One HoT

iTrader: (5)

Hi; I detailed a LX470 this weekend and let me be the one to say, its one hella of a big car...So many large panels to do and there had to be some climbing to get the roof but, all is well at the end..The owner went on a off-road course and had multiple scratches from the passenger side from tree branches..Otherwise, it wasn't too bad since the car was power washed 3 times at the dealership in order to get the mud off the undercarriage..

I've already posted all the pictures at another location of the forum, so I'm just going to paste it here if thats okay with the mods..

Of course, opinions and thoughts are always welcome..

Thanks!
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Original Thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=275251

When Blair brought in his car, it was already power washed three times..We both evaluated the paint for several minutes and concluded that it'll need to be clayed...The paint seemed little coarse from light contamination and it never being clayed before...

There were still a lot of mud leftover on the wheel well which I treated with good ol' degreaser..Otherwise, the paint looked to be in good shape with the exception to the scratches on the Rear pass quarter and door..That was also treated with my rotary with Optinum polish and Meguair's Yellow Pad at 1500RPM which I went over about 5 times...

Prior to rotary buffer use, I used Clay magic to make sure all the contaminants have lifted off the paint as well as to prep the paint for some polishing...I've used both yellow and red pads 2 times respectively althoughout the car and Poorboy's Natty blue to finish off as a sealant/wax...

And here are the results...

Before Pass Quarter:



After Pass Quarter:



Before Pass Door:



After Pass Door:



Afters, whole car..etc:









Even did the roof, came out shiny but the paint naturally faded in the sun..However, the paint fade wasn't emphasized in the picture..But if you look closely, you can see the brown bars (unfaded paint) where the rack used to be going across the roof..This unforunately I could not fix, needed to be repainted..


Can't forget Blair's favorite pic..



Dodge them trees next time!!

Guitarman

Nice work! Only someone who's tackled that type of vehicle can appreciate the man hours and physical work involved, they're beasts.

Looks like you conquered it though~

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Seemed like a good weekend to wax the car.. I did a major wax this past weekend as well... clay, scratch X, polish, and wax.. I can't beleive how much debri and oxidation came off the car when i was claying.. After 10 years its a lot of build up..

The LX looks great.. Well worth the time and effort...

FlavesLex

iTrader: (1)

Very nice results... Just bought an orbital polisher and I hope i can get similar results, just a little nervous about using a rotary
Any advice OneHot, seems like you are NELOC's detailing pimp

no2faber

that's insane how you got the scratches off. I don't mean to jack the thread but I'm a little confused. i don't have single, long deep scatches but i definitely have the "spider web" scratches. i clayed my hood for the 1st time (clay magic as well), but it didn't take the "spider webs" away. I saw the clay bar pick up dirt, and the paint definitely feels smoother, but under direct sunlight i can still see the spider webs. Am i doing something wrong is it is the polish you used that fills in those scratches?

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

Hi there Flaves;..An alternative is to buy and start off with a Porter Cable (PC) polisher, they are almost error proof even in the hands of a new user..PCs will also give excellent results with the correct technique and accessories (pads and polish)...PCs can be had at your local Home Depot or hardware store..Good luck..


Clay bar only takes out contaminants on the paint but is not an abrasive so it does not cut into the paint like a polish..The scratch might be embedded into the clearcoat so it can't be removed by just claying alone..

You can try to take out these spiderwebs marks by using scratch X and an applicator pad by hand..Apply and rub into a circular motion until you build enough heat and cutting action to cut into the paint to remove the scratch...Then use a microfiber to take the product off..Repeat as necessary..If it does not work then, you'll need a high speed buffer..

AutoCoutureSC

iTrader: (8)

niice work!

i should start posting my details as well...

no2faber

got it. thanks man.

Dr.Zeus

Im pretty sure that clay is an abrasive

amorphous

iTrader: (1)

how long did it take you to clean that LX?