Anyone detail their own car?

Hi, any part of detailing in particular?
I detail my own cars mainly because I really enjoy it. My friends and I regularly try out different products and stuff. The only thing I would not do is machine paint correction, as I don't want to damage my cars trying...
Regards,
Richard

 

You'll have no problem using a dual action polisher. For most applications, that's what you'd use anyway. Paint correction is a different story, and that's something that comes with years of experience. If you have a pretty good car as a starting point, you should be fine.

 

I only apply products by hand. I have not used a DA polisher.

 

I hand wash the car, then use a leave blower to blow most of the water off, then use a microfiber towel to finish drying. I then use Croftgate Project X as a detailer - works great. I also use Croftgate tire shine - makes the tires look new and it dries so it does not sling all over the place. The Tire shine makes the tires look new - but not dripping wet type of shine.

I use Kick Acid (deluted 15-1 with water for brake dust removal. You will need to find a professional detailing supply shop - as UPS will not ship this product. About $25 per gallon and it will make at least 15 gallons.

I use Croftgate "Slick" for the front of the car. Makes the bugs wipe right off.

I have started practicing working on rock chips - which takes ALOT of time to get right.

 

I use a Porter Cable 7424 DA but Rupes are also very good, I also use it to apply and take off the paint sealer. Forget that "by hand" stuff, much easier with the D/A, and better results. I like the Wofgang paint sealer. try this website: Autopia Car Care Products - Car Detailing Supplies, Car Wax, Car Polishers, Auto Detailing
tons of products and advice.

 

Oh man you are going to get a million opinions here..LOL!!!!

Been detailing my own cars (and friends cars) for years. Best thing you can do is research some of the more 'infamous' detailers on this site and their blogs. You will learn TONS!!
Porter Cable 7424 is a great DA unit as well as the Rupes. (My personal fav)
Products are more personal preference. I have TONS and TONS of waxes/polishes/compounds, etc from years of trying new things. I have my favs but you may be partial to certain ones....

Good Luck!

JIM

 

We're luck to have two great detailers here on FChat, Eddie Fiuza & Todd Cooperider.
I'm sure they'll help.

 

For me there is no better static escape than detailing..
The dynamic part is winning concours with your own work!

 

That's exactly my method as well for my daily drivers, with the addition of a foam cannon connected to my pressure washer for the initial scrubdown. It really helps agitate the dust and grime off the surface to prevent the contaminants from scratching the paint surface while scrubbing.

For the Ferrari since it only accumulates fine dust, I've been very happy with Optimum No Rinse (ONR). It's pretty much a waterless car wash that leaves zero scratches or residue if applied correctly. I've been using it on the garage queens for a couple years now with excellent results.

For polishes I go back and forth between Meguiar's and Mother's depending on my mood. I haven't tried any of the fancier brand since these two are good enough for an amateur like me

 

Detailing can be very therapeutic and IMO has three rules. 1)Wash with 2 bucket method and grit guards, 2)Always work in the shade, and 3)the less you touch it the better. Or as I've done for a couple decades to learn the trade; open a beer and have at it using all the knowledge and products one can acquire.

 

Check out the "Junkman's" detail videos. Pretty good information...guy is kinda funny too.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Junkman2000/videos

 

So being new here certain I will get some......huh ?
I have a 355 everything tan on the inside is leather ( I hope ) but some of the black appears to be something else. Doors obvious the pull up handle to open is metal but some of the surrounding black feels non-leather like ??? And the panel behind the door pull feels non- leather to me also.
So question is ..... Is ALL the black leather ?
Ruling out switches and switch panels and also the sticky parts, everything else is leather and can be treated with leather treatment.
Thanks in advance

 

Buy a good wax # one. Put the wax on one panel at a time and take off one panel at a time with a nice soft cloth. Very Simple. I been doing my cars for over 40 years.

 

My experience is that many of the older cars (and surprisingly several of my newer cars too) require color correction as foundation to good detailing. No wax or polish will remove swirls of poor washing practices of POs. I have just completed (last week end) a color correction on my 400i twin turbo that I recently bought (old paint with touch up), 15-18 hours of work starting with several measurement of paint depth and 1200 cut with a DA (Air or Porter Cable), followed by 3M polishing compound (with occasional 1200 re-cutting and 1500-2000 wet sanding for detail) and final glazing with a polisher (Dewalt with variable speed). Removed insignias, door handles, taped up trim etc...massive effort but great results. I have been doing this as a hobby for over 20 years (on all my ferraris and "special cars", daily drivers get the outsource treatment), I do not advocate for beginners as it takes a certain touch and experience but the result can be stunning (or disastrous if you burn the paint) and sets a great base for subsequent detailing. If you don't want to risk it, get a pro to do it once - not cheap but certainly worth the money.

 

and dont try it, I killed my 348 trying it, that was truly one of the worst days of my life

 

its not the machine that kill the 348, its the technique and lack of knowledge on paint situations. A DA is all you need anymore these days with all the new compound and polishes on the market.

Sometimes, its best to have a pro polish the car, and then you maintain it!

also, just waxing, your car will not look as good as one that has been properly polished!

 

It is really not that easy to mess up paint significantly with a DA polisher. You actually have to work hard at it. I'd be interested to hear about your experience.

 

Sorry for O/T but all I read in there was 400i twin turbo.
Is there a thread for this? Need more info.

 

you went 1200 grit and then wentsanded with 2000 then glazed??? What happened to the compound, mid polish, and final polish? There is no way this left you with near perfect results...just dont want people to get the wrong impression that its only 15 hours to wetsand and correctly paint correct a car here

Polishes and compounds do permanently correct/remove wash induced swirl marks and scratches...Im a little confused by your statements...

 

He used an auto body approach, not a detail approach. If you have never painted a car, you won't understand this process. The 3M compounds are much more agressive than detailing compounds. If a car is really scratched (deep) this process is needed. When I did my car, a few places I needed to use 3M compound followed by 2- stage detailing. I was luckly not to need to wetsand though.

 

Not what I wrote - you skipped the compound step - re-read. BTW, you can go from 1200 to compound (no wet sanding) with 3M, then glaze and wax and get glass finish... 15-18 hours (or about 3 days) is average for color correction depending on orange peel and deeper scratches - but doing it by myself. Professional shops with a 2-3 guys take much less (though might pad their time or if you have a high end car be in less of a rush).

Sure you can stretch the process out with pre-wash, wash, post wash detailing, pre sand, hi cut sand, wet sand, wash, high cut compound, medium cut compound, low cut compound, mid glaze, re-wash, alcohol wipe down, wax base layer, wax top layer, buff, etc...however, if you have ever done production work you realize that many of these steps are for the fans and there is little difference (except time) in the final product especially with modern paints. I am not here to dissuade folks from doing all these steps or paying a professional to do them, however; since it's my time and my car (and worked in a body shop in my youth) I elect to do what is essential and obtain excellent results.