Hey guys,
After three long days my new 2014 F-150 EcoBoost has finally been detailed! This was the first time I have ever done a "true" detail on a vehicle and it was my first time using a DA polisher (Griot's).
I prepared quite a bit for this as I knew it was going to be a big job. I read Mike's book "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" as well as reading a lot and asking a lot here on the AG forums. Big thanks to Mike for his book and anyone here on the forums who helped me a long the way.
Anyways...the first day (half day) I cleaned the interior of the truck. The interior was in great shape already, but I vacuumed it and applied two generous coats of 303 Fabric Guard on the seats. I then applied a coat of DP Interior Protectant to the interior (great product by the way). I ended up spending quite a bit of time on the interior (about 4-5 hours) - it was CLEAN by the time I was done.
The second day I did the exterior wash, preparing the vehicle for Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion and Collinite 845 that would be applied the third day. I started with the wheels and tires (Sonax Full Effect and Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner - both incredible products). I did try some Iron X on one of the wheels, but realized it was very unnecessary after the Sonax. Next, I washed the exterior really well and decontaminated the body with Iron X. The vehicle was dried with the DP Turbo Dryer (this thing is awesome, even on a surface that wasn't waxed) and aided with my Cobra Guzzler towels. Next I applied Wolfgang Trim Sealant to all the trim (I found this stuff wasn't very good on my chrome trim, but by far the best product I have ever used for rubber and plastic trim). Next, I applied three coats of Tuf Shine to the deeply cleaned tires (this stuff is awesome - it isn't oily and doesn't attract dirt and dust). I then lightly detailed the engine, which was already very clean. Finally, I used my DP Universal Clay Bar kit to clay the entire truck - the paint was actually very clean already.
The third day was the big day - polishing and waxing with my new Griot's. I realized that I had made a big mistake applying the Wolfgang Trim Sealant the previous day - the automotive tape would not stick to anything! However, it turned out that getting Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion (I will refer to this as PCL) and Collinite 845 (I will refer to this as 845) on the trim was not a big deal - it wiped off VERY easily. The PCL was applied using a white LC Flat pad and the 845 was applied using a blue LC Flat pad. I loved the Griot's - I will never do any of that by hand again! Even waxing with the Griot's made things so much quicker. The whole process only took me about 6 hours from start to finish, which I thought was quite reasonable for a truck this size (and I am not the most efficient at this process yet). I later realized that I probably should have used one of my orange pads on the roof as the white did not completely remove some of the water spots. However, the few water spots that are left are very very faint - I will correct these sometime in the future. I also polished the glass with an orange pad and some Invisible Glass Water Spot Remover.
This project was A LOT of work. I probably spent close to 30 hours on the truck - this was to be expected as there were quite a few added steps that aren't the norm such as the Iron X and the Fabric Guard, etc. Nonetheless, the truck turned out amazing - the paint is incredible, like glass.
I am not a fan of the stock wheels on this truck and plan to replace them with some Fuel Maverick wheels (the silver and black version). I may even do a Stage I or Stage II Icon Suspension kit - we will see.
Anyways, here are some pictures - not in the best lighting (it was late in the day) and I was in a rush.
Let me know what you think!
Here is the Photobucket link for better quality pictures: 2014 F-150 Slideshow by Kawasaki268F | Photobucket
After three long days my new 2014 F-150 EcoBoost has finally been detailed! This was the first time I have ever done a "true" detail on a vehicle and it was my first time using a DA polisher (Griot's).
I prepared quite a bit for this as I knew it was going to be a big job. I read Mike's book "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" as well as reading a lot and asking a lot here on the AG forums. Big thanks to Mike for his book and anyone here on the forums who helped me a long the way.
Anyways...the first day (half day) I cleaned the interior of the truck. The interior was in great shape already, but I vacuumed it and applied two generous coats of 303 Fabric Guard on the seats. I then applied a coat of DP Interior Protectant to the interior (great product by the way). I ended up spending quite a bit of time on the interior (about 4-5 hours) - it was CLEAN by the time I was done.
The second day I did the exterior wash, preparing the vehicle for Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion and Collinite 845 that would be applied the third day. I started with the wheels and tires (Sonax Full Effect and Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner - both incredible products). I did try some Iron X on one of the wheels, but realized it was very unnecessary after the Sonax. Next, I washed the exterior really well and decontaminated the body with Iron X. The vehicle was dried with the DP Turbo Dryer (this thing is awesome, even on a surface that wasn't waxed) and aided with my Cobra Guzzler towels. Next I applied Wolfgang Trim Sealant to all the trim (I found this stuff wasn't very good on my chrome trim, but by far the best product I have ever used for rubber and plastic trim). Next, I applied three coats of Tuf Shine to the deeply cleaned tires (this stuff is awesome - it isn't oily and doesn't attract dirt and dust). I then lightly detailed the engine, which was already very clean. Finally, I used my DP Universal Clay Bar kit to clay the entire truck - the paint was actually very clean already.
The third day was the big day - polishing and waxing with my new Griot's. I realized that I had made a big mistake applying the Wolfgang Trim Sealant the previous day - the automotive tape would not stick to anything! However, it turned out that getting Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion (I will refer to this as PCL) and Collinite 845 (I will refer to this as 845) on the trim was not a big deal - it wiped off VERY easily. The PCL was applied using a white LC Flat pad and the 845 was applied using a blue LC Flat pad. I loved the Griot's - I will never do any of that by hand again! Even waxing with the Griot's made things so much quicker. The whole process only took me about 6 hours from start to finish, which I thought was quite reasonable for a truck this size (and I am not the most efficient at this process yet). I later realized that I probably should have used one of my orange pads on the roof as the white did not completely remove some of the water spots. However, the few water spots that are left are very very faint - I will correct these sometime in the future. I also polished the glass with an orange pad and some Invisible Glass Water Spot Remover.
This project was A LOT of work. I probably spent close to 30 hours on the truck - this was to be expected as there were quite a few added steps that aren't the norm such as the Iron X and the Fabric Guard, etc. Nonetheless, the truck turned out amazing - the paint is incredible, like glass.
I am not a fan of the stock wheels on this truck and plan to replace them with some Fuel Maverick wheels (the silver and black version). I may even do a Stage I or Stage II Icon Suspension kit - we will see.
Anyways, here are some pictures - not in the best lighting (it was late in the day) and I was in a rush.
Let me know what you think!
Here is the Photobucket link for better quality pictures: 2014 F-150 Slideshow by Kawasaki268F | Photobucket
