Exterior detail

[aviator79]

So commuting 100mi a day, haven't washed car in over 6 months. Not sure how well it will come out but so far have stripped with dawn a couple times, did goo gone and clay bared. Not a huge fan of the pinnacle claybars but still removed a lot of crap. However, there is still a lot of tar spots that I want to remove before I start to polish so I dont go thru my pads too fast. It is also very humidand just rained so going to be hard to get car and garage dry enough but will run dehumidifier to help and just do the best I can.

Some of the paint looks very dull like front DS fender. Might have been way sun was but I cannot see any flecks in it so hope I can restore it. In the past I have kept the car fairly clean and waxed just have had no time lately but should have just gone to a car wash.

Have DA and lots of products, pads, polish and wax (pinnacle sig series II) but letting it get this dirty was not ideal...

Think I will start with the deepest cut polishing compound I have, pinnacle XMT HD swirl remove #4 .

Can see tar spots in 4th pic but the close ups also show how dull the paint looks when you look at it close. No before pics cause I forgot or was too embarrassed but it was disgusting.

Going to use my Pinnacle Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad sponge with goo gone to get rest of tar spots then one last wash and wipe down insides of doors. Probably use leaf blower to dry then bring into garage and start polishing.

[aviator79]

To give you a better idea, it you look closely at pics I circled the tar spots and they are everywhere (probably have to zoom in)...still after wash googone and claybar...trying to polish it like this will distroy my pads before I finish the car so best to deal with them now.

Claybar I used before from zaino I think was much better at removing these than the pinnacle ones that I have. Car was also newer but these are just too fine IMO.

[natieb]

For tar, you can rub it off with a rag and a weak solvent like lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol, skip the clay bar, and then buff/polish. That's what we used to do when I worked in a detail shop.

[aviator79]

Ya, that would work too.
But goo gone and the honeycomb sponge got most of it. Crazy how bad it was.
Might go around again with some week solvent for anything left like you said but all I have is paint thinner and nail polish remover/acetone. Probably use the acetone if anything.
Was trying to remove a spot on PS door handle and heard a pop so guess I blew the button. Awesome...another part to order.

Car looks good. Assume the dullness that I see on DS is just cause the way the sun is hitting it as PS looks good (sun hitting PS). Cant wait to build a good coat of wax up again so the tar doesnt stick to it as bad cause back to shitty CT roads monday.

[aviator79]

Acetone worked great for the couple spots I found.
Thanks

[jaydubby]

Originally Posted by aviator79 Acetone worked great for the couple spots I found. Thanks

I always use WD-40 for tar. Takes it right off and it doesn't seem to harm the car's finish at all.

[aviator79]

I assume you wash and wax after.

Well ran out of time to polish. Got hood, DS doors and trunk top done but not a huge fan of the XMT4 and will probably order some other stuff. Got a coat of wax on and looks a lot better so good enough for now.
Didnt wash rims or do plastics or windows so nothing spectacular but at least paint is clean and protected.

[mituc]

Keep waxing it every 2-3 months and you will not even have to polish it so often. I never polished my car in 6 years, only used some very light polish compound to remove swirls and minor scratches from the most exposed elements.

[blackms3_71]

6 months smh easily could have went to a car wash 1 a month at least but glad u are bring it back to life. The first few pics almost look like a matte finish lol

[jm211]

You can always do a sealant, then top that with wax. Gives a nice buffer incase you forget to wax, plus a little more durable.