Detail over multiple weeks?

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rover137

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Hi all

I’m planning on using up my bottle of CarPro lite on my wife’s car. Due to our schedule and her needing access to her car I am planning on doing a full detail over the next 4-6 weeks or so breaking the car up in quarters or fifths by panels (roof, front, back, passenger side, drivers side etc). The car lives outside 24/7.

Just wondering how people in my situation have done this in terms of the detailing process to maximize use of their time? Or any general advice much appreciated from those with more experience/knowledge than me.

I am thinking of breaking it up as follows:

Weekend 1: Full (entire car) decon wash, iron x, clay, tar etc.

Proceeding weekends wash the whole car then polish section of car, 2 coats of lite then a coat of reload.

Repeat until whole car is done.

My concern here is that if it takes me 5-6 weeks to get around the car, by the time I get to my last weeks, will there be fresh contaminants that will present problems during polishing?

I have thought maybe that just doing a decon wash/iron x etc in one go and then before polishing each panel to clay. This to me would be more time consuming then just doing the whole decon in one go, but if it has to be done then that is that.

Planning on just putting some sort of QD (with protection) or quick wax on the car after the decon to see it through to polishing. Ideally I’d like to strip it during decon and polish the paint stripped, but then the car would be sitting with no protection on some panels for 5-6 weeks or so. Going to have to rely on the polishing process to remove the ‘light’ temporary protection on each panel each weekend.

Thoughts?


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I don’t think it matters how you divide it up , other than the same day that you polish the panel, it needs to be coated same day so that it’s sealed. Then the next day move on to another panel.
 
Since I don’t have a lot of energy, I always break it up. I use ONR and do a panel at a time going through whatever steps I’m going t9 use. One thing I’d suggest if it’s going to take that long, I wouldn’t decon/clay the whole car. Instead. I’d do those two steps only to the panel you’re a little to correct, especially if the car lives outside.
 
Yeah I was thinking that except for if I’m washing two panels and get all the gear set up I may as well do the whole car before each polishing session.

I guess in my way of thinking it just limits the ‘polishing’ days and gives me more time to just polish then do the whole process across a couple panels. I was worried about getting iron x and tar x on other panels if I was doing the whole process in one day so thought maybe knocking out the decon in one go could work. Might be better doing it all in one day though as that would limit contaminants before polishing.


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Let your wife borrow your car and you can focus on hers. Or decon it on one day and the polish and apply one layer in the next day.
 
She can’t drive my car as it’s a manual, otherwise that would be ideal.

Due to both our work hours, daylight etc I will only get it for 3-4hrs on either a Saturday/Sunday (depending on work sometimes not even that) at the end of the day in the early arvo. Maybe better to just keep using the Sio2 spray I’ve been using and forget about it haha


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Then polish it one weekend and coat it the following weekend after a wash and panel wipe. The paint won't fall off without anything on it.
 
Yeah, something like that might be the best bet. The only thing is I can’t polish her whole car in one of the 3-4 hr slots I will get so the polishing phase we have to be over a couple of weekends to a month. I can decon wash in 3-4 hrs though. Maybe decon wash, iron x etc all in one slot - then each proceeding weekend quick wash, clay panels to be polished, coat - done?


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rover137 said:
Yeah, something like that might be the best bet. The only thing is I can’t polish her whole car in one of the 3-4 hr slots I will get so the polishing phase we have to be over a couple of weekends to a month. I can decon wash in 3-4 hrs though. Maybe decon wash, iron x etc all in one slot - then each proceeding weekend quick wash, clay panels to be polished, coat - done?
Click to expand...
Don’t fret it so much:
Do the best you can when time allows.

Shoot...
I’m still trying to catch up on all of the
detailing stuff left over from last fall.


*****************************

”Life is so brief; and Time is a thief...”
~’Young Turks’; Rod Stewart (ca. 1981)

*****************************


Bob
 
Thanks mate, appreciate that.

It gets a bit like that! There is always something to do if you take pride in your car and want it looking at its best! Work, family and all the other commitments in life sometimes don’t allow for a whole 8-10 hrs in one lot dedicated to detailing.

My car is more manageable as I don’t work weekends and can plan for it more easily.


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rover137 said:
Work, family and all the other
commitments in life sometimes
don’t allow for a whole 8-10 hrs
in one lot dedicated to detailing.
Click to expand...
”Sometimes all you can do
is all you can do”. ~Mike Phillips


Bob
 
You may have different darkening between the panels from one day to another for a period of time. If this is all you can do in your current situation then go with your plan and post up feedback.
 
rover137 said:
Planning on just putting some sort of QD (with protection) or quick wax on the car after the decon to see it through to polishing. Ideally I’d like to strip it during decon and polish the paint stripped, but then the car would be sitting with no protection on some panels for 5-6 weeks or so. Going to have to rely on the polishing process to remove the ‘light’ temporary protection on each panel each weekend.

Thoughts?


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Click to expand...

Reload on the entire vehicle on weekend 1 would be ideal - or a cheap spray wax you can get at a retail store; even Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray. And it will be removed when you polish.
 
I only have a tiny bottle of reload, maybe just enough to do the car after coating each panel. I think it is the 100ml one.

I have heaps of other stuff though - megs ceramic detailer, Elixir, a few different spray waxes etc


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The Guz said:
You may have different darkening between the panels from one day to another for a period of time. If this is all you can do in your current situation then go with your plan and post up feedback.
Click to expand...

I don’t mind too much, I don’t usually see the car all that often unless I’m working on it haha it’s parked on the street.

I did a decon wash yesterday arvo, not much fallout really. Car is around 9 months old and it had a proper decon and clay about 4 months ago.

Hopefully can get 3-4 hrs this arvo with it!


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To OP...

I been in your shoes. Over a decade ago, I only have one vehicle at the time and I used it everyday for work. I split up the process vey similar to what you are considering. I washed the vehicle on day 1 then I worked on one panel (start to finish from correction to protection) a day. I applied a cheap spray wax to the vehicle after the initial wash since Spray waxes in general are much easier to remove than a sealant. Prior to working on a panel, I would wash the panel with a waterless wash (ONR was the only game in town at that point) then clayed with ONR and followed by a wipe down with Wurth Clean Prep. I corrected the panel then applied a LSP. I did this for about week and a half.

After a full day at work, an hour spent on the vehicle wasnt too bad. It can be done .... it just takes a little patience and planning.
 
psnt1ol said:
To OP...

I been in your shoes. Over a decade ago, I only have one vehicle at the time and I used it everyday for work. I split up the process vey similar to what you are considering. I washed the vehicle on day 1 then I worked on one panel (start to finish from correction to protection) a day. I applied a cheap spray wax to the vehicle after the initial wash since Spray waxes in general are much easier to remove than a sealant. Prior to working on a panel, I would wash the panel with a waterless wash (ONR was the only game in town at that point) then clayed with ONR and followed by a wipe down with Wurth Clean Prep. I corrected the panel then applied a LSP. I did this for about week and a half.

After a full day at work, an hour spent on the vehicle wasnt too bad. It can be done .... it just takes a little patience and planning.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Think I will do similar to what you have except I might wash the whole car before each panel as it lives outside and 1-2 weeks could pass before getting to it again.

I need to buy some ONR actually, I have heard it is good stuff and very versatile.

I have a bunch of spray waxes I could use after the initial wash but I might not need it. I did a decon wash yesterday and the car previously had some of the Megs Ceramic Weax spray on it from 5-6 months ago. It was holding up everywhere except for the bottom panels in a few places. I just gave those places a quick hit with the Megs ceramic detailer.


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rover137 said:
Thanks for that. Think I will do similar to what you have except I might wash the whole car before each panel as it lives outside and 1-2 weeks could pass before getting to it again.

I need to buy some ONR actually, I have heard it is good stuff and very versatile.

I have a bunch of spray waxes I could use after the initial wash but I might not need it. I did a decon wash yesterday and the car previously had some of the Megs Ceramic Weax spray on it from 5-6 months ago. It was holding up everywhere except for the bottom panels in a few places. I just gave those places a quick hit with the Megs ceramic detailer.


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Click to expand...

I think washing the entire car everyday prior might not be a good idea since you are planning to coat it. Most coating needs 7 days to cure and no water on it for 24 hours.

BTW... I didnt use an iron remover back then. Iron remover wasnt a thing back then and I had no garage at the time either. LOL
 
psnt1ol said:
I think washing the entire car everyday prior might not be a good idea since you are planning to coat it. Most coating needs 7 days to cure and no water on it for 24 hours.

BTW... I didnt use an iron remover back then. Iron remover wasnt a thing back then and I had no garage at the time either. LOL
Click to expand...

I will be polishing in gaps of 1-2 weeks apart from the previous session on weekends only, so the coating on the panels that have been done should be cured by then. At least 7 days will pass before I have another polishing session. Also throwing on reload where I have coated for water protection in the first 24-48 hrs as this car lives outside as well.

Haha yeah there are a lot of products around today that weren’t 10-15 years ago. Makes you wonder how much of a necessity some things really are.


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And getting the coated panels wet isn’t an issue with rinseless or waterless.
 
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