So I decided to strip the wax off the car, and start over. Mostly because there has been some road construction, and I needed to get all the damn tar off the paint. :mad:

Anyways, after a long day, I finished with 2 coats of Jetseal 109, and today topped it with a coat of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0. These are different than the carnauba wax I normally use. They do provide a different look, almost more "sterile" than carnauba's "warm" look.

Still don't know if I'm going to top it with a wax yet.

Here's the pics of the results:

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7099.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7086.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7024.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7072.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7063.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7034.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7124.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/reflection1.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7060.jpg

thats nice. looking brand new

thanks. it was overcast during most of the photos, so the finish doesn.t show as well as it should. just got done taking a few more. will post them up in the am

Almost as nice as mine!






















Yeah... I wish :(

So when do you want to do my rusty Pinto, Pektel? :D

You car is like mine but older, it even looks older cause of the eyelids hahaha Now all you gotta do is get an actual Mach 1 lip ;)

Pete, you know everyone already knows your license plate LOL







Looks great bud

Why does everyone cover up their plates? I dont get it....

Eh. Some people value their privacy. I don't blame him for covering up his plates.

Lookin good.

Very nice. in a couple of the pictures it looks like your passenger side eyelid is popped up on the outter part, maybe just the angle of the pic

So when do you want to do my rusty Pinto, Pektel? :D

hehe, bring it over, and I'll give you an estimate :D

You car is like mine but older, it even looks older cause of the eyelids hahaha Now all you gotta do is get an actual Mach 1 lip ;)

I'm not a fan of the Mach 1 lip on my car, just because it seems too big for my taste. I prefer to be more subtle. I'm not even sure I'm going to keep the one on there now.

Very nice. in a couple of the pictures it looks like your passenger side eyelid is popped up on the outter part, maybe just the angle of the pic

Must just be the angle. They are fully attached!

Here's the other pics from yesterday evening:

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7261-1.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7233.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7253.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7219.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/IMG_7252.jpg

LS is the $hit. After so many years, the styling still catches me. The wax job looks amazing.

Damn that looks good. I've got to do something about my car. You are making me feel guilty!

what is the condition of your paint to begin with? is there very many pits on the front of the car or not? it doesnt look like it but with that color it would be hard to tell in a picture. just considered doing my car, but my paint isnt the best condition (orange peel everywhere) and some pretty heaavy pitting on the bumper

My paint is in better than average condition, although it does need to be polished again.

I wetsanded the car with 2000 grit back in april, to knock down some of the orange peel (it was terrible on my car), so my reflections are a lot sharper than they were.

What a lot of people don't know is that orange peel in intentional by the car manufacturer. By adding that little bit of texture, it will hide defects in body panels. The downside is, your reflections are blurry. The orange peel also helps with absorbing imipact from things like small rocks. If the surface were ultra smooth, and a rock hit it, the paint may actually spiderweb, like your windshield would. So while the glass like finish looks better, there is more risk involved in trying to acheive that mirror finish.

Now, my car already has over 140K on the clock. I would never wetsand a new car if it wasn't absolutely necessary. You need a certain amount of clearcoat, or else it (the clearcoat) will fail. I sanded down just a little bit, and I'm not overly concerned with it lasting all too long (5 years or less). But by then the car will have 200K+ miles on it anyways.

I do have the pits in the bumper, but you are correct that they hide better on a lighter color. There is really no way to fix it, short of repainting the bumper.

Lookin good! I just really tried out Jetseal the other week on that Jag, friggin love the stuff. Is that windshield post 501/Aqua? Looks nice. Debadges looks good too. So are you gonna be ordering 109 or do you have some left over?

Lookin good! I just really tried out Jetseal the other week on that Jag, friggin love the stuff. Is that windshield post 501/Aqua? Looks nice. Debadges looks good too. So are you gonna be ordering 109 or do you have some left over?

Yessir, I actually went around and did all the glass with dg501/pc/black pad and followed it with DG Aquawax while the deep gloss paint sealant was curing. I think that's even easier to remove than the jetseal was. Although, right before applying that wolfgang sealant, I took a morphine pill to ease my back pain. Everything seemed easy and painless after that. :D

I still have some jetseal left. I probably only used a half ounce or less per coat. Thanks again for the sample!

No problem, glad you like it.

Did you use the Tardis to clean off the tar?

Looks good though!

Lookin' good as always. I wish my paint was in that good of condition... Guess that's what I get for buying mine with 100k on it already. (and from an owner who didn't upkeep on the paint)

My front bumper is a mess of pits. It is like sandpaper. But I am getting an LSE bumper when funds permit. What should I do to protect it? I have toyed with the idea of getting that clear plastic film for it... but afraid of it looking cheesey

Looks real nice man. you picture whore!

So I decided to strip the wax off the car, and start over. Mostly because there has been some road construction, and I needed to get all the damn tar off the paint. :mad:

Anyways, after a long day, I finished with 2 coats of Jetseal 109, and today topped it with a coat of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0. These are different than the carnauba wax I normally use. They do provide a different look, almost more "sterile" than carnauba's "warm" look.

Still don't know if I'm going to top it with a wax yet.


Ok so does this buffer you use the polish your car spin fast enough the burn the paint? Or is it at just the right rpm? Because your car does shine and I would love to see it in person, but you are on the whole other side of the United States from me. You car is a 2000 model, right?

What color is your car?

Its beige, but he'll get all anal about it... I think its Champagne...

Lookin' good as always. I wish my paint was in that good of condition... Guess that's what I get for buying mine with 100k on it already. (and from an owner who didn't upkeep on the paint)

My front bumper is a mess of pits. It is like sandpaper. But I am getting an LSE bumper when funds permit. What should I do to protect it? I have toyed with the idea of getting that clear plastic film for it... but afraid of it looking cheesey

Mine had 97K when I bought it. It did take quite a bit to bring it to it's current state. I probably have 30-40 hours into the paint correction.

As far as protection, one of the big reasons the bumper gets pitted is from bugs decomposing and that process eating away at the paint. Your safest and easiest bet is to always keep a couple layers of paint sealant on there, as a sacrificial protective barrier. A sealant is like a wax, except synthetic, so it lasts longer. If you have a carquest nearby, just head over there and pick up Duragloss 501 and 105. 501 says Marine Polish, but don't let that fool you. it's an excellent paint cleaner, and is perfect for putting under 105. Duragloss 105 is called Total Performance Polish. Don't know why they call it a polish, as it is actually a sealant. Each of these bottles are under 10 bucks each.

Also, make it a daily ritual to clean the bugs off. After you have a good layer of sealant on there, they should come off fairly easily with a quick detailer spray and a microfiber towel.

Looks real nice man. you picture whore!

Thanks! And I think I'm more of a picture slut. I don't get paid. I do it strictly for the pleasure.

Ok so does this buffer you use the polish your car spin fast enough the burn the paint? Or is it at just the right rpm? Because your car does shine and I would love to see it in person, but you are on the whole other side of the United States from me. You car is a 2000 model, right?

Yessir, it's a 2000.

I have 2 polishing machines. The first one I purchased is a Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher. It is very novice-friendly, as since it oscillates, you do not have to worry about it building up heat on the surface. However, this machine did not have the power I would like to acheive results I wanted in a reasonable amount of time. So I stepped up to a Makita 9227 rotary polisher. Now this machine can burn paint if in unskilled hands. But basic knowledge and proper technique can yield better results , and quite a bit faster, by using a rotary. In fact, a lot of polishes respond nicely to a little panel heat. I don't think I've ever set it above 1500rpms, and the machine is capable of 3000.

There is no universal "perfect" rpm setting. It would all depend on the polish, and what you are trying to acheive. For example, I use the double zenith method when using a medium polish like Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO85RD3.02), I will spread the polish at 600 rpms with no pressure, then 1000 rpms at light pressure, then 1500 rpms at medium pressure until the polish turns clear, then down to 900 rpms with light to no pressure to finish.

What color is your car?
Ivory Pearl I believe is the color name.

Its beige, but he'll get all anal about it... I think its Champagne...

Yeah, I'm thinking he's asking because he has the same color as me.

i'm gonna kidnap you and make you detail my car...then set you free 1mile outside your hometown :P

Yes, Ivory Parchment Pearlcoat. Looks good.

Hey Pete, looks great. Maybe see you this weekend at the meet. I see you did decide to remove the rear badges. That actually looks pretty good with your theme back there. I am not sure if it would look good with mine.