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Not an F-Body, admittedly, but the procedure is the same for nearly any vehicle.
I posted this originally back in June of 2012, so some products may have been replaced, but the idea is the same:
Today's job was to clean up and do a full polish on a 2008 Lincoln MKX.
Products Used:
Optimum Car Wash
Adam's All Purpose Cleaner
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Various Brushes
Iron X
Lake Country Foam Sponge
Mother's Clay Bar
ONR diluted for Clay Lube
Werkstat Satin Prot
Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus
Adam's In N Out Spray
Optimum Hyper Polish
Optimum Microfiber Polishing Pad
Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
Lake Country Hydro Tech Crimson Finishing Pad
Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Wax
Before: Car was relatively clean when dropped off
IMG_0451_640x480.JPG
IMG_0454_640x480.JPG
First step was a strip wash. Wash solution was a mixture of Adam's APC and Optimum Car Wash.
IMG_0456_640x480.JPG
Next, Iron X was used to pull out contaminants. I suspected I would find a lot, and I was right.
IMG_0459_640x480.JPG
IMG_0461_640x480.JPG
IMG_0462_640x480.JPG
After a good rinse to get all of that putrid stuff off the paint, it was time to clay. My favorite clay is just plain old Mother's, with an ONR solution as lube. The paint was still trashed after the wash and IronX. The picture shown is after only one front fender...
IMG_0463_640x480.JPG
IMG_0465_640x480.JPG
I then washed the wheels, wells, and tires using Adam's All Purpose Cleaner and Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner, coupled with various brushes. The (plastic) wheels were badly stained and etched, so I just shined them up the best I could. Why a $45,000 luxury SUV comes with cheap plastic hubs is beyond me...
IMG_0467_640x480.JPG
IMG_0466_640x480.JPG
IMG_0469_640x480.JPG
Next was another quick wash to get all residue off the paint, and dried with a Cobra Supreme Guzzler.
IMG_0470_640x480.JPG
I like to then attack the interior while I let the drips run out and make sure everything is completely dry. The interior was vacuumed and cleaned. This plush leather and beautiful interior deserved the best, so it was dressed with Werkstat Satin Prot, which leaves a beautiful satin finish and no residue.
IMG_0477_640x480.JPG
IMG_0510_640x480.JPG
This particular customer did not want the engine bay washed with water, so I cleaned it up the best I could with my ONR solution of Waterless Wash. It was then dressed with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus and Adam's In N Out Spray for the tricky areas.
IMG_0482_640x480.JPG
IMG_0481_640x480.JPG
IMG_0508_640x480.JPG
After everything was clean, and I was satisfied that I wouldn't have any drips interrupting me, I moved on to polish. The paint needed very minimal correction. There were hardly any swirls, and any defects that were present were too deep/large to be fixed by polishing.
IMG_0474_640x480.JPG
First things first, you have to have some good tunes.
IMG_0480_640x480.JPG
Since I didn't need to really correct much, I chose to forgo any compounds and just use Optimum Hyper Polish to shine things up. This was coupled with an Optimum Microfiber Polishing Pad.
IMG_0530_640x480.JPG
IMG_0488_640x480.JPG
Fast forward a few hours and the one-step polishing is done.
IMG_0496_640x480.JPG
IMG_0500_640x480.JPG
All that was left then was to choose my weapon from my vast shelf of sealants. I'd normally go with Werkstat Acrylic Jett for a silver like this, but I was feeling a little generous and decided to go with Blackfire's two-step Wet Ice Over Fire combo. A layer of Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection sealant was put down with a PC and a Crimson Finishing pad. This was followed by a layer of Blackfire Midnight Sun Carnauba Wax. The results were jaw-dropping, albeit a little hard to capture on camera.
IMG_0494_640x480.JPG
IMG_0495_640x480.JPG
After the paint was nice and protected, the tires were finally completely dry and ready to be addressed. I chose to apply a tire sealant called Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus. This was also applied to all plastic and rubber trim. Here are some 50/50 shots with the Ultima applied to the right hand side.
IMG_0502_640x480.JPG
IMG_0503_640x480.JPG
Finally, some after shots of the whole car.
IMG_0504_640x480.JPG
IMG_0507_640x480.JPG
IMG_0509_640x480.JPG
I posted this originally back in June of 2012, so some products may have been replaced, but the idea is the same:
Today's job was to clean up and do a full polish on a 2008 Lincoln MKX.
Products Used:
Optimum Car Wash
Adam's All Purpose Cleaner
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Various Brushes
Iron X
Lake Country Foam Sponge
Mother's Clay Bar
ONR diluted for Clay Lube
Werkstat Satin Prot
Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus
Adam's In N Out Spray
Optimum Hyper Polish
Optimum Microfiber Polishing Pad
Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
Lake Country Hydro Tech Crimson Finishing Pad
Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Wax
Before: Car was relatively clean when dropped off
IMG_0451_640x480.JPG
IMG_0454_640x480.JPG
First step was a strip wash. Wash solution was a mixture of Adam's APC and Optimum Car Wash.
IMG_0456_640x480.JPG
Next, Iron X was used to pull out contaminants. I suspected I would find a lot, and I was right.
IMG_0459_640x480.JPG
IMG_0461_640x480.JPG
IMG_0462_640x480.JPG
After a good rinse to get all of that putrid stuff off the paint, it was time to clay. My favorite clay is just plain old Mother's, with an ONR solution as lube. The paint was still trashed after the wash and IronX. The picture shown is after only one front fender...
IMG_0463_640x480.JPG
IMG_0465_640x480.JPG
I then washed the wheels, wells, and tires using Adam's All Purpose Cleaner and Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner, coupled with various brushes. The (plastic) wheels were badly stained and etched, so I just shined them up the best I could. Why a $45,000 luxury SUV comes with cheap plastic hubs is beyond me...
IMG_0467_640x480.JPG
IMG_0466_640x480.JPG
IMG_0469_640x480.JPG
Next was another quick wash to get all residue off the paint, and dried with a Cobra Supreme Guzzler.
IMG_0470_640x480.JPG
I like to then attack the interior while I let the drips run out and make sure everything is completely dry. The interior was vacuumed and cleaned. This plush leather and beautiful interior deserved the best, so it was dressed with Werkstat Satin Prot, which leaves a beautiful satin finish and no residue.
IMG_0477_640x480.JPG
IMG_0510_640x480.JPG
This particular customer did not want the engine bay washed with water, so I cleaned it up the best I could with my ONR solution of Waterless Wash. It was then dressed with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus and Adam's In N Out Spray for the tricky areas.
IMG_0482_640x480.JPG
IMG_0481_640x480.JPG
IMG_0508_640x480.JPG
After everything was clean, and I was satisfied that I wouldn't have any drips interrupting me, I moved on to polish. The paint needed very minimal correction. There were hardly any swirls, and any defects that were present were too deep/large to be fixed by polishing.
IMG_0474_640x480.JPG
First things first, you have to have some good tunes.
IMG_0480_640x480.JPG
Since I didn't need to really correct much, I chose to forgo any compounds and just use Optimum Hyper Polish to shine things up. This was coupled with an Optimum Microfiber Polishing Pad.
IMG_0530_640x480.JPG
IMG_0488_640x480.JPG
Fast forward a few hours and the one-step polishing is done.
IMG_0496_640x480.JPG
IMG_0500_640x480.JPG
All that was left then was to choose my weapon from my vast shelf of sealants. I'd normally go with Werkstat Acrylic Jett for a silver like this, but I was feeling a little generous and decided to go with Blackfire's two-step Wet Ice Over Fire combo. A layer of Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection sealant was put down with a PC and a Crimson Finishing pad. This was followed by a layer of Blackfire Midnight Sun Carnauba Wax. The results were jaw-dropping, albeit a little hard to capture on camera.
IMG_0494_640x480.JPG
IMG_0495_640x480.JPG
After the paint was nice and protected, the tires were finally completely dry and ready to be addressed. I chose to apply a tire sealant called Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus. This was also applied to all plastic and rubber trim. Here are some 50/50 shots with the Ultima applied to the right hand side.
IMG_0502_640x480.JPG
IMG_0503_640x480.JPG
Finally, some after shots of the whole car.
IMG_0504_640x480.JPG
IMG_0507_640x480.JPG
IMG_0509_640x480.JPG
357ci LT1, cammed, stalled, and driven.
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