Oh boy, I got my work cut out for me

[Todd@RUPES]

Holy crap that is a great turnaround!!!!

 

[SamXp]

Wow!! Hopefully that will be some effort well spent. That thing is now a rolling advertisement in the parking lot where you work!

 

[imported_Picus]

You know that thing's bad when Picus isn't saying you should use a PC. :shocked

Hah; I just didn't want the poor guy to be detailing it until July.



rkf76; you should post a new thread when you've got all the pics up; the turnaround is incredible.

 

[klnyc]

Wow very impressive.

The rotary you got there is from HarborFreight?

 

[rkf76]

DAMN!!! that is one hell of a transformation. what was used for the windows?

I used Stoners Invisible Glass

Which CCS pads do you have? Classic Motoring type with the blue foam between the actual pad and loop surface or the Autogeek type where the actual pad is glued to the loop?



I ask this because I have had no issues with my CCS pads that were purchased as fast as they were available.

Yeah, the classic motoring one's

OH MAN! That is one hell of a transformation. You brought the mirrir out of that Mercedes. What's CMW? Also, how did you get the scratches out behind the door handles? I still can't believe you were able to get those horrible swirls out. That car went from gray to black

the scratches behind the door handles are still there unfortunately

Wow!! Hopefully that will be some effort well spent. That thing is now a rolling advertisement in the parking lot where you work!

Yeah, I hope so. Now it's all about training him to do washes and touch up's properly so he doesn't swirl it up again.

Hah; I just didn't want the poor guy to be detailing it until July.



rkf76; you should post a new thread when you've got all the pics up; the turnaround is incredible.

I made a "click and brag" thread, I'll just add the full shots to it.

Wow very impressive.

The rotary you got there is from HarborFreight?

Yep, it's a Chicago Electric. It doesn't have the esteem of the other more popular models but as you can see, it gets the job done just the same.



Thanks to all of you guys for the kind words, I couldn't have done it without this place though. I have learned alot from you all and am glad a place like this exists cause without it how would we all exchange ideas and share our experiences?

 

[SpoiledMan]

Your complaint isn't the first one I've heard about those from CMA. I have the Autogeek version and really couldn't be happier.

 

[Derf]

OMG. That is just amazing! Great job!

 

[klumzypinoy]

[quote name='rkf76']

the scratches behind the door handles are still there unfortunately

QUOTE]



How do you usually go by removing those?

 

[rkf76]

Your complaint isn't the first one I've heard about those from CMA. I have the Autogeek version and really couldn't be happier.

Oh really? Maybe I'll give them some feedback and see where it goes. It's totally unacceptable to have the kind of damage on this pad after one use that I haven't gotten on my other LC pads with at least 10 details on them. I'll check out the one's from Autogeek, thanks for the heads up.

OMG. That is just amazing! Great job!

:thx



The owner, Brian, had a smile on his face everytime I seen him today and he made sure to remind me how good of a job I did on it each time. That's what it's all about right, making the customer happy. Before, it was just a car to get him from point A to point B, now he's all proud of it, drives a little bit slower, his chin held a little higher.........he even cleaned out the garage while I was there so he could garage it from now on.

[quote name='rkf76']

the scratches behind the door handles are still there unfortunately

How do you usually go about removing those? [/QUOTE]I've never seen scratches this bad behind a door handle so I have no idea. Maybe wetsanding might help, but I'd like to remove the door handle to have a clear shot at it.

 

[ZoranC]

Yep, it's a Chicago Electric. It doesn't have the esteem of the other more popular models but as you can see, it gets the job done just the same.

Not too long ago one member pooh poohed a suggestion of using HF rotary. My comment on that was that who is the behind the handle plays much bigger role than tool itself as long as tool provides required functionality. Your post not only validates my words but also speaks volumes about your skillset. I am humbly :bow to it.

 

[rkf76]

Not too long ago one member pooh poohed a suggestion of using HF rotary. My comment on that was that who is the behind the handle plays much bigger role than tool itself as long as tool provides required functionality. Your post not only validates my words but also speaks volumes about your skillset. I am humbly :bow to it.

Yeah, I got a rashing back when I got it too, but like you I felt the price was unbeatable at $30 and that it had the basic features needed to do the work.



This was only my second time using it too, to be honest with you, so i'm not so sure about my skillset but I appreciate the compliment. I just need to keep practicing so I can one day be able to finish with the rotary, I'll have skills when I can accomplish that.

 

[Z06Mike]

An absolute artistic endeavor. Outstanding!:bigups :bigups

 

[itb76]

Yeah, I got a rashing back when I got it too, but like you I felt the price was unbeatable at $30 and that it had the basic features needed to do the work.

I have one of those! Cant't beat the price. I got it because I had one job where a PC couldn't touch my sanding scratches. I really thought I'd use it once and go back to the PC. With what I'd seen people accomplish with rotaries, I'll be using it more.

I just need to keep practicing so I can one day be able to finish with the rotary, I'll have skills when I can accomplish that.

Seriously, maybe there's marring that doesn't show in the pictures, but the photos you took after the Hyper Compound looked like you were done! Amazing transformation, looks dripping wet. Let's hope the current owner doesn't let it get that bad again. It's a beautiful car.

 

[bluej511]

good luck being able to finish with a rotary its actually quite easy, i finish with mine on my car and thats soft honda paint lol i dont own a PC so i cant really use one to finish so i gotta practice with the rotary, seems that either gray/blue pad is perfect for it along with 106FF or poli-seal

 

[rkf76]

An absolute artistic endeavor. Outstanding!:bigups :bigups

Wow, thanks man. It's kind of a blessing and a curse to work with the guy cause that means I can see the car daily, which will be painful if he doesn't change his car care habits to keep it looking as nice as it does now.

I have one of those! Cant't beat the price. I got it because I had one job where a PC couldn't touch my sanding scratches. I really thought I'd use it once and go back to the PC. With what I'd seen people accomplish with rotaries, I'll be using it more.

This was only the second time I've used it, I've only brought it out for the heavy stuff. But my goal is to become proficient with it from beginning to end.

Seriously, maybe there's marring that doesn't show in the pictures, but the photos you took after the Hyper Compound looked like you were done! Amazing transformation, looks dripping wet. Let's hope the current owner doesn't let it get that bad again. It's a beautiful car.

The marring was slight, surely from improper technique, the pad jumping on me, etc., but yeah the Hi Temp Heavy Cut finishes down nicely.

good luck being able to finish with a rotary its actually quite easy, i finish with mine on my car and thats soft honda paint lol i dont own a PC so i cant really use one to finish so i gotta practice with the rotary, seems that either gray/blue pad is perfect for it along with 106FF or poli-seal

Sure, final finishing should be a breeze, it's getting to that point that's challenging for me. I'm having a hard time removing the hazing/holograms and being able to finish down LSP ready w/the rotary. I always seem to induce more swirls in that step which is just causing me more work.



Heavy cutting w/the rotary and the rest w/the PC has been working for me but I must master this rotary!!!

 

[bluej511]

rkf i just started and i also caused holograms and finally figured out that its because i used to much polish or to much compound, an orange/yellow pad is gonna cause more swirls (i havent had any hazing yet though) its the nature of the pad, then make 1-2 passes with either OP or 106FF on a white pad, even a black or blue pad will do for removing buffer swirls.



A friend of mine told me that holograms are caused by either to much polish and/or not working em in enough. My holograms have gotten so slight that there barely visible unless your looking for em, but i believe im still using to much. Poli-seal and gray seems to clean em right up though

 

[White lexus 23]

WOW man you did a super awesome job. I have the same buffer too and like you i feel you cant beat the price. super awesome is all i can say!

 

[budman3]

Thanks, I'm anxious to get the final polishing/waxing/sealing done so I can see it glisten in the sun.



Not thrilled with the CCS pads. First, they are cheaply made. I'm getting some velcro separation already and this was my first time using the damn things. When I bought my PC package, it came with 7.5" LC VC pads, there's a night and day difference between them and these POS. I have yet to have one of the VC pads shed on my, these things were shedding all day, it's crazy how much of a difference there is on these pads compared to others LC offers.



Although the 7.5" pads are huge, they are built like all pads should be, if they'd make these CCS pads the same way then I'd buy them again. But until then, ain't gonna happen.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I don't mind the 7.5" VC LC pads at all. I love the durability- no problems at all!! I find that even though they are big, they are still quite effective with the PC and the rotary. I won't be buying any other pads unless LC makes the same VC pads in a smaller size...



BTW- Outstanding detail!

 

[JohnLINY]

rkf76,



Absolutely amazing job. That MB was a mess. It really looked like someone cleaned it on a regular basis with steel wool. Now it looks way better than new. The paint looks unbelievably wet. Best part is you used a $30 HF rotary. Shows you the tools don't make the man and only your second time using the rotary mad skills!



Was the passenger side window scratched up bad? I know you said you used Stoner's IG to clean it but what did you use to get out those glass scratches.

 

[rkf76]

rkf i just started and i also caused holograms and finally figured out that its because i used to much polish or to much compound, an orange/yellow pad is gonna cause more swirls (i havent had any hazing yet though) its the nature of the pad, then make 1-2 passes with either OP or 106FF on a white pad, even a black or blue pad will do for removing buffer swirls.



A friend of mine told me that holograms are caused by either to much polish and/or not working em in enough. My holograms have gotten so slight that there barely visible unless your looking for em, but i believe im still using to much. Poli-seal and gray seems to clean em right up though

I made a conscious effort to not use too much polish this time but still got a little bit of hologramming in spots. Oh well, I'll keep at it.

WOW man you did a super awesome job. I have the same buffer too and like you i feel you cant beat the price. super awesome is all i can say!

Appreciate it



The Chicago Electric buffer is a tad on the heavy side, i'm not a fan of the color, can be a bit loud, and doesn't show rpm on the dial, but besides those things, it was money well spent.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I don't mind the 7.5" VC LC pads at all. I love the durability- no problems at all!! I find that even though they are big, they are still quite effective with the PC and the rotary. I won't be buying any other pads unless LC makes the same VC pads in a smaller size...



BTW- Outstanding detail!

I may give Autogeeks CCS pads a try sometime soon, see how they are. I don't like the quality of the one's I got but they damn sure did one hell of a job. If only they were built as good as they perform.

rkf76,



Absolutely amazing job. That MB was a mess. It really looked like someone cleaned it on a regular basis with steel wool. Now it looks way better than new. The paint looks unbelievably wet. Best part is you used a $30 HF rotary. Shows you the tools don't make the man and only your second time using the rotary mad skills!



Was the passenger side window scratched up bad? I know you said you used Stoner's IG to clean it but what did you use to get out those glass scratches.

Yeah man, I was nervous like you wouldn't believe. When I got there Saturday morning I was like "dammit, what the hell did I get myself into?" But it all worked out well. This transformation hopefully inspires others to give the rotary a shot. I know I was incredibly intimidated to use it the first time, and with this being only my second time using it people should see that you don't have to have 50 cars under your belt with the rotary to get outstanding results.



When I first checked out the window, it looked like the tint was damaged. When I was detailing the interior I went ahead and started to clean the window just to say I did and I noticed it started to come clean. So I let it soak in the IG for about 20 seconds and with a little bit of elbow grease it all came off. I don't know what it was but the tint is not damaged.