Am I Ready? My First Detail

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TheAverageMan

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So I got the detailing bug after getting a new car, white, and mastered the watetless wash and waxing, but i wont do a correction on a swirless car when unnecessary.

I got ambition to wash cars and detail part time, but i need practice, and supplies.

Got a friend who is willing to let me detail her swirled out Scion Tc 2011, black.

I scouted this car out cause most of the panels are super flat with no curves. I also researched tools and supplies to fit my budget and intentions.

Am I ready with the following game plan?
Cleaning
  • Rinse with a power washer (coin op place)
  • Waterless wash with D114 in my garage
  • Nanoskin fine sponge with D114 lube

Pain Correction plan
  • MT300
  • 12 megs new polishing pads
  • D151 PRC
  • (Ultimate compound if D151 cant handle it)

Sealant
  • Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax

Tires
Gonna take then off, use 3D yellow degreaser, then optibond tire gel.

Advice? Tips?

Question. Do i have to wipe D151 off before i use ULW? Can i go straight to ULW?
 
Ill make a more detailed step by step or you guys to critique later. Making this on my phine is hard, please excuse the typing errors and bluntness of the tone.
 
Okay I am now on a computer and can now type normally.

I have all necessary brushes, plenty of glass, and paint MFs, plenty of cleaning chemicals, a closed garage, and a car to practice on. I only have 8 hours to do the exterior of this car (While she's at work, and I got the day off)

One thing I don't have is compressed air, or a pressure washer, which I will make due without.

Products that I will be using or have access to
  • DA: MT300, Megs New 5 inch backing plate, 6 inch LC plate
  • Pads: Megs new thin polishing 5 inch pads x12 (All unused), Megs old black waxing pad x2, LCC Smart Pad Black wax pad x1, LCC Smart Pad Blue Finessing pad x1, LCC Blue Flat Cutting pad x1
  • Compounds/Polishes: D151 PRC, Ultimate Compound, CG Black Light, PlastX, Optimum Hyper Compound
  • Sealant: Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax, D156 Spray Wax
  • Wash: D114 Express Wash, D155, ZEP Ammonia free glass cleaner
  • MFs: Costco MF x72, Chinchilla's x9, Glass MFs x20, Cobra 520 x2, Costco Terry Cloth x52
  • Brushes: Tire, Rim, carpet
  • Degreaser: 3D Yellow Degreaser (For tires)

Assume that the car is swirled to hell, clear coat is intact, some bird droppings that she didn't clean off, and it's dirty. A black 2011 Scion Tc.

So here is my step by step plan in detail. Please do give input on whether I am doing things right, because this would be my first full detail, and first actual chance to use my MT300 for paint correction. (I only used it to apply wax)

If it is in RED, can you please advise whether it is the correct thing to do, or unnecessary, or flat out wrong.

Cleaning
  1. Go to a coin operated pressure washer place. Rinse, spray soap, and rinse again the car.
  2. Drive it back home, and get it in the garage.
  3. Waterless wash with D114 1:128 in my garage to get rid of any remaining dirt.
  4. Use a Nanoskin fine sponge with D114 1:256 as clay lube.
    [*]Zep Ammonia free glass cleaner on all the exterior windows.
  5. Wipe the car dry with MFs.


Pain Correction plan
  1. Mentally sectioned out the car panels.
  2. Tape off the black trim to prevent staining.
  3. Plastic wrap windshield wipers
  4. Towel tape the windshield.
  5. DA Ready, polishing pad primed with D151
  6. 4 drops onto pad, spread at slow speed onto panel
  7. Go advised speed to correct pain onto test spot on the trunk, 3 section passes.
    [*]Wipe off D151 with 11% IPA, check if swirls are gone
  8. If it worked, then repeat onto whole car, if not, then add more section passes
    [*]Remove towel from windshield, and polish glass with DA and D151
  9. PlastX on her headlights (Very light hazing)

Sealant
  1. Go straight to Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax

That's my goal in the 8 hours. If I have extra time, then the following.

Tires
  1. Remove tires
  2. Spray with 3D yellow degreaser, wait 2 minutes, aggitate, hose off, repeat till clean
  3. Dry off clean tire and rims
    [*]D156 Spray wax onto rims
  4. Buff off
  5. Opti-Bond Tire Gel onto the tire
  6. Spray 3D Yellow degreaser onto wheel wells
  7. Rinse wheel wells with water
  8. Dress wheel wells with Opti-Bond Tire Gel 1:4
  9. Put wheels back

Interior glass
  1. Stoners wand + MF towels + Zep Ammonia free
  2. Wipe with product and MF on wand
  3. Dry/buff with new towel

Vacuum everything. (No extractor or steamer)

Questions.
  1. Should I still use glass specific cleaner even though I wiped them down with D114 during the initial waterless wash phase?
  2. Is 3 section passes enough for a test spot to get rid of swirls? How many should I do?
  3. I think her windshield has water spots on it, can I get rid of them with D151 and a polishing pad?
  4. After using D151, do I have to buff it off, then apply ULW? Or Can I apply the ULW on top of the D151 haze?
  5. I can use D156 on rims to make them shiny and give a little more protection, right?
 
TheAverageMan said:
Okay I am now on a computer and can now type normally.

I have all necessary brushes, plenty of glass, and paint MFs, plenty of cleaning chemicals, a closed garage, and a car to practice on. I only have 8 hours to do the exterior of this car (While she's at work, and I got the day off)

One thing I don't have is compressed air, or a pressure washer, which I will make due without.


Products that I will be using or have access to
  • DA: MT300, Megs New 5 inch backing plate, 6 inch LC plate
  • Pads: Megs new thin polishing 5 inch pads x12 (All unused), Megs old black waxing pad x2, LCC Smart Pad Black wax pad x1, LCC Smart Pad Blue Finessing pad x1, LCC Blue Flat Cutting pad x1
  • Compounds/Polishes: D151 PRC, Ultimate Compound, CG Black Light, PlastX, Optimum Hyper Compound
  • Sealant: Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax, D156 Spray Wax
  • Wash: D114 Express Wash, D155, ZEP Ammonia free glass cleaner
  • MFs: Costco MF x72, Chinchilla's x9, Glass MFs x20, Cobra 520 x2, Costco Terry Cloth x52
  • Brushes: Tire, Rim, carpet
  • Degreaser: 3D Yellow Degreaser (For tires)
Assume that the car is swirled to hell, clear coat is intact, some bird droppings that she didn't clean off, and it's dirty. A black 2011 Scion Tc.

So here is my step by step plan in detail. Please do give input on whether I am doing things right, because this would be my first full detail, and first actual chance to use my MT300 for paint correction. (I only used it to apply wax)

If it is in RED, can you please advise whether it is the correct thing to do, or unnecessary, or flat out wrong.


Cleaning
  1. Go to a coin operated pressure washer place. Rinse, spray soap, and rinse again the car.
  2. Drive it back home, and get it in the garage.
  3. Waterless wash with D114 1:128 in my garage to get rid of any remaining dirt.
  4. Use a Nanoskin fine sponge with D114 1:256 as clay lube.

    [*]Zep Ammonia free glass cleaner on all the exterior windows.
    [*]    Wipe the car dry with MFs.
#5 might be unnecessary, the ext windows will be cleaned during the wash. All you should have to do is wipe them with a DAMP mf, then immediately buff with a dry mf.



Pain Correction plan
  1. Mentally sectioned out the car panels.
  2. Tape off the black trim to prevent staining.
  3. Plastic wrap windshield wipers Won't the wipers just lift up and stay pout of the way?
  4. Towel tape the windshield.
  5. DA Ready, polishing pad primed with D151
  6. 4 drops onto pad, spread at slow speed onto panel
  7. Go advised speed to correct pain onto test spot on the trunk, 3 section passes.
    [*]Wipe off D151 with 11% IPA, check if swirls are gone
  8. If it worked, then repeat onto whole car, if not, then add more section passes

    [*]Remove towel from windshield, and polish glass with DA and D151
  9. PlastX on her headlights (Very light hazing)
Sealant

  1. Go straight to Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax If you have corrected to your satisfaction, go straight to ULW like you said
That's my goal in the 8 hours. If I have extra time, then the following.


Tires
  1. Remove tires <---THIS will definitely shoot you past 8 hours if you have already done the whole car. Doing a detail by yourself and as a newbie (no offense) a tire-off detail would likely easily turn into a 2-day event. I have a little more experience and completing a full exterior detail properly would take me most of a day. Even my own car, which is in good shape would take me ~8-9 hours for a wash, polish, wax making sure I did it correctly.
  2. Spray with 3D yellow degreaser, wait 2 minutes, aggitate, hose off, repeat till clean
  3. Dry off clean tire and rims

    [*]D156 Spray wax onto rims
  4. Buff off
  5. Opti-Bond Tire Gel onto the tire
  6. Spray 3D Yellow degreaser onto wheel wells
  7. Rinse wheel wells with water
  8. Dress wheel wells with Opti-Bond Tire Gel 1:4
  9. Put wheels back

Interior glass
  1. Stoners wand + MF towels + Zep Ammonia free
  2. Wipe with product and MF on wand
  3. Dry/buff with new towel
Vacuum everything. (No extractor or steamer)


Questions.
  1. Should I still use glass specific cleaner even though I wiped them down with D114 during the initial waterless wash phase?
  2. Is 3 section passes enough for a test spot to get rid of swirls? How many should I do? As many as you think you need to
  3. I think her windshield has water spots on it, can I get rid of them with D151 and a polishing pad? Maybe?
    1. After using D151, do I have to buff it off, then apply ULW? Or Can I apply the ULW on top of the D151 haze? remove the 151 haze first
  4. I can use D156 on rims to make them shiny and give a little more protection, right? Yes
Click to expand...


You're on the right track, but I think you're trying to bite off more than you can chew. A tires off detail takes almost twice as long as an exterior only detail.

I would:

1) Wash/Rinseless Wash
2) Polish - each panel is going to be different, where you may be able to correct one panel with 3 passes, another may be in worse shape and take 6 passes, you have to go section by section.
3) Wax/Seal
4) Exterior Windows
5) Trim
6) Interior Windows

You're going to have to hustle, you promised a lot of work in a short amount of time and you're not including incidentals: Bathroom breaks, getting something to drink and in my case, I'm diabetic so I have to eat something during a full detail or I'll bottom out.

:buffing::buffing:
 
It sounds like you have a good plan. I have to agree that 8 hours probably isn't going to be enough time and also that the wheels off would be very time consuming. also I would use iron x. You should be able to get the wheels clean, including the barrels with a good wheel cleaner and brush. Same with wheel wells. Being mostly flat panels should help your time...but being your first paint correction I would allow yourself more time.
 
The think about removing the tires and wheels is the wheel wells are just going to get dirty again the next time the car is driven in the rain. So try to bring some balance into how much time you spend for each section of the car you want to detail.

You will also need to get the torque setting for the lug nuts for the wheels on this specific car. Make sure you have the right lug nut wrench or socket to remove and replace the lug nuts without damaging them. You'll also need a floor jack and some safety jack stands.

Removing the wheels to clean the back sides and then also cleaning the wheel wells is a noble cause but will the owner really appreciate it? My guess is they will be blown away by simply having their car washed and the paint polished and waxed to look new again. That's where the most bang for the buck lies.

Also, whenever I detail a car and when I teach my detailing boot camp classes the first thing I do and the first lesson I teach when it comes to detailing someone else's car is to,


Evaluate the customer first!


I highly recommend to anyone and everyone to click the link above and read the article.


I could add a dozen or so threads here to get you started but here's a few....


The Aggressive Approach to Washing a Car

How to clean fender wells the lazy way!

High quality production detailing by Mike Phillips


This article here is about having and maintaining the right focus for each job and about having balance for the work you do.



A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer





:)
 
Actually, the person I am doing this for know's that this is my first detail, and her car is a guinea pig for me. Told her it was either her car, or I was going to go down to a scrap yard, and ask for a broken car's hood to practice on lol.

To her knowledge, I only told her that I would wash her car, and make it shiny. So the bar is set pretty low, hard to disappoint here.

Thank you for the input Do, Dave, and Mike, much appreciated.

I won't remove the tires anymore. I'll just clean the rims and wheel walls as best I can, and pressure wash the inside of the wheel wells while at the coin op place. The original reason why I wanted to remove the tires, is cause the tires are pretty close to the metal panel (don't know what the term is), so I would have a hard time reaching in and scrubbing. Definitly right, do the best bang for your buck on what she will see first, and the wheel wells won't be one of them.

I debated with myself as to whether Iron X is worth it for what my goals are, and honestly, I said no, for the fact that I do not think that a "customer" could appreciate that level of decontamination, so I'll just be going with Nano Skin fine.

Just read all of those articles Mike. Great tips, and will definitely be using them, especially the bird bomb tips, and wheel wells tips.

Thank you guys for all the tips, I'll adjust accordingly.
 
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