Wes_R x GT-R(82 pics)

[Wes_R]

Hey MDXers,

It's been awhile since my last write up here Wes_R x TL Type S (54 pics) but I have been a little busy.



I had spoken to this owner over the span of a year and we had finally set up a date to 2 stage polish this Solid Red GT-R some time in the beginning of August. The car was a garage queen and the swirling was not so bad... actually one of the better condition GT-Rs I had worked on but we wanted to get a 9, 9.5 out of 10 correction so we agreed on a 2 stage polish.







Moving on to the write up here is the first walk around the car.








Already noticed a buffer trail that needed to be corrected






As usual starting with the rims, I cleaned the face and behind with a microfiber wash mitt




Used my brush to clean the calipers


A stiff brush to clean the tire wall


And my EZ Brush to clean the inner barrel




The wheel wells were cleaned also with APC and a curved handle brush






The exhaust was not to bad and was sort of an easy clean up






Moving on to the engine, it was not at all in bad shape but just a little dusty and could use a quick clean up and dressing to make it look new again


Dusty


All clean and dressed up


Artsy Fartsy shot


Stop lying




I pulled out another detail brush and took care of the tight areas like the vents etc








Finally getting onto the wash stage the car was foamed down

[Wes_R]

While the car was foaming I realized I had forgotten to clean the gas tank




I 2 Bucket Method washed the car with my natural sea sponge




And rinsed off my sponge in the water only bucket after every panel or half a panel





Then dried the car with a plush microfiber towel




Brought the car in to clay


And it was not in bad shape at all




After the claying I measured the paint to see what levels I was working with




I found a section that was repainted and learned that the car had come with a huge scratch from the factory and this section was repainted under warranty which I guess also explains the buffer trail I first noticed


repaint






I masked all the rubber trim




And now could begin polishing. The combo I opted for was Menzerna SIP with a Orange Lake Country Pad on a Makita rotary. Here are the befores and afters of a few panels

Before


After


Before


After


A quick shot of yours truly polishing


Before


After


Before


After

[Wes_R]

I alcohol wiped down the car and begin to prepare for the 2nd stage of polishing. The paint was already shining very well but I wanted to push the gloss a little higher so I jeweled the paint with Menzerna Po85RD a white Lake Country pad and my Flex3401.


Here is a the gloss I was achieving with this combination




I gave the paint a 2nd and final alcohol wipe down to clean off the polishing oils then unmasked the car








After unmasking and cleaning off the polishing oils I inspected the paint with my 3M Sun Gun which omits the same spectrum light as the sun.


Perfect




I had to take another shot of the gloss, and this was with no wax on, only polishing




Wax of the day was Swissvax Concorso


Applied




While the wax was curing I attended to other areas like putting Poor Boys Wheel Sealant on the rims and exhaust






Here are a couple after pics of the exhaust




And I cleaned the windows with my Glass Master Pro.




Unfortunately it had rained but I got a small window to quickly take a few after shots which I don't think turned out that bad and actually it was kind of cool to still see the paint looking very glossy on a cloudy day







The gloss was looking very nice in this pic


Some nice reflections

[Wes_R]

I liked the reflection in this shot










And to complete the walk around




Finally my last 2 favorite pics






Not wanting to push my luck with the rain I quickly put away the GT-R in the garage.

Hope you enjoyed the write up and seeing the different steps of the detail.

Best regards!
Wes

[leaffan]

Nice work...

What cleaning fluid or technique do you use with the Glass Master Pro ? Any tips on how to check for streaks or missed areas ? -- I always see a bit of a mess the first frost when the windshield fogs up for the first time...

[symmetrical]

Stunning!

I haven't done detailed jobs like that in a long time. Unfortunately it just didn't make me enough money compared to my regular day job. But man I miss the befores and afters like these.

Great work, and awesome car too!

[Nates78ski]

That looks amazing. My black IS300 is in desperate of a solid detailing like this. I didn't realize that you could use alcohol to clean the car in between polishing. Just standard denatured alcohol?

Thanks,

Nate

[Wes_R]

Originally Posted by leaffan

Nice work...

What cleaning fluid or technique do you use with the Glass Master Pro ? Any tips on how to check for streaks or missed areas ? -- I always see a bit of a mess the first frost when the windshield fogs up for the first time...

For cleaning windows I use a wet side first then wipe after wards with a dry side. No solution just distilled water for me but you can use a solution if you like.

Originally Posted by symmetrical

Stunning!

I haven't done detailed jobs like that in a long time. Unfortunately it just didn't make me enough money compared to my regular day job. But man I miss the befores and afters like these.

Great work, and awesome car too!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Nates78ski

That looks amazing. My black IS300 is in desperate of a solid detailing like this. I didn't realize that you could use alcohol to clean the car in between polishing. Just standard denatured alcohol?

Thanks,

Nate

Yes I bought my alcohol from Wal Mart and it is 90% I believe.

[Tyler]

Wow, awesome work once again. Love looking over your write ups, if only I could get my X to look as good!

[Wes_R]

Thanks! If you check out forums like detailingbliss you can learn the basics and get you MDX looking amazing!

Happy New Year!

[Tyler]

Thanks, Hope you have a good New Year also! Would love to get your opinion, which wax is best? polish?