mapanch said:
What are the general steps that you would use? How long did it take to detail the Charger?
I start with giving the car a bath using what’s called the “two bucket” method with grit guards. This method helps to ensure that you don’t induce more swirls with the contaminated microfiber sponge that you just cleaned a panel with.
Next would be to clay the car. This might be the most important step. If you don’t properly decontaminate the paint than you’re wasting your time polishing since you’ll just be introducing swirls into the paint.
Then you would have to determine the condition of the paint to choose your course of action. Does it just need to be polished? Waxed? You might have to use a compound first followed by a polish. You always want to take the least aggressive approach first to help prolong the life of your clear coat. Anytime you polish/compound you essentially remove the slightest bit of clear. There many different types of polishers and pads out there. I own both a flex DA and portal cable DA. I also use Lake Country pads. With regards to the pads they come in different colors with represent their aggressiveness. Some are used for polishing and others for heavy cutting.
Lastly, anytime you “cut” into the clear it’s very important to protect your newly exposed clear. Here you can use your favorite wax or synthetic sealer. I’m a fan of menzerna products. They make an excellent sealer called menzerna power lock. I’ve witnessed water still beading up on the paint 5-6 months after application.
With regards to this car I used menzera power finish polish with an orange lake country pad on my flex polisher. Then it was sealed with menzerna power lock. Total time was 8 hours. Hope this helps.