How I detailed exterior -- with questions

[bradleym]

Since the arrival of my f80 almost a month ago, i've been gradually accumulating the supplies and knowledge to protect the exterior and get ready for winter. this board (thanks detailers domain) and the ocd garage guy have been invaluable.

the car has had xpel ultimate applied to the front bumper (and headlights), front fenders, full hood and rockers. below is the process i employed yesterday to wash, polish and seal the car. i'm not as ocd as some...and it required 2-3 hours.

• rinse, always with a gentle stream
• foam, allow to sit for a few minutes
• rinse again
• wash with 2 buckets, using mequire's soap, microfiber scrub, no pressure, start from top
• rinse after washing
• clayed exposed paint surfaces, leading edge of roof (used pinnacle natural brilliance clay lubricant)
• QUESTION: would one ever clay the xpel?
• sprayed auto finesse iron out onto painted surfaces, allowed to sit for a few minutes (smells like the summit of a volcano)
• QUESTION: ok to put this stuff on the xpel?
• rinsed again
• blot dry with cotton bath towels, then use microfiber towels to dry thoroughly
• parked car in garage out of sun (yes, we get sun in portland).
• applied wolfgang's paintwork polish enhancer on painted surfaces (and roof) with microfiber cloth, allowed to dry to haze then removed with another microfiber cloth
• QUESTION: is it ok to polish the xpel?
• applied wolfgang's deep gloss paint sealant to all surfaces (including xpel) with microfiber cloth, allowed to dry to haze then removed with another cloth
• cleaned rubber weather strip from wing mirrors to back window with 91% alcohol diluted to 20%
• applied gummi pflege to rubber strip

The car came out beautifully, i am amazed at how smooth and glossy she is now. i drove a bit an hour or two later (couple bugs died), but she stayed dry overnight to cure.

what would you experts out there change or add to the above?

next, i'll learn how to detail the interior. i have used armor all leather cleaner/conditioner on my other cars. is that recommended here?

here she is after the wash....more photos here: http://bradleymclain.zenfolio.com/p230839742

[RocketBoots]

Originally Posted by bradleym

• QUESTION: would one ever clay the xpel?
  
• QUESTION: ok to put this stuff on the xpel?
  
• blot dry with cotton bath towels, then use microfiber towels to dry thoroughly
  
• QUESTION: is it ok to polish the xpel?
  

The car came out beautifully, i am amazed at how smooth and glossy she is now. i drove a bit an hour or two later (couple bugs died), but she stayed dry overnight to cure.

what would you experts out there change or add to the above?

next, i'll learn how to detail the interior. i have used armor all leather cleaner/conditioner on my other cars. is that recommended here?

Depending on how crazy you are about detailing, you may want to try things a little differently; most notably, do not use cotton towels to even pat dry. They are not nearly as absorbent or scratch resistant as microfiber towels. The ones they sell at Detailer'sDomain are giant and work great.

I just asked Phil at Detailer'sDomain about claying the clear bra, and he gave a cautious yes. Says the manufacturers don't recommend it, but it should be fine if you do it carefully. I would definitely NOT polish the clear bra. I've seen some people do it, but they were pro's. As far as a putting Iron-X type stuff on the clear bra, I think it would be fine.

As for the interior, most of us stay away from products like Armor-all. A couple of good leather products are LeatherMaster's and Leatherique. They do not leave any greasy, shiny film, and seem to protect well.

BTW, did you do a new car prep/detail before you had the Xpel installed? Usually, you want to correct the paint before you put the film on the car...

Silverstone is such a great color, and it will hide a lot of swirls/scratches.

[bradleym]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

Depending on how crazy you are about detailing, you may want to try things a little differently; most notably, do not use cotton towels to even pat dry. They are not nearly as absorbent or scratch resistant as microfiber towels. The ones they sell at Detailer'sDomain are giant and work great.

I just asked Phil at Detailer'sDomain about claying the clear bra, and he gave a cautious yes. Says the manufacturers don't recommend it, but it should be fine if you do it carefully. I would definitely NOT polish the clear bra. I've seen some people do it, but they were pro's. As far as a putting Iron-X type stuff on the clear bra, I think it would be fine.

As for the interior, most of us stay away from products like Armor-all. A couple of good leather products are LeatherMaster's and Leatherique. They do not leave any greasy, shiny film, and seem to protect well.

BTW, did you do a new car prep/detail before you had the Xpel installed? Usually, you want to correct the paint before you put the film on the car...

Silverstone is such a great color, and it will hide a lot of swirls/scratches.

thanks for the reply!

just got a batch of those microfiber towels from DD, so will sub those in for the cotton ones.

will definitely avoid claying or polishing the film unless i have the pros do it.

i'll pick up some of the leather products you mentioned, try them out on my older cars until i know how to use them.

the xpel installers told me they did a wash, clay and light polish before installing the xpel. live and learn.

thanks again.

[RocketBoots]

Sounds like the Xpel installers knew what they were doing

[Bounty]

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]rinse, always with a gentle stream

You can pre-rinse before your pre-soak with suds but it also can cause thinner foaming soaps to run off more quickly. Consider foaming down the car without a water rinse...go straight to foam. Then come back after foam has encapsulated dirt and pressure wash off. You could do it your way as well, just offering options.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]foam, allow to sit for a few minutes[*]rinse again[*]wash with 2 buckets, using mequire's soap, microfiber scrub, no pressure, start from top[*]rinse after washing

Good method. Make sure you have Grit Guards in the buckets as I didn't see those mentioned. Another alternative...use the foam gun/1-bucket method. Fill your foam gun or cannon with foam solution. Spray one panel at a time and clean or spray directly into path of your wash media during swiping. Then all you need is one bucket with water to rinse dirty mitt. This eliminates wasted water/solution, excess soap drippage onto floor, mistaking buckets (everyone does it...just watch Money's videos for confirmation), etc. Also provides maximum foam/suds between wash media and paint. I moved to this technique years ago and haven't used the 2BM since.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]clayed exposed paint surfaces, leading edge of roof (used pinnacle natural brilliance clay lubricant)[*]QUESTION: would one ever clay the xpel?

Clay everything...glass, paint, etc. Stay away from the XPel. It can be clayed but only by the most mild of clays and by someone experienced in the practice. My recommendation is to leave it alone.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]sprayed auto finesse iron out onto painted surfaces, allowed to sit for a few minutes (smells like the summit of a volcano)[*]QUESTION: ok to put this stuff on the xpel?

No issue with iron removers and XPel.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]rinsed again[*]blot dry with cotton bath towels, then use microfiber towels to dry thoroughly

As mentioned...dump the cotton towels for quality microfiber drying towels or microfiber waffle-weave towels.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]parked car in garage out of sun (yes, we get sun in portland).[*]applied wolfgang's paintwork polish enhancer on painted surfaces (and roof) with microfiber cloth, allowed to dry to haze then removed with another microfiber cloth[*]QUESTION: is it ok to polish the xpel?

Why are you using a microfiber towel as an applicator versus a dedicated tool? The microfiber cloth promotes uneven pressure against the paint and can begin to lose effectiveness after fibers get matted. Also allows for far more product pass-through than an applicator. Tons of good ones on AutoGeek, Autopia, DD, etc.

No, don't polish the Xpel.

Originally Posted by bradleym

[*]applied wolfgang's deep gloss paint sealant to all surfaces (including xpel) with microfiber cloth, allowed to dry to haze then removed with another cloth[*]cleaned rubber weather strip from wing mirrors to back window with 91% alcohol diluted to 20%[*]applied gummi pflege to rubber strip[/LIST]

I like the clean/treat/protect method you have going for the rubber trim. I use different products but don't necessarily see much wrong with yours given the dilution level of the alchohol. Just be careful of drippage with the solvent solution when applying. Dripping alchohol all over a freshly waxed or sealed car and then wiping off can lead to some removal of product in that area. Love the look of WDGPS on silvers and light colors. On black, blues, reds, or other dark colors I like to apply WDGPS and top it with Pinnacle SSII or Souveran.

[bradleym]

Originally Posted by Bounty

You can pre-rinse before your pre-soak with suds but it also can cause thinner foaming soaps to run off more quickly. Consider foaming down the car without a water rinse...go straight to foam. Then come back after foam has encapsulated dirt and pressure wash off. You could do it your way as well, just offering options.



Good method. Make sure you have Grit Guards in the buckets as I didn't see those mentioned. Another alternative...use the foam gun/1-bucket method. Fill your foam gun or cannon with foam solution. Spray one panel at a time and clean or spray directly into path of your wash media during swiping. Then all you need is one bucket with water to rinse dirty mitt. This eliminates wasted water/solution, excess soap drippage onto floor, mistaking buckets (everyone does it...just watch Money's videos for confirmation), etc. Also provides maximum foam/suds between wash media and paint. I moved to this technique years ago and haven't used the 2BM since.




Clay everything...glass, paint, etc. Stay away from the XPel. It can be clayed but only by the most mild of clays and by someone experienced in the practice. My recommendation is to leave it alone.



No issue with iron removers and XPel.



As mentioned...dump the cotton towels for quality microfiber drying towels or microfiber waffle-weave towels.



Why are you using a microfiber towel as an applicator versus a dedicated tool? The microfiber cloth promotes uneven pressure against the paint and can begin to lose effectiveness after fibers get matted. Also allows for far more product pass-through than an applicator. Tons of good ones on AutoGeek, Autopia, DD, etc.

No, don't polish the Xpel.



I like the clean/treat/protect method you have going for the rubber trim. I use different products but don't necessarily see much wrong with yours given the dilution level of the alchohol. Just be careful of drippage with the solvent solution when applying. Dripping alchohol all over a freshly waxed or sealed car and then wiping off can lead to some removal of product in that area. Love the look of WDGPS on silvers and light colors. On black, blues, reds, or other dark colors I like to apply WDGPS and top it with Pinnacle SSII or Souveran.

thanks for the advice. very helpful. i used a foam applicator for second coat of the sealant yesterday -- much easier! i also used only microfiber towels this time -- have enough on hand now.

[te37]

That silverstone looks B E A utiful! Good job