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THE PERFECT SHINE

Overview:
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Six steps to a show car paint finish.[*]
Maintaining The Perfect Shine![*]
How The Perfect Shine works.[/ul]





People often ask me how I make and keep my cars looking so picture-perfect. "What wax do you use?" is the question that comes up most often. Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. If you want the perfect shine, you have to do a little work, and you have to work to keep it maintained. If your car's paint is relatively new and in excellent condition, getting the perfect shine will be far less work than with a car that's five or more years old with heavy oxidation.
The process I'm about to explain came from years of experimenting with dozens of polish and wax combinations to discover what products produced the best results. As it happens, I stumbled on this process quite by accident. I had applied a carnauba wax over a synthetic sealant on my Guards Red Porsche 944 Turbo. When I pulled the car out of the garage into the bright sunlight, I could not believe my eyes. The finish was noticeably deeper, richer and more vibrant. The paint had taken on a new depth, like it had a clearcoat finish.
After a few years of trying my process on the cars of family and friends, I concluded that it works on all car finishes that are in good condition, but has the most dramatic effect on dark colors. With the ability to achieve consistent results, I decided I would give the process a name, The Perfect Shine.This chapter outlines The Perfect Shine Process.







All of the pictures in this chapter were provided by Chis Hays, who documented the process on a friend's Honda S2000.

SIX PERFECT SHINE REQUIREMENTSThe perfect shine comes when your car's paint finish is in good condition, free of surface contamination, polished, glazed, protected and waxed. Let's look at each of these requirements individually.

Good Paint ConditionFor the first 12 to 18 months of a new car's life, the paint is relatively oxidation-free and in good condition. If you maintain your new car's paint with regular washing and protection, oxidation will remain minimal, and cleaning the paint will be a minor task. At a minimum, you should wash your car weekly. If you don't have time to wash weekly, use my Quick Detailing process.


Contamination-freeAs you drive your car, debris from the road (i.e., tar, oil, bugs, etc.) will lodge itself on your car's paint. The longer this debris is allowed to remain, the more difficult it is to remove. This is just one reason that regular washing is so important. While outside, your car will also collect other contamination. (Birds, bugs and neighborhood kids seem to have a natural attraction to beautiful cars.) These contaminants must be removed; you can't wax over them and expect to get a show car finish.


PolishedPolishing is necessary to remove minor blemishes, including surface scratches, swirl marks, pitted areas (minor road stone nicks) and scuffs. When polished, the paint finish will feel perfectly smooth. Your hand and polishing towel will literally glide over the surface. Feeling a perfectly polished car is a stimulating experience for most car nuts. There's nothing quite like the polished fenders of a curvaceous Porsche, Ferrari, Viper or Corvette.


GlazedGlaze is a term that's grossly misused in detailing products. Glazes are paint treatments used to fill small surface scratches and swirl marks. To a painter, glaze is the term used to describe the process of restoring full paint gloss. In The Perfect Shine, ultra-fine polishes are used to refine the paint finish to achieve or restore full gloss.


ProtectedPaint is protected when it's sealed from the elements. As we've discussed in previous chapters, synthetic sealants offer the best protection. Synthetic coatings are five to ten times more durable than the carnauba waxes. They offer extended protection from the elements and create a super-slick surface. In The Perfect Shine process, the synthetic protection is an acrylic sealant. I have not found a polymer sealant that works. I will explain why later.


WaxedWaxing is the final step of The Perfect Shine. We're not talking just any wax here; we're talking about a pure, natural carnauba wax. Pure carnauba waxes don't have cleaning properties or synthetic compounds added. They are made from a blend of carnauba waxes, beeswax and natural oils. A quality show car wax gives paint depth and warmth. I know, I know, it sounds like we're talking about a fine wine or something. Just don't underestimate the value of a great show car wax when it comes to the final results of your car's finish.

Now that you know the six requirements for The Perfect Shineâ„¢, I'll share with you my personal tips that keep my cars turning heads. The first thing to know is that I treat my toys differently than my daily driver. It's very difficult to maintain a perfect shine on a daily driver, unless you only drive it a mile or two a day. Show cars (toys) are easier, because their job is to stay beautiful.

THE PERFECT SHINEThe Perfect Shine is a simple process that reliably achieves the best shine possible on any paint finish. Follow these steps and product recommendations:

Step 1: Wash & Dry
Wash your car twice with a high concentration of car wash solution. I recommend a gloss shampoo. If your car is excessively dirty, you can use Dawn[/size] dish-washing liquid. If you do, be sure to rinse thoroughly.








Use a quality car wash. If your car is really dirty, like this Honda S2000, mix a strong batch of wash water.






Dry the car thoroughly. The next step will be to examine the paint closely.
Step 2: Detailing Clay
[size=2]After washing and drying, examine your car's paint with your hand. If the paint is not perfectly smooth, use a paint-cleaning clay system and clay lubricant to remove the surface contamination.








Use prenty of Sonus Glyde Clay Lubricant and rub the clay lightly over the paint finish. Use a Sonus Der Wunder Polishing Towel to dry and buff the freshly cleaned paint.







Inspect your clay frequently to check for hard partlcles, which should be picked out. Re-mold the clay when it gets dirty to expose fresh clay.
Step 3: Repair Paint Damage
When the paint is clean and free of surface contamination, examine again for minor surface damage.If you find heavy scuffs or surface scratches, repair these flaws with a fine rubbing compound or scratch remover, like Sonus SFX-1 Restore Poli

 

Wow very great steps, when summer comes im gonna have to try this out. Except it seems pretty expesiv and after it rains one day it doesnt look the same lol.

 

GREAT tips Jim and you are right it does take work but if you pride your cat you will take the time to do this. I could shave in my cats finish and I used the same same steps just differt brands of product