Distinctiv_Detailing

2009 BMW 335i (Space Gray Metallic)

Johnny — Sun, 20 May 2012 05:09:57 +0000

Excuse the lack of paint pictures, gray is an especially hard color to capture defects in pictures. Vanessa dropped off “Peps”, her Space Gray 335i hardtop convertible off the night before, for me to work on the next day. I must say.. it must feel good to walk in/out the garage with this thing on the driveway everyday. I’m jealous. From the looks of it, it is probably parked outdoors as there were some serious pollen attached to the paint that didn’t even come off during the wash. A lil’ lube and a lil clay was all that was needed to get that off though. It also looked like whoever waxed it last, left wax in the crevices that has been baking for a while. A little trick is to “remove like with like”. A little polish, and and some unhappy fingers, and they were gone . Peps got a single step polish on the outside, then sealed with my favorite Four State UPP, and the interior conditioned and protected in preperation for the summer heat. Lookin’ as good as new! Minus the few scratches that I tried to rid for her, but they were too deep. My rule of thumb is – if you can feel it, it’s too deep…. that’s what.. nevermind. Enjoy.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + Greenworks 1700psi pressure washer & Foam cannon
Dewalt Air Compressor
DetailedImage Fine Grade Clay with Optimum No Rinse Wash as lube
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 4″ / Orange
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 5.5″ / Orange
Optimum Poliseal / By Hand (Various trims)
Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection/ By Hand / Foam Pad (Synthetic Polymer Sealant)
Chemical Guys Window Clean
303 Aerospace Protectant
Tuf Shine Tire Shine & Cleaner (Water based)
Cquartz Iron-X
Meguiars Interior Detailer
ShopVac vacuum
Nevr-Dull
Einzette Leather Care

2011 Honda Accord (Polished Metallical Metallic)

Johnny — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:57:40 +0000

Straight off the lot (kind of), the car was mos’def in need of a clay treatment and some wax, ’cause the water was puddling like no other! The paint still went through my standard Menzerna two step polishing process to prep it for the sealant. Excuse the lack of paint pictures – polished metallical metallic is not too photogenic. Interior got a wipe down, vinyl and dash protected by 303 Aerospace, and the seats got some german lovin’. Justin’s whip is ready to go for the summer!

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + Greenworks 1700psi pressure washer & Foam cannon
Dewalt Air Compressor
DetailedImage Fine Grade Clay with Optimum No Rinse Wash as lube
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 4″ / Cyan
Menzernas P0203S / Flex 3401 5.5″ / Orange
Menzernas P085RD / UDM 4″ / White
Menzernas P085RD / UDM 5.5″ / White
Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection / By Hand / Foam Pad (Synthetic Polymer Sealant)
Chemical Guys Window Clean
Optimum Opti-Bond tire gel
Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner
Optimum Metal Polish / #0000 steel wool
Shop-Vac 5hp
Meguiars Interior Detail
303 Aerospace Protectant
Einzett Leather Care

2006 Lamborghini Gallardo (Blu Fontus Metallic)

Johnny — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:10:29 +0000

Today, I worked on a house.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + Greenworks 1700psi pressure washer & Foam cannon
ShopVac 5hp
Optimum Poliseal / UDM 4″ / White
Optimum Poliseal / UDM 5.5″ / White
Danase WG / By Hand / Foam Pad
Pinnacle Souveran / By Hand / Foam Pad (Carnuba Paste Wax)
Chemical Guys Window Clean
Optimum Opti-Bond tire gel
Optimum Metal Polish
Meguiars Interior Detail
303 Aerospace Protectant
Cquartz Iron-X
Stoners Tarminator

2000 Honda S2000 (AP1 – Berlina Black)

Johnny — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:15:52 +0000

This thing is dumped! The last time the car was washed was almost 5 months ago/car is parked outside.. she was definitely due for a lil rub me down. The S got a two step polish with my go-to Menzerna products to get her ready for the summer heat. Had no idea how nice the Berlina black was until today!

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + Greenworks 1700psi pressure washer & Foam cannon
DetailedImage Fine Grade Clay with Optimum No Rinse Wash as lube
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 4″ / Orange
Menzernas P0203S / Flex 3401 5.5″ / Orange
Menzernas P085RD / UDM 4″ / White
Menzernas P085RD / UDM 5.5″ / White
Menzernas Sealing Wax / UDM 5.5″ / Black
Four Star Medium Cut Compound
Nevr-Dull
Cquartz Iron-X

2011 Audi S4 (Ibis White)

Johnny — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:25:24 +0000

White & BBS’s, I’m expecting a White Lexus or a Mercedes next on BBS”s. These new S4′s are soooper sweet. Love every bit of it, and John definitely made it look that much better going with the black and white theme. In preparation for the summer, this panda got a two step Menzerna treatment followed by a sealant. The wheels were removed for a more thorough cleaning & waxed. Interior got a quick wipe-down, vacuum, and protectant applied. Wish I had taken more pics of the interior, Audi did a great job with this one.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + Greenworks 1700psi pressure washer & Foam cannon
Dewalt Air Compressor
DetailedImage Fine Grade Clay with Optimum No Rinse Wash as lube
Menzernas P083 / UDM 4″ / Yellow
Menzernas P083 / Flex 3401 5.5″ / Orange
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 4″ / White
Menzernas P0203S / UDM 5.5″ / White
Menzernas Sealing Wax/ By Hand / Foam Pad (Synthetic Polymer Sealant)
Chemical Guys Window Clean
303 Aerospace Protectant
Tuf Shine Tire Shine & Cleaner (Water based)
Cquartz Iron-X (Iron deposit remover)
Cquartz Tar-X (Tar & adhesive remover)
“Wheel Wax” Wheel wax
Meguiars Interior Detailer
ShopVac vacuum
Optimum Metal Polish
Craftsman Floor Jack & Torque Wrench

1999 BMW E36 M3 (Alpine White)

Johnny — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:21:46 +0000

A ’99 beast with only ~70k miles! I wish there was a like button on this page. Starting this detail-season off right with this gorgeous E36 Alpine White M3 on BBS’s! The ///M got a foam bath to start, followed by a clay, single step polish with my go-to Menzernas, and finally topped with Menzernas sealant wax. The interior got a quick vacuum.

Apologies for the crappy iPhone photos. A yeti decided to steal my Canon G9 camera for the day.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + 1600PSI Greenworks Pressure washer & Foam cannon
DetailedImage Fine Grade Clay
Menzernas PO203S / UDM 4″ / Orange
Menzernas PO203S / UDM 5.5″ / Orange
Optimum Polish II / UDM 5.5″ / White
Menzernas Sealing Wax / By Hand / Foam Pad
Chemical Guys Clear Windshield
303 Aerospace Protectant
Optimum Power Clean
Meguiar’s Interior Detailer
Optimum Metal Polish
Chemical Guys Fade 2 Black
Optimum Optibond

2011 Mini CooperS – John Cooper Works Clubman (Midnight Black Metallic) Project

Johnny — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:34:47 +0000

Just a little over a month and Isabella brought the Mini Cooper back. I didn’t screw up! No worries. Her neighbor at work decided it would be a good idea to do some painting outdoors on a windy day, leaving white paint over the left side of this Cooper. I’m glad she came to me so fast, since the paint didn’t really have a chance to bake in the sun. The good ole’ clay was all it needed to get the overspray off. But with the Mini’s soft clear, the clay left marring on the paint. I had to follow it with a finishing polish to rid of this, and topped the paint off with an all natural Brazilian wax.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + 1600PSI Greenworks Pressure washer & Foam cannon
ClayMagic Fine Grade Clay
Optimum Finishing Polish / UDM 4″ / Blue
Optimum Finishing Polish / UDM 5.5″ / Blue
Pinnacle Souveran Carnuba Paste Wax / By Hand / Foam Pad
Chemical Guys Clear Windshield
Optimum Power Clean
Nevr-Dull

2005 Mercedes Benz C280 (Diamond Black Metallic) Project

Johnny — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:40:02 +0000

Water spots is something that bothers most people. What happens when you have water deposits on the surface that doesn’t get removed is that the water ends up evaporating, and the minerals are left on the surface, eating away at the clear coat. If it sits for too long they become water spots ‘below the surface’ which means a heavier polish needs to be used in order to cut down the clear coat to level it off. This C280 has been getting automatic car washes for the life of its ownership, one thing that every car should not ever have to go through. The car received a one step polish, bringing back the gloss to the black finish, topped with a sealant. As this was a one step polish, the cut of the PO85RD was not aggressive enough to remove the etchings entirely. The interior got pampered with a Leatherique treatment and Einzette for conditioning, bringing back the original tan luster.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + 1600PSI Greenworks Pressure washer & Foam cannon
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 4″ / White
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 5.5″ / White
Menzernas Sealing Wax/ UDM 5.5″ / Black
Chemical Guys Clear Windshield
Optimum Opti-Seal
Optimum Power Clean
Stoner’s Tarminator
Leatherique Rejuvenating oil
Leatherique Pristine clean
Einzette Cockpit Premium
Meguiars Interior Detailer
ShopVac 5hp
Woolite/Water mixture
Various brushes

2007 Honda Civic SI Sedan (Nighthawk Black Pearl) Project

Johnny — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 05:17:08 +0000

Here’s a great example on what I can do to a car in ~4 hours. The car came in COVERED, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. It was a simple all-in-one job in which I usually lean over to grab the Optimum Poli-seal, but after doing just the hood, and a little change in my evening plans, I opted to give Eric’s car a little bit extra free of cost. Instead of the AIO, I went with Menzernas PO85RD and topped it with Menzerna’s Sealing Wax. Honda’s soft clear coat allowed the finishing polish to rid a lot of swirls. On to the pics!

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + 1600PSI Greenworks Pressure washer & Foam cannon
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 4″ / White
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 5.5″ / White
Menzernas Sealing Wax/ UDM 5.5″ / Black
Chemical Guys Clear Windshield
Optimum Opti-Seal
Optimum Power Clean

2011 Mini CooperS – John Cooper Works Clubman – (Midnight Black Metallic)

Johnny — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:02:11 +0000

Isabella’s brand new CooperS came with what we call holograms… or buffer trails right off the lot. Seems to be a common problem for a lot of “new” cars as well as cars that has just been painted at body shops since the trails can only be seen in the sun. I started with Meguiars M205 to remedy this problem, but it was dusting quite a bit, so I switched over to Menzernas PO85RD after the first panel. The entire car was then topped with Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection as a LSP. I’m really digg’n this car.

Here’s the process:

Chemical Guys Maxi-Suds with DetailedImage bucket + Grit Guard & DI Sheepskin Mitt + 1600PSI Greenworks Pressure washer & Foam cannon
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 4″ / Blue
Menzernas PO85RD / UDM 5.5″ / Blue
Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection / By Hand / Foam Pad
Chemical Guys Clear Windshield
303 Aerospace Protectant
Optimum Power Clean
Nevr-Dull