Al your Terminator looks outstanding! Reflections are no doubt deeper and more clean - I'm sure she looks better than new!

Glad you were able to tackle the project yourself with stellar results. I know it's not easy and takes a bit of time, but in the end, it's all about results; are you're are looking very nice.

 

Thanks Marc. I appreciate all of you guys advise. I'm glad it's done. Honestly I would prefer another transmission rebuild than doing this again. I definitely recommend anyone considering this to leave it to the pros.

 

Nice job Al!

 

hehe... you know what the funny thing is.... for me (again, that's just me), Buffing and Detailing is like therapy to me. I LOVE getting my hands on a buffer and just buffing all day... lol. Call me sick. But just get me a drink in one hand, buffer in the other, tunes roaring, I'm at home.

Maybe that's why I do this sort of work on the side... LOL.

 

Im right there with ya man. Just following the curves, caressing the body, you really get to know your car on a much deeper level. I do everything by hand though since i cant afford a buffer as i am a broke college student

Who wants to help me out! Autogeek has a great selection of buffers and polishers that would be perfect!! Pleaaassseeeeee

 

^ Dude by hand?!?!?! Ahhh... I remember those days. Yeah by hand, you can't really remove swirls like a buffer can. A buffer can remove 90 - 100% of swirls, by hand can only do about 60% I'd say... Try to save up for a buffer, or even a used one. A new PC is about oh, $150 sometimes? depending on sale? Then you'll need at least 3 pads, orange, white, gray.... so you're looking at maybe 200 bucks tops, since you already have the polishes.

Just don't go to the college bars that often that will get you 200 bucks easy! I remember those days.

 

Ha heres yhe thing. I go to the bars and "study sessions" all the time but im 18, turnin 19 in august. Plus im payin for my car, insurance, rent, phone, so im lucky i can afford what i can lol

 

Oh god I'm too lazy for this...
I saw that my dealership was offering lik paint protection stuff. Anyone know how well this works

Or just any suggestion on how a lazy man might be able to keep his stang nice and sexy.. Don't judge me

 

Save your money. You'd be better off using that toward wash materials and a detail from someone down the road.

 

I was looking at wash mits and noticed the 2 most popular are lambswool and microfiber. Which do you recommend and why?

 

They are both good choices. They'll trap the dirt in their nap and keep it off the paint when washing. I personally think it comes down to personal preference. Some people like natural and some like the man made MF. Personally I like the MF mitts, I think they hold a little more soap then the wool. Either one U choose I think you'll be happy with it.

 

As overboost said, save your money and DOOO NNNOOTTTTT let the dealership touch your car. All of their BS lifetime paint protection is exactly that, BS. They charge 800+ and all it is is some Optimum opti-coat or equivalent. Don't even let them marr/swirl mark your car, I mean wash it....

 

^ I agree with the above two posts, except the part about Opti-Coat: I'm sure they don't use anything that hardcore.

 

Thanks, sounded like it would be personal preference, I have used the wool before and had good results, hadn't considered the MF mitt but think I will give it a try.

 

Yeah for 6.99 online you can't go wrong, buy a few. Only heard a few times of fingers popping thru mitts??? Maybe that's just the user having rebar fingers?? Lol

 

Previously there was a recommendation for a MF drying towel. What about a synthetic shammy? I've been using an Absorber for years and bought a new one for my Boss. Is it scratching the !@#$ out of my paint?

 

Personally, think MF is best. Nothing except CLEAN mf towels/mitts touch my car's paint. Emphasis on clean. Get a good 80/20 mix, and you should be good to go. I've tried Lambswool before, but it just doesn't seem to glide as smooth nor pick up suds as well. Your choice, but I'd go MF... but that's just me. The key is to let the CLEAN mitt GLIDE across the surface, letting the weight of the mitt itself do the cleaning. Never push down. Glide. Scrub on grit guards, repeat.

Correct. The 800 dollar paint protection option dealers offer is nothing but a glorified wax job, and a poor one at that. They put it on TOP of paint they already just fubarred.

As a poster mentioned earlier, NEVER let a dealer touch your paint. EVER. If you go for an oil change or other maintenance, sometimes they wash your car. I learned that the HARD way. I had to REBUFF our minivan last year, all 15 hours worth. You should have seen me when I picked up the van from the dealer. They were all smiles, thinking they did me a favor by washing it for me. I ended up swearing like a drunken sailor.

From then on, I have a BIG LAMINATED SIGN that I put on the windshield of all my vehicles I take to the dealer... it states in BIG BOLD LETTERS:

DO NOT TOUCH PAINT.
DO NOT WASH.
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

Trust me, it works.

Here is a link to how I kept my paint swirl free and perfect RIGHT FROM THE FACTORY.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ar-buyers.html

BTW, for those of you who don't know what swirls/marring is, it's the spider webbing that you see on your paint surface when exposed to a light source like the sun or indoor lighting. In my link above, the last few sets of pics show the sun's reflection, showing perfect, swirl free paint. That's what we should maintain our finish at.

Be careful with the absorber..... remember what I said before, ANYthing you rub up against paint will scratch it, it's just a matter of how much it does. Even clean microfibers do, it's just doing it a very very micro level... over time, you will see marring. The key is to MINIMIZE it.

The problem with the absorber is, it's FLAT, with no naps to pick up or embed any contaminants, unlike a MF towel. So with no naps, what happens when there is dirt on the surface of the paint or on the absorber itself?

You guessed it.... it just draaaaaaaags it across your paint, leaving a nice scratch/marr trail behind it.

So would I use the absorber? Nope. Does it scratch the paint surface? Nope. But it sure INCREASES the risk. So why?

 

Good question. Also, there are a ton of different MF towel brands and some fairly good deals on large quantities. I am assuming there are different levels of quality, does it matter if you just buy any bundle of MF towels online (like Amazon) or do you need to stick with very specific brands?

 

Thanks. Will both of these towels work the same or is the more expensive one really better?



http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Micr...00/36-x-24-S1/

 

NP on the advice. Anything you guys need, just ask.

As far as waffle weaves, I personally would not use them. You can tell from touching them, it feels rougher than traditional MF's. They're purpose is to hold more water, but IMO, at the expense of the possibility of marring paint.

Use a plush MF, of high quality... yes you will have to pay more, but IMO it's worth it. Just watch for sales. For example, below is what I use. Best quality I've seen and used. I got these when they were on sale for 10 bucks for a pack of THREE!!!

http://www.chemicalguys.com/MONSTER_...ic_1100_03.htm

Just remember to use the sheeting method after rinsing, then blow drying, then Detail Spray and these towels. Easy peasy, swirl free, fast, and no need for waffle weaves and other types of absorbers, etc...