[NNair]

Wow. the car looks really good. excellent job. back breaking... but the result is worth it.

[Sophomore]

Jaunthead,

Great work!

I am sure that even it has taken almost 3 days to complete the detailing, you would have surely spent a lot more time in research and homework for this.

As of the date it would have been almost 3 months after your post on detailing, we would really like to know how is it going now, are all the hard work still holding well?

And out of my curiosity , depending on the current outcome will you dare to sweat your blood again for the next detailing on your own with your hands?

[daf23]

Originally Posted by jaunthead

COMPOUNDING- Meguiars Ultimate Compound a has a lot more cutting ability compared to the others in the consumer grade product lineup. It stands second right after the ultra cut compound in aggressiveness.

Commendable effort there, you should be proud of the end result

I have been using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on my white car, with a normal 3M pad but I'm not able to get rid of the swirl marks.

Can you please share some best practices regarding the same.

[jaunthead]

Originally Posted by Sophomore

As of the date it would have been almost 3 months after your post on detailing, we would really like to know how is it going now, are all the hard work still holding well?

And out of my curiosity, depending on the current outcome will you dare to sweat your blood again for the next detailing on your own with your hands?

Thanks for the comment. I have been meaning to add something to the thread about how the car is holding up. Due to to various priorities on the family front have been unable to pay much attention to the car. So the topup I had planned around the 2-3 month interval was skipped but the surface still looks swirl free(see pic below- reflection and light scatter on the bonnet) and water repels quite well.



Hoping I will find some free time next month and plan to do another round of detailing around the 6month mark(not as detailed a process and also will spare the long writeup). So yes I am raring to dare to sweat some blood again. Meanwhile I also got some meguiars wheel cleaner+iron remover for decon of the wheels. Results are good.

Originally Posted by daf23

I have been using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on my white car, with a normal 3M pad but I'm not able to get rid of the swirl marks.

Can you please share some best practices regarding the same.

Most of the post was about best practices but in your specific case pay attention to the pressure you are putting on the surface and in a consistent manner. That is key. Compounding puts the real toll on you and is tiring. This is where a DA polisher comes in real handy. I don't mean that you put your back into it as that would probably scrub too much clear coat. Take a small patch of 1-2sqft for test and try the compound there. Take note of the time and effort it takes to get the swirls out. Proceed with the same workflow in other areas that have similar amount of swirls. I would also suggest a decon like IronX or claying of the surface prior to compounding.

[jaunthead]

Some updates of the half yearly detailing session. I finished it towards end of April but did not find any time to click proper pictures until today. On my way to the office stopped at a car wash and took a few pics after a quick hose down. Pics are a month after the detailing was done so surely doesn't give the squeaky clean look(infact the glass areas and some panels have smudges- result of shoddy drying and wiping at the car wash )





Check out the orange peel effect in some of the pics. Poor paint quality in Marutis. One of the reason you do not get top notch output after detailing.



Detailing treatments- wash, clay(including windscreens), polish, wax(including windscreens), iron decon of windscreen and wheels, meguiars black plastic restorer for plastic claddings(excellent results).
Compounding was completely skipped as swirls were almost non-existent. There were some scratches that the car received since the last detailing session but I felt they were not bad enough for immediate treatment and can wait till the next session.

The car also got rear ended by an overzealous biker when I was waiting at a traffic stop. The biker rebounded after hitting my car and was about to be squashed under a BMTC bus. Lucky escape for him. Not so lucky for the car though- some deep scratches/dents. Wondering if I should get it fixed or let it be. What do you guys think?


Overall my plan is mostly on track, paint surface continues to look fresh. Costs doesn't hurt but the muscles still do.
On a lighter note- the car cleaner in our apartment society thinks he can start a business if he learns a few techniques. I told him- 'Bhai, mai bhi abhi seekh raha hun!'