Complete Detail 2013 Malibu

[BRZN]

The time had come, and the opportunity was perfect to get my 2013 Chevrolet Malibu back to better than new condition. I'd corrected it 8,600 miles ago, shortly after I'd received it last September, and not done any more than two bucket washings since then. Actually the last time I washed it was back in early/mid May.

I began on Friday by pressure washing the engine and engine bay. I dried it with my Master Blaster then closed the hood and started the engine to let the engine heat dry it completely while I prepped a bucket for what came next:

 

I cleaned the inner fenders, wheels and tires. The blooming was so severe on the tires I had to scrub them twice using APC and a Deep Scrub Tire Brush. The wheels were in pretty good shape, I'd sealed them with QS last fall and all they needed was Green Wheel Cleaner.

 

A couple weeks ago I did this backing into a parking space. I tried to stay tight to the end where there was a plastic 55 gallon barrel marking the end of a row to park in and got too close.

The scrape can be seen within the red marks. See the red circle?

Yep, a scratch, and it was pretty deep:

I could catch it with my fingernail. While I gave the car a well needed and thorough cleaning I soaked some wet/dry sandpaper in a bucket of warm water and a few drops of Dawn brand dishwashing liquid.

 

After the car was treated to a two bucket wash, she was clayed. Unbelievable how dirty the paint was!

The car was pulled into the garage for inspection. I first addressed the scratch on the rear passenger side door.

I find it really difficult to capture good pictures of this paint due to all the metallic in it.

I wet sanded the scratch using a cross hatch pattern with 2000 grit followed up with 2500 grit and finished the sanding with 3000 grit:

A bit of the scratch remains, but that should be okay. Better to have a bit of the scratch than little to no clear in that area. Next, to remove the haze left from sanding I turned to my 18 volt Mikita cordless drill, a 4" orange foam pad and Paint Correcting Polish:

Five or six passes and the scratch is all but gone. The cordless drill is essentially a mini rotary polisher and must stay it continuous motion so as not to build too much heat. Heat is how paint can be burnt, little to no heat and your paint will be safe from being burnt.

The only way to see what remains of the scratch now is to lay on the floor and look up, and good luck finding it!

These two little spots are all that's left. I think I'll be able to sleep at night knowing they're still there. I removed a couple other small scuffs and scratches with the cordless drill, then called it quits for Friday. The car was pulled back out of the garage and left overnight to sit on the driveway. Early Saturday morning I put the car out in the street at the curb and sprayed the inner fenders/wheel wells with Invisible Undercarriage Spray Dressing. It was then pulled back into the garage and wiped down with Waterless Wash to remove the dew and dust that had settled on the paint overnight.

All the black textured plastic and rubber was dressed in preparation for polishing. This is done in lieu of taping, it works pretty well at keeping polish, glaze, wax, and sealants from sticking where they don't belong. I did tape the lower portion of the On Star shark fin on the roof because that thing is really hard not to touch, and even with SVRT on it, I'll leave marks.

For polishing I decided on using my Flex equipped with a white microfiber pad with Paint Finishing Polish. I could get pretty good results with the white foam pad. Here I'd done the driver's door with the foam pad:

But some small rids remained. The microfiber pad took care of almost everything:

I hand polished the Headlight Armor on my headlights with Clear Polish, and then after all polishing was complete I laid down a coat of Liquid Paint Sealant on a grey pad using my PC set to speed 3. QS was put on the wheels, in the door jambs, and on the painted surfaces under/in the trunk and under the hood.

Enough for Saturday; a cookout, beer, and fireworks awaited! The car was pulled back out on the driveway for the night.

Sunday morning she was put back in the garage; this time I wiped her down with Rinseless Wash mixed up as Waterless Wash; 1oz product to 15oz distilled water. I like how slick this product feels, it gives me more confidence I'm not going to induce new marring by wiping the vehicles surface.

The interior was vacuumed, and all plastic and leather surfaces wiped down with Total Interior Detailer using an Edgeless Utility Towel. Inside and outside glass was cleaned and lastly the windshield was sealed with Glass Sealant.

 

[Chris@Adams]

Nice job Dave!

[ArmyAcadia09]

Great work! Long detailing weekend for sure

[Fphillips]

Looks Great Dave!

[Natch02]

Great Job

[b_pappy]

Looks good and thorough write up too.

[ShoreCat]

Well done old man! You make me so proud! 

[Garsnow]

Nice job on the scratch, and the rest of the car looks great. I can appreicate a good write-up. I did my moms regal last weekend, and much like every detail I do - I start out taking pics and end up getting too  involved to stop and take pics. Well done

[Aaron@P2PQD]

Came up great, I know what you mean about metallic being difficult to photograph

[DUKE-Z]

Thanks for such a great write-up! I scraped a thin line of "nail catching" paint injury. I get the prep and finish work, but wondered if you recommend a particular touch-up paint?. The possibilities seem endless with each item touted as superior to the last. The auto parts store brands seem too thick .

Thanks for any help.

[mc2hill]

Thanks for such a great write-up! I scraped a thin line of "nail catching" paint injury. I get the prep and finish work, but wondered if you recommend a particular touch-up paint?. The possibilities seem endless with each item touted as superior to the last. The auto parts store brands seem too thick .

Thanks for any help.

 

Dr. Colorchip or Langa kits are usually recommended for this.  Other can chime with their results from using them.

[BRZN]

I use touch-up paint from PaintScratch.com

 

I build the color paint up to level with the surrounding finish and let it dry. It will shrink to below level, then I fill in with clear. Once that's dry I'll either sand it smooth or use a compound to bring it to level.