Your Other Car...

[Belo]

Just got into some more "serious" detailing. I've always taken good car of my cars, but recently I bought some menzerna products and a porter cable for my Pontiac G8. Include wash, clay, polish and seal this process as we all know takes a whole day or parts of 2 days.

I'd like to pay some attention to my 03 silverado and wife's 09 rav4... but I'm not sure i can justify the time, and these other 2 need the most work when it comes to scratches and swirls. The Pontiac didn't even need the corrective work.

What do you guys do for the other members of your garage family?

 

[cleanmycorolla]

Just got into some more "serious" detailing. I've always taken good car of my cars, but recently I bought some menzerna products and a porter cable for my Pontiac G8. Include wash, clay, polish and seal this process as we all know takes a whole day or parts of 2 days.

I'd like to pay some attention to my 03 silverado and wife's 09 rav4... but I'm not sure i can justify the time, and these other 2 need the most work when it comes to scratches and swirls. The Pontiac didn't even need the corrective work.

What do you guys do for the other members of your garage family?

use an all in one product for those, shine 'em up nice, don't worry about some swirls. An AIO should tackle 60-75% of swirls if combined with right pads

 

[dpk20x]

Just do a little bit at a time if you really want to get these cars done. No reason you have to do it all at once. Maybe just do a few panels at a time whenever you get a chance.

I just did my moms car in this manner. Took me like 2 or 3 days in total but those days were spaced out over a month.

 

[Dr_Pain]

:welcome: to the forum!!

My personal vehicle was used for the longest as my test vehicle but ended up polishing and coating it. My wife's van then became my test vehicle for all the products and was recently coated as well. My son will soon have a vehicle and it will be coated day 1.

All those vehicles are maintained by me so the investment of time, money and resources will pay off. If you won't be maintaining then or if you know their maintenance will negate your efforts then I would say do the bare minimum (unless you need the practice, then they are fair game and will be readily available test subjects)

 

[wdmaccord]

My daughters car was my test vehicle when I started out. Did it once before I handed it over to her and then she has pretty much trashed it with several dents, scrapes, etc. So now it just gets driven to the touchless most of the time and every now and then I do a 2BM and finish with DGAW for some protection. This one isn't worth the time and effort.

The wife's CRV has gotten a couple details but she parks wherever and gets door dents and scratches all the time. 2 of the 4 rims have curb rash pretty bad. This one I might be my test vehicle for my first attempt at a coating, maybe this fall or next spring. It gets a 2BM every couple weeks finished with DGAW to try and keep some protection on it in the meantime. Depending how the coating goes, the 2013 Accord may get that too next year so I don't have to do extensive details twice per year.

 

[FUNX650]

A little bit here; and a little bit there:
They all will look a little less for wear!

Bob

 

[The Guz]

I agree with everyone else doing a little at a time. You could also do a polish and seal and skip the compound.

 

[custmsprty]

Just got into some more "serious" detailing. I've always taken good car of my cars, but recently I bought some menzerna products and a porter cable for my Pontiac G8. Include wash, clay, polish and seal this process as we all know takes a whole day or parts of 2 days.

I'd like to pay some attention to my 03 silverado and wife's 09 rav4... but I'm not sure i can justify the time, and these other 2 need the most work when it comes to scratches and swirls. The Pontiac didn't even need the corrective work.

What do you guys do for the other members of your garage family?

There's 52 weekends in a year :buffing:

 

[Belo]

thanks guys. I'm preventative maintenance for anything is very important to me and that's why I bring it up. I know it's what's best for the car in the long run, and while not as important as an oil change, it's up there in terms of keeping her running and looking good for as long as possible.

My problem is that I'm from upstate NY and now I live in Mississippi... I can't handle this heat

I guess I never thought about doing a little at a time, although I feel if I'm going to do a real nice clean, I might as well do it all. This may be a dumb question, but can I just use compound where it's needed or will cause the other panels/spots to look different after a polish and sealant?

secondly... is there a good "all in one"... I've never subscribed to the all-in-one for most things.

 

[Misterpaul]

G8 huh? Never heard of 'em.









Seriously though all the household vehicles get the same treatment; I hate a dirty ride.

Now, how 'bout some pics of the G8.

 

[TheFrankenberry]

If you're going to put in the effort to meticulously maintain your Silverado and wife's Rav4 in the future, why not?

If you're NOT going to put in the effort to meticulously maintain your Silverado and wife's Rav4 in the future, why bother?

If the latter, how about just a one-step with Menzerna 2500/PO 203? It'll get the majority of minor flaws taken care of, help hide the major ones, and bring back the gloss. You'll save yourself the time and effort, and not feel so disappointed when they start getting scratched up again. You tried, you know?

 

[Belo]

G8 huh? Never heard of 'em.


Seriously though all the household vehicles get the same treatment; I hate a dirty ride.

Now, how 'bout some pics of the G8.

I hate a dirty ride too. I have some more pics I'll upload later

If you're going to put in the effort to meticulously maintain your Silverado and wife's Rav4 in the future, why not?

If you're NOT going to put in the effort to meticulously maintain your Silverado and wife's Rav4 in the future, why bother?

If the latter, how about just a one-step with Menzerna 2500/PO 203? It'll get the majority of minor flaws taken care of, help hide the major ones, and bring back the gloss. You'll save yourself the time and effort, and not feel so disappointed when they start getting scratched up again. You tried, you know?

thanks for the advice... I guess I'm not sure I want to meticulously maintain either. The silverado is an old truck and the wife's car has it's fair share of dings and scratches... but I'm also a guy who washes his lawnmower and I know something is better than nothing. So is there a little something I can do without chewing up a weekend on 2 vehicles that will never be flawless. I think the answer is yes and to do a little at a time.

 

[BillyJack]

IMO, maintaining a DD is the most therapeutic form of detailing. Expectations can be realistic, rather than nothing sort of perfection and you can invest your time and effort as your schedule permits. I tend to rely heavily on Meguiar's D151, as well as DG 501,105 and Colli 476, saving the premium but less durable products for my garage queen. The beauty of AIO's such as D151 or DG501 is that you can do your polishing one week, then enhance the shine and longevity with a wax/sealant a week or two later. The oldest member of my family fleet is a 120,000 mile Olds Intrigue. It has it's share of RIDS, chips and even some rust bubbles coming thru, but it's always clean, has a respectable gloss level and no swirls to be found, so it looks better than 99% of the cars and trucks I see everyday.
I can live with that.

Bill

 

[runrun411]

Just so long as you can enjoy and find it as a good outlet, the time you spend is worth it. However just take your time over time.

 

[dboeren]

My wife says that when I wash my car (Porsche 993), I have to wash hers also (Ford Explorer). Over time, I hope to migrate to a model where I still wash both, but it's OK if mine gets a more elaborate washing process. That Explorer is just enormous...

 

[Belo]

The beauty of AIO's such as D151 or DG501 is that you can do your polishing one week, then enhance the shine and longevity with a wax/sealant a week or two later.

Bill

would you really drive your car around for a week unprotected and then seal/wax over a car that's now dirty? I'm new to this, but I'm not sure I'd feel ok about sealing over a car even after a good wash...

 

[BillyJack]

would you really drive your car around for a week unprotected and then seal/wax over a car that's now dirty? I'm new to this, but I'm not sure I'd feel ok about sealing over a car even after a good wash...

That's the meaning of an AIO. They contain both cleaners, polishes and wax, so the paint's not unprotected if you end the process there. I've never gone more than a week or so without topping D151, but it probably lasts longer than that. Last fall I applied DG501/601 on 9/1, then followed (after a good wash, of course) with DG105/601 and Collinite 476 on 10/27. I had the most durable, long-lasting wax protection I ever had, on a DD that stayed outside 24/7, during the worst winter we've had in PA in years. I finally did my spring polish on that car in May and probably could have waited longer if necessary. Of course, all my washes are by hand, using either DG Rinseless or ONR and pre- rinsing with a hose or PW when necessary. I've never used the high pressure, recycled water at the local gas station or coin-op wash as I feel that's where your wax protection is compromised.
BTW, here's a shot of the old girl after an DG Rinseless wash in January.
Ain't no show car, but I'm not ashamed to be seen in it.

Bill

 

[JASCIN]

For future reference, Mequiar's M205 with an orange pad is a great one-step for G8 paint.

 

[Belo]

a couple better pics. I'll check out some of the meguiars stuff. That's all I used to use... can I get it at autozone or advance or is it online stuff?

my helper

 

[BTLew81]

There are two cars in my garage: My 2013 Jetta TDI and my wife's 2014 GMC Terrain. Both are daily drivers that get about 15k miles per year. Out of our cars, mine gets more attention, mainly because my wife is less anal, it's a leased vehicle, and because she hates me spending time on two cars.

I used to be horrible about expectations with our DD. Now I have become a bit more realistic. I realize that when a car is really DRIVEN, it can be very hard to keep it perfect. However, I will say that both vehicles look better than 99% of the cars on the road. I have just learned to live with some slight impecfections here and there. It's life. Keeping a DD absolutely perfect can drive you nuts.