Accelerando

While I left Putrajaya in the evening, the weather was pretty fine. However as I approached the Damansara Toll, the sky started to drizzle and the road was damp (damn). My car turned into a piece of dirty junk when I reached home. Rain had stopped, quickly without wasting time, I washed the entire car again. Before I started, I used a stopwatch to clock the time I need to wash the whole car. Guess what? It turned out to be 35 mins.! What an amazing short period of time while usually I will take in between 60 to 90 mins.. Since I washed this car 2 days ago, so I skipped a few tasks:

1. Wheel well scrubbing and dressing
2. Inner wheels washing

Above tasks could easily take up 10 mins. more and assume I did it, the total time would still be 45 mins.. All this happened because I used fast movement and proper techniques to avoid swirling. Following tips for faster washing process:

1. Two-bucket method - traps dirt in the clear water (non-shampoo) bucket
2. Good quality shampoo - excellent lubricity and washing power yet gentle on paintwork
3. Good quality wash mitt - offers great buffer zone
4. Good quality drying towel - scratch-free yet effective drying
5. Systematic - knowing which panel to go through in order

Keeping in mind that having your car washed frequently is the best protection you can give to your car over long term period. No wax or sealant could offer sufficient protection if your car is not washed for more than 2 weeks and parked outdoor.

Detailing Speed

The wound on my hand has recovered tremendously, I'm able to detail cars now. Yesterday I washed the Iswara (which was not washed for 3 weeks), and it didn't take me too long - just 1 hour. Thanks to the M21 Synthetic Sealant which managed to seal up the paint for added protection. Today I wash the Getz and it turned out well too within an hour.

I notice that the speed of detailing is important. It's even more crucial for detailing centers. Time is money. Being fast could lead to two outputs:

• poor quality - cutting corners
• excellent result - complete steps taken

Definitely a good quality detailer will choose the second output to maintain the reputation. However, it takes lots of practices to do things fast yet accurate, just like a skillful pianist. Each task needs to be planned properly, and performed without hesitation. I believe this will cut down the time and fatigue...Customers will be happier too.

Warped Plate

The cut on my hand has recovered 90% plus the weather was very fine. Really a nice evening to wash the Accord (Hasn't been washed for 12 days!). Within an hour, everything was done. However, found out that the new rear number plate has warped! It means more time needed to take it out, to remove the double-sided tape residue, and to replace the old one. I'm going to contact the number plate shop to ask for a replacement. Such a poor quality plastic.

Forced to Rest

The only time when I will not touch detailing at all is when the weather is bad or I don't have free time. This time, it's gonna be a few days of penalty...hand got cut. What a day...

Unidentified Overspray Object (UOO)

I couldn't believe that I didn't detail any cars during the 7 days long break. My car was left unwashed for 11 days to be exact. It went through over 600kms of mileage since the last wash. Being uncomfortable, I got the chance to wash it this evening after work. It took me 1 hour 10 mins to complete a simple wash and dry activity. It looked flawless under evening low light condition. Here's a tiny glimpse of the sleek look.


As usual, nothing can be hidden under the fluorescent light. Immediately I spotted tonnes of tiny white specs on the roof! Wait, not only that, the recently-clayed bonnet and windscreen were also covered with those tiny white specs! Not much on the vertical surfaces and there's none at the rear windscreen. From this, I suspect that the finish was contaminated while driving. These tiny white specs are quite stubborn, fingernails might be able to get rid a few, but it'll take a zillion years. Without wasting much time, I proceeded with clay. Luckily these white specs were removed after a few gentle careful passes. It took me about 45 mins just to clay the whole roof and 15 mins to finish up with the front windscreen.

After that, I then applied M82 Swirl Free Polish with DA machine to remove mild swirls and topped up with M21 Synthetic Sealant. A very fine thin layer of M21 prevents from patchy problem. Everything took me an extra 2.5 hours and the bonnet was still untouched! Guess I have to do it after the next round of car wash. Till now, I still have no idea what are those tiny white specs...UOO...