Well today was the day, I am pooped.
Story goes:
Wednesday evening start 19:00 to 21:00
Washed two bucket method, Turtle wax car shampoo.
Dried glass, the rest of the car left wet.
2/3s a bar of clay, folded, washed in water, clayed wet, done in stages, bonnet and wings, roof wing mirrors, front bumper, doors both sides then rear tailgate and rear bumper. small chair/foot stool required for doors and bumper. Very small amount of dodo juice used.
Friday evening start 19:00
Wash as the rain made the car dirty again and touched up a gazillion stone chips on the bonnet. Rain came car put away for the night.
Saturday morning 8:30 start
Tape up entire car with automotive masking tape.
Machine cut using a Dodo Juice green at first moved to orange after two passes with green decided that the green and the SSR1 wasn't cutting the mustard. In the end I think the swirls were so bad that I should have purchased a heavier cutting cream.
Carried on machine cutting the entire car with the orange and the SSR1 used about a 1/4 of a bottle in total.
Speed 4
12:00 stopped for Heinz curried beans on toast.
12:20
Slapped on the yellow Maguiars Polish pad, speed adjusted to 2, and applied a lot of Poorboys EX-P sealent to make the pad loaded as it would be.
Entire car including inner doors done by 14:00.
Rain....
raced the car into the garage realising that mirrors don't fold when the are taped up.
14:30 back out
Slapped on the Black Maguiars Finishing pad, speed 1 and sprayed with cold water to make pad damp and used a spatula from the Kitchen (now dyed red) to spoon the Poorboys Nattys Red Paste Wax onto the pad.
15:30 Finished Rain arrived again this time car driven back into the garage.
Removed all blue tape then applied Autoglym Glass cleaner on all glass followed by Poorboys EX-P on the tail lights, headlights, number plates and all glass except windscreen.
Knackered but chuffed with the results. I didn't successfully remove all swirls there are still swirls but I think a more abrasive cream would sort that, but it looks good.
Tomorrow - (Rain pending) wheels off and degreased/waxed.
How bad it was:
All taped up ready to go:
After cutting still some swirls but nowhere near as bad as it was (most of it is dust too)
I think I was scared of ruining it at first so I don't think I applied as much pressure to the bonnet as the rest of it. Rule 1: Don't be scared.
Wrecked Pad
What colour is the car?
After the rain in garage
Things that I learned:
Do not lift off, as well as splatter going everywhere so does the Dodo Juice fin pads, which shot off down the road.
The machine is reasonably heavy and at higher speeds you need to control it. (Wielding for several hours has tired my arms out)
The Maguiars pads are very good and I think they will last a while the lip they have mean they are less likely to fly off and it means the edge polishes too. Whereas the Orange Dodojuice fin pad is looking slightly shot.
Maybe a more abrasive cutting compound would have been better.
Poorboys stuff is excellent and all of it buffed off very easily it also smells very nice.
The Maguiars machine seems very sturdy well put together a little noisy at 4 and quieter at 2 and 1 and will get used again and again.
It takes a lot to get a pad loaded and the EX-P was squeezing out of the pad truck loads when I was cleaning it in the sink, it was laced with the stuff.
Anything I have forgotten please ask!
All the photos are here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/techie_ali/sets/72157634139519967/Video of rain drop running down car to follow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/techie_ali/9052181330/ Rain drop video,
extreme patience required.