Aurora40
Well-known member
Well, I spent the weekend cleaning the car up, then yesterday changing the oil, checking tire pressures, and so on.
I spent most of my time on the interior. It was in nice shape, but it could be improved. Everything is mint, as in no wear spots, broken bits, missing decals/text, burned out bulbs, stains, etc, but it was a little dusty/dirty. I used Meguiar's APC+ at 16:1 on the carpets as needed, but mostly just vacuumed.
Then I wiped the doors and dash down with distilled water and treated with Pinnacle V&R protectant. I was gonna use Meg's #40 but wanted something more matte and with slightly less cleaning power (it's a 15 year old car). I hit the weatherstripping with Vinylex because it has more cleaning power than #40.
The leather I cleaned thoroughly with Lexol leather cleaner, then treated it with Lexol conditioner. The next day I treated it with Pinnacle leather conditioner. It is really much more supple feeling now, and smells great.
I washed and used Gold Class bug & tar remover as needed, and then spot clayed the exterior. I didn't want to go nuts with polishing until I got a feel for the paint. I would have gone with Meguiar's #80 or #82 by hand, but I've been itching to try Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. It dries out quickly and gets sort of dusty if you aren't careful (and this was by hand). Also you have to work it a lot or it is hard to buff off. It did brighten the already bright and glossy paint, though. The difference side-by-side was clear, though not huge. Then I topped that Pinnacle Souveran, which added a nice depth and shine. Oh, prior to polishing/waxing, I hit the black beltline molding with Meguiar's #38. Man was that easy to use and it looks so black.
I took the car out for a spin today after work, and man is it a blast! I snapped some picts afterwards, and I'll wipe it down with Final Detail later tonight:
I spent most of my time on the interior. It was in nice shape, but it could be improved. Everything is mint, as in no wear spots, broken bits, missing decals/text, burned out bulbs, stains, etc, but it was a little dusty/dirty. I used Meguiar's APC+ at 16:1 on the carpets as needed, but mostly just vacuumed.
Then I wiped the doors and dash down with distilled water and treated with Pinnacle V&R protectant. I was gonna use Meg's #40 but wanted something more matte and with slightly less cleaning power (it's a 15 year old car). I hit the weatherstripping with Vinylex because it has more cleaning power than #40.
The leather I cleaned thoroughly with Lexol leather cleaner, then treated it with Lexol conditioner. The next day I treated it with Pinnacle leather conditioner. It is really much more supple feeling now, and smells great.
I washed and used Gold Class bug & tar remover as needed, and then spot clayed the exterior. I didn't want to go nuts with polishing until I got a feel for the paint. I would have gone with Meguiar's #80 or #82 by hand, but I've been itching to try Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. It dries out quickly and gets sort of dusty if you aren't careful (and this was by hand). Also you have to work it a lot or it is hard to buff off. It did brighten the already bright and glossy paint, though. The difference side-by-side was clear, though not huge. Then I topped that Pinnacle Souveran, which added a nice depth and shine. Oh, prior to polishing/waxing, I hit the black beltline molding with Meguiar's #38. Man was that easy to use and it looks so black.
I took the car out for a spin today after work, and man is it a blast! I snapped some picts afterwards, and I'll wipe it down with Final Detail later tonight:
