Attempt to bring the shine..

[BassMaster]

I think it went pretty well. There's still quite a few spots I'll probably hire someone to polish but that's for another day and topic.

I got rid of about 50-60% of the swirls but still not as nice as I wanted.
Well here's the pictures, I tried to bring them as close to true to life as possible, and if you look you can see some light swirls.

Right after using Tech 2.0, before FK

After using FK425

I believe this was hair I went back outside after seeing the picture and I just cant find it.. But look at that metallic!

From the balcony

Now for the trouble spots.. If anyone in NE Florida could give me a quote to fix some of these it'd be greatly appreciated.
Front Bumper

Side by door (yes it was open)

Side of hood, what looks like the clear coat peeling?

Headlight

 

[Finemess]

Good looking truck, nice job.

 

[jjkacz]

I love the metallic - nice work!!:xyxthumbs:

 

[BassMaster]

Sorry that my post is a bit uh messy. Work called me asking me to come in while I was in the middle of it.. I got there and someone else had already came in. Oh well, I got to show the truck off :xyxthumbs:

Thanks for the feedback. Just looked at the forecast, there calling for rain this weekend, Doh! :awman: Hopefully it'll be a quick clean up having that 425 on there.

Well here's the rest of what I wanted to add.

Between the ONR and the 425 I just couldn't keep the bugs away. I've read about 425 getting there attention but I found the ONR to be just as bad maybe worse. Both products smell good. I didn't find any problems with the 425 smudging in the 60 degree weather today. It was very easy to use.

I was a little worried about trying ONR at first. After the first few panels though I noticed quite a bit of difference over Meguiars Gold Class, everything seemed to keep that wet look. I will be giving the Gold Class away shortly.

Before I started this "detail" I had tons of swirl marks and very light scratches. I am very proud to say about 50-60% of them are gone thanks to the help here on AutoGeek. I do believe the use of the Red Hand Polishing pad helped quite a bit too. I didn't get to try out the Orange or White because of a lack of items on hand.

I also tried the clay bar for the first time, and as of right now were not such good friends. I tried it on the hood, front bumper and those side panels that I have a picture of above, well it made things look a lot worse and I guess there was nothing wrong with the hood I felt no resistance, except 2 random STOPS that just left clay behind.

Overall I am very pleased with the outcome. I just need to get those sides polished. I would tempt it myself but I'd rather have someone experienced give it a shot. As I said earlier, if there's any detailers in the NE Florida area give me a shout.

Here another close up of the hood that used to be full of swirls.

One last picture, right above the HEMI badge on the driver side. IMO this is one of the purest places on the truck, my goal is to get it all in this shape.

Photobucket diminished the quality on all the pictures quite a bit. Does anyone use any other host?


Edit: Oh! Forgot to mention a couple owners here at the condo have asked me to wash and wax there cars, most are in near perfect condition since there not driven much. Hopefully it'll put a bit of cash in my pocket.

 

[bmw5541]

Nice job BassMaster! The metallic flakes looked awesome on that truck:drool:
I'm glad you liked the CCS Euro Hand Applicator. They really do come in handy.

What was the problem with the clay bar? Were you using enough lube when you used the clay? If the clay was sticking to the paint, then you need to spray more lube onto the surface. What clay and lube were you using?

Pick up those jobs from your neighbors, and before you know it, you will have a business.:dblthumb2:

 

[BassMaster]

I definitely had enough lube, actually thought I had to much. I was using Pinnacle's clay and lube. Maybe I just had too high of expectations for it.. I couldn't tell a difference where I used it. Didn't really have a problem, it just slid right off with no resistance, but I would get random snags and it'd only leave clay behind.

It's mostly older wealthy people around here, my moms the manager and I'm living with her until I can get another job or a second one. At 19 it's not too bad I guess but I can't wait to leave. I'll probably be going back to school, want to work on being a detective. I've got 2 cars to do this weekend if it doesn't rain.

Thanks again bmw for letting me know about those pads, made waxing quicker and much more even. Can't wait to try out the others.

Do you think I could tackle those sides by hand or would I need a machine? The paint isn't messed up there's just something stuck on there not sure what it is. I got quite a bit off but the rest is baked on good.

 

[bmw5541]

I definitely had enough lube, actually thought I had to much. I was using Pinnacle's clay and lube. Maybe I just had too high of expectations for it.. I couldn't tell a difference where I used it. Didn't really have a problem, it just slid right off with no resistance, but I would get random snags and it'd only leave clay behind.

It's mostly older wealthy people around here, my moms the manager and I'm living with her until I can get another job or a second one. At 19 it's not too bad I guess but I can't wait to leave. I'll probably be going back to school, want to work on being a detective. I've got 2 cars to do this weekend if it doesn't rain.

Thanks again bmw for letting me know about those pads, made waxing quicker and much more even. Can't wait to try out the others.

Do you think I could tackle those sides by hand or would I need a machine? The paint isn't messed up there's just something stuck on there not sure what it is. I got quite a bit off but the rest is baked on good.

If you get any random snags, just hit that spot with more lube. If you are leaving any clay behind, that is a sure fire sign.

As far as polishing the side pannels of the truck with the foam applicators, that would be up to you. Unfortunately, you can only do so much by hand, before your arms fall off. If you do, make sure to do ONLY SMALL sections at a time, and be patient.

Good luck!