What did you do today Auto Detailing related?

[CG6Lemon]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

Bought a new chamois, what a difference. Should have replaced mine long ago.

With your luck you need to park a parking lot away from anywhere you go lol.

Careful with the chamois Chris. It works, but because it does not have any fibers like a microfiber towel, any particle that gets on it will be dragged along the surface of your paint. But if your paint is really clean from a wash, then it's ok but don't use too much pressure, and make sure it's moist before using.

Ok, I'll try that out next time. It did sit in the sun a while before washing, and it was humid.

Speaking of the crows feet and the paint sealant, is there any paint sealant you would recommend? Mine is basically doing the same thing.

I would recommend using Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. You can purchase this at your local Honda dealer inside their parts department. The price is economical, and offers good durability.


http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/klasse-high-gloss-sealant-glaze-ksg-guide-and-review/

Good thing I didn't get the OCW then! I actually ordered a gallon of Meg's D156 yesterday. I hope I didn't make the wrong choice. It was either D156, DG Aquawax, or OCW and D156 seemed to be a happy medium. I couldn't find any info about topping Menz PL with D156 though but D156 seems to be a popular maintenance spray on the AGO forum. After the 2nd coat of PL this weekend, I'll apply D156 after every weekly wash. Is this a good combo?

Thanks again Lemmy!

It's not the most durable product, but if you're applying every week after a wash then it's not a problem in terms of durability issues. I personally never used this product, but I have OCW, and DG AW, and I would of bought DG AW instead.

Thanks for the Response. Thats pretty much what I was thinking, seal it for now and respray in the future. I saw some carbon fiber looking vinyl that a company sells, might use it as a cheap temporary option until I can afford a respray. When I do a respray I will probably shoot the hood and roof.

The roof is a little oxidized but not too bad, the clear is a little too thin to do any major polishing, Ill just seal it/keep it waxed and clean for now.

Any recommendations on a good paint sealant?

I would recommend using Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. You can purchase this at your local Honda dealer inside their parts department. The price is economical, and offers good durability.


http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/klasse-high-gloss-sealant-glaze-ksg-guide-and-review/

 

[spacemonkee23]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

Polished my other set of OEM headlights for my auto accord today. The method I used was just compound, then polish, and coating them. The headlights were in "OK" condition so it did not require any sanding. I coated them anyways so I don't have to touch them for a while even though the original UV coating is still intact.

When you say "coated them" do you mean aerosol can of clear coat? I keep polishing mine to have them dull out in a few weeks. I just polish with some compound and put a coat of wax on them but now that I don't park in a garage anymore they dull faster. I want to get more longevity out of each polish.

Reccomendations?

Oh and thanks for recommending the sealant, I'm going to grab some and seal it up this weekend.

 

[RedRyder]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

Careful with the chamois Chris. It works, but because it does not have any fibers like a microfiber towel, any particle that gets on it will be dragged along the surface of your paint. But if your paint is really clean from a wash, then it's ok but don't use too much pressure, and make sure it's moist before using.

Thanks Lemon. I only use the chamois after a good wash, and I never use it on the lip kit or anything else that’s very close to the ground to prevent picking up dirt. And I always spray it before I start using it. If I don’t do a thorough wash I won’t use it just for the reasons you mentioned. I didn't know about using proper pressure though, thanks for the heads up.

I have a buffer I’m probably going to ask you how to use eventually. I’ve had it for awhile but never took the time to see what I need to use it properly.

 

[99cfENVYv6]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

Its not really detail related, but I got a rip in one of my Sparcos fixed today

 

[CG6Lemon]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

When you say "coated them" do you mean aerosol can of clear coat? I keep polishing mine to have them dull out in a few weeks. I just polish with some compound and put a coat of wax on them but now that I don't park in a garage anymore they dull faster. I want to get more longevity out of each polish.

Reccomendations?

Oh and thanks for recommending the sealant, I'm going to grab some and seal it up this weekend.

Sorry for not being more clear/specific. I was referring to the coating I was using, which is the Optimum Lense Coating product. For the headlights, if you have to regularly polish them because of yellowing then there is a strong chance the UV inhibitors are gone/greatly diminished.

Thanks Lemon. I only use the chamois after a good wash, and I never use it on the lip kit or anything else that’s very close to the ground to prevent picking up dirt. And I always spray it before I start using it. If I don’t do a thorough wash I won’t use it just for the reasons you mentioned. I didn't know about using proper pressure though, thanks for the heads up.

I have a buffer I’m probably going to ask you how to use eventually. I’ve had it for awhile but never took the time to see what I need to use it properly.

Glad to help out Chris. Any chance you still remember the brand of your machine?

Its not really detail related, but I got a rip in one of my Sparcos fixed today

Nice Chris. You DIY, or paid someone to fix it?

 

[CG6Lemon]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

A quick review of Poorboy's world trim restorer




Brief product overview: (Copy and pasted from Detailedimage)



POORBOY'S TRIM RESTORER is a unique formula designed to restore and condition grained trim and more. It takes away the white haze from products that get embedded into grainy plastic parts and leaves the surface clean, dry and looking new. TRIM RESTORER can be used on vinyl, vinyl tops, grained plastic, rubber, and more.









Before using this "dressing", it is not a dye, or a trim coating, proper prep is required for it to work as best as possible. I used an All purpose cleaner ( Zep Citrus from HomeDepot) to clean the surface to ensure the trim is bare with nothing on top.



Started with a clean towel, then ended up with dirt and stains from the trim alone.















When applying the dressing, use a generous amount. A little goes a long way, but don't try to conserve and use a little dab for a big area. After applying, I let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the pores from the plastic trim to absorb as much as possible before buffing it off.



Here are some 50/50 shots















Zoomed out shots











Next I did a small part of the windshield cowl. Started with a really faded, grey texture. Then applied the dressing which gave it a nice low sheen "refreshed" look again. This dressing will not restore anything because that's not what this product is designed to do. The dressing will wear off with normal driving conditions, and is not permanent.



Some 50/50 shots




















Last minute thoughts and impressions of the product:



This product will go a long way because it does not require much product consumption per application. Price wise is okay IMO for this specific type of product. As far as how how this product performed, first impressions were good. The trim was brought back to life, but I will need to test the durability of the product to see how long it will hold up after normal driving in the sun and a couple washes. The product works, and offers a nice uniform dressed look.




Thanks for viewing, appreciate any thoughts or comments. Always happy to answer any intrigued minded questions.

 

[coops-sedan]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

Today I reconditioned my leather and it looks damn good

 

[CG6Lemon]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

The Benefits of using two buckets instead of one




One of the most common practices in auto detailing to this day is using one bucket for soap and rinse. The concerns with using one bucket to wash your car, and at the same time redepositing the dirt that was on the surface back into the same soap bucket is asking for trouble. What happens is the soap bucket is suppose to be the "delegated" soap bucket only, and was not meant to be cross contaminated with other particles.


You want the soap bucket to be as clean as possible everytime the wash mitt is re dipped to gather more soap. The idea behind the 2 buckets is to have one bucket for soap only, and the other bucket filled with only water for rinsing off your wash mitt after every panel of washing your car. This way the dirt from the surface of the car will stay in the rinse bucket and when you re dip the wash mit into the soap bucket, the mit will be as clean as possible to not reintroduce any dirt back onto the wash mit then back to dragging the dirt onto your car.



It would go like this:

Dip mit into soap bucket
Wash one panel
Rinse off mit from rinse bucket
Re dip mit into soap bucket
Wash 2nd panel
Repeat from here for rest of the car




Here I have 1 bucket filled with soap







Now we have two buckets, one filled with soap, and one with water







A tip for the rinse bucket is to use a Grit Guard in conjunction.







What this does is that it sits on the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, and it offers 2-3 inches levitation from the bottom of the bucket. This will act as a separator from the loose dirt and the fresh water from swirling around when you put in the wash mit to rinse off the loose dirt. The dirt will sink to the bottom and only clean water will be accessible on top of the Grit Guard.



An example of how it sits in the bucket, and all the dirt from not washing my car for one month after a car wash

















Now is the Grit Guard an absolutely necessary tool when washing your car? I would say no, but if you are going to try your best to not inflict any swirls to your paint, why go through all the effort to leave out something so simple to ruin all the hard work you've invested. I would highly recommend trying the 2 bucket method for those still using 1 bucket. Thanks for taking the time to read through this, and as always I'm looking for feedback on anything anyone is interested in and wants to know a little more info.

 

[CG6Lemon]

Re: What did you do today Detailing related?

How can a Gilmour Foam Gun help with your wash process?




Before I knew such a tool existed, I used a hose attached with a sprayer/nozzle. Now that I've tried one, I would "never" wash a car without one. What is a foam gun? A foam gun is attached to a garden hose which intakes soap from a canister and puts out foam to emulsify, break down, loosen dirt, and most important of all, offers exceptionally more lubrication compared to hosing it down with only water.



How it works: Not my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdQuAadi-pk



This is the foam gun with a quick disconnect on it







Here it is all assembled ready to go. It comes with both ends of the quick disconnect attached to your nozzle. I personally added a shut off valve to the hose.







To demonstrate the foam gun's qualities, here is a clean towel before use.







The condition of my car without a wash for one month. A thick layer of dust/dirt on the surface of the paint clouding the reflections







To make things as fair as possible, I will rinse down the rear bumper with a strong jet of water







After the initial rinse, I dipped the towel into my soap bucket and wiped it across the whole top surface of the rear bumper. The amount of dirt accumulated on the towel shows the initial rinse only knocked off loose dirt from the bumper, anything else did not come off.







In this picture, I focused on foaming the trunk area, and let the soap dwell for 2 minutes before rinsing it off. At this point, I did not do any wiping/agitation, just foamed and rinsed.







Afterwards, I did the same thing and used a clean towel dipped into the soap bucket and wiped down the whole top part of the trunk. The result of implementing a pre wash with the foam gun already removed 75-85% of the layer of dust/light dirt without even touching it. The result of the towel only shows very light dirt.













This tool have become a staple in my arsenal which I cannot afford to not have. For those that do weekly or bi weekly washes, this tool is the perfect choice to use. Simply, foam the whole car, rinse it off, and dry your car off. It is that simple, easy to use, and adds a fun factor whenever you wash your car. Anyone that is interested, I will leave a link below to be able to do some more research before purchasing. Thanks for viewing guys. If anyone have any questions about the foam gun, feel free to ask away. I guaranteed you won't be disappointed with the purchase, that's how much confidence I have in this tool.



http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-95QGFMR-Foamaster-Cleaning-Sprayer/dp/B000Y190WE

 

[puzzlemaster94]

So Lem, I got a question. I'm trying to finish my front lip and my paint will not stick in some areas. It just splits. The surface has been sanded with wet 600 grit, cleaned, and I even used an air compressor to make sure. Still won't stick in some areas. Here's a picture