How to easily, quickly detail your paint | Project Porsche 911

Update by David S. Wallens to the Porsche 911 Carrera project car
May 22, 2021

Time to wax the Porsche 911 Carrera because, well, it’s been a while.

First step: Get some marching orders from Tim McNair at Grand Prix Concours. Tim has detailed some of the world’s finest cars and also knows that detailing isn’t our life’s work. He hooked us up with a plan that was within our means (meaning it’s fairly idiot-proof.)

Tim had us stick with the Griot’s Garage lineup so we’d be working with compatible products that are easy to source.

Our random orbital polisher would also come from the Griot’s line, as it’s an early model that still keeps delivering the goods. It has to be at least a dozen years old. Older? Yeah, probably.

We recently replaced the backing plate—the original one started to come apart—so we figure it’s good for several more seasons.

Step 1: Quick Detail
Notice that we’re not bucket-washing the car, since that just makes a mess. (This follows Tim’s usual M.O.)

To remove any dust and dirt, we grabbed some Griot’s quick detail and a fluffy microfiber towel, squirting and wiping along the lines of the car. (Also, we buy Speed Shine by the gallon—about $35.)

Step 2: Clay Pad
A clay bar pulls out contaminants from the paint. Lubricate the paint with some quick detail and simply wipe the clay bar over the finish, again working with the lines of the car. Drop that clay bar, though, and it will pick up everything from the ground, rendering it useless.

So we graduated to Griot’s Brilliant Finish Synthetic Clay pad, a $25 investment. When necessary, just rinse it in the sink.

After running the clay bar over each panel—you can feel the coefficient of friction between the pad and paint drop after each pass—we just wipe up any remaining product with a clean, fluffy microfiber towel.

After this step, our paint felt smooth—almost glasslike.

Step 3: Polish
Now to fire up that buffer. While Tim usually uses the Griot’s Correcting Cream on an orange buffer pad, we went with the milder black pad since our paint’s original and we like to worry about stuff. A bottle of the polish (about $24 for a pint) goes a long, long way, as you just apply a few dabs to the pad (figure about $28 for a pair of 6.5-inch pads).

Place the buffer on the paint and turn it on—set the speed to 3.5 to 4.5. Then just buff each panel, again working with the lines of the car. Wipe off any excess and go to the next panel.

Not only could we now see more shine, but we could feel the difference—our paint felt even smoother than before.

Step 4: Fine Polish
Repeat Step 3 but sub in Perfecting Cream, an even finer polish for even more shine. (A pint retails for about $20 and will last forever.)

We again used a black polishing pad and followed the same procedure: Apply a few small dabs to the pad, put the pad against the panel, and then turn on the buffer to 3.5 to 4.5. Then we worked that panel, moving with the lines of the car.

Remember what we said earlier about the paint feeling like glass? We were wrong—now it felt like glass.

Step 5: Wax
Time to protect that rejuvenated finish with some wax, and Tim recommended Griot’s Liquid Poly Wax, a synthetic product that would hold up and deliver a deep gloss.

It costs about $20 for a pint, although for $5 more we got the wax packaged with a foam applicator and wax removal towel—like a microfiber take on traditional terry. Score.

Remember the misery of waxing a car back in the day? No more: We just wiped on the wax, let it dry, and then buffed off any remainder. It was all surprisingly easy.

Step 6: Ceramic 3-In-1 Wax
Tim has recommended Griot’s Ceramic 3-In-1 Wax for our daily drivers because it’s easy to apply and delivers a tough, long-lasting finish. Call this an optional step: After letting the wax sit for a day, we could then apply a coat of Ceramic 3-In-1.

The application process is fairly easy: Spray the wax on the paint, spread it around with a microfiber towel, let the product dry, and then buff to a shine. Plus, the stuff smells good. A 22-ounce bottle sells for about $20 and, again, a little goes a long way.

So, that was our total paint regimen. It sounds like a lot—six full steps—but in reality, everything went down and came off easily. This could be an evening project before that next Sunday drive or cars and coffee.

Afterward, we threw the microfiber towels and pads in the washer with a little Woolite. Just remember: no fabric softeners for microfibers, and don’t run them through the dryer with any other fabrics.

Bonus chat in this video: Tim explains his microfiber towel hierarchy.