CometVR4

My wife is due to arrive in a month. I wanted to get a few things done to the RX before she arrives.

One of which is a full detail. I'm **** about my vehicles. The interior had a few stains that I removed with some leather cleaner and conditioner and some upholstery cleaner.












Upon cleaning the interior I found the nav display and a section of woodgrain was severely scratched perhaps someone used steel wool to clean the car. There also appeared to be stains on the plexiglass on the main instrumentation as well and and I assumed it might be permanent. I used a Turtle wax rubbing compound and a Mequire's Scratch X 2.0 followed by Meguire's Plastic Polish. To my surprise the the Nav display is almost perfect and the artifacts on instrumentation was completely gone.

Before




After

CometVR4

started with a basic car wash with Meguire's Gold Class Shampoo. Used one mitt for the bottom half and a separate one for the rest of the car.

After the drying was done I noticed several spots which appeared to be rail dust but since this car spent it's life in Ohio. It's safe to assume it was from infrequent car washes followed by the overuse of salt that's applied to the roadways.




It was time to break out the clay bar and clay the car from top to bottom. This process took me about 2 hours because some sections nearly required scrubbing with the clay and constant turning the clay to remove the rust spots.


Once that was done I applied a Mequire's Ultimate Polish with a orbital buffer which took an hour to apply and remove. This really brought out the pearl in the Tungsten.

I went back over the car with Meguire's Ultimate Wax for the final seal. The finish feels extremely slick and smooth.

Final pictures.






















I removed the engine covers and also found a dirty motor underneath. Cleaned that as well.

azinn

GOOD JOB!

corradoMR2

Super clean, Like showroom new!

tromly

Great job, how long did it take you ?

Cruiter

That was a great job. You're as **** as Anita and Bert and I .

I also noticed it seems to have the same electric blue Laminix fog light protective lens covers that I use.

What conditions was it in that got the engine so nasty. I've had my engine covers off and it's still new under there. But it looks good now.

You're wife and new baby are going to be in a fine ride

CometVR4

Thanks. I split it up over 2 days. I would say total work time was about 8 hours. Eventually I would like to move towards Griot's products and see how work. They claim their polish is suppose to resist harsh chemicals. The issue with Mequires and I few others I've used is that they can't handle touch ess car wash. It appears as though since touchless has to use more aggressive cleaning agents and acids to get the vehicle as clean as a soft foam carwash which strips wax and swirls come back. So it's a catch 22 since obviously you run the risk of swirls from a soft foam wash if the car ahead of you was really dirty.

CometVR4

I'm not sure. I was quite surprised at the amount of dust. The air/cabin filters are clean though. I'm assuming the previous owner drove down a dirty/dusty road and that's probably how the plexiglass got scratched up from poor techniew. I probably said it wrong but we already have a 3 and 5 year old but my wife is in the military and has been out of country for the past 11 months.

The Lamin-X actually was your idea. I always use the clear but after seeing your thread I decided to use the blue for the fogs.

kitlz

Neurotic is more like it, Jim. I spent about 28 hours detailing my tungsten pearl RXh inside and out last weekend and didn't do the engine. I was fried especially with the heat. I'll get to it soon. Like Comet, I used Meguiars, specifically105/205, but went with Menzerna SF4500 for the final step. All done by PC. Then I applied Power Lock Sealant (two coats) and Carnuba wax by hand. It was easy to put on and take off. I wish it was like that all that way The 450h looks great, even feels soft. But time will tell how well it holds up. I plan on picking up the Sonax Profiline polishes for the next round later this year. I like Sonax because they're made for soft paint. I've had great luck with their Paint Cleaner with carnuba (great one step cleaner and wax for those in between details) and Carnuba Wax. Blackfire has some great stuff too.

SC2JZ300

iTrader: (8)

and I thought using two towels for lower section and te rest was MAD!

Cruiter

Anita, I'll defend your passion for perfectionism if you come quarterly to take care of Shirley . As with all unborn baby's an estimate for the delivery time is about as good as can be had. But if the end of November approaches and Shirley hasn't popped out of the chute, the GM lady is going to have a 'C' section. No correlation to C7 (7th gen 'Vette) .

For all you head scratchers a near photo of my new girl is below. It's close but she'll have a full 'Torch Red' top. She should roll out around mid November.

Watson (450h) is fluffing the garage pillows in preparation for sharing the nightly gas purges . He's asking what 'Stingray' means and if he should be worried .

Anita, bring hiney wipes. Note the bottom image, she's going to be a genetically engineered 'B A D A S S'

CometVR4

Cruiter, I had the opportunity to see a blue stingray driving around a few weeks ago. The pictures just does not do that car justice in person.




Hmm..you use 2 coats of sealant? Maybe that's my problem, I'm not applying enough sealants. The paint on the 450h definitely feels soft. I'm just afraid the harsh acid they use on automatic washes will strip the wax right off. Do you buy your products from detailers domain?

kitlz

I applied two coats of sealant to make sure everything was covered. Instructions said it was fine to do. Had to wait three hours in between, then another hour before waxing. I don't use any car washes including the touchless ones so I'm not familiar with the chemicals they use. Probably not good. My RXh gets washed by hand year round. And yes, I buy my products from Detailers Domain and Detailed Image. They're both awesome.

Funny we have the same color RXh. Yours looks great

CometVR4

Thanks. I'll have to try it out. I hear good stuff about Menzerna Power Lock. I wash by hand except in the winter to wash the salt from the underbody and I'm afraid to get hyperthermia lol.

Thanks, the Tungsten Pearl definitely has nice shine and the pearl really pops out. Combined with the LED headlamps it has a slightly more aggressive appearance.

kitlz

Winter doesn't stop the hand washing for me. It's the only way I feel the RXh can get clean. I layer up and run inside to defrost if I have to. The minimim temp has to be at least 35 though it's been lower at times. Desperation, what can I say. No frostbite or hypothermia so far.

This is the first time I've used the Power Lock Sealant. I know there's others out there but I liked the reviews too. It is a little thick out of the bottle, making a thin application tricky. But removing is literally just a swipe with a MF cloth. The Color Lock Carnuba Wax is simple to both apply and remove. I'm very happy I picked them both up.

I agree, Tungsten Pearl has a nice sparkle to it with the pearl. Adding a bit of shine on top just makes it pop more. For me the LED headlights combined with the superchrome rims, OE visors, OE license plate holders, black interior and Lloyd Rubbertite mats give my RXh a more sporty look. I don't have a wood steering wheel or shifter either. It's just the way I like it