Did this car about a year ago, realized I should probably post it up on G35Driver. Enjoy


12,000 miles on the clock!


Yep, I see you all laughing on the other sides of the screen. :lmfao :lmfao :lmfao


This one was challenging to say the least...



I got a call a couple weeks back from a nice young woman wanting to have her 'new' G35 detailed. She explained how her father bought it for her and she wasn't happy with the dealer prep (anyone surprised?). I asked a couple questions and then quoted her over the phone (mistake ). We were able to schedule for Sunday and I made it out on one of the hottest days of the summer.

I pulled up around 12:15pm and my thermometer read "95*". To top it off, the car was in direct sun with not a tree in sight. So, I knew I had about 4+ hours in the sun, thankfully I had plenty of fluids.

I started with the interior (no pics) which was a wreck, IMO, for a car with 12k on the clock. I finished that up in about 45 minutes and by that time was drenched. After I wiped down a seat with Z9, I was wiping sweat off next. Anyways, around 1pm, I began the exterior.

Is haze a color? I think it is. Typically, I see finishes like this most often in the winter months from salt and grime buildup. However, to get to this level in the summer months required some *effort*. Starting with the wheels, well, I have the same car (pretty much) with the same pads. They are almost dustless, yet these wheels were black. Looking further to the headlights, they already had the infamous G35 headlight 'haze'.




Moving on, I noticed a general spotting over the entire surface, so I consulted the owner. Turns out, they just had their house "re-stucco'd". Of course, her car was in the driveway. So, the entire vehicle was covered in tan paint/stucco dots.




Moving on to the more serious defects, the paint was absolutely hacked. The dealership ripped up this gorgeous midnight blue finish with their wool pad, compound, and 3000 rpm rotary. Anything from the bellyline up was covered in heavy holograms and swirling. So, as you can see, my work was well cut out for me. So, let's begin.

-Dawn Wash with MF pad
-Zaino Z18 clay with Dawn Wash as lube

-Top of the Line's Tire Cleaner cut 50/50 on tires/wells/plastic trim x 2
-Meguiar's Wheel Brightener cut 2:1 on wheels x 2


Once I had a 'clean slate', I was able to begin buffing. Like I said, 95* and sunny, thank goodness my products pulled through. The paint buffed relatively easily, but due to the temps, the products dusted up a bit. My finals were:

-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut/Optimum Car Polish (50/50) via rotary and LC Cutting Pad @ 1500 rpm (x2 on hood)
-Blackfire Ceramiclear Finishing Polish via rotary and LC Polishing Pad @ 1500 rpm (x2 on hood)
-Zaino Z14 on lighting
-Zaino Z6 Wipedown


-Zaino Z2 Pro (ZFX'd, Z8'd) by hand
-Zaino Z8 by hand

-Zaino Z16 on tires, wells, trim x 2


And for the pics...


Before



After


Before





After




Before


After



Before


After










This car really whipped my tail. I came home and hit the wall. I was absolutely exhausted and just had a chill session from 6pm - 11pm then I went to bed. For the future, I wish I'd quoted a bit more (even though I got a great tip) and had a garage to work in .


Questions/Comments/Advice, please feel free.

 

wow that is amazing. looks brand new. you definitely should have added to your quote when you found the stucco. well now you know to quote high and see the car to accurately quote.

 

great job restoring the car.

Amassing.

 

Wow! Sean I could not even tell that car was blue in the first few pictures. Really great job!!!!

Have you considered buying a portable shade? I know you don't detail as much as you used to but it could come in handy in situations like this.

 

That is truly an excellent job. Very impressive.

You really earned your money both with the car condition and with the heat/no shade.

What did you use on the headlights?

 

The swirls and marring came out with a rotary... is that not the same as a p/c?
I also have an OB car shines very well but swirl'd up like no other. I cant afford all the pads and polishes and a new porter cable. Maybe i can invest into a rotary if it will do the same job. That car looks brand new when he was done with it.

 

The cost of the rotary and pads is almost the same as a random orbital and pads. The learning curve on a rotary is much steeper however, but can produce superior results in less time. The choice between the two shouldn't be about price though

 

damn great great job

 

thanks for that input i think i will go with a P/C then in the future than a rotary because i dont have any experience and dont want to screw up my paint.

 

very nice!!!!! looks better than new

 

You should read my other thread in here. I had the exact same thing. But most likely, you used a too harsh of a compound or used wool pads like I did. I used a wool pad on this rotary on my dad's Avalon (practice car) Even the softest polish left swirls with the wool pad. Using the blue foam and Polish and Opti-Polish. No swirls.

I just got done using this combo(except for the red attachment thing. That was for the wool pad) on my G and it came out great

 

aw man I love the clouds in the reflection.

 

G35stilez

Great work BTW. I always wanted the blue sedan!

Question. Do you go down to the polish that will get ALL the scatches out? Or maybe just 90-95% and concede that getting all of them is too many steps? I had to go 3 step on my hood and there's still a tiny bit of swirl (not holograms). The rest of the car I 2 stepped but just spot compounded specific areas that needed more work.

 

Very nice....Wish you were in cali to work on my car...Whats up with the rust looking rotors though?

 

Wow amazing job man, the swirls look pretty well taken care of.