Car: 2008 Mazda RX-8 in Brilliant Black Clearcoat
Time: about 11 hours


A few before pics before the battery died http://www.acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/doh.gif

The wheels were very dirty. The insides were black from the nice coat of brake dust and dirt. I don't think they were (properly?) cleaned since the car was purchased 1.25 years ago.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00291a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00292a.jpg

The caked-on brake dust http://www.acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/ugh.gif ::

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00294a.jpg

Hood shot. Overall, the paint was in pretty good condition, just some light swirls/marring. You can see some light swirls at the lower right corner.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00293a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00295a.jpg

Last pic before the battery decided to die on me ::

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00296a.jpg


I started with the wheels. As mentioned before, they were caked with brake dust. I sprayed them with a 1:5 mix of Chemical Guys Extreme Orange degreaser and agitated with a brush. That removed a good amount of the crud but because there was still quite a bit left I had to use something a little stronger. To finish the job, I sprayed them with Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner and again agitated with a brush. I then spot clayed certain areas with a yellow clay. The areas around the lugs were cleaned using Q-tips.

Once the wheels were done, the car was hosed down to loosen the dirt. Surf City Road Trip Grime Destroyer was sprayed on the lower panels, the front bumper area and part of the hood and left to dwell. The front was covered in dead bugs and guts from the owners trip to Fresno about 2 months ago.

After letting SC Grime Destroyer dwell for about 45 sec., the car was hosed down again and then washed.... two buckets, grit guards, microfiber wash mitt, Meguiars Gold Class soap.

Once the car was dried, it was clayed with a mild gray clay and Optimum No Rise as lube. The paint didn't have too many contaminants in it.

After claying, I went to work on polishing it. Started with an orange pad and menzerna PO106 and finished with a white pad and Menzerna PO85RD.

The car was washed one more time to remove the dust from the polishing.

Applied some Chemical Guys M-Seal for protection since the car's not garaged.


After pics:

Here are a few pics I took before moving on to the interior.


The wheel... much better now. Tires were dressed with Meguiars Endurance wheel gel ::

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00310a.jpg

Hood shot. I'd say the paint was 90-95% corrected.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00306a.jpg

Yeah, I know... I need to invest in some halogen lights to get better pics.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00300a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00304a.jpg

Looks wet to me.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00307a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00308a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00309a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00312a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00314a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00320a.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee100/azuser/DSC00321a.jpg

No interior shots since it was dark by the time I finished..... and I was crazy tired too.

Nice job, what did you use?

Dude thats awsome. I can see myself in the reflection. Nice job.....:thmsup::thmsup::thmsup:

Nice job, what did you use?
Yeah what polish/wax did you use?

Looks like he used Chemical Guys M seal. Great results..were you satisfied with the products you used? Hope you got a big fat tip on that one.

Nice job, what did you use?

I thought I mentioned everything in the post :dunno:

Here's a quick list:

PC7424
6.5" and 5.25" LC orange pads
6.5" LC white pads
Menzerna PO106 and PO85RD
Surf City Grime Destroyer
Chemical Guys Extreme Orange Degreaser
Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner
Meguiars Gold Class soap
Meguiars Endurance tire gel
Optimum No Rinse
Chemical Guys M-Seal
Chemical Guys Pro Detailer = for door jambs


Yeah what polish/wax did you use?

Polishes were Menzerna PO106 and PO85RD. Didn't use a wax... used M-Seal (sealant) for longer protection.

Looks like he used Chemical Guys M seal. Great results..were you satisfied with the products you used?

Yup, everything worked as expected. The Menzerna polishes are great... though the small amount of dusting can get annoying. But washing the car afterward takes care of it.

M-Seal works very good too.... makes the paint really slick and protects it for months.

The owner said he was very impressed with the work, that I exceeded his expectations. When he came to pick it up that night, he asked how to maintain it. After explaining what to do and what not to do, that's when I found out that he normally takes it to an auto car wash ( like this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvcFqQyaDY&feature=related) ). http://photos.imageevent.com/astroboy/webstuff/smilies/spankie.gif http://www.acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/nono.gif

you're in los angeles right? how much do you charge?

You did an awesome job :thmsup:

Probably a dumb question, but is detailing your profession? Because if it's not, it should be.

Looks great :thmsup:

You did an awesome job :thmsup:

Probably a dumb question, but is detailing your profession? Because if it's not, it should be.

Thanks.

No. The detailing thing kinda turned into a side job. Actually, it's more of a hobby than anything. It's relaxing... helps me deal with the stress from my real job.

Looks great :thmsup:

Thanks.

I think you owe MCH some copyright infringement compensation for stealing his thread idea :D

Good job!

:paranoid:

Thanks.

I'm hoping to be as good as MCH one day. I'll even settle for half as good.

Full sun shots are the key. Very nice work, black can be such a bugger!

agreed, pull that car out to see its true potential.