The Process
--Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II
--Chemical Guys Citrus Wash + Gloss
--Microfiber Chenille Washmitt
Wheels and Tires:
--P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner
--Detail Brush
--Boars Hair Brush
Engine Bay/Door Shuts:
--P21S Total Auto Wash for door shuts and engine bay.
-Meguiars Boars Hair Brush
--Paint was completely smooth, clay bar was not necessary.
--Citrus based adhesive remover on lower rockers and rear bumper to remove road tar.
Paint:
--Meguire's Fine Cut Cleaner
--Menzerna PO91E Intensive Polish
--Menzerna Nano Polish
--Menzerna Glaze
--Jetseal 109 Paint Sealant
--Chemical Guys 5050 Wax
Pads:
--Lake Country foam pads
--Orange - White - Gray - Blue
--Ultra Plush Detailing Microfiber Towels
--Milwauke HD Polisher 5440 0-2800 RPM
--Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Orbital
--Cyclo Twin head Dual Orbital - Final Polish
Glass:
--RainX
--Stoner Invisible Glass
After initial wash. Rainstorm blew over before I could put it back in the garage!
Paint beads water rather well, however.. It stands as water drops, instead of self drying.. More on this topic later.
Examples of the actual paint surface. Extreme paint swirls. Remember, this is only a 1 year old car.
Always tape off everything.
After first cut with Meguire's Fine Cut Cleaner.
Intense scratches/swirls in hood.
Removed. That is a reflection of the trashcan's company logo towards the top. I set the quartz light on it..
After machine polishing several times, then machine application of paint sealant, with final machine application
of Meguire's NXT wax. Subsequent application is by hand (not shown).
Friend holding light to gauge depth of reflection.
Flecks in paint are paint chips on front of hood. Normal wear & tear from daily driving on freeway.
Don't take your car through the gas station car wash ! I removed 95% of the straight line
damage on this car. Perfectly straight horizontal lines normally come from a machine car wash,
but a line straight up and down is a puzzle.
Finished product. This is one very beautiful car.
The issue with a wax job self drying is using a product that does not allow surface adhesion of water molecules.
The other issue that even though the paint surface is free from contaminants, there might be underlying damage to the paint, as the photos above clearly show.
The Meguire's NXT is a superior synthetic wax, compared to any other "off the shelf" wax on the market today.
It is used when the client wants a long lasting 6 month + wax.
In other situations we will use The Chemical Guy's awesome wax, 5050. It lasts about 4 months, depending on environment situations. Vehicles that don't get driven much will get applications of Pinnacle or Zymol. They too will last about 4 months because of natural wax oxidation. Our atmosphere will eat a wax naturally and it needs to be re-applied at specific timetables.
Believing the hype about a wax that "Never Needs to be Waxed Again" is unfortunate.
It just isn't possible to protect your paint forever from the elements and washings because,
all waxes will evaporate due to enviromental conditions.
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2008 Cadillac CTS 
