Wow. that was a workout, even spread out over many many days.
All in all, a very satisfying experience and somewhat different than what I was expecting. I thought I'd do a post of how much I enjoyed each aspect of the job so that other novices who are as out-of-shape as me can better decide how to plan out their adventure. The scale is 1-5 least to most, and I'm scoring both pleasure and physical effort. Oh, and my car has lived on the city streets for 3 years with no more care than brushless car washes every few weeks.

Here goes:

1- Black Wow. I applied this with a foam pad to all the exterior textured trim. Very easy, smells good. I didn't worry about how much I was putting on nor about protecting the adjacent surfaces. No issues and it didn't take much. I was thrilled with how much better the trim looked afterwards. One area above the rear wheel remains streaked with white - I wonder if it's paint from another car, sort of looks like it... My pad was a bit too big though, oval-shaped about 4" long and 1" thick with 3 layers. If I had a smaller applicator, I would have used it.
effort - 1
pleasure - 4

2- Wash with Dawn. I wanted to use the 2 bucket method and bought the DirtGuard, but I mistakenly assumed I would find 2 5-gal buckets in the garage I was borrowing, so it ended up being 1 small bucket, no guard, and hosing down the mitt before replunging in the bucket. I used a white fluffy Meguiars mitt that I loved. I also bought a wheel brush that made cleaning the wheels a breeze. It felt great getting rid of all that grime. I just let the car air dry since I intended to clay, but since I was tired the claying got postponed for another day.
effort - 2
pleasure - 3

3- Claybar-ing. I bought the Mothers claybar kit with QD. Used about 1/4 bar at a time with the QD. By the end I stopped flattening the clay before rubbing, since it flattens on its own and doesn't disintegrate as easily. It stuck sometimes to my fingers, esp nails, but my technique improved significantly by the time I finished. I think next time will be much smoother. I have to say, this was the most satisfying part of the whole process!!! I LOVED how the paint looked and felt afterwards!! What a difference in smoothness. You can feel, hear and see the difference as you're working. But my car had so much grit on it that this was also the most time-consuming and exhausting part. I couldn't do more than 2-3 panels at a time before needing a break. I spread it out over 3 days and washed the car again once with Mystique somewhere in the middle. My car is Pepper White and was covered in tiny brown specks. They are mostly gone now, but not completely - guess I'm not a freakish perfectionist or I would have continued claying. I was also surprised at the number of streaks that I had thought were paint issues that were removed in this process.
effort - 5
pleasure - 5

4- Paint finish repair. Well I skipped this step even though my car really needs it - lots of paint scrapes and chips and a few dents. Both bumpers are especially sorry looking. But I am not equipped to do this - out of my scope. And since I can't protect my car in a garage it doesn't seem worth it to spend what I am sure would be lots of $$ to get it professionally up to par. Oh well.
effort - 0
pleasure - 0

5- Epic wax. Well this was the most irritating part of the job. Try as I might, I could never tell if the car was properly covered in wax, nor if I buffed it all off. The PW color makes this process unenjoyable. (the windows and the roof were much easier) So I just guessed as best I could. I used the same type of foam applicator as for the BW above, but now that I think about it, I'm wondering if I was supposed to cover that with microfiber first. Did I just do more damage to the paint? I let it dry for 3 hours (as much for resting my bones as for drying) and then buffed with a monster fluffy MF. Very nice plushy towel - loved it.
effort - 4
pleasure - 1

6- Hydro. After letting the Epic cure for 36 hours, I buffed again with a fluffy in case any haze remained that I couldn't see, cleaned the windows with Clarity, and then Hydro-ed. I sprayed lots of Hydro on the dry car - paint, windows, roof - and wiped down. I used about 1/4 of the bottle. I think I'll use less next time on a wet car. I actually didn't NEED to use that much - just wanted to since I wasn't sure how much Epic was really underneath. Also the stuff smells great!
effort - 2
pleasure - 4

7- Interior vaccuuming. no explanation needed.
effort - 2
pleasure - 4

8- Interior Nero. Used this stuff everywhere - smells like banana. Car looks new.
effort - 1
pleasure - 4

9- Interior Clarity. had never cleaned the interior side of the windows before!! makes a big difference.
effort - 1
pleasure - 4


So there it is. Fresh Butter looks a million times better than before although I'm sure it's got a long way to go to please most of the posters on this forum! In any case, I'm very happy and proud. Continued care plan is a Mystique wash/Hydro dry on a when-I-feel-like-it basis. I have to think about whether or not to go through the Epic ordeal again. Hope this helps someone.

 

wat, no picts??!

yes, once you get her very clean it's easy to keep her clean too.

 

ok fine! here are a couple of pics.

 

WOW!!!!

Great looking job, I wish I had the time/energy/ambition to put that kind of labor into making Sarah Jane look that good.

 

GJ krisnika! PW is a hard color to get the deep gloss so Epic is definitely a good choice in sealant to use.

 

thanks for the thumbs up! It was definitely worth the huge effort - I wish I had known about this a few years ago.

 

Nice work!

Yes, Epic is difficult to see on PW. I often suggest applying two quick coats (back to back) instead of one long coat. I figure, what are the odds you'd miss the same spot twice??

The fun part is really yet to come... with Epic on there now you'll see how much cleaner it will stay and then how much easier it will be to wash once it does get dirty. The dirt just won't stick as much to Epic as it did previously to your paint. Epic is a little more effort that first time but 1) it'll be much easier next time (it's surprising how just one experience makes it easier the next time), and 2) next time doesn't have to be for at least 6 months due to its durability. In the meantime, enjoy the rich glossy protection!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the clay process so much. It's so hard to explain how and why one should clay... you just have to do it to appreciate it. It's so satisfying!

Thanks for giving Prima a try. Now it's time to motor!

Heather

 

Agree with Heather - my last MINI was Pepper White and I agree Epic is hard to see! Two fast coats and then I actually used Banana Gloss over the top also.