UPDATE: I spent about 5 hours on this today and here are the results:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/multimedia-exchange/857086-trans-am-ss-detail-photoshoot.html


Hey guys,

I have a black 99 T/A which is extremely dirty from the rain. It also has very light (but you can see them in the sun) scratches from what I believe was improper towel drying by the previous owner. I would like to spend a lot of time detailing it tomorrow. Here's what I have to work with:

-Mother's California Gold Claybar Kit
-Meguiars Gold Class Paste wax
-Tons of Microfiber and Terrycloth Towels
-Various Detailing Sprays
-Tons of Time

I've tried to research claybaring and ask people about it because I've never done it before. Basically what I came up with is that you
-Use plenty of lube/keep the car wet
-Slide the wax like a hockey puck across the paint making sure not to apply downward pressure
-Once the area is smooth you can move on
-DONT DROP THE CLAYBAR!

Anyone have any other tips/directions for a first time claybarer that I missed? I live in a townhome that has a garage but no running water outside, so I am forced to use a do-it-yourself carwash a little under a mile away. My plan is to wash the car extremely thouroughly and make sure its completely dry then drive back home. Then I'll claybar it, carefully drive it back to the car wash (am I just supposed to rinse the car off or wash it again?) and then finally bring it back home for a complete wax job.

Does my plan sound good? Are there any other products I should use to complete this job such as polish? or will the wax and claybar be enough? I plan on cleaning the interior too, but my only question regarding that is if I can use windex on my tinted windows? I heard you need "tint safe" cleaner but if I plan on re-tinting this summer (due to knick in drivers side window) is it really necesary? I heard you need to clean the windows many times with windex or similar until it hurts your tint.

As if I didn't have enough questions, how do you clean WS6 chrome wheels? Are they clear coated or can you use chrome polish on them? I'm leaning toward just cleaning them normally and not using any product on them because they look pretty shiny as is.

I think thats it, if you made it through all this any help would be appreciated!

 

Okay,

Your not off to a bad start, but you aren't going to get incredable results with your wash marks just doing a clay n' wax. Your idea on the clay bat seems pretty good. Just make sure the surface is not extremly gritty because then you run the risk of scratching the car. How far away do you plan on driving home from that car wash? If it's not too far, don't bother drying the car. Wash it, hop in it, drive it home, and wipe it down in the driveway using some detail spray and a microfiber.

Windex sucks. Go to your local K-Mart or Wal-Mart and pick up some Stoner Invisible Glass. Great stuff for over the counter. Use a clean microfiber to do wipe your windows.

My standards are very high for details and if I sat here and typed it all up I'd be up all night. Let me know if I could be of anymore help.

 

It doesn't need to be in show car condition, just look nice. I'm very inexperienced with a rotary nor do I have one, so that probably won't happen this time around. I would eventually want to get a good rotary detail though.

Literally the car wash is like 2-3 blocks away so not far. What other suggestions do you guys have to get a nice finish after the detail?

 

clay bar isnt going to get riid of those scratches u have. but a mild compound will. meguairs makes about 20 different types though. but even using these by hand will remove all but the deepest scratch.

 

i would sugguest picking up some optimum no rinse car wash shampoo. teh shampoo is something you can use to wash with about a gallon of water in your garage with no hose. id buy it from autogeek (google them) have a gander at other stuff there too, they have all kinds of good products.

but about what you are doing tomorrow all sounds good and have fun! but the clay bar wont remove scratches i would run to murrays and pick up meguiers mirror glaze #7 glaze to try to fill the swirls until they are polished out.

 

I want to spend some serious time on this and try to get it right (with the tools I have). If I polished by hand with some compound, could I get rid of the light scratches? I know it will take more time than with a PC or buffer, but that's ok. Also, if I'm able to get ahold of a buffer, is this something I can tackle without much experience? I mean, I've buffed and waxed boats before. Is it something that with a little direction I can do myself or should I just screw it and pay a professional (or give my buddy a case of beer to do it)?

 

By the way, it dumped like crazy Sunday so I aborted that plan. I will probably tackle this tomorrow or later this week.

 

Try a product called TR3. Its in a old looking bottle. find it i CSK's and other various places. Anyway its a mild polish with a resin glaze. It can take off very mild scratches but if you have anything a bit deeper id also recoment a more abrasive polishing compound first. The beauty of TR3 is it gives about the same (if not better in my opinion) as clay bar at only 7 bucks!. I used to work for kragen auto parts and ive tried most of the detailing products they sold but TR3 was most definatly my favorite!

 

if i were you before claybaring i would wash it by hand with a chenille pad or mit to get rid of all the big crap so you dont scratch with the claybar, like other people said a mild compound will take out scratches and for very fine scratches i just use meguires scratch x its really easy to use, when i clean windows i wash them first with the chenille pad to get all the big stuff off then rewash them after they dry with windex and use newspaper as your towel (weird i know but it NEVER leaves streaks), make sure you have a lot of microfiber towels i dirty like 15 of them for each full detail, to dry the car any SOFT towel will do really just do not use one thats to rough or abrasive.

 

check out tropi care pimp juice its easy.

 

Yeah a clay bar isn't going to remove scratches, just the stuck on stuff that gives your paint that gritty feeling you can feel whn you run your hand over the car after washing. To remove scratches you'll need to have the car buffed.

 

Which Tropi-Care product is the "pimp juice?"

 

bluestrat:

I looked at the pictures you sent me and here's how I would approach your car if it were in front of me.

It sounds like you understand the basics of clay bar use. Are you able to clay bar it after washing while you are still down at the car wash? Unfortunately driving it home after the clay bar/rewash, rinse and dry will accumulate some road dust and grime on the surface just in that short distance. You can do a wipe down of the surface to remove any light dust and dirt before addressing the scratches and holograms. The paste wax will give you a short term filling solution until you are ready to remove the scratches. Since this sound like a daily driven vehicle, there are a number of ways you can look at this situation:

You can pay a competent detail professional hundreds of dollars and be with without the car for at least the day. It can be perfect when you pick it up and will only stay that way if you store it. If you're going to drive it regularly, now the surface will have to be regularly maintained to stay that way. Using the correct tools and techniques will be the key.

If decide to do this yourself, trying to remove any of the scratches pictured will be extremely time consuming if not impossible by hand. Buffing out scratches by machine is an acquired technique which takes time and patience. The use of specific task buffing pads and products will give you various degrees of results on the paint. Remember this is a process of routine maintenance and not a "be all, end all" exercise. Each time you would maintain your car, work until you are satisfied for the results that day.

To answer your specific surface questions, clear coated wheel surfaces can be treated just like the paint surface to remove light scratches and general haze. Micro-abrasive polishes and swirl removers can be used here. Cleaning tinted windows can be done with glass cleaner that's ammonia-free. Windows usually streak when using dirty towels or ones with too much moisture in them.

Feel free to contact me with any other questions.

 

yes good point on the windows i forgot to put to use a product thats amonia free on them, for someone who has never buffed before i would not start out on your baby with a high speed buffer **** could get ugly, you could try by hand it might take a long time but your much less likely to burn your finish like you could with an electric buffer, good luck

 

I'd also like to know. I think I need some of that.


-Mike

 

This is where the Porter Cable 7336, 7424 or UDM-1000 buffers are perfect for all beginners or novice users. With their dual action performance, they will not burn the paint even when going over edges or ridges. High speed rotary polishers are recommended for experienced users only.

 

yeah your off to a good start. just make sure as soon as you get home use meguiars quick detailer or mothers and then clay it again and i would buy the nxt wax from meguiars its amazing on black cars. and of course between waxes alawys use the detail spray to wipe it down before the next coat.

 

Looks like I may attack all this this saturday. If I can't get ahold of a PC or other variable speed buffer I will polish by hand. People have been recommending a mild compound, any particular products I should look into for this? I'm going to see if I can do it at a buddy's house so I don't have to drive the car at all during the process. The tentative plan looks like this:

-Thouroughly wash car/dry w/ absorber and microfiber towels
-claybar car
-wash again/dry again
-buff or hand polish
-wax
-take pictures

Does this sound about right? Don't worry, I constantly check my absorber to make sure it's clean. Pretty much the only part I need guidance on is the buffing/polishing/scratch removal part. How should I go about that?

Thanks for all your help Steve and everyone else!

PS. Would this be a good time to remove my side molding?

 

Exactly .. Looks like you've been holding out on us, Steve.

 

If you are using QD as your clay lube, then no need to rewash. Remember, most of the damage done to your paint (swirls, etc) occurs during washing and drying, even if you are very careful.

I am not a fan of the absorber, and much prefer a good waffle weave towel for drying, but at least you are being careful using it.


If you are removing a few scratches by hand, I would recommend Meguiar's ScratchX and a microfiber or terry cloth applicator.. if you are going to tackle swirls by hand, I have had good luck using Tropi-care TC-8 by hand, also using a terry applicator.