Trim can be very finicky in terms of what's repairable or not, but typically what I use is P21S Finish Restorer or Chemical Guys Metal Wax. If you wanted to try something locally, a lot of detailers use the Mother's Billet Polish. Work it in with some elbow grease and see if it helps at all. After polishing, you can try to protect it with a sealant or wax and it may help mask the scratches a little.

If your leather is hardened, I've yet to find something better than the Leatherique combo of products. On most newer leather, you wouldn't need the Rejuvenator Oil step, the Prestine Clean should be plenty. I'd advise following up with some sort of UV protectant for your leather, such as 303 Aerospace Protectant (on sale this month) or Optimum Protectant Plus.

Hope that helps.

George

 

I have slight cracking on the bolsters (see pics). Do you think I should pick up some rejuvenator oil?

 

Can't really feel anything, but it "looks" like there's still something there.

I just got the clay I ordered (thanks for the usual quick shipment!), so I'll head out there when the rain stops and see what it does for me.

Thanks!

Mike

 

Tough to say if the Rejuvenator Oil would help w/ those types of cracks. What you can do is lay a damp towel over the affected areas and put it out in the sun. This can help tighten up the leather and minimize some of the cracks. Rejuvenator Oil can help soften the leather which can help minimize the look of the cracks, but I wouldn't expect it to look 100%. Keep us posted what you end up going with and how things turn out. Also, it's best to use the Leatherique products together as the Prestine Clean is designed to remove the Rejuvenator Oil after it's sat on the seats.

Sounds good, thanks again for your support

George

 

So steps would be Pristine Clean, Rejuvenator Oil, then 303?

 

Actually, Leatherique is slightly different, you let the deeper penetrating Rejuvenator Oil do it's work first, then clean it up with Prestine Clean, then 303 to UV protect. Here's a link to our how-to on Leatherique as it's not laid out to clearly on their labels.

Let us know how things turn out.

George

 

Hey George, I Really need your help on this one. I've got a few yellow spots/bee pollen, I really don't know what it is but we see it a lot here in Fla. I usually get it off quickly but missed a spot and now I can't get it off. I've tried cleaner wax, clay bar, and even bug and tar remover with no luck. Its an IP car and the spots are where you can't miss them. Seems to have gone right into the clearcoat. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Tim

 

Tim,

Good question. Since you've already taken the normal first steps on trying to remove the spots, you're next step is to use a light abrasive polish. If that doesn't work, move up to a more aggressive option, etc. Do you have access to a buffer? If not, I'd try Meguiar's ScratchX first, which can be found locally and offers decent results by hand.

Let us know what you end up going with and how things turn out for you.

George

 

What is a good everyday, spray detailed in between waxes? Easy to apply and looks good

 

Hello George,

Well, It has been a long winter in Chicago and I’m getting ready to detail my black G37S. My first experience was last fall using my Porter Cable 7424 and Menzerna polishes that I got from you last year. They worked great.

I have a few questions for this spring’s endeavor. I had a few areas were someone rubbed against the car that were difficult to completely remove with Menzerna Intensive Polish and the LC orange light cutting pad and the yellow cutting pad, although it did make a major improvement – just not perfection. I purchased some Menzerna Power Gloss Compound to try on these areas.
My plan is to (1) clay, then (2) hit the bad areas with the Power Gloss Compound. What pad(s) do you recommend?
Next (3), I’ll deal with the swirls. Last year I went with the PO106FF Clear Coat Polish first and I had some areas that I had to go over with the Intensive Polish. Since I do have some swirls pretty much all over, should I do the whole car with Intensive Polish followed by Final Polish II? I don’t mind spending the time and I already have the product.

I’ll finish things off with Finishing Touch Glaze (I didn’t try that last year), FMJ and a week later, a coat of Pinnacle Natural Brillant Souverin.

Any other comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

For applicator pads that I use to apply wax, once they are saturated with carnauba wax it's difficult to get all the wax out of the pad easily before I wash them. Since you can wipe down the paint with 70% IPA/water solution to remove all old wax and product, I thought I'd try to pour a little alcohol onto the saturated pad before cleaning. It seemed to dissolve and remove the wax from the pad pretty well. Is this OK to clean them? Obviously I will thoroughly wash and dry them before use again.

 

Hello George,

Just performed my first detail of my g37 over the weekend and have questions about the Optimum car wax.

First of all I live in a condo complex with no outdoor hose and the ONR worked great. After the wash I used the optimum car wax spray and I’m not sure if I applied it correctly. What is the best way to apply this wax, spray on to a microfiber or foam pad and wipe on car, or spray on the car and wipe in with a microfiber? How many coats should I expect to get out of the 17oz bottle? I was spraying onto the car and wiping with a microfiber, but I feel like I used way too much as I applied two coats and only have a quarter bottle left?

How often do you recommend re-applying this product?

Thanks for the insight.

 

One of my favorite maintenance products is Chemical Guys Speed Wipe. Very easy to apply and remove, doesn't streak, smells great and enhances the depth and gloss. It also has some anti-static properties which helps minimize dust build up. Use with a plush microfiber towel and you're good to go.

Sounds like you got a great game plan ahead of you. I'd use the Power Gloss with a yellow pad for maximum cut. Here's the thing, if the IP / orange combo was helping, you can always apply that again and again for improved results. Using Power Gloss is just going to speed up the cutting process and will save you a little time. Regarding the rest of the vehicle, if you have swirls all over, you're probably best off just doing the entire car with IP, then follow up with 106FF or Final Polish II to remove any micro-marring or haze left behind with the IP / orange combo.

For maximum results, be sure you are following these tips when polishing:

- Apply 15 ~ 20 lbs of pressure
- Move the buffer at 1" per second
- Work in small areas first until you get the hang of it, like 12" x 12", then move up to 18" x 18" or so.
- Apply about 3 pea sized drops of polish for each working area
- Pass over each spot of your working area 6 - 8 times prior to removing the broken down polish with a microfiber towel by hand
- Use speed settings between 5 - 6 when polishing
- Use at least 500w halogen lighting to expose the imperfections
- Tape off any trim or area that you do not want polish to get on
- Swap out for a fresh pad every few panels

Everything else is good to go. Be sure to keep us posted on how everything turns out for you.

What you did is perfectly fine. What I try to do is soak them in a degreaser as soon as I'm done to not allow the product to cake up and harden on the pad. After soaking them in a degreaser, sometimes I'll even throw them in the washer and dryer. Just make sure all of the alcohol is removed because it will negate the protective properties of the wax as you apply it if there are remains of the alcohol. Good news is alcohol evaporates rather quickly, so I doubt you have anything to worry about.

Thanks for the post. Sounds like you definitely used too much of the wax. What you might want to consider next time around is misting the product into a foam applicator pad and spreading it as thin as possible. Buff off with a quality microfiber towel. You shouldn't have to use much more than 2 ounces or so for an entire coat. Another thing you can do to maximize the efficiency of the wax is to pick up a 4oz pump spray bottle which will be a much finer mist of product. I use these with virtually all liquid products when I detail. They are significantly more accurate and more effective than trigger sprays.

Hope this helps, keep me posted on how the next time around turns out.

Thanks again for your support.

George

 

George,

Thanks for the input - I just ordered some additional pads and other miscellaneous goodies. Assuming we don't get snow, I'll start this weekend and let you know how things go.

 

The seat in your picture looks EXACTLY like my car. Let me know how the Rejuvenator Oil works. I soaked mine with some Luxol conditioner and it only improved it a little.