Thread: Questions about detailing..........

I bought my second Soul recently. She is a Black Cherry (Shadow). The exterior is covered with small scratches (a few larger ones) and I can see swirl marks when she is parked in the sun. I have purchased Maguiar's ScratchX, Pre-wax polish and Gold wax. I even read the directions (cuz I'm a girl. And I don't want to ruin the finish). I will be doing this by hand.

Does anyone have any advice before I begin the process? Any tricks of the trade? The best way to tackle the job? I appreciate feedback from those who have stood in my shoes, and/or do this for a living.

Thank you!

When it says one panel at a time, listen to it because if you do the whole car at the same time, the wax will be hardened and much tougher to get off. Other than that, take your time and make sure you have the next day off because your arms are going to fall off ;-)

Thank you. I plan to take my time and go as slow as I need to. Wax on. Wax off. I'll learn karate in no time!

Start with this:
Junkman's, The Mother of All "How to Fix Your Paint for Novices" Thread! - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Then to stop making swirls, use the proper two bucket method to
-wash in long strokes, not circles
-do not dry your car with rags/shammy/etc. Blow dry it
-wash your car using the two bucket method











Thread on the subject and the first part of Junkmans how to on Youtube
Proper Way To Wash Your Car

An electric random orbital buffer will make this job a WHOLE lot easier. Reducing the swirly marks takes a LOT of elbow grease and you will probably run out of energy long before you'll make much of a dent in the swirls.

I have a Shadow also and it's very difficult to keep the scratches/swirlies away from it. But I have found that with enough patience and the R/O buffer I can keep it looking fairly presentable.

I have also not tried this yet, but it may be worth a look:



Black Box - Turtle Wax

As you have probably seen by now, these cars aren't truly black, but a very dark cherry color. If I try this, I'll do it in an inconspicuous spot in case it looks funny

I watched The Junkman videos. Lots of good information. But my budget can not afford the products he uses. I get the technique, though. I have never washed my car in swirls. I have always used long strokes. It gets cleaner faster with long strokes. Anyway, thank you for the video thread links, dnwagner. Much appreciated. Things learned are always good. I may get her finish pretty again yet!

jfischer, yes! I noticed the car is really a deep, deep red. I saw it in sun and was amazed at the colour. I wish it would look like that more often than it looks black. Lilith was slightly abused by her previous owner. He (I know it was a he because he left his phone paired with her) apparently did not give a whit about her exterior. It is a maze of fine scratches. I am sure I will have to do her in small parts over several days to get her all finished properly. I am surprised the little rat didn't trash her interior, but it is in very good condition. Just a few small fixes.

I'll let you all know how it goes!

Where are the swirls coming from then? Maybe you inherited them when you bought the car.

My car is 13 months old and I wash it by hand weekly and don't have swirls. I never touch my car unless it's wet and sudsy and only with a microfiber glove like he uses. I certainly don't rub it down to dry it.


Sent from my Nexus 10 using AutoGuide.Com Free App

Exactly. I hate to burst your enthusiastic bubble, but you're not going to get swirl marks off by hand. And a buffer in the wrong hands can eat through paint in a hurry.

That kind of detailing is not that expensive. My suggestion is to let a professional detailer take the swirl marks & imperfections out, then you do the rest yourself. By the time you buy a buffer you'll be out the cost of having someone else do it.

Originally Posted by jfischer

An electric random orbital buffer will make this job a WHOLE lot easier. Reducing the swirly marks takes a LOT of elbow grease and you will probably run out of energy long before you'll make much of a dent in the swirls.

I have a Shadow also and it's very difficult to keep the scratches/swirlies away from it. But I have found that with enough patience and the R/O buffer I can keep it looking fairly presentable.

I have also not tried this yet, but it may be worth a look:

Attachment 13788

Black Box - Turtle Wax

As you have probably seen by now, these cars aren't truly black, but a very dark cherry color. If I try this, I'll do it in an inconspicuous spot in case it looks funny

As I said, I bought Lilith used and the previous owner did not care for her well. She came a wee bit banged up.

I will most likely check into having her detailed. But I don't know if I can afford it. If not, I will do what I can and save my little ducketts for a professional job later. I'm not on a champagne kind of budget. :-)

On a brighter note, her new floor mats came today (hers were missing in action at purchase). One more little thing taken care of!

Originally Posted by WarriorLilith

As I said, I bought Lilith used and the previous owner did not care for her well. She came a wee bit banged up.

I will most likely check into having her detailed. But I don't know if I can afford it. If not, I will do what I can and save my little ducketts for a professional job later. I'm not on a champagne kind of budget. :-)

On a brighter note, her new floor mats came today (hers were missing in action at purchase). One more little thing taken care of!

Awesome, gotcha. I didn't put two and two together from your other thread.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using AutoGuide.Com Free App