Rookie Detail, advice/suggestions welcome! (More sun on second page!)
I am still very much a rookie at detailing, and I live in an apartment so it makes it even more difficult. So here is my latest attempt with the steps I did.
Step 1: Washing
I took my car to a DIY wash bay and sprayed some NTS7 rim cleaner and tire foam. I let it soak for about 3 minutes and then put some quarters in to get the rinse running and sprayed down my under body. When I was finished with that I sprayed off the wheels/tires and then gently using a combination of the rinse and spot free rinse to get off any areas caked with dirt. As I was done with that, I drove carefully back to my apartment complex and parked underneath my carport which conveniently was right in front of my apartment. I then used Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. Using a two bucket method, one with 2 gallons of a mix of Optimum, another with fresh water and two grit guards, I carefully used a Shmitt washing mitt and sheep skin mitt to clean my car. I then dried it with a Guzzler.
Step 2: Claying
I followed up the wash with some clay magic clay I had left over. Oddly enough I couldn't find the clay lube, so I made my own from the Optimum NR&S.
Step 3: Pre-Wax Cleaner
I used my PC (extension chord from inside the apartment to the car port, which was just outside my gate) and used a light cut pad with Pinnacle's paintswork cleansing lotion.
Step 4/5: Polishing & Glazing
Since my car is so new, I am really afraid of using anything too aggressive, so I went with ClearKote Red Moose Machine Glaze because I've heard it can act as a fine polish (unsure about that though). I decided to use a finesse/finishing pad.
Step 6: Sealant
I first tried Poorboy's EX-P, but was slightly disappointed in the fact that it didn't bring out the metallic flakes of my car. So I then followed that up, after letting it cure, with Wolf Gang's deep gloss paint sealant. Seeing as how I believe they are both glaze friendly, these were pretty much my only choices. EX-P did give it a nice shine, and I am happy with it, but I will use that to detail friend's cars that don't have those metallic flakes. I am very satisfied with DGPS. Unsure if it was a good idea mixing it up in the middle like that though. Next time I'll stick with just one layered twice.
Step 7: Wax
I decided to bust out the Souveran once again. Man I love the smell and it's ease of application. After letting it cure for 24 hours I layered another one.
With all the curing time and having to work, I wanted to be on the safe side and went with a wash or a quick detail between steps. Here is the result (I don't have a good camera, so I drove to a photoshoot meet with a few other Mazdas so the tire is dirty again, and this was after a few hours of driving around running errands)
I am still very much a rookie at detailing, and I live in an apartment so it makes it even more difficult. So here is my latest attempt with the steps I did.
Step 1: Washing
I took my car to a DIY wash bay and sprayed some NTS7 rim cleaner and tire foam. I let it soak for about 3 minutes and then put some quarters in to get the rinse running and sprayed down my under body. When I was finished with that I sprayed off the wheels/tires and then gently using a combination of the rinse and spot free rinse to get off any areas caked with dirt. As I was done with that, I drove carefully back to my apartment complex and parked underneath my carport which conveniently was right in front of my apartment. I then used Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine. Using a two bucket method, one with 2 gallons of a mix of Optimum, another with fresh water and two grit guards, I carefully used a Shmitt washing mitt and sheep skin mitt to clean my car. I then dried it with a Guzzler.
Step 2: Claying
I followed up the wash with some clay magic clay I had left over. Oddly enough I couldn't find the clay lube, so I made my own from the Optimum NR&S.
Step 3: Pre-Wax Cleaner
I used my PC (extension chord from inside the apartment to the car port, which was just outside my gate) and used a light cut pad with Pinnacle's paintswork cleansing lotion.
Step 4/5: Polishing & Glazing
Since my car is so new, I am really afraid of using anything too aggressive, so I went with ClearKote Red Moose Machine Glaze because I've heard it can act as a fine polish (unsure about that though). I decided to use a finesse/finishing pad.
Step 6: Sealant
I first tried Poorboy's EX-P, but was slightly disappointed in the fact that it didn't bring out the metallic flakes of my car. So I then followed that up, after letting it cure, with Wolf Gang's deep gloss paint sealant. Seeing as how I believe they are both glaze friendly, these were pretty much my only choices. EX-P did give it a nice shine, and I am happy with it, but I will use that to detail friend's cars that don't have those metallic flakes. I am very satisfied with DGPS. Unsure if it was a good idea mixing it up in the middle like that though. Next time I'll stick with just one layered twice.
Step 7: Wax
I decided to bust out the Souveran once again. Man I love the smell and it's ease of application. After letting it cure for 24 hours I layered another one.
With all the curing time and having to work, I wanted to be on the safe side and went with a wash or a quick detail between steps. Here is the result (I don't have a good camera, so I drove to a photoshoot meet with a few other Mazdas so the tire is dirty again, and this was after a few hours of driving around running errands)
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