I agree 110%!! It looks darn good Sherm!

 

Thanks guys but the pics are a little misleading. Up close, there are some scratches, swirls, and chips (as well as a huge door ding) that I don't have the know how or equipment to deal with properly. RP, what product did you use to condition your leather seals? It's yet another thing I have never even thought about doing until I read it in your post.

 

Man winter blows when it comes to keeping that show-room shine. The Tan Terror needs a SERIOUS detailing...

Nice job RP! And Shermy - I bet your rig looks as sad as mine does right now... salty, dirty, and overall grossy.

 

Just wondering did you also use the four star ultimate gloss enhancer on this detail RP? Is that the wet pop you were telling us about or did you get that appearance from just the steps you listed?

 

beautiful detail. great attention to detail. what did you use on the inside fender wells? i have a hard time getting mine clean.

 

Dammit, now I'm all depressed, RP's truck makes mine look something on the bottom of a boot.

Next truck I buy will be white or beige...

 

There are several great products out there and, having coated leather, like the Lariat, it kind of opens the door on whatever you want to use.

If your leather is soiled and has some ground in dirt, you will certainly want to utilize a TWO STEP PROCESS.

First, take a HOT washcloth and wipe down all of an individual seat (we're going to do one at a time). This will remove loose dirt, open some of the porosity, and also help the cleaner do it's job.

Use a product like Meguiar's Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner. Follow the directions to the 'T'.

Wipe the excess product off and re-address any problem areas.

Condition with a product like Lexol Conditioner or Meguiar's Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner (both are personal favorites of mine).

RP

 

On this particular detail, I utilized a discontinued product called Meguiar's Citri-Gel. Unfortunately, they're no longer making it. Thank god I have a couple of gallons to last me a while.

Often times, I'll mix up a batch of car wash solution in a dedicated bucket with a sponge that is on its last leg before hitting the garbage and detail them by hand.

Another method is to utilze a good degreaser in there but, the overspray mist can pose a serious hazard to your painted surfaces (wheels and paint). If you use this method, be certain to spray down the vehicle with water BEFORE you spray the wells. Also, spray the vehicle immediately after spraying the chemical.

I dress the wheel wells with whatever type of protectant I don't like. In short, the wells on this detail were done with Eagle One Wet I think... Long story short, I'm not picky on what's going on the wells. I don't like spending mega-bucks on something that I love and using a bunch of it on wells... thus, whatever isn't working well for me will be used.

RP

 

Actually, nope. I was hoping to let the wax set up a bit before I put anything down on top of it. That's straight #16.

I did, however, wash the truck tonight (go figure, I summonded the rain gods on Sunday) and utilized UGE. It still pops big time! I love this stuff!

RP

 

Thanks for the tip RP but I re-read my post and I said the wrong thing. I meant to ask what you used on the rubber seals, I don't know why I typed leather seats. Must have been the miller light talking. Believe me, I have thought about, and done, leather cleaning and conditioning in my truck.:o

 

Meguiers #40?

 

Eh...umm....


I can't remember if I used 40 or NXT Protectant... urr... Vinylex.

NXT I think... *shrugs*

RP

 

describing your girlfri...err, nevermind. I read the WHOLE post.

 

I just checked out the 9227. Nice. I might get one simply because it has a setting that goes down to 600 RPM's. My DeWalt 849 starts at 1,000. Better handle on the 9227 too. Funny read on the Makita. It's as if Makita doesn't want to sell the tool to non-pro's. Lift: "...should not be used by a novice detailer", "An inexperienced user can easily produce new swirls and burn the paint by holding the polisher in one place too long." LOL! Good advice I guess, but not the best way to increase sales.

RP, don't get too jumpy about using a rotary. The first time I used mine was an experiment to see if I was going to screw something up. I was leary too. Kept the rpm's down, kept the pad moving, kept (liquid) product on the metal. Even tried later, on a junky vehicle to burn the paint on low rpm's with a yellow Meg sponge pad. No real paint damage, but ruined the pad. Cost me a pad, but put me at ease with the buffer.

SL

SL

 

LOL Snappy... it's all you man. All I can do is make mention that a rotary is much more powerful and has much more possibility to cause damage...

If you feel comfortable with it, I say go for it.

RP