So the temperature jumped to almost 70 here in Maryland yesterday and I had a day off.... so I pulled the car into the driveway and finally got to use my Xmas present.

My wife and her family got me a bunch of stuff from Detailed Image and it was finally nice and warm enough outside for me to use it. I never used a PC before so I had them buy me a PC package along with a medium polish and a light finishing polish and then a FMJ and acrylic shield spray.

I have a black coupe and the paint is still in excellent condition. Ive always used a 2 bucket wash and there are no scratches on the car, just 2 microscopic rock chips on the front.... but the car was dirty after the winter and needed its spring cleaning.

My equipment:
Meguairs Gold car wash
microfiber sponge
1- wheel sponge, brush
4 microfiber drying towels
porter cable 7424 w/counterbalance weight
lake buffing pads w/ backing plate
menzerna power finish PO203S
menzerna PO85rd polish
menzerna full metallic jacket
menzerna high gloss acrylic shield
spray bottle with water in it
rain X windshield spray

My routine:

2 bucket wash with Meguiars Gold Car wash soap.

Then I touched the paint and ran my finger across it just to get an idea of how it felt. Clean, and only very very slightly rough.

after I washed it, I completely dried it with the microfiber towel. The paint only had a few very very faint swirl marks, so I skipped over the PO203S and went right to the PO85rd finishing polish. I used the black lake county pads and did the whole car with the finishing polish in about an hour. I buffed off any remaining polish with a microfiber towel then I touched the paint again with my finger. Much smoother.

I washed the car again to remove any excess polish between cracks.

Then I put on the FMJ using the blue pad. This goes on like a liquid wax and it doesnt take much product at all to do the car. Took me about 20 minutes. When it dried, I touched the paint again and wow, its like a sheet of wet glass. The car looks slick and the paint feels so slick. Looking at the side of the car, its like a mirror.

Then I added the rainX on my front and rear windshield.

I plan on using the FMJ twice a year, once in the spring to get me through the summer, and then once in the fall for a layer of protection to get me through the winter. After washing the car, I plan on using the high gloss acrylic shield as a maintenance product over the FMJ.

It took me about 3 hours from start to finish. I took my time buffing with the polish, but because my paint was already in pretty good condition, I went right to the finishing polish.

When I do my wife's RAV4, thats going to be another story because she has scratches galore......

Overall, Im completely stoked about doing this. If you DIY even once, everything pays for itself. In the past, Ive paid 300ish for the car to be detailed once every 2 years. So now that I did it once myself, every other time I do it to my car or my wifes car will just be money in my pocket, plus the car will look incredible. With the FMJ, the car actually looks deeper and better than it did the first day I bought it.

My neighbor has a black 90s vette with a few scratches on it and after he saw how good my black car came out, he asked me to give him a quote to do his car next.

Any thoughts/comments on my setup or order of operations? I figured the second wash was probably overkill, but I wanted to make sure the car was perfectly clean and didnt have any specs on it before adding the FMJ. What do other people use to clean off the car after polishing to make sure its a perfectly clean surface before adding a sealant? Should I just use a 50/50 water/alcohol mixture?

And if anyone is nervous about detailing the car themselves, dont be. As long as you take your time and dont rush yourself, with the PC, it was very very simple. Just work in small areas and take your time and the results will be fantastic.

I'll take some pictures this weekend. I had fun doing it, plus the weather was so nice and wasnt too hot, that Im thinking maybe I will do a "mobile detailing" just for my neighbors so we can have the nicest block of cars in the neighborhood.

 

Post some pictures. We need to see how your car turned out
I gave my baby the treatment a couple of days ago. Nothing more satisfying than detailing your car.

 

I might have missed it, but did you clay bar your car before polishing? If you ran your finger across the paint and it feels rough, that means it required claybarring.

 

I gotta take my car somewhere scenic other than the driveway and take some pictures. The reflection on the side is incredible...... its a shame the best I can do is the holly bush between my and my neighbors townhouse.

I didnt clay it because it was only very very very slightly rough in a few spots.... mainly behind the wheels. On the hood, doors, and back it was slick and didnt feel rough when I ran my finger on it, so I didnt clay it.

I got the car last year and its been garaged and babied, and only has 6k miles on it, so everything is in pretty good condition. I think next year I'll clay it before detailing it, but it didnt need it this year.

 

very nice