My coming of age with the PC saga....(lots of pics !!)

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gandblah

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How much time did it take you....the first time you polished your car with THE PC??

I ask because long time users and Pros here suggest a 3-5 hour timeline to detail a car. I had the same expectation from myself and ended up gaining new respect for the work people do here.

I realized I sucked as a detailer AND a photographer.

It took me 2 days (and almost a divorce !!) to wrap up exterior polishing of my car - and this was mainly because I had to use orange and yellow pads on some places on my car and that warrants another pass with the white pad and a less aggressive polish.

So I was doing:

1. Yellow pad with SSR 2.5
2. White pad with SSR1
3. Black pad with PB's Natty

OR

1. Orange pad with SSR 2.5
2. White pad with SSR1
3. Black pad with PB's Natty

all over the car. It's a 10 year old Acura and had a fair amount of swirls and scratches.

Now each step involves changing pads, cleaning the polishes before the next pass with the other pad and then finally applying the wax and then buffing that off. All in all - LOTS of WORK.

I still have some micro marring left where I used the yellow pad but I did not have the energy or the weather (in Denver Colorado) to make another pass with the white pads so I'll tackle them the next time I polish.


Befores:
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Engine:


Scratches:




Boot Swirls:




Hood Swirls:






Cement like drip from the office garage (after heavy snow):





AFTERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS (after driving it around for a day !!)

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Engine:



Back Shot (Deep scratches on the bumper that I cannot do anything about :(




Left Side Profile:



Right Side Profile:




The Not So Satisfaction Shot:




Another One from the side:




Hood Reflection in the Shade:





Hood Refection in the Luke Warm Sun (I hate winters !!) :





An Old Shot that I just love:

 
Man, what a awesome job you done there. Sweet work on the car and pics.
I don't remember how long it took me the first time. It was long I can tell you that. The more you detail the better and faster you get. I pick up so many tips and trick on this forum. I like this shot!


Awesome clean engine.
 
Whole detail looks good bro. The engine detail though is amazing. Looks better than new. The entire vehicle does.

Now just layer on that Nattys over and over.
 
seems like Lauren is still PCing .... (little joke), but the first time is usually a complete learning experience. Well afterwards, when you look back and see little difference. It then hits, yes I need speed, yes this bugger is safe, and no this is not a miracle.
 
Thanks for all the appreciation and encouragement...means a lot !!
 
justin30513 said:
Whole detail looks good bro. The engine detail though is amazing. Looks better than new. The entire vehicle does.

Now just layer on that Nattys over and over.
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I got the impression that waxes could not be layered only sealants could !!! Can I layer Natty's over without removing the previous layer?
 
gandblah said:
I got the impression that waxes could not be layered only sealants could !!! Can I layer Natty's over without removing the previous layer?
Click to expand...

Yes you can layer waxes.
 
looks great...wahat did you use on the engine compartment?
 
paradog said:
looks great...wahat did you use on the engine compartment?
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I live in an appartment so I wash my car at the a self car wash. Here's my process:

- Rinse off random dirt from the engine. Stepped way back from the engine so I didn't blow off anything.
- Spray Engine Degreaser at the car wash. Use a toothbrush to get rid random grease and dirt. A couple of dirty rags help to get the other not so dirty sections clean.
- Rinse off the degreaser with water again keeping a safe distance.
- Drove back home - that helped get the engine warm up and dry.
- Got my miracle product - 303 Aerospace Protectant. Sprayed a little all over the engine in sections and then used a microfiber to spread it and wipe off excess. I got Cobra's now for the exterior so old Walmart microfibers get relegated for the engine detailing.

I read a lot about 303 Aerospace Protectant. Then I got a chance to order a free sample of this thing. Came in small bottle but I loved what it did to rubber and specially plastic and vinyl. Treated surfaces come out looking new - no shine - just a matte and enriched look. It's a lil expensive but well worth it. Ordered a big bottle with my PC order.

Hope that helps.
 
It looks good, and it gets easier as it goes. The first time is the harsest. With some practivce you will learn how to read the paint and polish better. But nice work it looks really good
 
I feel for ya gandblah. I had the same expectations after reading it takes people 4-6 hours to do the entire vehicle. So I figured maybe 8 since I'm new to doing the polishing. Well it took me about 14 hours to do a complete detail not even touching the engine bay. I figure it was about 10-11 on the exterior. I don't think I risked a divorce, but my wife was sure getting annoyed that I was in the garage from Saturday to Saturday the entire week.
 
supercharged said:
Great job!
Did you say it almost took you a divorse?
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Yeah - good weather is rare in Colorado these days and I spent all 3 of the rare days that we got polishing the car - so - wifey wasn't too thrilled !!
 
Grimm said:
I feel for ya gandblah. I had the same expectations after reading it takes people 4-6 hours to do the entire vehicle. So I figured maybe 8 since I'm new to doing the polishing. Well it took me about 14 hours to do a complete detail not even touching the engine bay. I figure it was about 10-11 on the exterior. I don't think I risked a divorce, but my wife was sure getting annoyed that I was in the garage from Saturday to Saturday the entire week.
Click to expand...

Grimm knows !! Thanks for making me feel better - I thought I was a slow dunce who should get this detailing bug off his back ASAP !!
 
supercharged said:
Great job!
Did you say it almost took you a divorse?
Click to expand...

Nice choice of car supercharged. Are you active on Acurazine too?
 
gandblah said:
Grimm knows !! Thanks for making me feel better - I thought I was a slow dunce who should get this detailing bug off his back ASAP !!
Click to expand...

I started doing everthing the "right way" this past summer and it was taking me from 12-16 hours to do the car. As we get more experienced, we'll get better and faster.

The hardest part is the endurance, it is a lot of work and after so many hours, you begin to fade. It's amazing how these guys can detail all day, every day. I try to make myself take breaks or else I'll get tired, start rushing to get done and get sloppy.

As painful as it could be, the end result makes it all worth it. For me, what's very motivating is knowing I did it myself (of course all what I do is based on what I learn here). It's a great feeling to drive down the street knowing your car looks better than anybody else out there, that is until you run across somebody from here :)
 
Yeah, I figure a lot of time on mine was wasted by doing it so many different days. I worked on mine I think like 3 hours on Saturday, then a couple on Sunday, then like an hour or so every night, and finished with like 4 on the next Saturday. You figure with all the time getting started, getting the PC ready, cleaning the pads, etc. that probably is an extra hour or more right there. The way my back felt though, I know I couldn't do detailing on a daily basis.

I was really hoping to start doing it on the side for a little extra cash, but unless I can cut my time in half I don't know if it's worth the effort. I hate the thought of wasting entire Saturdays for a little extra money. Not to mention with a two year old and a one month old at home I probably WOULD end up divorced.
 
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That is good work, I am also getting ready for my first, but need to wait for the weather to get warmer.
 
looks great i cant wait to try my hand.... I have a silver car too... wish it was black
 
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