Hey guys,

I am 17 and pretty new to the whole detailing scheme of cars. I have washed and cleaned/detailed the inside of my car for a while but i want to start working on the exterior detailing of cars so i can maybe make some money while doing something i enjoy doing. Im going to use my moms 2003 Ford Expedition as a before & after example. I will post before & after pics of the car sometime tomorrow and will work on the car saturday morning. I am doing this to sort of test myself to see what im strong in and what needs work. So, if you will please be honest in my work and give me constructive tips on how to improve my work; that would be great!! Thanks for reading this and keep an eye out for the pics to soon be posted.


THINGS I WILL BE DONE TO THE CAR: *Will Post Specific Items Used When I Post Pics.

1. Wash/Dry
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. Wax
5. Wheel/Tire Detail
6. Trim/Molding Detail

I have read on the basic application tips of each section. (Ex: Proper Wash/Dry Techniques) So, im not totally lost in the whole detailing scheme of things... :eyecrazy

Now the car isn't bad in a sense on being dirty or clean but it has NEVER been hand polished/wax and has never been clayed so this should be an interesting before and after... ENJOY!!

BEFORE:
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition015.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition014.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition013.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition012.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition011.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition010.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition009.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition008.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition007.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition006.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition005.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition004.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition003.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition002.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/Expedition001.jpg


*** It took a good 5 1/2 hours to get this baby cleaned and detailed.. but it was well worth it!!

Work Time: 7 am - 12:30 pm

AFTER:
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1783.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1784.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1785.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1786.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1787.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1788.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1789.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1791.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1792.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1793.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1794.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1796.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/IMG_1797.jpg
2 Bucket Wash FTW!!!

http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb118/ajnavo61490/?action=view&current=Expedition001.jpg

you should detail your car first if you havnt already

i did polish my car but i dont want to put up pics cause i have 3 accidents that have not been fixed (non my fault) so im going to wait till those are fixed to post full pics of my car

and my moms car is pretty much in perfect condition so it will look good when its detailed

Hey guys,

I am 17 and pretty new to the whole detailing scheme of cars. I have washed and cleaned/detailed the inside of my car for a while but i want to start working on the exterior detailing of cars so i can maybe make some money while doing something i enjoy doing. Im going to use my moms 2003 Ford Expedition as a before & after example. I will post before & after pics of the car sometime tomorrow and will work on the car saturday morning. I am doing this to sort of test myself to see what im strong in and what needs work. So, if you will please be honest in my work and give me constructive tips on how to improve my work; that would be great!! Thanks for reading this and keep an eye out for the pics to soon be posted.


THINGS I WILL BE DONE TO THE CAR: *Will Post Specific Items Used When I Post Pics.

1. Wash/Dry
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. Wax
5. Wheel/Tire Detail
6. Trim/Molding Detail

I have read on the basic application tips of each section. (Ex: Proper Wash/Dry Techniques) So, im not totally lost in the whole detailing scheme of things... :eyecrazy

That Expedition is a large car and if you wish please check out the Expedition I did a week ago called Buttercup in the CARS gallery.

My photography site on SmugMug - http://paintpolisher.smugmug.com (http://paintpolisher.smugmug.com/)

Seeing that you are in the learning phase I will presume you have no bad habits yet and here is a video I send to all my clients just in case they want to wash their own car. I hope this helps you out.

Swirls are going to happen and the best we can do is to change our procedure or techniques to keep them at a minimum.

I believe the majority of swirls are from the washing & drying process and the following link will take you to what I believe is the most informative DIY video on how to properly wash and dry your baby.

So grab a cold beverage, get relaxed as this video is 28 minutes of watching Mike Phillips - detailing guru at MOL [Meguiar’sOnLine] taking you through the process.

How to Wash Your Car (Show car style!)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7598756069207401372&q=showcargarage.com (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7598756069207401372&q=showcargarage.com)

Sit back and enjoy watching somebody else that knows what they are doing washing and drying a car.

Take your time and by doing all the proper prep work the finished product will be awesome. :redspot:redspot:redspot

hey thanks for the video man did that help.. i knew to use the 2 bucket system and not to use dish washers and so on but his one/two passes i did not think of.. this will help thanks alot!

Before Pics Added...

Stay Posted for After Pics

Do you plan to use a PC/UDM or the likes or go by hand? I imagine with the bodywork that will follow your three accidents, you may need to do some paint correction... Also, your vehicle is huge lotta ground to cover. You may wanna invest the ~$100 in one.

Also I think you've got the frame work down for the most part. I like to clean tires/wheels BEFORE everything else though so as not to spread the grime.

You're truck is a light color too, I'd think about using a sealant rather then a wax. Get a lot more durability out of it without really sacrificing anything in looks IMO, as the differences from Carnuba tend to be more prevalent on darker paint. Check out jeffs werkstatt stuff.

Ohh, and first things first! Clean off that bird shit!

Ohh, and first things first! Clean off that bird shit!

haha i plan too... tomorrow morning at 7:15 :)

hey thanks for the video man did that help.. i knew to use the 2 bucket system and not to use dish washers and so on but his one/two passes i did not think of.. this will help thanks alot!

Sometimes it is the littlest things that can make the difference.
Glad I could help.

After Pics Added....

Constructive Comments and Helpful Info is welcome!!!

ENJOY!!!

It looks good but unfortunately it's very difficult to catch it's best with photos. I know that's my problem anyway. I'm sure it looks great in person. Good job for a hand job. If you're going to use photos for advertising your services I think it helps to have comparative shots i.e. the exact same shot of a bad area before then after.

Only a few things I'll offer. The tire dressing looks glossy but a little uneven in places. How did you apply it? I use a sponge applicator and sometimes really work it into the tread sipes on the shoulder of the tire. I need my tire dressing to look completely uniform as if it's the original rubber. The black plastic hood trim (between top of hood and windshield) looks a little flat. I always dress out all plastic trim pieces carefully and, again, good uniform coverage. Finally, I can't really see the wheel wells but make sure you fully clean and then dress them as well. Makes a big difference sometimes between you and the competition.

Good job. Keep pluggin' my friend!

The tire dressing looks glossy but a little uneven in places. How did you apply it?

i used a cotton towel and applied it that way by hand. thanks for the advice... ill make sure to buff it in and even it out more next time!

Hey, great job! Looks good. Great job taking the before photos. I'm too impatient, so no one ever gets a before pic to compare the after work with. Sure wish I'd taken some of my wife's van or my 328i's trim before I cleaned it and dressed it.

Only two pointers I could give and someone else already mentioned the tires, so that's taken care of.

The other would just be the vent area in front of the windshield. Looks like there's a part in the middle that's shiny, but the rest of it looks undressed. Not sure if it was left that way or if that was an "in progress" picture, so you may have already touched it up.

All in all, a job well done!

The other would just be the vent area in front of the windshield. Looks like there's a part in the middle that's shiny, but the rest of it looks undressed. Not sure if it was left that way or if that was an "in progress" picture, so you may have already touched it up.

yeah i didnt touch that part.. didnt think it was THAT bad plus i was gettin low on back to black from using it on the mirrors/step-up boards... but yeah what u see in the middle is prolly some excess spray of rain-x... i added it last and right before i took the pics

thanks for the advice guys!:redspot