detailed a friends Cayman today
 

He came in with lots of car wash damage to the paint surface.
Car is 12years old and has 160,000kms or (100,000 miles).
Gave it the full detail, buff and polish and then finished it off
with a coat of C-Quartz from AutoPro… :)

Before....
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999508.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999529.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999551.jpg

and After
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999579.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999600.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999623.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553999640.jpg

Looks great bud. Glad to see you're still around on the forum. I wish I could take my car over to your house for this treatment :cheers:

Thanks, yes still around for sure :)
I still get the odd question about radio codes and I still like to read what's
going on over here :)

That looks amazing!

Thank you... he couldn't believe how well it turned out and never thought that the paint could look like that again :) I like cleaning new cars too but detailing an older car that's been a bit neglected is more rewarding when you see the outcome :)
Car washes (brush or brushless) are hard on paints. The soaps these places use are very harsh and combined with the high pressure is not easy on the paint surface or plastic trim pieces and especially the rubber moldings.
H

Great work Heiko!

I've yet to do any paint correction on our Caymans (they don't exhibit too many swirls), and I found a great hybrid wax/sealant from CarGuys.

Are the ceramics difficult to work with?

Just winderin'............

TO

You're lucky because the winter around here and all the salt, sand and dust is hard on the paint. Some people leave their cars sit all winter and collect dust in the garage and think that dusting it off with a dry cloth or 'dusting brush' is a great idea lol

I generally buff with a med compound to get rid of scratches unless its really bad I'll go to a course compound and pad and if its really bad a 3000 to 5000 wetsand first and then buff; Then I go to a med and fine polishing compound and finisher and after that depending what kind of sealant you want to apply.... to do the Ceramics or Nano coatings I generally prep with an alcohol solution and wipe off all the surfaces that were polished to get rid of any oils etc from touching the paint. I've been happy with the CarPro C-Quartz product and its fairly easy to do. Do it inside and you need good lighting... make sure it goes on evenly and 'THIN' don't apply a thick coating... for a Cayman a single coat takes no more than 20ml, if you use more you used to much :)
Do single panels at a time.... wait 5min until it begins to get a bit tacky and then use a soft polishing cloth and lightly polish until its glossy. No water and no paw prints for 24hrs after otherwise they'll stay in the surface and you'll have to buff them out :)

The process is a bit more involved then a good waxing but it certainly lasts longer; but if you like to wax and shine your car once or twice a month regardless its probably cheaper to just use a wax and just as good.
H

Awesome work! What a transformation.
How did you get the engine and engine compartment clean?

Great job! :cheers:
If you haven't already, I would suggest advising your friend to avoid non-touchless car washes in the future.

I use an orange based detergent :-)

Hand wash? Pressure washer? Low pressure water?
I'm afraid to hit mine with too much water. Am I being too paranoid?

Again, amazing difference from 'Before' to 'After'!

I can't speak for OP, but I had similar results when I cleaned my engine bay. I taped off the engine compartment with plastic and masking tape, then wrapped masking tape around anything that looked sensitive (sensor wires, etc). I hit the engine bay with a regular hose, then used Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner and a cheap paint brush to get into tight spaces, then rinsed it and applied some 303 Protectant to keep the plastic shiny.

I was also concerned about using too much water or a pressure washer, a regular hose with a nozzle used sparingly worked very well for me. Keep in mind the engine bay "should be" able to handle some water, since it is exposed to the elements from the bottom. :cheers:

No power washer - that's almost as bad as a drive through car wash... hand wash and wet it and soap it before you start scrubbing... :)
For the engine bay, spray down with a good degreaser while the engine is cold, let it sit for 10-15 then spray some more degreaser on it
and scrub with a soft brush and then rinse with standard hose with hot water!.... and that's it... use an air hose to get rid of excess water and
let it dry...

Thanks rick3000 and Heiko.