Pumpkinfish
Johnny Quarter Mile
My friend lent me his Porter Cable 7424XP along with Lake Country white and grey foam pads. I bought M#205 and M#26 Yellow Wax. I also used my NXT 2.0 as a sealer.
This is my first attempt at doing this with any kind of machine so I used my Mazda3 commuter as the test subject, lol! I started out stripping off the wax and claying the car. I forgot how beat up this paint is from the daily commute on the highway. These Japanese cars have really soft paint.
Wouldn’t you know my luck after the wax strip, clay and rewash when backing into the garage I caught the driver door, doh!
Look how bad the paint was after the strip
So I set up the PC with the white pad and started polishing the car. Since I was learning how to use the machine, apply product and figure out how much product and time was needed to fully cover an area I probably took way longer than necessary. I think it took me about 3.5 hours to do the whole car. I started off working it in on speed 3 then bumped up to 6 to really work the friction and heat. Was this correct? I was satisfied with the results for that effort. Not the best in terms of correction, but I will get better on next detail
I am on the fence if I should have used M#105 first since the car has been daily commuted for 3 years and has never had a full correction before. Given my first time doing this and soft paint, I am probably better off not pushing my luck, especially after the door incident!
After the polishing, I used the PC and grey pad to apply the NXT 2.0 paste wax. It was so cumbersome doing it this way; I just went and did it by hand. I think from here on out if I am going to buy a PC (which I most likely will), I am going to buy liquid products. I had no clue how much paste I should have been applying to the pad and I think I was using way too much. At least with the liquid I could see what I was putting on the pad. I let the NXT 2.0 cure for over 24 hours before the next wax.
Next up was the liquid M#26 Yellow Carnauba. I really like the way this stuff smells
Anyway, this applied a whole lot easier than the paste wax. I think by this point I was used to the machine and was able to apply the wax very quickly using speed 3 and was able to get a nice, consistent thin layer of product. From application to cure to removal, it took me 1.5 hours. Took a few night shots since it was 11:30pm at this point.
At this point I was very happy with the results. This was my first time layering products and I couldn’t wait for morning to get the car in the sun. Wouldn’t you know it was cloudy and overcast until about 4:00pm. Out in the sun it looked great. My wife was impressed and so was my neighbor. Even the door looked better after the run in with the garage frame!
My daughter even helped. Have to start them young!
After 7.5 hours from first wash to finish I am happy. I think next time I do this car to this extreme, it will go quicker since I know what to expect with the PC.
Now I am ready to tackle the Mustang. Hopefully you guys can make recommendations to me and how I did things to make my time and effort even better. I know one thing for sure, I am hooked on this detailing thing. I think I may spring for some DoDo Juice for the Stang since I have silver and it has been suggested they have a nice formula for metallics, pearls and light colors.
Oh yea, because I am sadistic, I also washed, vacuumed and waxed the minivan. My arm is beat like Pete at this point, lol!
This is my first attempt at doing this with any kind of machine so I used my Mazda3 commuter as the test subject, lol! I started out stripping off the wax and claying the car. I forgot how beat up this paint is from the daily commute on the highway. These Japanese cars have really soft paint.
Wouldn’t you know my luck after the wax strip, clay and rewash when backing into the garage I caught the driver door, doh!
Look how bad the paint was after the strip
So I set up the PC with the white pad and started polishing the car. Since I was learning how to use the machine, apply product and figure out how much product and time was needed to fully cover an area I probably took way longer than necessary. I think it took me about 3.5 hours to do the whole car. I started off working it in on speed 3 then bumped up to 6 to really work the friction and heat. Was this correct? I was satisfied with the results for that effort. Not the best in terms of correction, but I will get better on next detail
I am on the fence if I should have used M#105 first since the car has been daily commuted for 3 years and has never had a full correction before. Given my first time doing this and soft paint, I am probably better off not pushing my luck, especially after the door incident!
After the polishing, I used the PC and grey pad to apply the NXT 2.0 paste wax. It was so cumbersome doing it this way; I just went and did it by hand. I think from here on out if I am going to buy a PC (which I most likely will), I am going to buy liquid products. I had no clue how much paste I should have been applying to the pad and I think I was using way too much. At least with the liquid I could see what I was putting on the pad. I let the NXT 2.0 cure for over 24 hours before the next wax.
Next up was the liquid M#26 Yellow Carnauba. I really like the way this stuff smells
Anyway, this applied a whole lot easier than the paste wax. I think by this point I was used to the machine and was able to apply the wax very quickly using speed 3 and was able to get a nice, consistent thin layer of product. From application to cure to removal, it took me 1.5 hours. Took a few night shots since it was 11:30pm at this point.
At this point I was very happy with the results. This was my first time layering products and I couldn’t wait for morning to get the car in the sun. Wouldn’t you know it was cloudy and overcast until about 4:00pm. Out in the sun it looked great. My wife was impressed and so was my neighbor. Even the door looked better after the run in with the garage frame!
My daughter even helped. Have to start them young!
After 7.5 hours from first wash to finish I am happy. I think next time I do this car to this extreme, it will go quicker since I know what to expect with the PC.
Now I am ready to tackle the Mustang. Hopefully you guys can make recommendations to me and how I did things to make my time and effort even better. I know one thing for sure, I am hooked on this detailing thing. I think I may spring for some DoDo Juice for the Stang since I have silver and it has been suggested they have a nice formula for metallics, pearls and light colors.
Oh yea, because I am sadistic, I also washed, vacuumed and waxed the minivan. My arm is beat like Pete at this point, lol!
