Just finished polishing my car, man I am beat...

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HISI808

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So I just finished polishing my car, a 2000 black Civic with 10 years worth of swirls. I started at 10am and did not finish until 6:30pm, no breaks. Granted this was the first time I have used a DA polisher (PC 7424xp) but I was only able to do a one step correction. How do you guys do multiple step corrections in the same day?

Outline of process:

1) Wash
2) Dry
3) Clay
4) Tape
5) Meguiar's UC w/yellow pad
- 5.5inch pad on hood, doors, trunk, roof, fenders
- 4inch pad on front/rear bumper, pillars
6) BFWD
- applied by hand since it would have taken twice as long with the PC.

I would have liked to have used M205 after UC but it was getting late and I was tired.

Any tips? or will I get faster with more practice?
 
Sounds like you did a great job and yes, it will get faster with practice. Don't count out the PC for sealant application, it's great. It works very fast and puts down a super thin coat, I do most sealant and wax applications after a polishing session with the machine. Since I don't have a garage my PC is not ready to go all the time so I stick with the hand method in between.
 
Is it even possible to do the following in a day?

1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
4)Tape
5)M105
6)M205
7)LSP

Or should you be splitting up the work over two days?

Day 1
1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
(cover car with sheet)

Day 2
1)Tape
2)M105
3)M205
4)LSP
 
HISI808 said:
Is it even possible to do the following in a day?

1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
4)Tape
5)M105
6)M205
7)LSP

Or should you be splitting up the work over two days?

Day 1
1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
(cover car with sheet)

Day 2
1)Tape
2)M105
3)M205
4)LSP
Click to expand...

It's possible, especially once you have all the really hard work out of the way the first time. It's a whole lot easier to keep the vehicle looking great than it is to get it that way after 10+ years. The key is proper maintenance and care in between full corrections. Sound washing and drying techniques will make the job infinitely easier the next time you break out the polish.
 
2 step correction in same day depends of the car , what defects has and what products i use.
what i hate at 2 step , i can`t get after pictures special in winter time when get`s dark early.

u have to know your products , how to use them , some of them don`t need too much prep, i use to waist time with prep that didn`t do any thing... by practice u will pickup speed.
 
Now you know why people use forced-rotation DA's and rotaries...yes, it's long and tiring, yes you get faster at it...but as noted above, now you know why people focus in so much on wash techniques and media, because once you get your car all polished up...you don't want to have to do it again right away.
 
Wait till you use a rotary with an 8inch pad.... That thing man handles you!!!!
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys. I will be tackling my 2011 BMW next. Only a few swirls on the paint, should take less time <crosses fingers>.
 
HISI808 said:
Is it even possible to do the following in a day?

1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
4)Tape
5)M105
6)M205
7)LSP

Or should you be splitting up the work over two days?

Day 1
1)Wash
2)Dry
3)Clay
(cover car with sheet)

Day 2
1)Tape
2)M105
3)M205
4)LSP
Click to expand...

It's definitely possible. It's just one of those things where you get faster as you go. If you've never done it before...then yeah, it can take days.

But, once you figure out your system...it gets much quicker. When you're dealing with compounding, it's just flat out time consuming. Of course, you can fly through it...but it won't look good, ha.
 
HISI808 said:
So I just finished polishing my car, a 2000 black Civic with 10 years worth of swirls. I started at 10am and did not finish until 6:30pm, no breaks. Granted this was the first time I have used a DA polisher (PC 7424xp) but I was only able to do a one step correction. How do you guys do multiple step corrections in the same day?
Click to expand...

Hey HISI808,
Your thread reminds me of every time i have one of my buddies help me they get exhausted after 2hrs of detailing. They have a whole new respect for me after about 10hrs of work. Don't worry when you start making $money$ detailing the adrenaline starts to flow and then it turns into therapy...ya weird, but true.lol
 
It helps to get a good night's rest, eat a good breakfast with lots of carbs, break for lunch too. It does get better with experience. What used to take me 20 hours now takes 10 hours to do. As mentioned above you get a feel for what really needs done as prep and what doesn't, developing a system, graduating to rotary etc. etc. all will play into the time you will save. The main thing is to go for the quality of doing things the right way and the speed will come in time as you learn the use of various products and procedures. Have fun with it and you can't lose no matter how long it takes.:dblthumb2:

So how about some pics of your finished work?:Picture:
 
We would have to pay to go to a health club (aka gym) to get a workout like we do when we detail our vehicles.

But at least when we are done with the detailing, we can step back and look at a job well done. :xyxthumbs:
 
jimmyjam said:
Hey HISI808,
Your thread reminds me of every time i have one of my buddies help me they get exhausted after 2hrs of detailing. They have a whole new respect for me after about 10hrs of work. Don't worry when you start making $ detailing the adrenaline starts to flow and then it turns into therapy...ya weird, but true.lol
Click to expand...

I agree. Once you get a good routine down. It just starts to feel more like art. At least I feel that way. It definitely becomes therapy! :dblthumb2:
 
If you are just doing your car, I wouldn't worry about the time. Just take your time and enjoy the results when you're done! If you're looking at doing this for others, you will develop your own process and the time required to do all the work will get better as you gain more "Seat Time" using the tools and various products. I would suggest taking your time to "Learn" the feel of the entire process. You will soon find out what works for you and what doesn't. Have fun!
 
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