harleymark

So, over Thanksgiving week, I did my annual full detail of my car. I also used the opportunity to fix some buffer trails the dealership had "installed" when they detailed the car at the body shop's request prior to returning it to me (I had been hit in the passenger side rear quarter panel and bumper - Repair was great, but the dealership's detail - not so much). Also, there was some swirling of other areas from the original delivery detail that I had not touched yet.

Here are some before pics - You can see the buffer trails and also the fine scratches:

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I washed the car with original Dawn (I do not do this as a regular practice, but did it to strip off any wax/sealant on the car) and then did an IPA wipedown. I then polished with my PC 7424 and an orange pad and Menzerma Intensive Polish. I had planned to do a final polish with a white pad and Menzerma Finishing Polish, but it finished down pretty well, so I skipped that step.

I removed any polish residue, then applied a coat of Zaino All in One. I then applied two layers of Zaino Z2 Pro (all by hand). I waited 24 hours between layers of Z2 Pro.

Finally, I topped off with a coat of S100 carnauba wax (I get it from my Harley dealership) to add additional depth and gloss. You can see in the after pics the buffer trails are gone and most of the swirls have been removed. I probably could have been more aggressive and removed more of the imperfections, but frankly I am not comfortable compounding or wet sanding, and will take her to a professional detailer to do that level of correction.

Overall, I am happy (well, happier) with how she looks...I am leaning toward the CQ Finest coating next year.

After pics;

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sydtoosic

nice work harley... if you would have finished down with the finishing polish, you would have gotten rid of the little imperfections i saw. i know it's time consuming not to mention a PITA. overall you did a good job. why didn't you use the Zaino ZFX with Z2 in between apps with the Z8 wipe down? i was a Zaino fanatic when i began detailing my cars.

harleymark

Hi Syd...If you think it looks good, I'm more than happy! I know how pristine you keep your cars, so I value your opinion and input.

I agree, I should have done the finishing polish, but I ran out of time...Long story that I will spare everyone from hearing (but a disintegrating backing plate was involved!). And I neglected to verify my stock of ZFX before starting...container was empty when I went to use it.

Not sure I am going to order more...Like I said, I am strongly thinking of going the CQ Finest route next year. There are two authorized installers in my area, so I am going to do some research before taking the plunge.

sydtoosic

yes sir, it's looks good. that Lexus OB painty is tricky, so for you to tackle that task and get her to almost perfect... i take my hat off to you. i would have thrown all my detailing media out of the garage and into the street, including the car. i love that OB but it is so high maintenance. there were days when i would detail the OB GS F Sport i had and spend 6 to 8 hrs. detailing just to finish and throw some light on her to find that i didn't do a good a job as i thought i did. Zach has only good things to say about CQF, i may attempt it in a year or two but i swear by OC 2.0, i'm stuck for the moment, haven't found anything better yet... IMO.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Looks good!

Regarding OC vs. CQF - you can't go wrong with either, but IMO CQF offers many benefits to those of us who routinely maintain their vehicles that OC does not. Just my opinions though

kennyD

Wow good job. Black paint never fails to amaze me when it's nice and polished.

harleymark

I know what you mean about OB....when I was looking at the GS, I said no more black cars. I spent way too much time keeping my previous cars up, and I wasn't going to do it again.

But darn it...they just look so good when clean! I couldn't resist!

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Great work.

If you are going to own a black car, especially a black car with crappy soft paint, I think you owe it to yourself to accept the fact that the swirls will come no matter what you do, what products you use, what coating you put on it, or if you use a ten bucket method. Accepting that fact will make it easier on your mind.

harleymark

Thank you!

I'm really leaning to the CQ Finest...I need to do some due diligence on the two detailers in the area that are authorized CQ installers.

harleymark

Thanks, Ken...I've been following your thread...your car is lookin' good!

1111GS

That's what got me too. I don't think I can give up OB for a different color. I saw a red and an ultra white side by side this past weekend. Both clean and shiny. Then I saw mine. It's totally worth it. Good work by the way. I don't think I would dare to do these things on OB.
I notice that a lot more CQ Finest jobs were done at my detailer than other stuff. In any case, I'm sure a new coat will make you a lot happier..

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Who is located in your area? I know most of the Floriday guys and am always happy to help get you in touch with someone if needed, or help point you in the right direction.

-Zach

harleymark

Ain't that the truth! The majority of my cars over the years have been black, and I drove myself nuts trying to keep them perfect. Which as you noted is practically impossible unless you never drive the car.

So with this one, I promised myself I would not go quite so OCD with it...And I held out from March until Thanksgiving before breaking out the PC...So I guess that is progress!

I think what pushed me over the edge was the imperfections and swirls added by the dealership when my car was repaired...That, and looking at the examples of detailing jobs in this thread.

I couldn't resist any longer...

harleymark

Hi Zach,

I appreciate the offer. I'm probably going to get serious about this in the second quarter of next year, and will start really researching at that point.

The one I am leaning toward right now is Presidential Detailing (based on the examples of their work I have seen online - I realize that is not sufficient to base a decision on).