This is going to seem like a strange question, based on the amount of
attention everyone pays to there Mini, but it's in regards to the Non Mini
vehicles I'll be selling to help finance addons and mods .

My other two vehicles currently are a 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a
91 Mazda RX7 convertible.

Neither have great resale value. Probably around 5k each. But to help me
to get as much out of them as possible when I sell them, I need advice
as to how best to approach there final detailing.

I'm leaning towards purchasing a PC and using these cars as my training /
guinea pigs. I figure start with the Jeep, then the RX7, and go from there.

Main question is how to attack the RX7. It used to be my baby , but after
a less than perfect repair job by a body shop after an accident I've let her
go down hill.

She's a white convertible. Tops in good shape , just needs a good cleaning.
Main problem I'm looking at is the paint is extremely dull and oxidized.

I think any self respecting clay bar would run in horror .

How best do I take care of the oxidation? Factoring in the PC , what products
and steps would you all reccomend. If we had a good detailer in the area
I'd take it to them, but the ones I used in the past did a poor job.

Thanks in advance for any advice. First step is to probably order the
DVD I've read mentioned in other posts and go from there.

Sorry to have been so longwinded on a basic question.

 

i would start off with checking out the starter bundles over at DP or Octaneguy's shop.

those older cars are much more "fun" to detail cause the improvement is
night and day. although hell of a lot more work. octaneguy has a pict
somewhere where he basically restored an old stang's (i think it was)
finish without needing further paint.

 

I've been deciding between bundles all morning , but they are more directed
towards my (hopefully) enroute Cooper "S". Should arrive first week of April ,
and I figure I'll try to have my detailing equipment ready to go when I pick him
up from Cincinnati.

I'm guessing the products I'd use to bring back from the , if not dead, severely
wounded would be somewhat different than those used to treat a new finish.

(Leaning toward the base Epic, then Hydro for maintenance plan that alot of folks
on this board seem to favor). I've got a feeling I'll be spending alot more time with
the Mini than other cars I've owned in the past, mainly because of the fact I ordered
white wheels . (May God have mercy on my soul...)

 

Yes, you have a few situations going here.

I would go ahead and get a starter bundle if you can afford to. If you are planning to get a PC (which I highly recommend, if you are planning to work on restoring an oxidized finish), call over to DP and tell them what your plans are and they can set up a big package for you and save you some cash.

So for the new car you need some sort of starter package. I always recommend the big one to people to just get it over with...otherwise you are going to be back, nickel-and-diming for all the stuff you left out

For the older cars, you need a PC (IMO) and some polishes. You can do things several ways, because you can vary PC pads and polishes to get different effects. I would start with a test spot with Swirl and an orange pad to see what happened. This combination seems to be able to do almost anything, but if you don't like the results you get there, you can move up a notch and either do Cut on the orange pad (which is probably what I'd do, I'm afraid of my yellow pad LOL), or Swirl on a yellow pad. Once you get the combination you like, work your way back (so Cut on an orange pad, Swirl on an orange pad, and then probably Amigo on a white pad). THEN you can Epic them and keep a Hydro coat on top.

Anyway. New car: starter bundle. Old cars: Polish bundle and a PC if you can swing it.