charge for a full correction (95% or better), and a ceramic coating. This will give you an idea if it's worth pursuing.