or is that polished?

I spent the afternoon neglecting my baby to give some attention to my other baby before putting it up for adoption.

enough metaphors.

PRE WASH NIGHT PHOTOS
paint was a little rough:


birds pooped:


swirls enough to give you vertigo.


I washed the car with Optimum Car Wash (with a dab of Optimum No-Rinse to soften the water) and dried it with a couple of waffle microfiber towels. I then clayed it real good with some diluted Optimum No-Rinse mixed with Meguiar's Ultimate Detailer and some Pinnacle XMT clay. It was in hot sun so I had to work small and wet. Like your mom.

POST WASH DAY PHOTOS
Still swirly and water spotty.










Pro tip: don't let wires and crap hang over the side of your fender while you work. It ***** up your paint.




A random deep scratch:


More random scratches:


My plan of attack was to start with a test spot (taped off 16 inch or so square on the hood).
I used a light cutting pad on my DA with Optimum Compound II
Then a medium polishing pad with Optimum Polish II

THE TEST SPOT COMPARISON


It wasn't really enough but I had to start with the most aggressive thing I had and ended up doing the hood twice with the light cutting pad and Compound II. I followed that with Optimum Poli-Seal (a combo polish and paint sealant) and a final superthin coating of Optimum Opti-Seal sealant applied by hand with a foam applicator.

THE FINISHED HOOD AND FENDERS




EXAMPLES OF RESULTS


Some of the deeper scratches that are still there:


No more swirls!


Much better.


Lets look at the difference...
You can see the two nicks on the edge of the fender panel in both shots. I used an LED flashlight to highlight the defects. Or lack of!





Looks good man.

I didn't get to the trunk and sides and probably need some more pads for those because my pads were too wimpy. I ordered some microfiber cutting pads for my next try. Hopefully that speeds things up.

Hard work.

 

Welcome to the hell that is detailing. You still have a ways to go, but night and day difference already

 

looks like you put in some effort and got a decent result. good work lil bro. idk how anyone could stand owning a black car.

 

I need to do that to my car.

 

Nice work! Most people don't know how easy it is to scratch paint. One idiot coworker started to write wash me on my trunk lid. He got as far as W-A before I punched him. Everyone else looked at him like "Damn, dude."

 

No lie. Had an EX try and surprise me one morning. She set a pan of brownies on my hood for a good morning snack before work. We didn't last long.

I need to buff my car one of these days, but worry that the paint just needs to be redone first.

 

I ordered some more aggressive pads to finish out the rest of the oxidized surfaces. I'm not intending to make it show car. Remember the car is going to be put on a truck and sent away in spring. I'm just doing the future new owner a solid and practicing my skills.

A late friend of my father, known for owning about a jillion random cars in his lifetime, once said to me that he had owned exactly one black car.

(the last cars he had were some old bugatti, a ferarri that may have been a 250, a siata, a crosley hotshot, and some other random barn find stuff)

OMG what is it with women and their purses? gym bag goes on trunk. purse goes on trunk. purse with jagged ******* metal feet!

I may have found a solution to this:



NO TRUNK.

 

So where's this quarter polish, polished wife of yours? We're waiting.....

 

here you go:

 

Congrats!