Detail of a "mother's" Trailblazer SS (long)
03-17-2007, 09:12 AM
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Detail of a "mother's" Trailblazer SS (long) It seems I get contacted to detail more black vehicles than any other color but it is also the most satisfying when you finish with the job. This one in particular belonged to the mother of two other family vehicles we had just detailed right before Xmas.(of course they were both black) This '06 also had
several deep scratches inflicted along the lower half of the driver's rear door area. Notice the oval pattern on the dirty area to define the area of scratches in question.
After a thorough washing with our TC-6 Car Wash, I used a 16 ounce spray bottle solution of the car wash and distilled water as my clay lube with our TC-1 clay bar on entire vehicle. I always split the bar in half. I have the other clean half it it gets dropped. After rinsing and a wipe down of the surface with waffle weave drying towels, the surface showed mild-moderate spider scratches on the daily driven vehicle.
For the area of the deep scratches, I normally want to use the least aggressive method of correction. Unfortunately that wasn't this day. I had to use a combo of 2000 grit wet sand paper followed with the rotary polisher equipped with the orange foam pad/3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound to level the scratches. Once I removed the sanding scratches, then the PC can be used to remove the swirls/holograms inflicted by the rotary.
Having the right tools will make your job easier and faster. For effective cleaning wheels inside the widest wheels, we use our TCB-30 16" Wheel Spoke brush with white tampico bristles.
For neglected wheel well areas, I used our TCB-40 20" Wheel and Fender Brush to scrub off cake on dirt.
Once cleaned, I used the Lake Country orange cutting/polishing on the Porter Cable buffer and our TC-8 Swirl Cutter. The key is to work in the product on the surface moving at a rate of about 1"/second at speed 5-6 across the surface in a 2' x 2' working area. Allowing the the product to break down until almost clear is where you see real results. The cutting ability of this product will remove ultra fine scratches and swirl/holograms up to 3000 grit.
Now on an early January day, daylight is at a premium and it disappears real fast. After finishing with the Swirl Cutter and wipe down of the surface, I switched to the LC blue "final finishing" foam pad to apply the TC-3 Polish/Sealant xP. With the PC setting at speed 4, the goal is to apply a very thin consistent coat on the surface. After drying, wipe down was completed with our blue microfiber polishing towels.
To complete, I dressed the tires with our water based TC-15 Tire and Rubber and Dressing.
Right before the sun was setting, I was able to top the sealant with our new Tropi-Care Carnauba Paste Wax. Why you ask? It provided an even darker and deeper finish especially on black and an extra measure of protection for the sealant. Total working time was about 6 hours. The detail cost was irrelevant but for me it was about the exhibiting the performance of the Tropi-Care products to another satisfied customer.
Your questions and comments always welcomed.
several deep scratches inflicted along the lower half of the driver's rear door area. Notice the oval pattern on the dirty area to define the area of scratches in question.
After a thorough washing with our TC-6 Car Wash, I used a 16 ounce spray bottle solution of the car wash and distilled water as my clay lube with our TC-1 clay bar on entire vehicle. I always split the bar in half. I have the other clean half it it gets dropped. After rinsing and a wipe down of the surface with waffle weave drying towels, the surface showed mild-moderate spider scratches on the daily driven vehicle.
For the area of the deep scratches, I normally want to use the least aggressive method of correction. Unfortunately that wasn't this day. I had to use a combo of 2000 grit wet sand paper followed with the rotary polisher equipped with the orange foam pad/3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound to level the scratches. Once I removed the sanding scratches, then the PC can be used to remove the swirls/holograms inflicted by the rotary.
Having the right tools will make your job easier and faster. For effective cleaning wheels inside the widest wheels, we use our TCB-30 16" Wheel Spoke brush with white tampico bristles.
For neglected wheel well areas, I used our TCB-40 20" Wheel and Fender Brush to scrub off cake on dirt.
Once cleaned, I used the Lake Country orange cutting/polishing on the Porter Cable buffer and our TC-8 Swirl Cutter. The key is to work in the product on the surface moving at a rate of about 1"/second at speed 5-6 across the surface in a 2' x 2' working area. Allowing the the product to break down until almost clear is where you see real results. The cutting ability of this product will remove ultra fine scratches and swirl/holograms up to 3000 grit.
Now on an early January day, daylight is at a premium and it disappears real fast. After finishing with the Swirl Cutter and wipe down of the surface, I switched to the LC blue "final finishing" foam pad to apply the TC-3 Polish/Sealant xP. With the PC setting at speed 4, the goal is to apply a very thin consistent coat on the surface. After drying, wipe down was completed with our blue microfiber polishing towels.
To complete, I dressed the tires with our water based TC-15 Tire and Rubber and Dressing.
Right before the sun was setting, I was able to top the sealant with our new Tropi-Care Carnauba Paste Wax. Why you ask? It provided an even darker and deeper finish especially on black and an extra measure of protection for the sealant. Total working time was about 6 hours. The detail cost was irrelevant but for me it was about the exhibiting the performance of the Tropi-Care products to another satisfied customer.
Your questions and comments always welcomed.
03-17-2007, 10:22 AM
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Wow, amazing work~ thats all i have to say, great job!
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03-17-2007, 10:35 AM
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great work...detailing a black car is NOT easy. My wife drives a Black Saturn Ion coupe and that thing gets swirl marks a week after a wax. luckily they come out.
03-17-2007, 10:42 AM
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Good Work on the TB SS Steve!
That's the same family we detailed the SRT-10 Ram and Silverado SS for and their drive was actually packed pretty well with gravel so that getting in and out wasn't too bad as far as dirt was concerned. But ride height of the car was a different story!! My lowered fbody and Steve's SRT-4 had fun with that! LOL
Originally Posted by ZaneO
Looks fantastic. Too bad it was dirty the second it left the driveway with that rock drive.
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03-17-2007, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by ZaneO
Looks fantastic. Too bad it was dirty the second it left the driveway with that rock drive.
Unfortunately it rained before the end of the next day. That's why I try to capture the moment.
Now it's all about maintaining with proper procedures and materials.
03-17-2007, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by ProjectCamaro
Looks sick.
Why is it all the detailers that post up these pictures are from Texas and never anywhere close.
Why is it all the detailers that post up these pictures are from Texas and never anywhere close.
03-17-2007, 01:14 PM
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In a generalized sense, I would say ours are more concentrated similar to what you find in a professional series.
Products such as our TC-6 Car Wash may seem priced higher than you would expect but you would need much less to accomplish the same cleaning and lubricity as lower priced/higher volume units.
We offer several bucket detailing kits on our website at www.tropi-care.com that offer significant savings over individually priced items. In addition, they come with a series of high quality Tropi-Care microfibers for specific tasks.
We can provide you with a complete one-stop shopping experience for any aspect of your vehicle.
Feel free to ask any questions about any Tropi-Care item.
Products such as our TC-6 Car Wash may seem priced higher than you would expect but you would need much less to accomplish the same cleaning and lubricity as lower priced/higher volume units.
We offer several bucket detailing kits on our website at www.tropi-care.com that offer significant savings over individually priced items. In addition, they come with a series of high quality Tropi-Care microfibers for specific tasks.
We can provide you with a complete one-stop shopping experience for any aspect of your vehicle.
Feel free to ask any questions about any Tropi-Care item.
03-17-2007, 03:32 PM
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Looks very nice.
Steve .. I like the carnuba look on top of the sealant .. How long do you normally wait between application of the sealant and the application of the carnuba? I usually wait 18 - 24 hours between the sealant and the carnuba .. what do you recommend with your stuff ?
also .. how does your Tire and Rubber dressing hold up when used to dress the wheel wells ? does it attract and hold a lot of dust and dirt?
LOL. There are quite a few of us down here. Must be the weather .. or the women. 
Steve .. I like the carnuba look on top of the sealant .. How long do you normally wait between application of the sealant and the application of the carnuba? I usually wait 18 - 24 hours between the sealant and the carnuba .. what do you recommend with your stuff ?
also .. how does your Tire and Rubber dressing hold up when used to dress the wheel wells ? does it attract and hold a lot of dust and dirt?
Originally Posted by ProjectCamaro
.... Why is it all the detailers that post up these pictures are from Texas and never anywhere close.
03-17-2007, 09:04 PM
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Got any write ups on a car that has seen more road duty? No offense, but a black car could get that dirty after one rain. Wet sanding and polishing the scratches out is pretty standard practice for any bodyshop/detailer.
Don't get me wrong, the truck looks good. I'm just not overly impressed with the products used. I think plenty of other 'off the shelf' products would produce similar results on such a new vehicle.
Don't get me wrong, the truck looks good. I'm just not overly impressed with the products used. I think plenty of other 'off the shelf' products would produce similar results on such a new vehicle.
