i have a 99 Taffeta White TL with 120,000 miles on it.. so the body has alot of wear and tear on it..

i actually havent detailed my car all summer, nor have i even thought of really scrubbing down my car.. but i had some time, and i really wanted to see what my car would look like after fully detailing it before it gets too cold..

i always kept my car clean, but most of the time it was just, wash, clay, and wax.

before:



it had a nice shine to it, but kinda dull and glossy.

after:
Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Soap
Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit
Meguiars Deep Crystal System Step1 Paint Cleaner
Meguiars Deep Crystal System Step2 Polish
Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax
Removed each product with Meguairs Gold Class Supreme Shine Microfiber

Reasons why i went with this setup:
the gold class car wash has a thick texture to it, so after i wash the car it feels smooth but not slippery. If i went with the NXT car wash, it would leave the car feeling greasy and like the soap didnt come off after washing car.. (some tend to like this feeling). I went with the Deep Crystal Steps 1 and 2 because meguiars didnt have any other paint cleaner and polish products, but instead of staying consistent and using Step 3 Caraunuba wax, i went with the NXT Tech wax. i just really love the liquidy, deep wet look of NXT rather than the crystal, smooth look of the Gold Class liquid wax or the Deep Crystal caraunuba Wax.

i just wish i had a better camera and better picture taking skills to really show you guys how awesome it actually looks in person. also, my car being white, its hard to tell, but the pictures kinda help..

 

Really really really clean car. You can definitely tell that you used to have the front plates, but really, your work has paid off. I suppose you and some fine lady will be having dinner off the hood, because that sucker is so clean you could eat off it

 

Great job! Was it done by hand or machine? Good choice using the DC 3 Step System. I know several folks who religiously use it. They get the desired results and extremely happy with the products. I've used NXT but it just didn't give the look I wanted and seemed to lose it's slickness after couple of washes. However, if it works for you, then it's all good. BTW, Megs does have an assortment of polishes and pre-wax cleaners. #82 is a polish that will remove swirls and oxidation. #80 Speed Glaze. #7 Show Car Glaze.

 

Lookin good ... where did you go for the last pics?

 

That looks awesome! I have been too scared to try to clay my car myself, because I was told that if you didn't know what you were doing, you could ruin your paint. You obviously know what you are doing so kudos to you! I agree with AcAvenger, you could eat off of that hood.

 

wow that's really clean...great job with the detail

 

Nice and beautiful shinny car! Great job!
I'm too using Meguiar's products, but instead of 3 steps system (which is intend for consumer) I use #83, #82, #80, #7 (which is the professional line). These products with the right equipment (porter cable) and right technique is very effective to remove swirls and keep the car shine. #83 is for moderate swirls, #80 is for light swirls, #82 is some what in between.
If you use step #3 caraunuba wax and top with NXT, it will make your car more shine with last longer than just caraunaba wax. I like to apply #7 and top with 2 coats of NXT.

 

hahahahaha thats funny. thanks!

I did this by hand. thanks for the product numbers, i'll look into that next time i go for a full detail

those shots were taken right outside of my condo in Port Liberte. I live right by Liberty State Park, so we have a bunch of those little scenic piers all over our communities. we should set up a little mini/group meet here. there's a nice empty beach sorta area there too, where we can take pics with the New York skyline and the statue of Liberty in view... thats if we had the technology to capture pics of such.. haha

its not that hard to do. you just have to slick up the paint using the quick detailer spray that it comes with and just rub the clay through before it dries up..

and i think the hood is way too slick to eat off of! hahaha,everything will just slip right to the floor

Thanks!!

hmm, thats the same product that Hawhyen51 mentioned. i'll give it a try, and im gonna need to grab a porter cable. i wanted to before i detailed it today, but i didnt think i would need the porter cable so i didnt grab it, plus i wouldnt know how much pressure, speed, and all so i didnt want to impulsly grab it and end up messing things up for myself.

oh and next time i'll grab that step three wax and top it with the NXT. thanks for the advice!

 

Niceeeee

 

The product #'s I gave you are ones you can use by hand and can be machined applied also. There are others like #83 to be machine applied. Check here for info on the others. As far as the PC is concerned, fantastic tool and a must have for any enthusiast. Speed-wise, I run at 5-6 when polishing. A very light pressure can be used, but I find the combination of pad and product along with the weight of the PC will usually suffice for most surface defects.

 

very awesome information. i was just online looking at prices for the Porter Cable. i found some good deals from a few places, but might actually go and pick it up myself at Lowes or Strauss.. are the products you listed at stores? i picked all my polishes and waxes at autozone next door, and thats why i think i missed the ones you listed. i dont think they carry those items in stores. should i order them off of meguiars website?

 

That car is even cleaner than it already was...props man

 

Since we talk about Meguiar's stuffs, here are good info on basic wash/wax/polish wrote by Mike Phillips of Meguiar's:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

PC + #83 not "Cutting" it! - The Limits of the Dual Action Polisher

Lots of tips and how to: http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=33

 

love that shine, the wheels look tight! good job bro!

 

that hard work paid off man, nice n clean

 

clean

 

I's $109 (7336) at Lowe's and the cheapest online (7424) is at Coastal Tool. As far as the Megs products go, the local auto stores do not carry the entire product line, just the popular sellers. Best bet for one stop shopping is Meguiars Online or Autogeek. Don't limit yourself to Megs as there are other products available. Check this thread to see what other members are using and this thread has a listing of online detail sites.

 

nice!!

 

What size rims/tires are those on the first pic? How much did you drop it? Looks good.

 

thanks!

wow thats alot of info! thanks for the help man!

yeah man, im really happy i went with these wheels! thanks

it definitly has! im really happy with the results


yeah i figured Lowes would get me the best price. im actually going to pick it up on monday when i get a chance! next time i detail my car, my arm wont be sore for weeks! ahaha

this is my first time researching and going for a full detail. i figured that i would go with meg's because it was readily available and i picked it up right away. i also see that alot of people seem to go with Zaino products..


the first set of rims were aerospeed rs-gt rims. they are 18x7 and had 235/45/18 tires on it. i have a 2 inch drop when i had those rims. i raised it up since then, but basicly had barely a finger gap when i had it on the lowest settings.

 

very nicly done BTW what happned to your other hedlights

 

Very good job, I hope to be able to do the same kind of detail very soon on my car. It needs it. It looks beautiful though. Congrats, and good work.

 

Straight Pimpin' son.

 

I gotta do the same before Winter.

 

haha thanks guys.

INSPIRE 32V - I popped in my old headlamps that i blacked out because i had to fix my projectors.. or putting new projectors in. the projectors that were in before had no shroud, so everyone could see that metallic frame and it didnt look right. this time im doing it right by using a shroud surrounding to cover that up.

NSXNEXT - yeah man. i wanted to do this before it got too cold. at least now i'll have a nice coat of layer so it'll be easier to clean everytime it gets dirty.

 

Just an update, I was at Lowe's yesterday and the cost of the PC7336 is now $119. Coastal Tool is probably now the cheapest, $109 for the 7424. Yea, Zaino is popular with a lot the members here however there are other product lines costing less and is comparable or equal to in terms of shine and gloss. IMO,regardless of whatever product is used, surface prep is the single most important step when detailing or it's all for naught.

 

nice wheelz

 

i dont mind picking it up for 120. still sounds like an awesome deal to me, considering my arm has been killing me for days now. hahaha

yeah thats true. i dont think i would go for the zaino products only because im not detailing my car for shows or anything. im only doing it for myself and wanting my car clean as possible for a good amount of time. other than that, since i drive my car all over the place daily, it'll be getting dirty in no time.

im going out to pick up the porter cable soon. i cant wait to put it into some use the next time i detail! plus i already ordered up the meguiars products that you recommended me.

 

Aarronnn, you're gonna need some pads to go with it as well as a backing plate. Pad kits from online sites start anywhere from $50 and up. Autogeek has a decent selection as does Exceldetail. You may also be interested in this kit similar to Edge pads. Uses a quick release adapter or quick change adapter. Lot of choices. I would highly suggest a finishing pad, light polishing pad, and a light cut pad. That combo of pads will more than likely correct most surface defects.

 

i just picked up the porter cable last night on my way back from work. yeah i was thinking about pads too. the PC comes with one, but of course i'll be needing more. alot of those sounds interesting, i'll be looking more into those.

im still waiting on the meguiar products anyways so i'll go ahead and place a few orders on different pads. thanks again for coming through with that! i was gonna ask about it too

 

FYI, the pad that came with the PC .... I and many others didn't bother using it. I think one of the reason wasn't sure how aggressive it was and how it would fare on painted surface especially clearcoat.

 

thats what i was thinking. the pad seems alittle rough and not really that soft at all compared to the foam pads ive been using by hand..

i'll definitly just have to wait for my ordered pads to come in before i use the pc.