Excuse my ignorance, so is that basically polish with pads?

Also, what did you use on the tail lights? Clay bar and polish and wax, or what?

Yes, it's a cutting compound and pads. The pads I used for the B-pillar are very soft and the compound has very little cutting ability. The plastic is very soft so you don't need a heavy cutting compound like Meguiar's M105, that would likely make things much worse.

The whole car was treated to the clay bar, including the glass (not the B-pillars) the tail lights were finished using Menzerna Super Finish and a green Über pad.

This is a very basic run down of what was done,

• Wheels, tires, wheelwells cleaned
• Bugs and tar removed
• Door jambs cleaned
• Vehicle foamed
• Vehicle washed via 2 bucket method
• Various boar hair brushes used to clean all the nooks and crannies
• Dried and clayed
• Iron-X and washed
• Dried
• Test panel to find the right products to use
• Entire car compounded with M105 and Über yellow pad or D300 and Microfiber pad
• IPA (isopropyl alcohol dilution) wipe down
• Entire vehicle polished with Super Finish and green Über pad
• IPA wipe down
• Final wash to rid vehicle of all oils and fillers
• Hand apply last stage protection

This list doesn't include all the process for detailing the interior, engine bay, wheels, tires, and wheelwells, door seals, etc.

Final wash to rid vehicle of all oils and fillers

why would you wash it right after doing a IPA wipe down? Also why would you want to get rid of all the oils and fillers? I'm guessing its so the protection has a better bonding surface?

I gotta say this is the most in-depth detail I've seen. Awesome car too!

The final wash also cleans all the dust left behind from the compound and polish.

You would be surprised what you can hide or cover up with some products. So removing any oils or fillers ensures that I did a proper job correcting the paint for a finish that will look perfect for a very long time.

Also, keep in mind, it doesn't matter how expensive your LSP (last stage protection) is, if you did poor prep work, the end result will still be poor.

Where in Canada do you buy your cleaning supplies from?

Just finished polishing my mag black Z with M105 & M205. Very effective, but you have to be a little careful with the M105, it gets a bit dusty and hard to remove if you use too much product. Finished with Swissvax. I gotta say though, I really hate how soft this paint is and how easily it gets swirls. Really noticable on black.

Nice! I usually clay the car about every three months as this is my daily driver. I drive about 120 miles round trip so, I get all kinds of stuff on it. I've found that the claying, polishing and a good waxing, really makes weekly washing a breeze. :tup: Your ride looks better than the dealership....:tiphat:

Mostly I use Troy at Auto Obsessed. Always great service. I have bought from Chris at eshine. I won't use them again. I hear Ken at Autowerkes Exlusive is good, but I haven't placed an order with them yet.

I was really happy with the results I was getting with D300 and the microfiber until the glue on the microfiber pads let go. :shakes head: I've never had a problem removing M105, but dust! Wow! Lots of dust! I haven't used any Swissvax products yet. Some day...

I would love to see your car. Bet it looks :yum:

Sounds like you have a good system in place for keeping your car in great condition.

Thank you for the compliment! :tup:

I usually light up a cigar and take a few hours to myself to clean it. Its a good way for me to relax. But I'm really learning a lot (self taught) about detailing. I've been using Griots stuff so far. I really am interested in hearing more about the other vendors you used. Car looks great.

Sub'd to this thread. I have a long weekend ahead of me getting my car cleaned up. So stoked to finally get some good detailing in!

awesome job man! your car looks stellar! keep up the good work

Have fun :tup:

Thank you sir :tiphat:

WOW! you did an amazing job! that car looks CLEANER that it left the factory in Japan! Very nice. Rep points given for a great thread. LOVE the sonnax wheel cleaner. I plan on sealing the Z for the winter in next few weeks. Again GREAT job, great thread. :tup:

Thank you very much for the compliments and rep AK :tiphat:

What are you sealing it with? Are you planning on doing a full paint correction again?