OCDetails Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 There are a lot of ways to get a ridiculous shine on a car. I've gotten a little artsy in my old age and the standard ways of getting a car looking great aren't as exciting to me anymore. There are dozens of different sealants on the market now that all claim to be 'the best shine' that you can get. The bottom line, and the truth I've been telling for many many years, is that the perfect shine is not a product. It is a process. The process is:WashClayPolishSealant/Wax That's pretty much it. Now, how much effort you have to put into each of those phases is another story, but that is the process to get YOUR perfect shine. Case in point: I have a friend with this beautiful car. This is the color I wanted to get, but I couldn't find one anywhere. When you look at this car you would never guess it has 120,000 miles on it. The reason it looks as good as it does in this picture is because of an extensive process. He left this car with me on Wednesday and picked it up on Sunday night. During that time it was polished three times, received 3 coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze, 1 coat of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant, and multiple waxes on different parts of the car. The goal was to get ridiculous shine and an appearance that someone with the exact same car wouldn't likely get out of a bottle. One coat of one product wouldn't have done it. Even two or three coats of one product wouldn't do it because someone else could easily repeat that. Using several products to get this appearance was the real key. I hope to get better pictures in a better environment next week, but the sun came out on Sunday a bit and I could get a few. Remember... 120,000 miles on this bad boy. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/2014-09-28151645.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/2014-09-28150403.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/2014-09-28150207.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/2014-09-28150451.jpg I've got some other 'money shots' in the shade and in the garage, but everything looks good in those conditions. And to be fair, this is a great looking car even when it isn't waxed. I've done this before using a different combination of sealants and waxes and got a different appearance, but not as durable. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/20140328_144815.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/20140328_144505.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/20140328_144445.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/IS-F/20140328_144427.jpg Definitely good looking no matter what. The purpose of showing this off is to remind you that your 'perfect shine' isn't going to be found in one bottle. I used three different polishes from two different manufacturers. 2 very different sealants and 4 very different waxes. All told you would be out two or three hundred dollars to put those products in a shopping cart, so one shouldn't expect to $20 bucks at WalMart and get a shine that someone else has put more time into and is using a far more detailed process. That is the difference between a 'detailer' and a 'car washer'. To be clear, there are plenty of products off the shelf that give awesome results. Maybe not as durable or good looking as long as others, but still very respectable. Most of that appearance is in the preparation anyway. Claying and polishing the paint doesn't have anything to do with durability. Shiny is shiny. Protected is protected. Durable is very subjective. (well, I guess shiny is too) Anyway, if anybody ever wants some tips or advice on their process, I'm always happy to help. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick4dr Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 2 companies, Shine supply, & poorboys world. End of list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 2 companies, Shine supply, & poorboys world. End of list. That sort of runs contrary to the idea that results come from a process. It doesn't matter where you get your product as long as you know how to use them. I love Poorboy's products and I'm good friends with Steve, but I couldn't do what I did if I only resigned myself to one brand. You miss out on a great number of other products that may do something better for your color or shape. What Shine Supply does is a perfect example of what I'm saying. You can get great results out of anything as long as you know how to use it and you use it correctly. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggy4me Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Gorgeous detail! I recently stumbled upon Griott's One-step sealant and with an orange pad, it's done wonders for my cars paint. I'll usually use M101 to take out any deeper scratches that I find. I've been hobby detailing cars for a couple years now, but nothing major. I've been all over the autogeek forums as well, always looking to try new products. After the one-step, I like to layer on a good carnuba to give it some more depth/gloss. Would you recommend any good one-step products? Or you think starting with a polish, then finish with a wax/sealant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick4dr Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I use a few other random products from other companies, such as simple green, baby wipes for interior small messes. chemical guys water spot rx... but if you cant get optimal results with Shine Supply or PBW, you shouldn't be touching your vehicle or anyones. I watch so many people spend money and blame product for bad results rather than themselves for just shitty application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTG Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 That sort of runs contrary to the idea that results come from a process. It doesn't matter where you get your product as long as you know how to use them. I love Poorboy's products and I'm good friends with Steve, but I couldn't do what I did if I only resigned myself to one brand. You miss out on a great number of other products that may do something better for your color or shape. What Shine Supply does is a perfect example of what I'm saying. You can get great results out of anything as long as you know how to use it and you use it correctly. Well said. Only a person who does not know much about detailing will stick to one or few brands for all of their products. I have been detailing for years and I pretty much have something different for every step of the way You did a great job on the Lexus! And to me it is never about the mileage but it is how the car/paint has been taken care of. This car has been hand washed from day 1. Below pictures were taken at 230K miles and all paint is original: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e391/tgunal/Volvo%20855/IMG_20121107_155320_zps9c0ae637.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e391/tgunal/Volvo%20855/IMG_20120608_200514_zps237576d0.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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