Long Weekend Detail

SilverEmu · 09-05-2012, 09:30 AM

Buddy of mine and me decided to try our hand at swirl removal. So after a little bit of reading, we decided on:
- Menzerna SI1500 on Orange pads
- Menzerna SF4500 on Black pads
- Menzerna PowerLock Sealant (2 coats) on BMW
- Menzerna PowerLock Sealant (1 coat) + Sonax Nano Wax on Infiniti (we could not wait the required 3 hours between coats and decided on the Sonax for the extra protection)

The results are great, and even if not everything is fully corrected, we are quite happy .

One picture posted here. If more are required, we'll be happy to oblige

.

And yes, we know, the tires still need some attention

.

hasta la pasta 27 · 09-05-2012, 02:32 PM

why 2 threads? post up some before and after to see what progress you made =)

SilverEmu · 09-05-2012, 10:11 PM

Just wanted to keep the pictures in the dedicated section, as they are not exactly the pro detailing stuff (close ups, proper light and so on)...

We did not take "before" pictures...the cars are just daily commuters and the paint reflected the daily grind - nothing unusual. We generally aim to manually wash using the proper technique, but sometimes they see the automated car washes - and the paint showed just that.

What I've noticed, during this exercise:
- the swirls are pretty much gone, (no, no Brinkmann, just checked in the sunlight from various angles and with the working light that we had during the job). The deeper scratches are still present but they don't look as bad as before.
- the paint on the Infiniti seems much softer, as it responds much better/faster to polishing. My Ruby Black gave me a harder time.
- The SI1500 is quite the duster, but it does a nice job with the orange pad. On the other hand, the SF4500 on the black pad is a pleasure to work with and the results are pretty rewarding.
- The 6.5" pads are not my favorites - good coverage, but they bog the machine down faster and are not that easy to work with, unless you are doing large, flat surfaces. The 5.5" size seems to be a better compromise.
- After the polish we did not wash the cars, we just dusted all the residue and sealed. Wrong?
- The PowerLock sealant is just a breeze to work with.

09-05-2012, 09:30 AM	#1
SilverEmu Private First Class 17 Rep 155 Posts Drives: Car Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: ON iTrader: (0)	Long Weekend Detail Buddy of mine and me decided to try our hand at swirl removal. So after a little bit of reading, we decided on: - Menzerna SI1500 on Orange pads - Menzerna SF4500 on Black pads - Menzerna PowerLock Sealant (2 coats) on BMW - Menzerna PowerLock Sealant (1 coat) + Sonax Nano Wax on Infiniti (we could not wait the required 3 hours between coats and decided on the Sonax for the extra protection) The results are great, and even if not everything is fully corrected, we are quite happy . One picture posted here. If more are required, we'll be happy to oblige. And yes, we know, the tires still need some attention .
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09-05-2012, 02:32 PM	#2
hasta la pasta 27 Captain 46 Rep 674 Posts Drives: 2014 Chevy Silverado Join Date: May 2012 Location: MIAMI, FL iTrader: (1)	why 2 threads? post up some before and after to see what progress you made =)
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09-05-2012, 10:11 PM	#3
SilverEmu Private First Class 17 Rep 155 Posts Drives: Car Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: ON iTrader: (0)	Just wanted to keep the pictures in the dedicated section, as they are not exactly the pro detailing stuff (close ups, proper light and so on)... We did not take "before" pictures...the cars are just daily commuters and the paint reflected the daily grind - nothing unusual. We generally aim to manually wash using the proper technique, but sometimes they see the automated car washes - and the paint showed just that. What I've noticed, during this exercise: - the swirls are pretty much gone, (no, no Brinkmann, just checked in the sunlight from various angles and with the working light that we had during the job). The deeper scratches are still present but they don't look as bad as before. - the paint on the Infiniti seems much softer, as it responds much better/faster to polishing. My Ruby Black gave me a harder time. - The SI1500 is quite the duster, but it does a nice job with the orange pad. On the other hand, the SF4500 on the black pad is a pleasure to work with and the results are pretty rewarding. - The 6.5" pads are not my favorites - good coverage, but they bog the machine down faster and are not that easy to work with, unless you are doing large, flat surfaces. The 5.5" size seems to be a better compromise. - After the polish we did not wash the cars, we just dusted all the residue and sealed. Wrong? - The PowerLock sealant is just a breeze to work with.
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