2004 Infinity SUV
Customer contacted me about a 2004 Infinity SUV that he had just bought with severely neglected paint. He asked if I could "clean it up" until he could afford to get it painted. It was really bad. I did a test spot to see what was possible. The customer was blown away and decided to leave it with me for a day. Here's the hood with the test spot area. Textbook severely neglected paint. Oxidation, etchings, water spots, its got it all.
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I’m sorry that I didn’t take more “before” pics. I think you can tell what the paint was like. It was bad. I put this on the How to Make Money forum and someone over there told me I should post this here. So this is a step by step in case anyone ever finds themselves with a similarly neglected vehicle, to give them hope LOL!
I started out with a foaming with Autogeek Quart Foamaster Foam Gun FREE BONUS and then a two bucket wash using Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss 16 oz. at a high concentration to really decontaminate. I used two of the Super Plush Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt, microfiber wash mitt, car wash mitt. For claying, I used a heavy clay from England with Chemical Guys Luber Clay Lubricant 16 oz. . There were a lot of contaminants and I used 2 clay patties.
Wheels were cleaned with BLACKFIRE Total Eclipse Tire & Wheel Cleaner, all wheel cleaner, chrome wheel cleaner, aluminum wheel cleaner, factory wheel cleaner (that I got in a Mystery Box!) and a DeWalt cordless drill with Wheel Woolies Power Woolie 12X and a Soft-Grip 20 inch Wheel & Body Brush . Tires scrubbed with Deluxe Contour Tire Brush
I only did a two step polish on the hood and the roof area forward of the sunroof, a strip about 6” wide. For the rest of the car, I just used an all in one polish.
For polishing the hood, I used the Cyclo Orbital Polisher Model 5-Pro with ProGuard Backing Plates, Cyclo Pro-5 Polisher, Cyclo buffer with Lake Country 4 Inch Flat Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice!, and the Porter cable 7424xp, 7424xp, Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher, Porter Cable polisher, car polisher, buffer, sander-polisher with Meguiars Soft Buff DBP6 DA Polisher 6 inch Backing Plate for the roof and Flex-Foam HD Rotary Backing Plate, spot buff backing plate, 3" backing plate, circular polisher backing plate for pillars.
First, I used Optimum Polish is a swirl remover, finishing polish & paint cleaner in one for the optimum shine! swirl remover polish, fine grade polish, final with orange pads. 2’x2’ areas with 4-8 slow passes, using the pressure of the weight of the machine. Next I used Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with white pads. 4-6 passes. Followed by a wipedown of the hood with Chemical Guys Wipeout surface cleaner.
I was really trying to pull out all the stops to make this hood look better so I applied Chemical Guys Glossworkz Glaze with a blue pad. 4-6 passes on speed setting 4, according to the instructions. After that, I applied Chemical Guys JetSeal 109 Super Acrylic Sealant Formula 16 oz. with the Porter cable 7424xp, 7424xp, Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher, Porter Cable polisher, car polisher, buffer, sander-polisher with Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! and waited 20 minutes to remove with a top microfiber towel. I let the sealant cure for two hours, then applied Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845, liquid wax, heat-resistant wax, car wax. I let it dry to a haze and removed with my best towel.
On the roof, there was clear coat failure.
It was already gone on the 6" strip in front of the sunroof. I decided to see what I could do. First, I thought I remembered reading Mike Phillips had used some Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze is a final step auto glaze to enhanced the gloss prior to wax application. Get a show car shine with Meguiars #7 Show Car to “moisturize” some single stage paint before polishing. I figured “Why not?” So I applied the Show Car Glaze and let it sit on the paint overnight. Today I used Optimum Polish is a swirl remover, finishing polish & paint cleaner in one for the optimum shine! swirl remover polish, fine grade polish, final with an orange pad. Next I used Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with a white pad. 4-6 passes. I used the sealant and wax again on the strip.
It didn’t look great but it was better than it was.
For the rest of the vehicle I used a green pad and Wolfgang Uber All In One, cleaner wax, all in one polish wax. 4-6 passes and wipe with my best mf towel.
Other than the front, hood and roof, this truck looks great! LOL!
Paging Dr. Colorchip, Dr. Colorchip to the Emergency Room STAT!
While I was waiting for the hood and roof sealant to cure, I clayed and sealed the windshield, just because I had nothing to do and it cost me maybe, say, a nickel? Griot's Garage Glass Sealant, glass protectant, windshield sealant. I also cleaned one leather passenger seat with Vinyl & Leather Scrub Brush and Chemical Guys Sprayable Leather Cleaner & Conditioner 16 oz. to show him what I can do for the interior. I also treated the airbag cover on the steering wheel with Chemical Guys G6 HyperCoat protectant dressing to demonstrate how I can moisturize and revitalize the dash and trim.
Before the customer came to pickup, I did a quick dust wipe with Chemical Guys P40 Pro-Detailer with Carnauba 16 oz. and I sprayed the tires with Chemical Guys Blue Guard.
And when he picked up the truck, I gave him the choice of car scents and he chose Chemical Guys New Car Scent, air freshener, new car smell, car deodorizer
Final photo:
I’m sure I have forgotten things so I will update this thread if I think of it. Thanks for hanging out with me on this job!
Customer contacted me about a 2004 Infinity SUV that he had just bought with severely neglected paint. He asked if I could "clean it up" until he could afford to get it painted. It was really bad. I did a test spot to see what was possible. The customer was blown away and decided to leave it with me for a day. Here's the hood with the test spot area. Textbook severely neglected paint. Oxidation, etchings, water spots, its got it all.
I’m sorry that I didn’t take more “before” pics. I think you can tell what the paint was like. It was bad. I put this on the How to Make Money forum and someone over there told me I should post this here. So this is a step by step in case anyone ever finds themselves with a similarly neglected vehicle, to give them hope LOL!
I started out with a foaming with Autogeek Quart Foamaster Foam Gun FREE BONUS and then a two bucket wash using Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss 16 oz. at a high concentration to really decontaminate. I used two of the Super Plush Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt, microfiber wash mitt, car wash mitt. For claying, I used a heavy clay from England with Chemical Guys Luber Clay Lubricant 16 oz. . There were a lot of contaminants and I used 2 clay patties.
Wheels were cleaned with BLACKFIRE Total Eclipse Tire & Wheel Cleaner, all wheel cleaner, chrome wheel cleaner, aluminum wheel cleaner, factory wheel cleaner (that I got in a Mystery Box!) and a DeWalt cordless drill with Wheel Woolies Power Woolie 12X and a Soft-Grip 20 inch Wheel & Body Brush . Tires scrubbed with Deluxe Contour Tire Brush
I only did a two step polish on the hood and the roof area forward of the sunroof, a strip about 6” wide. For the rest of the car, I just used an all in one polish.
For polishing the hood, I used the Cyclo Orbital Polisher Model 5-Pro with ProGuard Backing Plates, Cyclo Pro-5 Polisher, Cyclo buffer with Lake Country 4 Inch Flat Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice!, and the Porter cable 7424xp, 7424xp, Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher, Porter Cable polisher, car polisher, buffer, sander-polisher with Meguiars Soft Buff DBP6 DA Polisher 6 inch Backing Plate for the roof and Flex-Foam HD Rotary Backing Plate, spot buff backing plate, 3" backing plate, circular polisher backing plate for pillars.
First, I used Optimum Polish is a swirl remover, finishing polish & paint cleaner in one for the optimum shine! swirl remover polish, fine grade polish, final with orange pads. 2’x2’ areas with 4-8 slow passes, using the pressure of the weight of the machine. Next I used Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with white pads. 4-6 passes. Followed by a wipedown of the hood with Chemical Guys Wipeout surface cleaner.
I was really trying to pull out all the stops to make this hood look better so I applied Chemical Guys Glossworkz Glaze with a blue pad. 4-6 passes on speed setting 4, according to the instructions. After that, I applied Chemical Guys JetSeal 109 Super Acrylic Sealant Formula 16 oz. with the Porter cable 7424xp, 7424xp, Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher, Porter Cable polisher, car polisher, buffer, sander-polisher with Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice! and waited 20 minutes to remove with a top microfiber towel. I let the sealant cure for two hours, then applied Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845, liquid wax, heat-resistant wax, car wax. I let it dry to a haze and removed with my best towel.
On the roof, there was clear coat failure.
It was already gone on the 6" strip in front of the sunroof. I decided to see what I could do. First, I thought I remembered reading Mike Phillips had used some Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze is a final step auto glaze to enhanced the gloss prior to wax application. Get a show car shine with Meguiars #7 Show Car to “moisturize” some single stage paint before polishing. I figured “Why not?” So I applied the Show Car Glaze and let it sit on the paint overnight. Today I used Optimum Polish is a swirl remover, finishing polish & paint cleaner in one for the optimum shine! swirl remover polish, fine grade polish, final with an orange pad. Next I used Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with a white pad. 4-6 passes. I used the sealant and wax again on the strip.
It didn’t look great but it was better than it was.
For the rest of the vehicle I used a green pad and Wolfgang Uber All In One, cleaner wax, all in one polish wax. 4-6 passes and wipe with my best mf towel.
Other than the front, hood and roof, this truck looks great! LOL!
Paging Dr. Colorchip, Dr. Colorchip to the Emergency Room STAT!
While I was waiting for the hood and roof sealant to cure, I clayed and sealed the windshield, just because I had nothing to do and it cost me maybe, say, a nickel? Griot's Garage Glass Sealant, glass protectant, windshield sealant. I also cleaned one leather passenger seat with Vinyl & Leather Scrub Brush and Chemical Guys Sprayable Leather Cleaner & Conditioner 16 oz. to show him what I can do for the interior. I also treated the airbag cover on the steering wheel with Chemical Guys G6 HyperCoat protectant dressing to demonstrate how I can moisturize and revitalize the dash and trim.
Before the customer came to pickup, I did a quick dust wipe with Chemical Guys P40 Pro-Detailer with Carnauba 16 oz. and I sprayed the tires with Chemical Guys Blue Guard.
And when he picked up the truck, I gave him the choice of car scents and he chose Chemical Guys New Car Scent, air freshener, new car smell, car deodorizer
Final photo:
I’m sure I have forgotten things so I will update this thread if I think of it. Thanks for hanging out with me on this job!
