Detail details

[E200K]

Had a bit of a splurge today and bought myself the following:

Meguiars G220 RO Polisher plus a set of The Edge buffing pads
Menzerna Final Finish High Gloss Polishing Compound
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Surface Prep
Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Wax
Duragloss Leather Shampoo
Duragloss Leather Conditioner

I'll report back on the results in due course.

 

[BenzBoy]

I look forward to both hearing about and seeing the results.
With names like Dodo Juice etc it could be a wild experience!!
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[E200K]

Hmmm, I'm still stuck on the wheels so I haven't had the chance to get the power-tool out of the box, let alone go mad with the Dodo Juice.

You know the problem with becoming mildly obsessive about detailing your car is that the more you do, the more faults you find. I'm now waking up in the middle of the night worrying about swirl marks.

 

[BenzBoy]

I understand; I truly do. Before the last RR concours I was totally devestated to discover that the mileage-when-installed was written on my spheres with permanent texta and that I could not get it off!! What if someone climbed into my boot, removed the trim, took out my spheres and discovered the sloppy handwriting? Would they think I had an 'unclean' car?
I was very proud of the way my muffler came up until I emailed a picture of it to Michel - expecting him to say 'Wow' and all he said was 'Call that clean do you?' That caused me to spend another full day on my back scrubbing the entire exhaust system with Enjo cloth and Marble Paste.
It's OK E200K - some of us here understand but the 'Great Unwashed' will never get to know the joy of polishing their fuel heads to perfection.
Regards,
Benz-Boy
PS; try valium?

 

[E200K]

I’m off work today so I thought I’d get busy in the garage. My area of focus was the boot.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0029.jpg

First job was to use the clay-bar (car had already been washed and was clean).

The clay is from Meguiars and the lubricant used was a Mothers QD (just happened to be what's left to use up).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0032.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0033.jpg

After claying, the plastic bag test.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0034.jpg

Yep, smooth as a babies bottom.

Now onto the power tool and a polish with the Meguiars G220 EO. As the boot is swirl free I used a white (final finish) buffing pad from The Edge and some Menzerna Final Finish High Gloss.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0037.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0039.jpg

Before polishing, better put some masking tape over the chrome and edges just in case.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0035.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0036.jpg

Polish is applied in up and movements making about 3 sweeps. The speed was then cranked-up for another 7 sweeps.

Time to buff off with a quality micro-fibre

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0041.jpg

Now to get rid of the oils the polish has left behind in readiness for the wax. For this, Dodo Juice Lime Prime Surface Prep is applied with a micro-fibre pad.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0046.jpg

5 minutes later it’s time to buff off.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0048.jpg

Now to apply the wax, and it's time to break the seal on the pot of Dodo Juice Light Fantastic.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0049.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0050.jpg

Application is by hand (remember to remove any bling that normally adorns).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0051.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0052.jpg

Now time to let this sweat for a while so that the Carnuaba crystals attach to the paint. Apparently, leaving the car in the sun is the way to go but I’ll try that next time. I’ll buff the wax off in a while and then might layer it again in a few hours. All being well, I’ll post the final results later this arvo.


PS – pictures aren’t great but I used my camera phone and it’s pretty much useless as a camera (or a phone).

 

[Lukas]

What is the plastic bag test? Should it slide over the surface frictionlessly?

 

[E200K]

What is the plastic bag test? Should it slide over the surface frictionlessly?

That's right. The bag creates a barrier so that you can feel every single imperfection through it.

 

[E200K]

Again, not the best pictures but...

Second layer going on.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0053.jpg


Results...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0054.jpg

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/E200K_300SE/FILE0056.jpg

 

[BenzBoy]

You are certainly putting in the effort and it is paying off.
I would like to find a quantifiable method of measuring shine after waxing. I guess one could use an appropriately calibrated light meter. Any ideas?
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[E200K]

You are certainly putting in the effort and it is paying off.
I would like to find a quantifiable method of measuring shine after waxing. I guess one could use an appropriately calibrated light meter. Any ideas?
Regards,
Benz-Boy

You're right, it is hard to measure the visual difference in shine between the before and after.

Under the 500w halogen it's easy to see some light swirling on my bonnet. If I can correct this then I'll feel like the results are far more quantifiable.

 

[John S]

There are plenty of commercially available gloss meters in use by industry, they measure the reflection at selected angles, normally 60 deg, but some can select 3 angles, very low for not so shiny surfaces, mid angle for normally shiny surfaces and a much steeper angle for the almost mirror type surfaces. The technique is to keep the "gloss" measurement around the middle of the meters range where the results are more repeatable and accurate.
If any member of this forum is in the paint industry, plastics industry or the paper coating industry, their lab would have at least one instrument (borrow perhaps, or do comparative tests at work during a break?). I know that Colour Measurement Instruments can be hired, so Gloss Meters (being much cheaper) can probably be hired too.

 

[Anthony 350 sl]

Great Thread
Thanks for the time and effort you put into E200K...Detailing 101
Just a question on applying the polish.
Is this applied by hand then buffed off using the electric polisher for its shine?
PS. Results are awesome. You could shave in that boot!

 

[E200K]

Great Thread
Thanks for the time and effort you put into E200K...Detailing 101
Just a question on applying the polish.
Is this applied by hand then buffed off using the electric polisher for its shine?
PS. Results are awesome. You could shave in that boot!

Hi Anthony. The polish is applied with the RO to remove any swirling. Once the polish has been worked in with the RO, it's easy to remove the residue with a micro-fibre. The wax then gives the rich finish.