My Diamond White Ford Classic was detailed for the first time four months back and three coats of Optimum Car Wax (OCW) was applied during that session. The gloss that it provided was really deep and warm and taking into consideration the cost factor of the same, I was completely satisfied with OCW as a standalone product.
But somewhere down the line, the 'wet look bug' bit me. So it was time that I detailed my ride again, this time with an aim to get maximum wet look and reflection. I knew that I was playing against the odd that my ride was light coloured, non metallic and worst of all, it was WHITE! But still, you know what its like when you get bit by the detailing bug, you'll never settle until you get it done. So here goes.
Its summer time, but the intermittent rains along with the humongous amount of dust had rendered my beauty in a sorry state. Worst of all, the hood and roof was covered with small but numerous marks left by bird bomb etching and tree sap. Things were going to be hard for me, really very hard.
I started the the work by 6.30 AM.
Step I : Washing wheels and mudguards
Products used :
- Amway Legacy of Clean (LOC) diluted to 1:10 in a spray bottle
- One bottle cleaning brush (for alloys) and stiff bristle brush (for tires)
- El cheapo Microfiber (MF) towels for mudguards, alloys and drying
- Proklear Tire, Trim and Dashboard (TTD) Polish with applicator
In the meantime, look who came by to say hi!
Step II : Two bucket method washing
Products used :
- Amway car wash (1 capful for 5 litres of water for extra suds)
- X-Static MF mitt
- 2 x X-Static MF's for drying
All of the mud and dirt was removed effectively during this step. Tree sap, bird bomb etching and some paint/tar spots remaining.
Step III : Claying
Products used :
- Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning Sysytem
- Proklear Xtreme Waterless Wash Concentrate (WWC) as clay lube
- 2 x X-Static MF's for wiping and drying
Proklear Xtreme WWC was used as clay lube with a dilution ratio 1:100 in a spray bottle and found to be very effective. Tar and paint spots were completely lifted off and the 'plastic bag test' was done to ensure that the paint was smooth as glass now. Tree sap and bird bomb etching still remains.
After step III (look how well the OCW is holding up even after four months!)
PS : The extra gloss is due to the use of Proklear Xtreme WWC as clay lube in a richer dilution ratio.
Step IV : Polishing
Almost four hours had elapsed and I skipped my breakfast. It was getting hotter and I started sweating like anything. Drying the car was a painful affair by itself and the sweat dripping on the paint was making things worse for me. Somehow managed to dry the car fully and started polishing.
Products used :
- Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
- Lake Country Orange CCS Foam Hand Polish Applicator
- Eurow MF towel for buffing
Did the roof and hood and by that time I learned the lesson, hand polishing is a very painful affair and very less rewarding at the same time. But still I managed to get rid of all the bird bomb etchings, tree sap marks and water spots. I targeted the affected areas more and was lazy on the remaining parts. Result? The polish had dried up on few areas exposed to the sun and removing it was another hour's job. Totally drenched in sweat and extremely dehydrated, I was forced to take a break and some fluids to keep myself alive (yeah right, those who've been on the same boat will understand). Got re-hydrated and returned for the last step, one last step.
Step V : Applying Last Stage Protection (LSP)
With some swirls and almost all of etching and oxidation gone, it was time for the final kill. Hours of research, reading and reviews made me zero down to a single product, for that glossy, wet, reflective finish on my White Beauty.
Products used :
- Ultima Paint Guard Plus (UPGP)
As we all know, applying the UPGP is a walk in the park. But the fault in my stars took its toll here too, the sprayer that came along with the package was of larger size and was not fitting to the neck of the bottle. I was doomed. All these hours of hardwork would go down the drain if this step is a flop. Tried to spray the product to the sponge with the sprayer head wobbling around the neck like a mad dog and managed to do a coat on the roof and hood and the worst happened.
It spilled and the sealent was all over my right hand. Almost 1/3 rd of the product was lost in the incident and I was running out of hope and goodwill. Washed the hand thoroughly with soap and took a break for lunch. I was sad, but couldn't give up. Pasted the sprayer on the to bottleneck with insulation tape and ensured that there was no more leakage. Well that did the trick. Finished a coat within 10 minutes and a curing time of 45 minutes was adopted. Before the insulation tape gave up, I managed to complete three coats of my ride. I finished by 4.30 PM. As it was turning cloudy I didn't bother to click any pics, parked the car in the garage and was tired as hell. Went to the bedroom, saw the bed and that's all I remember about the day.
One week later
Bright sunny day, been a week since I detailed my ride and it did rain many a times. Was time for a rinseless wash. And time for some pics.
Well I'm not sure if the pictures have done justice to the actual look of the car but I must say that in flesh, the wet look and reflectiveness is really showing and kudos to UPGP for that. And that my friends, is a day of hardwork and toil paying off for me.
Future Plans
- The hardened polish is still stuck on some areas. Planning to remove it ASAP
- Apply two coats of OCW for added protection
- Applying 3M rubbing compound to remove localised imperfections and scratches
- Last but not the least, started saving for a rotary, backing plates and polishing pads
Epilogue : An After Sales Support worth mentioning
I had purchased the UPGP from Bringing Best IMPEX Pvt Ltd and the grievance regarding the faulty sprayer was reported to Sanjay the next day itself. Though it was the manufacturer's packaging defect and he as a seller had nothing to do with it at all, just see the way he responded on hearing about the issue.
And that's how you do business