From Swirled to Red HOT. Mitsubishi Lancer gets a make-over

[HFX Detailing]

Hey guys. This here is a 2012 Red Lancer, GT model. It has seen roughly 70,000 KM's and was improperly washed via Dish Soap, bad techniques, and Dealer Washes. The swirl marks were pretty bad and the customer wanted the car looking new again. I used a big range of products to achieve great results. You will see the list of products below, followed by a detailed step-by-step guide on what I did. Lastly I will post some money-shots.

 

 

The Products*

 

Flex Polisher - Could not locate on website

2 step polishing system - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-738-adams-basic-7-foam-pad-machine-polishing-kit.aspx

Double Soft MF - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-494-adams-double-soft-microfiber-towel.aspx

2 Bucket kit - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-523-adams-complete-2-bucket-wash-kit.aspx

Glaze and Americana Wax - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-566-adams-premium-shine-kit.aspx

Super V.R.T - Could not locate on website

Machine Super Sealant - Could not locate on website

All Purpose Cleaner (APC) - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-121-adams-all-purpose-cleaner.aspx

Wheel Brush - Could not locate on website

Clay and Detail Spray - http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-1005-new-adams-made-in-the-usa-detailing-clay-combo.aspx

 

*note: to make things simpler, if products I used are available in a bundle, I bundled them

 

The Process

 

Inspection

I always inspect a vehicle before starting. I like to take lots of pictures so there is:

1) Proof of pre existing damage

2) I know what I need to clean and fix

 

The car was not too bad from far as you can see below. However, once you get close you notice all the defects. In the light you can see some serious swirls built up too.

 

The car pre-wash looks decent here:

 

Once you get closer, you see the dirt:

 

At the right angles and light, you can see the damage (swirls):

 

The wash - Wheels

I always start with the wheels. You do not want to wash them with the rest of the car as mixing dirty wheel water is a no-no. Take a look below as this was the water after one tire.

 

These tires were pretty dull looking:

 

I sprayed the tires down with water to loosen up the dirt. I then sprayed All Purpose Cleaner on the tires, using the foam setting. I find the foam setting clings to the tires better and you can literally see the dirt lifting up and drip off. Below, you will see what the All Purpose Cleaner is lifting up after agitating with a Wheel Brush

 

After agitating the wheel I spray the dirt off. I spray it good and aim the spray along the rim where it meets the tire as the dirt and APC can really get stuck in there good. I usually repeat this process until you no longer get dirt lifting up but the cleaner is whitish.

 

Next I used a Micro Fiber towel with some soapy water (Adams Shampoo) to clean the rims. The rims cleaned easily, so not much effort was required. 

 

The wash - Two-bucket method

I always use a two bucket method when washing a vehicle. This involves having two buckets, both with grit guards. You take one bucket and fill it with soap and water, this is your wash bucket. The next one you fill with just water, this is your rinse bucket. 

While washing the vehicle you would dip your wash pad in the wash bucket and scrub on the grit guard. This will release dirt from the pad and trap it at the bottom of the bucket. Once you use the pad on the vehicle, you dip it in the rinse bucket, scrubbing again. This will make sure most of the contaminants and dirt you picked up will be in a separate bucket. This will reduce the chances of damaging the paint and causing swirls.

 

You want to wash from top down. Stop at the bottom 1/3 and do this last. Use your second pad for it. The reason for this is the bottom 1/3 is the dirtiest and you really want to prevent cross-contamination as much as possible. Depending on the dirt, you may need to change your water or go rinse your pad multiple times per panel. On a decent car, such as this one, I usually go to the bucket once per panel.

 

The wash - drying and sheeting

To rinse the soap off, I simply hose it down. I like to spray it good to get rid of all the water. After, I take the spray off of the hose and slowly work the hose from side-to-side while moving down the vehicle. This allows the water to sheet off and take a lot of the water with it. Then, you can blot-dry or dry the whole vehicle.

 

I typically just dry the whole vehicle if it is not clean enough to sheet properly. In order to sheet good, the vehicle needs to have little embedded dirt (claying removes this) and/or a good wax.

 

To get rid of the rest of the water (we don't want water spots!) I spray crevices with compressed air. Otherwise, you might have water drip down later on a dry spot you are about to work on. 

 

Lastly, I spray a bit of Detail Spray and gently wipe with a Great White Drying Towel. I check the towel frequently to make sure no dirt was missed during the was and ended up on the towel. I fold as needed (due to dirt, or being too wet). One towel is enough for me to dry a whole truck with lots more to give. I never have needed to wring out the towel.

 

The Wash - clay

 

Once the vehicle is washed, rinsed, and dried I clay it. Depending on the conditions, I sometimes clay while washing...but that is something for another write-up. Since this car did not have too bad of a contamination on the paint, the clay process was simple and fast. 

 

Working in small sections, I take about 1/3 of a piece of clay and knead it until it is a good size for me. If you drop the clay on the ground, throw it out (this is why we break the clay up instead of using one big chunk). You want to spray a small section with detail spray and gently rub with the clay up-down, side-to-side and I even do circles. I find tough spots that won't come off in one direction, will in another. Some spots can be stubborn and just need more rubbing. I never use a lot of pressure. If you think you need more pressure, try rubbing more first. If that does not work, re-work the clay and rub some more. 

 

Once I am done my section, I clean it up with a microfiber towel. If the car was pretty bad, some people wash the car after . . . but this vehicle did not need it.

 

Swirl Huntin' - A tale of the flex

I use a flex polisher. For this vehicle I used mostly the white pad with fine finishing polisher. You need to try a small spot to test and see what the vehicle needs. You do not want to go aggressive at first, so try the fine polish and if you need more, move up to the Paint Correcting Polish. I used a White Pad with the Finishing Polish, and Orange Pad with the Paint Correcting Polish. You also need to get a feel for what speed to use. 

 

Below is the test spot I had on the hood, marked off with tape.

For the hood, I needed to use the full 2 step process (Orange Pad with Paint Correcting Polish, then White pad with Finishing Polish. However, I found the rest of the car only needed the single step (White pad with Finishing Polish). The Mitsubishi has some pretty soft paint, but it seemed the hood was harder. 

 

To start, I prime the pad with a product making an X. Once the product is worked into the pad, you only need a few drops of product or even just a shot of Detail Spray to keep it going. You will also want to use the Pad Cleaning Brush every panel, or even in-between the same panel. Anytime I would see dust build up I would give a quick shot of  Detail Spray and the problem was usually solved. If it was not, I used the cleaning brush over a garbage can on the lowest speed to clean it. You will see a ton of dust release when you do this.

 

While working the Flex Polisher I move slowly and in a smooth motion. If it is your first time, the polisher likes to run away on you if you do not hold it right. It takes some getting use to. You will also want to mark on your pad with marker a line. This line you should see spinning. If it is not spinning, you are using too much pressure.

 

After polishing a section, I wipe the residue away with my Double Soft Microfiber. 

 

You can see below the side skirt. It was seriously scratched, probably due to rocks kicking up from the tires.

 

After a quick polish, the skirt came out looking extremely wet and smooth:

 

You can see some nice swirls on the trunk here:

 

And after a quick polish, again, only using the White Pad with Paint Finishing Polish:

 

I was pretty happy with how the car turned out after polishing it fully. Below you can see one of many scratched 95+% removed:

 

Post-Polish finishing touches

 

Once the car was fully polished it was time to do some finishing touches. Firstly, I applied Machine Super Sealant which takes 12+ hours to cure. So once I applied it, I applied Super V.R.T to the tires and headed home to finish up the next day. Below are the tires, remember how dull they looked before?

 

Post-Polish Sealant and Waxing

 

Once the Sealant cured, I removed it with a Microfiber. I then took my Americana Wax for added protection and got to work. Using small amounts I gently waxed the vehicle. It cures quick and usually by the time I waxed the next panel, it was time to remove the previous panel. After my wax I applied a layer of Glaze using the same method as the Americana. Lastly, I put another coat of wax to seal in the glaze for that ultimate shine and protection (note: Glaze offers no protection, just the OMG look).

 

V.R.T is for more than tires

 

What some people are not aware of is V.R.T can be used on plastics and trim. Here is a 50/50 shot of the front grill with V.R.T applied to it. It looks a LOT better with the V.R.T and it brings the plastic back to life. No more dullness here!

 

Money-Shots

It is the time!! Here is what you have all been waiting for. The end result:

 

Amazing shine, depth, and clarity:

Can you spot the Adams products in the reflection?

 

I love this shot. It looks like the road goes on forever through the car.

 

Look at those clouds in the hood!

 

That's one hot ride

 

No more dull front-end.

 

Chrome-like finish: Achieved!

 

Most of the swirls are gone. I did not get 100% (you almost never can). But, this was a huge difference.

 

You can see my car in this reflection

 

She's all done! Time to pack up and go home:

 

Bonus shot: My Arsenal

 

 

Questions? Comments? Don't be shy, I won't bite!

Edited August 30, 2014 by neverhaveiever

[Chris@Adams]

Looks good...nice job!

[TheWolf]

Excellent write-up and very nice results Jerome.

 

Why do you use a MF towel for cleaning the wheels rather than a dedicated wheel brush?  I have always used a brush but I may just try a towel next time.  Your results shows that it does work well.

[HFX Detailing]

Looks good...nice job!

Thanks!

 

 

Excellent write-up and very nice results Jerome.

 

Why do you use a MF towel for cleaning the wheels rather than a dedicated wheel brush?  I have always used a brush but I may just try a towel next time.  Your results shows that it does work well.

 

I did not have my brush on me. I sometimes finish up using a microfiber to make sure I got everything. 

 

 

[Sizzle Chest]

Very nice write up!  Thanks for taking the time to do this and post it up!  Great work, that car looks very nice!

[Fit08]

great write up, thanks.

[gapwedge]

great write up, thanks.

Ditto

[Fierce5]

Looks awesome. Great job

[HFX Detailing]

thanks guys

[Michael@Adams]

Looks phenomenal! well done.