2005 Chevy Cobalt - Black - partly detailed

[dontsleeponit]

hey everyone, did a friends car today, black chevy cobalt. I picked the car up last night, it was dark and I couldnt tell the condition, although I know she never ever washes it or does anything to maintain it.

Well, when I woke up and saw what I was working with, I was like :eek:

The number one thing she wanted take care of was the interior, and just a wash, but I told her I had some new toys to play with and I'd see what I could do.

I didnt get many good pics at all because there was I serious time restraint on this one, needed the car back ASAP, like when she got out of work. I skipped the interior pics, it was pretty dirty, but I good once over with DP T.I.C. and a good vacuuming and it was all good. Dressed the leather with Lexol, and used 303 on the trim.

Now for the outside. I washed it with DG901 and a little s100 auto wash in my sprayer, it was really really dirty. After the wash is when I really saw how bad the paint was. It had etchings all over the place from bird poop. Water spots galore, and just completely uncared for. Let me just say I have alot more respect for you pro detailer that have to deal with this stuff all th time, I usually just do my well maintained car and others that are kept nice. I wasnt ready for this at all.

Wash - DG901 and s100 in sprayer, ultimitt, s100 sprayed on lower panels, PB BS on spots all over the car, with pinnacle bug and tar sponge.
dry with guzzler and air compressor
After looking it over, I could tell I should wash it again, so I did. The picture of the bucket is the rinse bucket after the SECOND wash. I couldnt believe it myself.

The wheels were done with ARO 50/50, and ez detail brush. They got a spritz of aquawax when drying.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobaltb4.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobaltb42.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/rinsebucketafter2ndwash.jpg

I only had time to do the hood, it took me like an hour by itself. Clayed with DP clay, polished first with SSR1, then I saw it needed more, so it was SSR2.5, then another pass of SSR1. All of this is with the UDM and a white pad. I was pretty hapy with how it came out, glad I got those scratches out. The hood also got some aquawax and PB spray and gloss.

Hood B4
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthood5050b4.jpg
After claying just HALF the hood
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/clayafterhalfhood.jpg
Hood After 50/50
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthood5050.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthood50502.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthood50503.jpg

I had to wash the front of the car AGAIN because of the SSR dusting, it dusted alot for me, and I couldnt get it all up with QD.

Hood done
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthooddonereflection.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthooddonereflection3.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobalthooddonereflection2.jpg

wheel done
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa225/dontsleeponit/cobalt/cobaltwheeldone.jpg

All in all im very happy with how the hood came out, and I hope she finds time to let me do the rest of the car. I got out some pretty nasty scratches and bird poop etchings on the hood.

To everyone who owns a black car, your crazy because it shows every last thing haha. But when its finished up nice it does reflect like crazy, hell black paint reflects when dirty and nasty better then my silver.

Sorry I didnt get many pics, but I was really really pressed for time. The most important thing to here is that I got the interior done nice and washed it. Maybe I will get to play more with the paint some other day, I hope so.

[alban61]

Great job on that hood!! Love the 50/50 shot. Now she'll see the hood and want you to do the rest! Great reflections!

[trhland]

verynice my man

[dontsleeponit]

thanks guys, im getting the hang of the polishing little by little, im pretty slow though :D

black paint makes it easier to see the polish, compare to my silver car.

it was weird for me too because the paint was in such bad shape, Im used to working with nicely kept paint. The drying towel doesnt slide so nice and doesnt dry as well, even the ulti-mitt was harder to use. Things like spray and wipe streak more, its overall just very hard to work with in comparison to a nice clean maintained surface. Lots of respect for you guys that deal with cars like this all the time in your line of work.

[Jimmie]

Way to go. Looks really good.

[dontsleeponit]

thanks jimmie, I want to do the rest of the car bad now!

to any SSR users out there, how often do you find you need to clean your pad, and any other tricks to controlling or dealing with the dust?

Im using just a polish pad, priming only with SRR (no conditioner), and working on speed 6, just like Budman3 recommends, and he seems to have no problems with the dust.

Maybe its just me and this sort of dusting is normal, this is the only polish ive ever used, besides XMT360, so I have nothing to compare it to.

[justin_murphy]

Nice work.

Yep...the SSR's will dust. XMT line will not.

Good work once again.

[bill walsh]

nice job

[Tonya]

Great job! Good shot of the hood!

[Gary Sword]

Very nice! For it's 2nd wash the water sure as dirty. I hope she a least starts to wash it once in a while.

[dontsleeponit]

thanks everyone :cheers:




Yep...the SSR's will dust. XMT line will not.

Good work once again.

thanks justin

will NOT dust, or dust much less? I thought I read that the XMT dusts a good amount too?

[Truls]

Love those 50/50 shots...

XMT doesnt dust that much, but if you push the pod/pc to hard XMT can "spitt" produckts, if that happends, ease up the pressure a little so the pad spins as it should...