Mazda miata 93LE(only 1500 made) 1st detail

Ok... yesterday weather was subnormal.. didnt notice how cold it was until i came back inside that my knuckles started to crack and burn and my hot coffee was ice coffee after 30 min. ..
I started at 10am and finished at 7pm.. its really time consuming because i thought i would finish but i only did the front end of the car and didnt get to the back starting from the doors to the rear bumper, didnt get to clean wheels, interior engine bay and exterior trims.. I took my time and prepped the car well but I didnt get a chance to really work on the whole car. This just tells you how time consuming it is.. The car was so low and tiny that my back and knees was so much straining and my arms felt like jello afterwards.
Important key points that ive learned from other people and from this detail:
-Plan and organize accordingly
-Should start at 6am (which i didnt)
-Anticipate a full day and more
-Prep the whole car, taping and washing, claying, before polishing
-Be prepared to be exposed under the sun(if not in the garage) so put some SPF lotion against UV exposure
-wear gloves
-Patience, attentive and time is the key
-it would be better working inside the garage and have standing HALOGEN lamps to see paint defect( my gf's garage is too small to work in it..

Enough talking and here are the pics of my detailing, warning. i only got to the front end since i was running of time but i got a chance to seal and wax it and when i have time ill do the rear, engine bay and interior and trims and wheels...And also I have a CANON DIGITAL SLR 30D but i forgot to bring it and instead I used my girl's SONY point and shoot camera which sucks but I wanted to document it as my first time detailing.. Please be constructive and tell me every pointers to know so I can learn ..
My overall experience: It was a long day and i was really tired and i wished I started earlier

Exterior:
Pinnacle foam gun
CG citrus wash--> foamed soak for 5min. and rinse
-wash with two bucket system with CG wash mixed with P21s car wash
-Menzerna Intensive polish with 7.5 yellow LC pad by PC
-Menzerna Final polish with 7.5 white LC pad by PC
-Jetseal sealant by hand
-P21s by hand

Here is before:











picture of the side profile.. it looks clean but pictures are very dull and by close inspection, the car was so filthy and had a lot of scratches and swirl marks...



Here is my little tools for the day



I used the foam gun but didnt really got the effect of foam but it was good enough to break and loosen the soil..




Clay time baby



cant really tell the dirt due to sucky point and shoot camera but you get the geist


After washing the car, i dried it with guzzler microfiber towels and started to prep the car




Used Final polish to see if i can work on the swirl marks before using agressive polish but scratches are deep and swirls are so bad so i jumped on the Menzerna Intensive polish with yellow cutting pad






After


Intensive polish and foam pad cleaner brush


Made some progress..


More.. you can tell that some of swirl marks eliminated compare the panel from LEFT TO right..


more.. i used menzerna intensive polish with the yellow pad and then switched to menzerna final polish with white buffing pad








Started working on the fender and remove the tape.. pay close attention to the right and left side and you can see the difference and depth of the color..


more close ups:








top view




now this is the whole fender finished




me on the reflection




Started applying Sealant and let it dry and haze for 15-20 min. Used Chemical guys JETSEAL 109.. its really easy to buff out and gave a nice depth and gloss


buffed one side


finished with the sealant and ready for WAX


another reflection


applied P21S wax and let it dry and haze


end result after buffing with Buffing Microfiber




NOW TIME FOR GOODNIGHT:



HERE IS a BEFORE AFTER SHOTS:
BEFORE:

After:


Before:

After:

 

Awesome 50/50 shots. Great work on the detailing, you've definately done well!

 

Oh my.. thank you.. wished it was inside the garage and had my EOS30D SLR but thanks.. Its my first time and im all ready for a more aggressive polisher.. maybe flex.. but in the meantime, ill practice with the PC...

 

oh btw.. is that black thingy on my white pad from the polish, dirt, or paint? i got so scared when i saw it..

 

my guess is the car is single stage. and when you are polishing you are removing some of the top layer of the paint and since the car only has a color layer then the stuff you are removing will be the color of the car.

 

that was what I was afraid to hear.. I cant believe they are still doing single stage.. i love that car so much.. in the future, ill have the whole car resprayed and changed the front bumper due to some warping...thanks

 

Well chances are, due to the color of it, it's a one stage paint job.

As far as upgrading from the PC, I totally know where you're coming from. I used to use one a few years ago and I couldn't ever imagine using one again now. :thud:

 

hey do you think you are using a kinda big pad?
the only lc pads i know have the hole in the middle are the 7.5" and bigger

 

Yes they are 7.5" pads... got it from TOPOFTHELINE.com ...

 

Very nice! Love the 50/50 shots!
Congrats on your first detail!

 

thanks ... i tried my best...

 

I do like the first generation MX-5, Nice turnaround!

Its not a good idea to leave the clay exposed on a microfibre cloth though, If its a particularly tacky/warm clay you'll just make more work for yourself.

 

That is fantastic work, very nicely done! Singe stage is a joy to work on and I bet you found that to be true.

The only thing is that you need to use a bit too much Jetseal since the entire vehicle looked white. Or perhaps that was just how the camera picked it up?

 

thank you for the advice.. its funny you said that.. i dropped my first clay when i was doing the front bumper and was tempted to use it and tried to remove the dirt and i said to myself, "wtf am i doing", so i chucked it in the garbage...
and also the inevitable happened when i was waxing with P21S.. i dont understand why the wax was moving around so, the clumsy the person i am, the wax fell on the ground, i did picked it up and used a spoon to scrape all the dirt and took out a big chunk of it.... did anyone experience this clumsiness ...

 

you are right, i think i used a bit too much... i got a little carried away.. but ill make sure next time ill spread it thin...

I started using CG products because I saw your detail with the mercedes CLK and was really impressed.. so i give the credits to you!!! thanks for the feedback...

 

I think you did a great job, and for your first time with the polisher, A+ work.

I do agree with what the others said, try some smaller pads, and apply the LSP stuff thinner.

:applause2:

 

thanks bro... i know i was stuck debating if i should get 7.5 or 6.5 or even 5.5 but they had the package and i didnt have too much resource at that moment..but im glad im here to learn.. yes i will appy it alot thinner next time.. went a little crazy

 

Looks great!
Is it just the light, or does it have a dent on the front bumper?

 

Glad to hear, Jetseal is fantastic stuff and even though it doesn't last as long as Zaino, it's much easier to apply and remove and doesn't take nearly as long as far as the entire process is concerned. I love using it!

 

Vehicle looks good, I enjoyed the write up :thumb:

Like anything there is always a learning curve but I agree for your first go at it you did well, as for droping things lol...don't worry we all do that lol. I hate it when I'm buffing off the wax or anything and I drop the microfiber towel :wall: that bugs me lol but it happens :shrug: