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I worked on this 03 Camry for 13.5 hours recently(exterior only), and am really happy with the results. My customer told me that it looked better than it did 5 years ago when she drove it off of the lot, so I'd say she was really happy with my work.

The finish was very dull and lifeless, and had a lot of scratches, door dings, oxidation, etc. First I tested out some OP on a white pad with the PC. It brought out the gloss, but wasn't touching the RIDS. Next I stepped up to a Megs 105/OC combo on a white pad. It was better, but I needed to work it several times to get rid of the scratches. So I switched to the 105/OC combo with a 5.5" orange LC pad, and it came out great. This is a tremendous combination, and it finishes very fine (especially on paint this color). I finished it off with PoliSeal and a coat of P21S 100%.

The rest of the story:
Total work time: 13.5 hours (exterior only)

Wash with NXT
Z18 claybar w/ONR lube
Wetsand w/2000 grit in spots
Megs 105/OC (70/30), orange 5.5" LC pad, PC6
ONR QD strength wipedown
Optimum PoliSeal, grey 5.5" LC CCS pad, PC5
P21S 100% Carnauba wax by hand

Wheels:
Megs APC Plus (4:1) on wheel wells
Megs Wheel Brightener (4:1) on wheels
Sonus Tire Gel
Megs Exterior Trim Detailer on wheel wells

Engine:
Megs APC Plus (4:1)
ONR
Megs Exterior Trim Detailer

ONR QD strength in door jams and trunk lid

Stoner's Invisible Glass on windows

Engine Befores:




Afters:




Mirror damage before:




After (wetsand, 105/OC x4):


Before (lots of scratches and door dings):




During wetsanding process:


Afters:




Headlight before:


After:


Taillight before:


After:


Before:


After:


Before:




After:




Lots of clay work ahead!


Before:


Afters:




Before:


After:


Hood before:


After:


Other misc after shots:

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A few more...

mltk53

drool

SG81

iTrader: (1)

wow, that's nice and clean. how much to do mine?

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lol...based on your location, you'd need to drop it off at my house!

Thanks!

miner

13.5 hrs.? what was the bill?

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

Wow! That's one of the most impressive details I've seen. She must have been floored with the results!!!

If you don't mind me asking, how much did you charge her?

65 Fury Convert

I was wondering the same thing.

STL+3.0CL

WOW! same as above... whadya charge her?
Also, what did you do with the head lights?

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I'm not sure about the most impressive detail, but I am flattered nonetheless! And yes, she was pumped!

Currently my rate is $30/hr.

For the headlights, I used the same combination of pads and polishes that I used on the car. Orange pad with M105/OC combo, then PoliSeal with a grey pad.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

Bet it was the best $400 she spent...hope she gave you a big tip!

SupaRookie

The car looks beautiful! I didnt know you can use polish on the headlights and taillights. I know what the M105 is, but what's OC?

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SupaRookie...Thanks! You can really transform both headlights and taillights, and it can make a huge impact. OC = Optimum Compound. 105 Flashes over pretty quickly, and when you add some OC to the mix, it gives it more work time.

Mokos23

nice, it's like cosmetic surgery, before/after

Wes_R

Very Nice!!

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Kind of like "extreme auto makeover"!

Thanks!

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Thanks Wes.

Mokos23

maybe i should do that as a weekend thing to get extra money in the future. where do you advertise? craigslist or you have your own website?

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

I was thinking about the same thing.

TSC - any advice on starting out? Do you go to people's houses and do you bring the car to your house?

exceldetail

TSC, just a quick word....
Easy on the pics. That many pics take time to load and can become overkill......
Great job, but I dont think we needed that many pics to have to filter through!

ill45

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I currently don't have my own website, or use craigslist. I am a regional sales manager by trade, and do this exclusively on the weekends. My advice would be to do a few cars (friends, family, neighbors, co-workers), and post your results on forums like this one, or other detailing forums. Let people see your work. From there it's a simple matter of networking. Let your quality work speak for itself, and the word will spread pretty quickly. Think about who you know...doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, the salesperson at your local Acura dealer, etc, etc, etc.

I do most of the work from my house. For major correction jobs I'll have the customer drop it off on Saturday afternoon, and pick it up later in the day on Sunday. If I need to go to their house, I'll do that as well.

Best of luck!

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

^^ Good to know...thanks!

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

looks good I just got a new shipment in from excel, gonna be tackling my DD a 99 camry which is black and in worse condition than this. Gonna use some of the ideas here as well.

But what do you think about using the optimum hyper compound before OC?

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This one was pretty hammered...you just can't tell as much because of the color.

If it were me, I'd definitely try the OC first just to see how it works. Or you could tape off a few sections and test them side by side to see which one gets the correction you need and then go from there. What all else will you be using after compounding? Once you get it finished down, OPS looks really good on black! That's always my finish polish on my NBP TL-S.

Be sure to post some pics!

VoLLy

iTrader: (8)

Nice my mom has the same car but XLE. I wax it for her, but its no where close to that.

SupaRookie

Do you mix it in a bottle or something?

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Exactly. When you do this, make sure you fully shake each individual bottle first, then add it to a clean bottle. Learn from my mistake...make sure you leave enough space in your "mix" bottle so that you can shake it and properly blend the two polishes. I filled them to the top, and then went d'oh!

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

I have never used OPS. I was thinking just OP, then IPA.

I knew I should have ordered some OPS to try out at least!!!

I will try to post pics, that is if I get my camera back by then.

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You can probably get it to finish down nice enough with just OP. After compounding, you'll probably want to hit it with OP on a white pad. If it still looks like it has a slight haze, try to hit it again with OP and a finishing pad. If it looks good after the OP and white...then you're good.

If that's your NBP TL in the photo, do yourself a favor and get some OPS. You will be happy that you did!

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

Well Damn, now since you talked about my TL, and saying itll look better if I do OPS, then you got me thinking...... Why did I place my order so quickly!! ahhhh, oh well I guess another order is in effect

Thanks, TSC

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Hmmmm, I've hijacked my own thread! LOL

This is after a polish on my car with just OPS...no LSP!