Nice ride, who makes that bumper please?Did the deed yesterday and took about 8-10 hrs now I see why detailers make what they do, I did a full exterior/interior which included cleaning upholstery, carpet and engine bay, I did a test panel first using the white LC pad but had to go to orange for the hood and roof as they were the worst and then followed up with a white and green LC pads, used the G6” for the bulk of the work and the G3 for like the grill, A frames and all the smaller stuff.
I will say for a budget friendly polishers these things rock, the 3” is a demon and the 6” is a work horse
I learned a lot this time out and had time to look at my steps last night and realized I lost a lot of time jumping between polishers and that was my fault as I swapped at each panel if needed and next time I will just doing the whole vehicle with the 6” and then do the small stuff with the 3” that way I’m not jumping back and fourth.
I also am not sure my vehicle warranted the 3 pads for correction actually 4 if you count the polish pad (orange, white, green, black) I know the black has no cut.
If a professional detailer we’re to look at my job they would likely cringe but I’m very pleased with how it turned out as most of the imperfections are gone (hood and roof were the worst) my biggest setback was my head kept telling me to run the buffer fast over the areas and I kept catching myself doing it and slowed down, I’m sure I still went to fast so I need to work on my technique more but the equipment and products seem solid.
For those interested here were my steps.
Power stripped the windows using Invisible Glass Stripper with the G3 and green LC pad
Wash wheels/tires/wells (simple green and brush with Megs Hot Rims G9524)
Wash Jeep top to bottom with separate chamois that were used on wheels (2 washes)
Dry with blower
Clay bar with Megs Poly Clay including roof
Used Griots G6 and G3 with LC Smart Pads (Orange, White, Green) along with 3D One
**Was thinking white pad was fine but did a test and needed the orange for hood and roof**
**Note to self: I swapped polishers during every section if needed and lost time and figured out after that if I had used the 6” for the bulk of work and did the whole Jeep then went to the 3” for all the smaller stuff I would have saved a lot of time
After the 3D One I went back and looked for what I missed and did do some touch up, I was amazed at how bad the roof was as the pad was dirty when done as I saved the roof for last.
Wiped down entire vehicle using Megs 34 Final Insp.
Applied the 3D Poxy with a no cut black LC pad and let it sit as directed while I dressed the wheels, tires and wells using 303 Protectant and Megs Hybrid Ceramic Wax and did one initial cleaning of glass
After about an hour I wiped off the 3D Poxy and switched to clean pads and applied the Megs Hybrid Ceramic Wax G200416 and pretty much went right behind after applying and wiped off then went on to starting on interior and that took a few hours as after lightly shampooing the seat upholstery i applied 303 Protectant and just used some Mothers interior cleaner.
My final LSP if you call it that was after the exterior of going thru a modified one step correction if you call it that as I used the 3D One as it’s a diminishing polish based on what pads are used I cleaned all side glass again using rain x glass cleaner and regular glass cleaner on front/back glass and applied Aquapel Glass Treatment to front and back glass then after one final walk around I applied Megs Hybrid Ceramic Detailer G200526.
Today is relax day as I’m worn out from doing this and yard work the day before, big thanks goes out to lots who advised on a lot of do’s and don‘ts but a real big thanks goes out to @Chocolate Thunder
Anyway here are pics
ROAM Off-road on the front bumper….I got a sweet deal on it from Chris @TTEChris at Tank Customs here in HoustonNice ride, who makes that bumper please?
What I know about power paint correction you could fit in a thimble and before this all I ever did was wash, clay bar and wax once a year and in between was wash and just detailer spray and used the same wash mitt and bucket for everything and I’m sure I’m the one that put most of the scratches on my hood and front fenders.Looks great! I have quite a bit of light swirling that is really only visible in bright sun light from an angle. That said, it drives me up the wall.
I've read that your way is the way to go, and I'm on the fence as to whether to DIY or pay. Did your process get most of the minor swirly type scratches out?
Thanks for all that. I'm gonna watch a bunch of YouTube and try and do this next weekend when the wife and kids are staying with their grandparents.ROAM Off-road on the front bumper….I got a sweet deal on it from Chris @TTEChris at Tank Customs here in Houston
What I know about power paint correction you could fit in a thimble and before this all I ever did was wash, clay bar and wax once a year and in between was wash and just detailer spray and used the same wash mitt and bucket for everything and I’m sure I’m the one that put most of the scratches on my hood and front fenders.
I was going to have it professionally done and thought ok I can do this so I started doing some research and watched countless vids and read thru countless blogs and forums on detailing and also conversed with some great guys here like @Chocolate Thunder, I could have saved some coin but decided to get a 3” polisher as well as the 6” and even though the 3” got minimal use it came in quite handy for the grill, door frames , hinges etc..
The polishers I have are budget friendly compared to like a Rupes or Flex but Griots has a lifetime warranty so that’s what pushed me towards them, they are copies of the higher end ones and likely are not made as well but they will only get used maybe 5-6 times a year.
As suggested to me get a DA polisher as those are the safest and pair them with LC pads and a light cutting compound like 3D One, Blackfire, Pinnacle and just take your time.
I spent like 8-10 hrs and that included the interior and cleaning up my mess but today as I looked at the hood and front fenders I could still see some scratches so you guessed it I broke out the clay bar, polisher, compound and lots of MF towels and did the front again and this time I used more pressure on the polisher and I still don’t think I used enough so I’m learning as I go but the front end looks even better.
From my research and those more experienced can chime in one has to use a certain amount of downward pressure as the weight of the polisher alone will take forever to correct so with my G8 which weight about 5# one has to add 5#+ for light, 10# for med and 15# for heavy pressure but it all depends on how bad the damage is, what compound you use and what pad you use, I chose to go from least aggressive backwards and all I lost was time as I’m sure someone with experience could have got done a lot sooner.
These guys have some nice kits from Griots Garage and Porter Cable, they include some pads and compoundsThanks for all that. I'm gonna watch a bunch of YouTube and try and do this next weekend when the wife and kids are staying with their grandparents.
Your post has me excited.
only place i have shopped from for 20 years. I have moved around a lot of their brands but for 10 years now I'm all wolfgang. i have a small army of their microfiber too. Right now The jeep gets their super plush grey with red trim. My tahoe gets the purple cobras you were using using. For my 2 times a year I do my sealant I use their 2 sided blue and grey micro. They are beyond soft and plush. too much of a hassle using them weekly. I pretty much own every line of microfiber they carry. Got to use the microfiber suds for cleaning them though. Deff helps preserve them and also drying on lowest heat on the dryer.These guys have some nice kits from Griots Garage and Porter Cable, they include some pads and compounds
https://www.autogeek.net/bupo.html
Great work! Well done! May I ask which make/model tool you used to get the job done? I'm interested in the 6" one in particular!Did the deed yesterday and took about 8-10 hrs now I see why detailers make what they do, I did a full exterior/interior which included cleaning upholstery, carpet and engine bay, I did a test panel first using the white LC pad but had to go to orange for the hood and roof as they were the worst and then followed up with a white and green LC pads, used the G6” for the bulk of the work and the G3 for like the grill, A frames and all the smaller stuff.
I will say for a budget friendly polishers these things rock, the 3” is a demon and the 6” is a work horse
I learned a lot this time out and had time to look at my steps last night and realized I lost a lot of time jumping between polishers and that was my fault as I swapped at each panel if needed and next time I will just doing the whole vehicle with the 6” and then do the small stuff with the 3” that way I’m not jumping back and fourth.
I also am not sure my vehicle warranted the 3 pads for correction actually 4 if you count the polish pad (orange, white, green, black) I know the black has no cut.
If a professional detailer we’re to look at my job they would likely cringe but I’m very pleased with how it turned out as most of the imperfections are gone (hood and roof were the worst) my biggest setback was my head kept telling me to run the buffer fast over the areas and I kept catching myself doing it and slowed down, I’m sure I still went to fast so I need to work on my technique more but the equipment and products seem solid.
For those interested here were my steps.
Power stripped the windows using Invisible Glass Stripper with the G3 and green LC pad
Wash wheels/tires/wells (simple green and brush with Megs Hot Rims G9524)
Wash Jeep top to bottom with separate chamois that were used on wheels (2 washes)
Dry with blower
Clay bar with Megs Poly Clay including roof
Used Griots G6 and G3 with LC Smart Pads (Orange, White, Green) along with 3D One
**Was thinking white pad was fine but did a test and needed the orange for hood and roof**
**Note to self: I swapped polishers during every section if needed and lost time and figured out after that if I had used the 6” for the bulk of work and did the whole Jeep then went to the 3” for all the smaller stuff I would have saved a lot of time
After the 3D One I went back and looked for what I missed and did do some touch up, I was amazed at how bad the roof was as the pad was dirty when done as I saved the roof for last.
Wiped down entire vehicle using Megs 34 Final Insp.
Applied the 3D Poxy with a no cut black LC pad and let it sit as directed while I dressed the wheels, tires and wells using 303 Protectant and Megs Hybrid Ceramic Wax and did one initial cleaning of glass
After about an hour I wiped off the 3D Poxy and switched to clean pads and applied the Megs Hybrid Ceramic Wax G200416 and pretty much went right behind after applying and wiped off then went on to starting on interior and that took a few hours as after lightly shampooing the seat upholstery i applied 303 Protectant and just used some Mothers interior cleaner.
My final LSP if you call it that was after the exterior of going thru a modified one step correction if you call it that as I used the 3D One as it’s a diminishing polish based on what pads are used I cleaned all side glass again using rain x glass cleaner and regular glass cleaner on front/back glass and applied Aquapel Glass Treatment to front and back glass then after one final walk around I applied Megs Hybrid Ceramic Detailer G200526.
Today is relax day as I’m worn out from doing this and yard work the day before, big thanks goes out to lots who advised on a lot of do’s and don‘ts but a real big thanks goes out to @Chocolate Thunder
Anyway here are pics
I went with Griots Garage G9 6” and the G8 3” mini, the 3” is an added expense when you add in pads but it came is very handy for like the grill, door frames, around hinges etc..Great work! Well done! May I ask which make/model tool you used to get the job done? I'm interested in the 6" one in particular!
I believe when any vehicle is mass produced theres going to be issues, as far as cosmetic things go if there’s dirt under the clear coat that’s unacceptable but I’m guessing these vehicles like most are painted robotically and once the clear coat is on it’s to late, mine has very faint orange peel and honestly did not stand out until it was buffed but it’s there and from my research it can be possibly buffed out but at a risk of burning thru the clear so I will not attempt it, as far as the hood goes that should have been fixed and the paint runoff should have been corrected before the clear was applied but we are not dealing with a custom paint shop.when I waxed it, I found 4 dirt under the clear coat, 2 paint runoff on A pillar. Paint chip on door edge probably damaged during transport, and a bad pressed miss-aligned hood.