Well, as a detail enthusiast I committed the cardinal sin of taking my car through a car wash. I went to a super-high-end place here in Alpharetta, GA, and as expected, they completely trashed my paint.

The car was covered head to toe in micro-scratches, swirls, water spots, etc.
You can see a close up of how bad it was here.

I spent about 18 hours detailing it, and you can see the final results. Almost all of the scratches and swirls are gone, leaving the paint nothing but shimmering wet black!

Process:
1. Thorough wash with lambswool mits and Zaino Shampoo
2. Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with an Orange CCS pad and my PC
3. Menzerna Final Polish with a White CCS pad and my PC
4. Menzerna Final Touch Glase with a black CCS pad and my PC
5. Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket (FMJ) with a Gold CCS pad and my PC
6. Another coat of above
7. Thin layer of P21S 100% Carnauba
8. Zaino Tire Gloss
9. Stoner's Invisible Glass
10. PakShak Microfibre used throughout. Used about 30 of them on this project.

The results speak for themselves.
CATTMAN

 

Great work!

 

Nice work Cattman.

I am not as obsessed with the detailing, but I don't go through the auto washes

 

Have you rec'd the Afterhours mufflers yet ? If so, what are your impressions ?

 

18 hrs vs. 12 min....I understand why you fell for the temptation of the Jiffy Wash gods

 

Amazing work!

Your pics make me envious... beautiful black car and nice weather to drive it in

 

My next car will be silver! I love a black 911, but I can't devote the time anymore. 9 days out of 10 it looks like crap. On the 10th day, granted, it's amazing. But I can't imagine how nice it would be to have the low-maintenance of a silver car. Plus, I think the 997TT looks best in Silver, and in a year I'll be on the hunt for a good used one.

Nope, AfterHours mufflers arrive late next week, I'll be putting them on then, and will certainly post videos to YouTube. I'll post a video comparison of OEM, Fabspeed, then AH. Back to back, on the same car.
CATTMAN

 

Car washes and black cars do not mix, as you see, I guess you won't be doing that again for a while!

 

I am kinda new here so please don't kick the newbie to hard. But, ok, I will be the first so say it. Cattman... WTF were you thinking? Don't they have any school fundraisers down there or something?

Nice job, glad to see you got the color back.

 

great job..awesome

 

cattman, did you install the vf SC?

 

Wow Great Results Cattman. Can't believe one car wash would do that! Reafirms why I won't take my 911 thru the car wash. just bought a porter cable. going to practice on my wife's car first (Honda Accord)!

 

Beautiful work, Cattman! Sorry you had to do it in the first place...

 

Ahhh the joy's of a black car! Had many of them and now done to just 1 at my house.

Cat, that Mezerna stuff is the best isn't it? I love my Mezerna products. However I have never put carnuba wax over the FMJ. I love the slick feeling of the FMJ and it protect very well. How does your system work out for longevity and shine?

 

Thanks, guys, I appreciate the kind words! It sure was a lot of work, my hands are totally raw from the vibrations of the PC.

Once the FMJ cures you can layer a carnauba on top of it. It just adds a touch of depth. The reality of any carnauba though, particularly on black, is that in the sun it completely evaporates within a couple of weeks. The FMJ should last for months though, and it can be layered. You cannot put FMJ on top of the carnauba. So if you want to add another layer of FMJ, it's best to do it after the first layer cures (12 hrs or so), with nothing on in between. Overall I like Menzerna. I found it necessary to use a pad lubricant often though, because Menzerna (Intensive and Final Polish) tend to dust quite a bit, and reduce work-in time. The SIP however, was great: long work time, no dusting.

Nope, no SC yet. I found one for sale at a terrific price, but couldn't justify the expense in this market.