Thanks for the support. Where else could I get this much attention?

I guess the only other question I have is whether to bother today since it's probably going to rain tomorrow. It looks quite dark today. On the plus side, it's not very sunny or hot, so maybe that's good?

 

Actually I have been able to find real Lambswool wash mitts at Pep Boys. What you want to do in order to check is to look inside of the wash mitt. If it is fabric, then it's most likely synthetic. If it is actual leather/hide inside, chances are it is actual wool.

Not saying that they are as good as the Australian Lamb's wool ones that you carry, but I know that you can get pretty decent ones as long as you know what to look for.

D!

 

On one section I think I pushed a little too hard with the clay and caused some streaks in the paint. =(

 

When doing the clay, you are almost using no pressure at all. You just get the surface lubricated with your spray and you let the clay glide over the top of the surface. You're really just using just enough pressure to keep the clay on the paint.

D!

 

You should be OK. Just do a good job of working the hd firmly around that area. Zymol's klay isn't aggressive enough to leave deep scratches.

 

Little scratches came out in the polish phase unless you look really hard. It might not have been me, even. Anyway, all done. 10 hour project. Yikes I'm tired and my arms hurt lol. Here's before and after. It's hard for me to tell a difference in the pictures, but in real life it looks really sweet now. Hope it keeps looking good for a while with just a wash and wipe down. Thanks all for the help.

 

I can TOTALLY tell the difference!!!

The wing is up on the after shots!


Looks great. And to be honest, it does look a bit more glossy. Hard to tell without closer shots.

D!

 

Looking good Bryce. Glad you are taking such good care of the car! It definately needed a good detail. Has been sitting for almost 9 months with off and on use and was begging to get clay barred!

I do miss it!

 

Jeff, the clay bar really didn't get much done I think. I noticed it picked up tar pretty well, but as far as feeling it scrape off oxidation, the paint was really smooth to begin with. There was just a little bit on the hood. Still, it had to be done so that I know where I stand. Will revisit in 6 months or so.

Now, for a few questions about product usage.

Can clay be used again? I split it in half but the first half still looks okay to me. I stuck it in a plastic bag at least to do my wife's Audi.

I think I used a bit much of the Concourse wax. Probably can get 6-7 applications out of that jar. Maybe next time it won't take as much to go on. Comments?

It took me the entire bottle of Lehm Lube, so maybe next time I don't have to be so liberal?

The bottle of HD cleanse was used about 70%. That stuff really made it shine. Can't wait too long to take it off, but if it dried out I just wiped the applicator over that section and rubbed it down fast. I got into a decent rhythm with that part.

Too bad it rained over night. You should have seen the little beads of water on the hood. They were so damn tiny and spread out like what you'd see in a magnetic field example in a physics textbook. Today I just took a new microfiber cloth and lightly wiped off dust on the paint and windows and the wheels. Hopefully that won't scratch the wax too much. I doubt with such light pressure it would mess with the clear coat. Looks as good as it did yesterday.

 

If the clay didn't pick up too much, it means your paint is clean. But it's a good preventative step to clay anyway. Also, don't be afraid to use light pressure with the lehm klay. As long as the paint felt smooth while claying and it was quiet, you properly decontaminated the paint.

Lehm klay should last you 6-10 applications depending on how bad each time is. Based on what you've described, you may get 15 uses out of that one bar. Just remember to fold the clay back in itself to clean it. It should be nice and yellow after each kneading.

You used WAY TOO MUCH concours That jar will do about 50 applications. Try using less and doing thin layers. You don't have to cover the whole area, just as long as there's a thin oily layer. Remember, as you wipe off the wax, the warmth created by the towel will spread the wax evenly.

One bottle of libe for a sedan is about right. You can never use too much.

HD is amazing. If it hardens, simply spray a little detail spray and wipe off.

I love how car beads after a rain. You can truly tell the quality of the product and the technique used when you have lots and lots of uniform beads that mearly float off with air.

Glad everything worked out for you. Was it all worth it? Did you enjoy the experience?

 

Overall I enjoyed my day and the results. From now on it shouldn't be too expensive to maintain the look. $20 here, $40 there to do it myself. But man, it's a lot of time. I didn't even get to the interior, the tire gel, the exhaust pipes, the seal conditioner, or go back and really rub out the plastic pieces with a cleaner that got little bits of HD or wax on them. I could spend another 6 hours easily I'm sure. For another weekend =).

What's the routine now? Wash as much as I want with the Bathe and then dry? Shouldn't have to do anything else for a while, no? Then, maybe every 3 months refresh the Concourse (I'll use less!)? Then every 6-9 months do a clay/HD again?

 

The wash routine is quite simple. Just wash using the clear, dry using the GP microdrying cloths, and wipe down the finish with detail spray or field glaze. You then clean the glass, and condition the tires, and you're done. For the interior, simply vacuum and wipe down with einszett ****pit premium.

You can refresh the concours in three months if you'd like; it's not necessary. As long as the car is garaged, washed every week or two, and wiped down with detail spray or field glaze, expect the wax to last about 4-6 months.

The only other tool i'd recommend is the cr spotless di system...it'll save you hours from chasing water spots.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...High%2C/Detail

 

Amen! The CRSpotless is great. If you decided not to do that, you could also dry the car with compressed air from an air compressor or using a leaf blower. That helps force all of the water out of the cracks. The nice thing about the CR though is that you don't need to do that!

D!

 

This dryer and the cr make an excellent combo.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...-2200AM/Detail

 

I couldn't agree more!!

D!