Detailed a friend's Mercedes

[FromG2Z]

So I'm finally (slowly) trying to get back to detailing cars other than my own... as you know, time is the culprit. This was a friend of mine's... This was just a wash, quick clay, seal, and wax. Car was not too bad when it came in... grime on the rims and exhaust, bugs, and embedded stuff that needed to be clayed. A more thorough clay was needed, but time did not permit that. Also, of course, a good buffing will be needed to deswirl it, in the future. He did not want it buffed.... yet.....

Products (and order of steps) used:
ONR
Meguiar's Clay/ONR lube
DP Extreme Foam wash/2 bucket/grit guard
Sonax Wheel Cleaner/Optimum Opti-Clean for rims, wells, and tires
Sonax Tire Gel
Optimum wax for wheels
Daytona wheel brush + Boar's hair brush + various wheel mitts
3M on interior skid plate
CG Jetseal via PC, red pad
Liquid Souveran via PC, red pad


Here are some befores and afters...








Here is Sonax at work: great stuff...




And some final shots... sorry but it was getting dark quick...

[Red__Zed]

looks like it cleaned up nicely!

[FromG2Z]

^ thanks Red... yeah, the hardest part was the clay bar.... man, that's a lot of hard work And the tandem of Jetseal (my new fave sealant) and Souveran did the trick with the wet look.

[Vaughanabe13]

Looking great! You need to teach me your jedi tricks so I can take care of my Z. I don't think the previous owner took particularly good care of mine, I can see a good amount of swirling.

[FromG2Z]

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

Looking great! You need to teach me your jedi tricks so I can take care of my Z. I don't think the previous owner took particularly good care of mine, I can see a good amount of swirling.

What's up Brennan... thanks man!

Yeah if you have swirls from previous owner, only a good buffing session with a DA or rotary will get that out. You can do it by hand, but that would take you forever, and your arm would fall off

Once you get the paint completely perfect and swirl-free, you must KEEP it that way. How? Proper washing and drying techniques... and careful use of MF Towels if detail spraying. Lesson is, the less you touch your paint, the better off it is. If you DO have to touch, make sure the material you are using to touch the paint is soft, clean, and free of any contaminants. Wipe in one direction only! Downward for vertical panels, and away from the car on horizontal panels.

Read this thread of mine from autogeek for some more pointers. Do your swirls look like my "before" shots???

2009 Odyssey, spring detail - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

[dad]

Looks very good!

[Vaughanabe13]

Originally Posted by FromG2Z

What's up Brennan... thanks man!

Yeah if you have swirls from previous owner, only a good buffing session with a DA or rotary will get that out. You can do it by hand, but that would take you forever, and your arm would fall off

Once you get the paint completely perfect and swirl-free, you must KEEP it that way. How? Proper washing and drying techniques... and careful use of MF Towels if detail spraying. Lesson is, the less you touch your paint, the better off it is. If you DO have to touch, make sure the material you are using to touch the paint is soft, clean, and free of any contaminants. Wipe in one direction only! Downward for vertical panels, and away from the car on horizontal panels.

Read this thread of mine from autogeek for some more pointers. Do your swirls look like my "before" shots???

2009 Odyssey, spring detail - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

It's similar to the before shots but not quite as noticeable unless you're under direct sunlight. I would best describe it as "micro scratches" and depending on the way the light is bouncing they sometimes look circular.

"Exterior:
ONR wash (panel by panel as needed)
Meguiar's clay / ONR lube
Menz SIP via LC orange CCS pad - Flex
Menz PO85RD via LC gray CCS pad - Flex
pads cleaned on the fly via XMT cleaner
CG EZ Creme (love this stuff) via LC blue CCS pad - PC
4Star UPP via LC red CCS pad - PC
Final hand wash via 2 bucket/grit guard/DP extreme foam
Collinite 845 (starting to be my favorite LSP for daily drivers) via red CCS pad - PC
this I applied over the entire car today, not panel by panel
Interior:
DP interior cleaner (mmmm banana scent...)
Aero 303

Oh, and tires and rims cleaned with Amazing rolloff... sealed with OCW."

The problem I have with this is that it is filled with so many acronyms and jargon that I would have to spend hours learning what it even means, let alone doing it.

[FromG2Z]

Originally Posted by dad

Looks very good!

thanks Dad!!! yeah, a lot of work, but I like the rewards

Originally Posted by Vaughanabe13

It's similar to the before shots but not quite as noticeable unless you're under direct sunlight. I would best describe it as "micro scratches" and depending on the way the light is bouncing they sometimes look circular.

"Exterior:
ONR wash (panel by panel as needed)
Meguiar's clay / ONR lube
Menz SIP via LC orange CCS pad - Flex
Menz PO85RD via LC gray CCS pad - Flex
pads cleaned on the fly via XMT cleaner
CG EZ Creme (love this stuff) via LC blue CCS pad - PC
4Star UPP via LC red CCS pad - PC
Final hand wash via 2 bucket/grit guard/DP extreme foam
Collinite 845 (starting to be my favorite LSP for daily drivers) via red CCS pad - PC
this I applied over the entire car today, not panel by panel
Interior:
DP interior cleaner (mmmm banana scent...)
Aero 303

Oh, and tires and rims cleaned with Amazing rolloff... sealed with OCW."

The problem I have with this is that it is filled with so many acronyms and jargon that I would have to spend hours learning what it even means, let alone doing it.

Sorry brennan... a lot of acronyms. I sent you an e-mail btw, that might help out.

But yes, detailing, for that matter, GOOD THOROUGH DETAILING takes time. A lot of time. You will need to do a lot of research and reading and practicing before you get the hang of it. Nothing I can say here in this thread will make you good at it. You need to research, to summarize it up. I've been doing this for 10 years or more, and am still learning a lot. I essentially just read and read and watched and watched, and practiced and practiced.

For the acronyms, stuff I used above. You can type their names on google or Autogeek to learn more.

ONR = Optimum No Rinse
CCS = Closed Cellular Structure (I believe)... Lake Country foam pads
SIP = Super Intensive Polish, Menzerna
PO85RD = Fine finishing polish from Menzerna
XMT = Pinnacle product line
CG = Chemical Guys
4Star UPP = Fourstar Ultimate Paint Protection
DP = Detailer's Pro Series
Collinite 845 = itself
Aerospace 303 = itself