Full On Detail-Wife's Volvo

[BRZN]

Memorial Day weekend seems to be when I take care of the wife's ride each year, and this one was no exception. I only took a few pictures, as I wasn't planning on a write-up, but I'm up early and it's raining, so here goes...

I'll insert more pics later, after the sun's up.

2005 Volvo XC70 in Arctic White with 97,500 miles on her. She's daily driven and lives outside 24/7/365.

Total time spent on the detail was 18.5 hours over three days.

I started Friday:

Step One

Wheels were Cleaned with Adam's Wheel Cleaner using a variety of brushes; Short Handled Wheel Brush, Trim and Lug Nut Brush, Wheel Woolie.

Tires were scrubbed with APC mixed at 50% strength with water using a short bristled, stiff bristled nylon brush.

Inner fenders were also scrubbed with the 50% strength APC mix using a Fender Brush and Wheel Woolie.

All the Plastic Body Cladding was scrubbed with full strength APC using a Long Handled Fender Brush.

Step Two

Engine was cleaned, Soaked with the hose, individual areas I was working were sprayed with full strength APC and worked with a brush; Short Handled Wheel Brush, Trim and Lug Nut Brush, and Bottle Brushes to get down in deep. Rinsed with the hose as I went with a final spray down with my gas powered pressure washer using the Delicate Tip. Dried with my Master Blaster set on the 4hp setting, then the hood was closed and the car let running to allow the engine heat to dry everything else while I prepped to wash.

 

Step Three

Hose Slides were set at all four corners to keep the hoses from getting caught at the tires.

MTM Foam Cannon and my pressure washer were used to foam down the car using 2oz of Adam's Car Shampoo, I let the foam dwell for 5 minutes or so.

Car was then rinsed and pressure washed with the General Purpose Tip.

A two Bucket Strip Wash with a product Adam was experimenting on a couple years ago was preformed, I had a small amount left and used it. It didn't make it to market as it really wasn't any better than APC and Car Shampoo mixed together and would have added another sku for something that wasn't really needed. Grit Guard Inserts were inside both Buckets as well as the new Grit Guard Wash Boards.

Top of the car down to the belt line was washed with a Merino Wool Wash Mitt, from the belt line down I used a standard 10"x10" Wash Pad. Badges, emblems, inside gas cap, small nooks and cranny's were cleaned using a Trim and Lug Nut Brush.

The sun was high in the sky and pretty intense, so I kept the car wet to minimize water spots. When I was completely finished washing I rinsed the car with my Spot Free Rinse System.

The car was dried with my Master Blaster set to it's full 8hp setting. All the door jams were wiped clean and dry using Waterless Wash and edgeless Utility Towels, this also included in around the underside of the Hood and Tailgate.

Step Four

The car was Clayed using the Visco Clay and Geo Impression Tool. I use Adam's DS as the Clay Lubricant and wipe each section I'm claying dry as I go with Single Soft Microfiber Towels. All glass, as well as paint were Clayed.

The windshield was also scrubbed with 0000 Steel Wool using Adam's Glass Cleaner as a lubricant.

The Thule Roof Rack was removed and set aside.

Step Five

The Tires were coated with another product Adam had been working on two winter's ago that didn't make it to market. The product looks good, and lasts, but is very hard to work with, and if you don't do the prep correctly your tires look horrible. Best it didn't make it...

The car was pulled to the street and the inner fenders/wheel wells were sprayed with Invisible Undercarriage Dressing. Why into the street? I let it dip out there rather than on my driveway or the concrete in the garage.

Time for a cold one...

Edited May 30, 2016 by BRZN

[BRZN]

Day Two...

The car was pulled back onto the driveway and given a Waterless Wash wipe down using several Waterless Wash microfiber towels. The pollen coming from White Pine's in the neighborhood is insane right now, the car was green!

All the exposed Plastics were dressed heavily to minimize the chance of polish staining the textured plastics in case I touched. Sometimes I'll tape off, but I knew I'd be at it today and tomorrow and wasn't sure the tape would still be sticking the second day, the car was going back outside overnight. The GTO owns the garage!

The GTO was pulled out of the garage, and the Volvo pulled in.

Hose Slides were placed at all four tires to keep the polisher cords from getting stuck.

I put on my Adam's HD Detailer's Belt and was ready for paint correction.

This car's paint is in pretty good shape, I wash it properly and keep the paint protected which keeps me from having to go crazy on it each time I correct. Also, the Volvo's clear is pretty hard. With it being as hard as it is, it's both hard to damage and hard to correct.

One pass with my Rupes Bigfoot 15 Mark I using Adam's Paint Correcting Polish and an Orange Microfiber Pad did the trick. Small areas, which this car has a bunch, were addressed using the Rupes Mini and a 4" Orange microfiber pad.

No reason to waste my time finishing this car with a White Foam pad and Paint Finishing Polish, as the first step was good enough for this white daily driver.

Chris taught me a trick a couple years ago that works very well. I use glaze right over-top of the polish residue to both; much more easily remove the polish, as well as apply the glaze all in one step. The Glaze I applied with my Porter Cable xp7424 set to speed 3 using a 6" Red Glaze pad attached. Applying the Glaze by machine helps me get a nice thin even layer put down.

Wipe down was with a Single Soft Towel.

Before I wrapped up day two the entire car was Polished and Glazed.

The car was pulled back out onto the driveway.

We had a Beer tasting party to attend at a friends in the afternoon where I was able to quench my thirst with a cold one, or two, or three, or...

Edited May 30, 2016 by BRZN

[BRZN]

Day Three...

Another Waterless Wash wipe down. This morning not only did I need to get all the pollen off, but it seems a flock of birds all decided to bomb the car at the same time. There were roughly 20 bird bombs across the roof, windshield and both sides of the car. There was a light coating of dew on the car, so the bird crap was still soft and easy to remove without harm to the near perfect paint.

Back into the garage and time for my LSP.

Adam's new Americana Premium Paste Wax was applied; love this stuff! Easy on, and easy off, awesome depth, and gloss. The wax reside was removed with one of Adam's new Triple Soft microfiber towels.

I have a bit of Quick Sealant left, and it was applied to the Headlight Armour (after being polished with some old Clear Polish I still have left too). The Quick Sealant was also applied to the Tail lights, Black Plastic Mirror surrounds, the Black Plastic End Caps on the factory Roof Rails, and on the Drip Rail Covers I'd removed and painted Satin Black last Fall.

The windshield was given a nice thin, even layer of Adam's Glass Sealant.

The Thule Roof Rack on this car has an air dam at the leading edge, with the rack off the car I polished the air dam out with my cordless drill and Novus Plastic Polish #2 Heavy Scratch Removal using a 4" Orange Foam pad followed up with Novus Plastic Polish #3 Fine Scratch Removal and a 4" White Foam pad. The thing was then given a nice even layer of Brilliant Glaze and it's end caps dressed with VRT.

The Roof Rack was put back on.

 

As I'd stated in the opening post of this thread, it had been raining. The rain has stopped and the perfect opportunity to snap a couple beading shots!

 

No more rain called for until Friday so another blow dry with my Master Blaster and a wipe down with Rinseless Wash mixed up as a Waterless wash using several Waterless Wash towels.

Edited May 30, 2016 by BRZN

[Chris@Adams]

Nice job as usual Dave!