mc2hill

I have been able to find the green 3M tape at most auto parts stores in the paint area. And I have also found it sticks better than the blue, and is not a problem to get off. It keeps polish from dumping down the seams, but I remove it from the seams before waxing.

Thanks guys, it was good working with my son. The tape is the thin tape (1/2" I guess) in C6Bill's link, picked it up at Autozone, but have seen in most auto parts stores in the paint section. This was the first time I have used it, but it saved the black trim and kept polish from dumping down the seams. We took it off the seams for waxing, but left it on the trim, and it did save time. I tried the blue tape once before on the windshield trim on my truck, but the green sticks to the trim better, and comes up just as easy. Thanks to Richie C. for the tips on using tape. Also, the green tape looks neat on the car and it makes it look like really you know what you are doing!

My son and I spent the day yesterday detailing his Grandmothers Grand Marquis. Man, that car has a lot of paint! It was a test run for him and me - him to get a chance to see if he would like to do this as a summer job (and as a 'Thank You' to his Grandmother for selling him her old Crown Vic for $1), and me to see what 'mobile' detailing would be like. I have never detailed another person's car without getting anything out of it (GF's and my wife) so this was a 'Thank You' from me as well. Total time spent was about 7.5 hours, but not all working, and my son was learning the 'correct' wash and PC procedures. We started with the wheel wells, tires, & wheels using APC and a variety of brushes, then on to the wash with a heavy concentration to help strip the wax, and drying with Detail Spray and waffle towels. That went fairly quickly, but we kept having to stop and clear the car - we were working under an 150 year old oak tree that dropped things on the car all day! We taped off the car and did a little 'spot' correction with the SHR with the white pad, removing a few scratches, and then moved on the FMP (when the pictures where taken). We each took turns with the PC and detailing the leather interior (with the 'Daily Special' on Leather Cleaner and Leather Conditioner from a few weeks ago). After applying Undercarriage spray to the wheel wells and SMW with the black pads, we wiped the door jambs with Detail Spray and hit the tires and black trim with VRT (love the new blue sponges for the tires!), then removed the wax with the Blue towels. Finally done! My mother-in-law was amazed at the way the car looked. She didn't' really know what 'detailing' meant, I guess she thought we would just wash the car and maybe put some Turtle Wax on it. She just kept walking around the car commenting on how shiny it was, as we cleaned the tools and put the things back in the crates to take home (and wiped off more stuff from the tree). Not sure if my son made up his mind about doing this for money (but the $20 tip he got did bring a smile), and I know that for me it was gratifying seeing her reaction and to see how good the car could look after some work. BTW, she called today to say the she talked to everyone at church today and hopes that my son does decide to do this because several of her friends want their cars done!

When you have finished cleaning the pad, put it back on the PC, set it to 5 or 6, stick the PC down in your wash bucket, and turn it on. It only takes a few seconds to sling the water out. Now set it out to finish drying (I use the Grit Guard as drying rack), or begin using it again.

I would agree with Sundog & jjwvette and disagree with Rich & Devin when using the 2 bucket method and only 1 Grit Guard. I clean the wash mitt on the Grit Guard in the rinse bucket (thus causing my 'sud gloves'), so the dirt stays at the bottom of the rinse bucket, and the wash bucket stays clean, but still only reload the mitt in top 2/3 of the wash water. I'll probably get another Grit Guard when Richie C. has some. And I'm using mine right now to dry some detailing sponges and wash mitts!

My DD is a black Frontier. I wanted the Solar Yellow, but my wife and son both said they would never ride in it. After some time spent considering that, I went with my 2nd choice, Super Black. Nothing looks better when it is clean (as others have said, that is only about 5 minutes), but it does take lots of care. My wife drives a silver Honda, always looks good, and my son has a light blue Crown Vic G-ride (a gift from his Grandmother) that never looks dirty. That being said, if I got another car it would definitely be black.

Before someone beats me to it... :worth: Love to see some pictures of your hard work!

Ok, so I'm using the two bucket method with a wash bucket, rinse bucket with Grit Guard, and the regular size wash pad. My question is how much water do you put in the rinse bucket? I've been filling the 4.25 gal bucket about 1/2 full, but end up the 'sud gloves' after wiping the wash pad on the Grit Guard. Is that just the way it works or am I using too much/not enough water? BTW, spent the day today washing and doing a full interior detail on the wife's Accord; it makes her happy and then she doesn't mind me feeding my Adam's addiction.

1BAD'66, my question is who stole a whole rack of rods & reels?

I use Rain-X Bug Remover washer fluid; it works well on the bugs and applies Rain-X as well. I agree that you don't need the wipers at highway speeds, but sometimes it makes if difficult to find the 'correct' wiper speed when driving around town!

I was able to work on this a little yesterday and found WD-40 did a good job on removing the marks on the step rails. I just sprayed it on and rubbed with a towel. It will take some time, but that seems to be the way to go. As for the roof racks, Richie C. took a look that them yesterday and wasn't sure what was causing the spots, but it could be the coating is just 'giving up' after 10 years in the Florida sun. The finish is very thin on the middle racks so that makes sense. I guess that's why Nissan switched from the powder-coating to painted racks in the 2nd generation Frontiers. Thanks for your input Bill.

I was able to work on this a little yesterday and found WD-40 did a good job on removing the marks on the step rails. I just sprayed it on and rubbed with a towel. It will take some time, but that seems to be the way to go. As for the roof racks, Richie C. took a look that them yesterday and wasn't sure what was causing the spots, but it could be the coating is just 'giving up' after 10 years in the Florida sun. The finish is very thin on the middle racks so that makes sense. I guess that's why Nissan switched from the powder-coating to painted racks in the 2nd generation Frontiers. Thanks for everyone's input.

No, but I'll give that a try. I'm headed to see Richie C. today to pick up some more Adam's products and I'll ask him to take a look at the spots.

Bill you are everywhere! No, I haven't taken them off yet.

Finally some pictures from my detailing session last weekend. Spent the day Saturday with the PC and it worked great! Much more to learn about removing scratches, but it looks better already. A question - What's missing in these pictures? (besides Undercarriage spray, which I'm picking up from Richie C. this weekend)

Keep it pink! When using DS for post-wash drying it is easier to see the pink drops to know where I have sprayed. Clear would look just like the water. Great stuff!

I did a full detail on my truck last weekend (yeah PC and Adams!). You can imagine my disappointment when I saw pollen all over the truck before work on Monday. Last night I rinsed off the pollen with a free-flowing hose, sprayed on the Detail Spray, and wiped it off with a MF towel. Now it looks just like I detailed again! As a side note I can't get over how much difference there is when using a quality micro-fiber towel vs. the cheap warehouse ones. They just keeping sucking up the water! I did the windows last figuring "well I'll get most of the water off with the damp towel, then get a dry one to finish". The wet towel did just as good a job as the dry towel would have.

Thanks Adam. The black spots on the step rails are probably from shoes, if that makes any difference, not sure what the spots on the roof racks are. I'll give the 3M a try. If that doesn't work I'll talk to Richie about it when I do a re-order with him in the next week.

Finally some pictures! I tried 50/50 APC with a stiff brush, without much success. Roof rack Step rails (Notice the nice shiney black step - VRT baby!) Step rails(closeup)

Adam, That's odd that microfiber is only made overseas. Another company I have dealt with, http://bluejeanscable.com/ (sort of like Adam's for A/V cables), had the same problems with HDMI cables. There were only a few factories in the world making HDMI cables, all in China. They have quality cables produced for reasonable prices, and were finally able to offer cables made in the US(although still terminated in China). I too am not a fan of Wal-Mart and their 'cheap' prices for imported products. (The only thing I every buy there is Coleman camping fuel for our hurricane supplies.) I prefer paying a little more to purchase non- Asian made products (especially American made). Thanks for your great products and keeping the money flowing at home! OK, off the soap box now.

I'm a little late to the party, but I have a few suggestions: Could the microfiber be just around the waist? Maybe a layer of MF over the pocket? That way the cost could be kept down and it would be a little stiffer on the top [*]I was thinking of asking my sister-in-law to make me an apron, but didn't like the idea of the cord loop having a Velcro closure if I wanted to wash it; maybe a plastic snap instead [*]Also maybe two lengths or a way to shorten it

I'll get some up over the weekend.

I have a Frontier with the silver roof racks and running boards (powder coated I think) and am having trouble getting them clean. I usually just wipe them when I am washing the truck and have not put any other products on them, but there are some spots and marks that I would like to remove. Any recommendations?

Thanks GATOR CREW. I'm glad you didn't wear Richie out too much at your event, so he could still work on the sweet Foose Challenger later that evening !

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. When I get a PC in a few weeks I'll do before and after of my black Frontier.