Just did red Civic - Looking for advice (Long)

[Kimo]

Hey everyone - I`m a new guy here.
This is a long post, hope you don`t mind.

First off, I`m glad I found this site, you all are just chock full of information!

yesterday I detailed my girlfriend`s Red `95 Civic, inisde and out. I used the limited tools I have available, no PC yet.

Here`s what I did:

Exterior:

1. Wash
2. Clay (Mother`s California Gold) w/ QD as lube
3. Meguiar`s #7 Show Car Glaze
4. Meguiar`s #26
5. Dress vinyl/rubber (tires, window trim, etc.) with Meguiar`s Vinyl/Rubber Shine/protectant
6. Cleaned Glass with microfiber and glass cleaner.

Interior:

I cleaned all of the plastic dash, stereo, etc., got all of the dust out of the vents, vacuumed, spot cleaned some grease stains, went over everything again with a toothbrush to get out all of the caked on grime in the little crevices, and dressed the interior vinyl with the Meguiar`s vinyl protectant. This took forever.

So all in all it took me 7 hours! This is my first detail, so It took me longer than it should have, plus I missed a lot the first time I did the interior and I had to go back over it.

It was worth it! The exterior was very reflective - more than I had ever seen. I think the interior is cleaner than it has been since the car was new.

And of course it pours last night...

Ok - after all of that I know that I can definitely DEFINITELY improve. There are some swirls in the paint that I couldn`t get out (I didn`t really polish, just the glaze, and all by hand.) There are some acid rain (?) spots on the roof and hood I couldn`t get out and the paint has some other random scratches that I can see, but not feel.

I have two other cars that I will be working on - A light blue 1986 Toyota Celica Gt with BADLY neglected paint and a Silver 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. The Eclipse is getting a new bumper and left front fender this week and those parts will have new paint.

Finally my question:

Seeing my process and my product list, what would you all suggest? The car is outside 50% of the time, and it is a daily driver. Is ther a polish that will fit into my regime? What time saving steps can I take, or should I just practice until I get faster? What can I use to get the acid rain spots off?

What products would be safe for use on the new paint on my eclipse? How long should I wait before washing? Waxing? What can I use to protect it in the meantime?

Are there any other hints/tips that you all can provide to help a beginer out? I`ve been absorbing as much info as I can from this board and other places...

Whew!

Thanks!!!

Jamie

[Thomasfl]

Jamie sounds like you have a nice routine there. I used that for many years with great success. What you need to do is work to prefect your technique. Organization is key have all your tools and products ready to go and close. Know what you are going to do and in what steps, right it down before you start if you need to. Adding a paint cleaner could help get rid of the swirls and prep the paint better. I always look at the detail after and figure out the weekest parts and work on those either perfecting my technique or buying better products that will give me the results I am trying to achieve. I am assuming you buy all your products locally so I will stick with suggestions that are easy to find. A few products can improve what you are doing without spending too much or buying online.

Paint Cleaner: Medallion Paint Cleaner, Meguiars Swirl Remover

Wax: S100 (at harley dealers), #26 is good but you will see the difference not to mention easier and faster use.

Tires: Try the Meguiars Endurance (not the high gloss version)

Vinyl: Inside try Vinylex (it has slight gloss that can be buffed down).

By the way you really don`t need a PC to get great results, maybe you should just keep going as is perfecting the process.

[Larry A]

Get some Meg. Body Scrub to try to remove some acid rain spots and swirls before # 7 . As fare as how long it takes you you will get faster with practice

[Beemerboy]

Meg`s body scrub is great right after the clay.

[SquirrelMaster]

I agree that organization is important to getting the car done in less time. When I have a car to do I go into N.F.A mode which stands for NO F**KIN AROUND. I don`t stand there and smaoke a cigarette while I decide what to do next. I know my routine and just go at it like a madman and don`t let anything distract me. That alone has cut down on my time considerably.