Back yard detailers

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paradog

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Ok this is one for those unlucky enough to not have a garage!

I have a daily driver, it needs a complete detail, but I don't have the time or space to do it in one day or in doors. How would you detail your car? I am really just concerned with the exterior. I can probably get the car washed, clayed, and maybe the first run of polishing. But I do have to get to other things and may have to use the car, or I might not get to finish what I started till the next day. I do not have a tarp, car cover, or something like that. Do I just start from washing the second day?
 
Just was the car the next day before starting again, just hit it with the foam hun and rinse off. It sould get rid of any dust on the surface. You could use a qd/ONR to clean off the surface quickly.
 
I would wash just those parts of the car that I thought I could complete, and then clay, polish and seal/ wax those areas, and then do the same thing another day, on the rest of the car.
 
Just wash clay polish and seal one section of the car at a time. Like maybe the hood and/or a fender. Then seal that section with your favorite sealant or wax. You will have it all done before you know it.
 
:whs:

Done that myself.

Start at the top and work down. Do roof with DP Rinseless or ONR, polish and seal. Next day or whenever, do the hood and maybe the front quarter panels the same way. Then the trunk and rear quarter panels. Finish in a week by doing the doors.

When all is done polishing and sealing, do a wash and full car wax of choice.

Regards,
GEWB
 
I would work one panel at a time. For example, tomorrow spray down the hood with a waterless wash and a good microfiber towel. Then clay it, then polish it, and then seal it up. Keep repeating this process each day until the entire car is finished. Once it is, give it a nice regular car wash and then re-apply whatever wax or sealant you choose to use.

This method allows you to safely do a little bit of work each day , and you can do more work on certain days (2 or 3 panels in one day instead of just 1 panel on a day that you have more time).

I wouldn't recommend regularly doing a waterless wash as that leads to a lot of scratching, but it's a nice quick easy way to clean one panel at a time, especially since you are going to be polishing the surface right after.
 
I would start with the hood for example, and wash the entire front clip and then clay, polish, and seal/wax the hood, and perhaps a fender or two or the front bumper. I wouldn't start at the roof, because if you do, you will need to wash the WHOLE car first, which takes more time. Better to wash just what you need to wash in order to polish and wax. If you wash the roof first, you will need to wash the whole car, then do the roof, then another day wash another section of the car AGAIN before you work on it. I would do the roof last. I realize that you usually wash the roof first and wash down when cleaning a car, but in this case, I think it will be easier to wax the rest of the car in sections first, before you do the final wash and wash the whole car before you do the roof last. Then the rest of the car, all waxed, will be much easier to clean, and the whole thing will go faster.
 
As far as no garage, I feel for ya - I live in an apartment. I ussually just go to one of those self wash places, and just detail my car inside the wash bay, lol - I'll be in their for like 3 or 4 hours cause obviously its shaded. Just make sure its not a busy Saturday. And those places are ussually decently lit at night too if you are strapped for time.
 
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