Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin

Sure that’s a good question. So i guess I should have taken a video to best communicate. I do it more preventatively, for foam pads about after every panel or 2. For microfiber and wool pads, you’ll see they get matted and the fibers get all smooshed down. It’s evident with how little theyre able to cut. It kinda looks like they’re just pushing liquid around instead of working it into the panel. I like to do those about every half-1 panel. for this instance on headlights, I would basically just go over the whole headlight for 3 ish passes and then use the brush. But basically I flipped it to where the pad faces upward, and there’s a brush that you can buy, other people use compressed air. when I have the option I use both. But I think I prefer compressed air. The brush can eat the pads up if you apply too much pressure. let me know if this made sense or if I need to clarify

Thanks, Rich. Had fun doing it. Hope I get mor like these LOL I hope so. Dasher was fearless. Seemed like he wanted to come help when I was using the swirl killer. Thank you sir! I appreciate your advice prior to this job! I really enjoyed working on this rav4. I hope to get more like this. Twas a very rewarding experience. Thank you. It was my first time using the gauge. I calibrated it and it gave pretty consistent readings, in your experience, did those numbers sound correct? when I used it to test the readings on my vehicle, which is a 2017, I believed I got consistent readings of 170-180um. Does that sound right? Thanks Matt. I hope I can get some more jobs like this one. Glad you were able to read it! Thanks for reading Ray! Was definitely inspired by your previous write ups. Also thanks for the helpful advice leading up to this job! thats a good idea!

Thanks guys! oooh i see. Thank you! Would you typically use an aggressive sand paper like I did on the white odyssey? Or do you usually just stick to compound and polish? also what are your thoughts on that 16v cordless polisher? Is that the Milwaukee that looks like a small drill?

@ObsessedDetailer do you know if that brush is boars hair? Or what it’s made out of?

Pictures and videos updated

I want to share my process this weekend and get some feed back from you guys on how I can improve. I apologize for all the words. A lot of this detail was me testing some different methods, so I had a lot of thoughts. Basically this is a fun research project. I got to spend some time this weekend with my brother and I detailed his car for him. I focused on the exterior. I was with him Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Friday When I got there it was getting late around 5pm. With the sun finding it's resting place, I decided it was too late to fully commit to washing or doing anything extensive. So while the sun was out, I went around the car and inspected the paint in the sun and with a swirl finder flashlight. I assessed what needed to be done. I also had to keep in mind that chasing perfection is out the window at this point. 1. The paint was very neglected. There was peeling clearcoat on the hood, and peeling was especially bad on the roof. on the doors and other vertical panels, there were a few small spots that had some peeling, but for the most part it was pretty intact. 2. There were several deep scratches all around the car, but when I was looking for swirls or really fine surface scratches, they were present, but pretty hard to see. No matter which angle I faced or which light source I used, it was difficult to successfully locate the swirls. I don't know if that's a product of that light paint color, or if the paint was so worn down that the swirls had pretty much been leveled. Idk - not sure how it works. Other than the swirls though, the paint still seemed to have some oxidation or lack of depth. 3. The gray texturized plastic trim on the doors and bumpers was painted very very similarly to paint used on the wheel arches (fender flairs(?)). Had I not done my inspection, I probably would have polished right over the trim thinking it was paint it looked so similar. 4. The black trim around the windows was also noticeably faded. Unfortunately I didn't think I had time to do a trim restorer, so I just planned to do a VRT on them. 5. The headlights were oxidized and yellow 6. The wheels and tires looked like they had been rolled around in soot or smoked in the green egg. 7. Glass was in decent condition 8. Interior seats were ripping and need some serious attention beyond my current skills. This inspection was important because it helped to figure out what I needed to prepare for the detail, and it helped me begin to form a plan. I decided that I would focus on the exterior with a proper wheel and tire cleaning, strip wash, decontamination, polish, and wax. Saturday Prepare First thing I did in the morning was pick out the chemicals and tools I needed for the day. Headlight Restoration I decided that my first move would be to pull out my swirl killer and kill the headlight oxidation. I started off by using diluted rinseless wash to do a quick wipe down on the headlights and make sure there wasn't any dirt or dust on them. Then I started using my swirl killer on a test section until I figured out what process I was happy with. I will post a separate post about 2 methods I was testing for headlight restoration. Here's the one process I settled on for the RAV 4 headlights: Step 1: Heavy Correcting Compound on a synthetic wool pad, about 3 passes. Step 2: Heavy Correcting Compound on a microfiber pad, about 3 passes, use the pad conditioning brush, spray some DS on the pad, and go for another 3-4 passes Step 3: Heavy Correcting Compound on a blue pad, about 3 passes, spritz DS, and go for another 3 passes Step 4: Finishing Polish on a white pad, about 3 passes, spriz DS, and go for another 3-5 passes until the liquid was pretty oily looking. Step 5: (during polishing stage) Revive Hand Polish I'm pretty happy with the results, I see that its not quite perfect but its better and the goal was to improve visibility and not leave a flawless car. So the goal was achieved. See my headlight restoration post for other thoughts and to see my test of this method compared with another method. I decided to do headlight restoration before the wash with the expectation for the oxidation residue and the polish liquids to sling everywhere, and boy was I right. the area under the lights would drip with yellow-brown oxidation, and the hood/windshield/my clothes ended up having specs of polish all over the place. I even took measures to use less liquids and make sure it was spread all over the headlight - still got everywhere. Wheel and Tire Cleaning Wheels, Tires, and Wheel wells were nasty. So I selected some powerful chemicals to use on them. I had full strength Eco APC, full strength Wheel and Tire Cleaner, full strength Wheel Cleaner, and Full strength Tire and Rubber Cleaner. I also had a bucket filled with water and car shampoo with all my tools in it. Keep in mind I do one wheel/tire completely before moving to the next. 1. Wheel Wells - I started by spraying Eco APC all in the wheel wells. Letting it sit for a while then brushing to help knock some stuff off. There was some kind of something coated at the top of the wheel well, and that stuff didn't budge, and I don't know that it ever will. So I left it and moved on. 2. Tires - Then I sprayed wheel and tire cleaner all over the tire and into the barrel of the wheels and into the lugnuts to start working some of the nastiness down there. I then agitated the tires, rinsed and repeated until the tires started to foam white instead of orange. 3. Wheel Barrels - I used a generous amount of Eco APC and Wheel Cleaner into the barrels and on the wheel face. I followed by using the turbo stick which was incredible for the barrels. I love that tool. If I noticed the turbo stick or the wheel looking like they were drying I would spray some Eco APC and/or Wheel cleaner on the tool and wheel and keep going. Once the barrels were clean, I moved onto the face of the wheel. 4. Wheel Faces - I started using the red wheel brush, but noticed I needed some more bite to get some of that stuff off. So I carefully used a brush that was a little bit stiffer (about similar to Adams Tire Brush) to try and get some of the darker spots and it worked pretty well. After that I went back to the red wheel brush and had some good luck finishing the wheels. 5. Rinse. Once I rinsed, they actually shined! Strip Wash Before I rinsed the vehicle I made sure to have my buckets and foam canon prepared. I mixed about 3oz strip wash, 1 oz mega foam and filled the rest of a 16oz with warm water into my foam canon. and about the same amount of soap into a 5 gallon bucket with my wash media. 1. Rinse - Got big pieces dirt/dust/leaves off 2. Foam - Foamed the entire vehicle and allowed it to dwell for 3-5 minutes 3. Hand Wash - Used my mitt and thoroughly cleaned the vehicle. For hard to reach spots I would gently use a boars hair brush. 4. Clay - While the car was still wet and soapy I used a clay mitt and detail spray for extra lubrication. on non-peeling paint and glass. 5. Rinse 6. Iron Remover - I sprayed Iron Remover on all paint including the peeling paint (I should have done this before clay, but I was worried about time and not thinking) 7. Rinse 8. Dry with a microfiber towel. For hard to reach areas I used a sidekick blaster in conjunction with my towel. Interior Not much to say here. I did it quick and easy. Took the rubber mats out and used Rubber Mat and Liner Cleaner. Vaccumed the floor, used Interior Detailer on seats and plastic/vinyl. I used the new holiday odor neutralizer and it smelled nice. I used the new Tire Shine on the rubber mats, used foam first to spread, then a microfiber to spread/dry. Then I left in the sun for about 30 minutes. They returned back to a dark matte black. Trim/Wheel/Tire Protection I applied VRT on the trim, it needs more attention but I didn't have the time this weekend. I used the new Tire Shine on the tires, and H20 Guard and Gloss on the wheels. Polish I don't think I would consider this a true paint correction considering I wasn't trying to tackle any scratches really. My goal was just to remove oxidation and reveal a new layer of clear coat to improve clarity and depth to the paint. I really only had a small area to work on considering 1/3 of the vehicle was peeling clear coat and the other 1/3 was textured plastic trim. So I really only polished the quarter panels, the top half of the doors on each side. Considering the rest of the paint was in such bad shape I took extra measures to make sure I didn't worsen the condition of any of the paint that was still okay.Before starting with any polish, I used a paint thickness gauge and took readings around the car. I noticed that in most of the places where I had planned to put the polisher, I was getting a pretty consistent reading of 120-130 micrometers (µm). I also took reading of the paint where it was peeling. Where clearcoat was still present on the hood, my readings were consistently about 115-125µm and where there was no clearcoat, my readings were pretty consistently around 91-92µm. I thought clear coats were much thicker than color base coats, but I since it was from 2001, I didn't know if those are normal readings for 20 year old paint which was painted using a 20 year old process. Anyways, I trusted my numbers, and, to be safe, made an assumption that the clear coat ended abound 100µm. I decided that if I took any reading below 110µm, I would stop polishing there to avoid any damaging the paint. I proceeded with a test section and I took readings after each step to see how much clear coat was being removed. I taped off a 2x2 section on one of the doors to do a test section and figure out what process I wanted to use first. Least aggressive first always!: 1. Revive Hand Polish - I started with Revive Hand Polish with a Blue Hex Grip Applicator by hand. There was a visible improvement but not as much as I was looking for. Thickness readings about 0-1 µm removed. 2. Finishing Polish - Then I used Finishing Polish with a White Pad on a high speed with my Swirl Killer. Visually, I felt like it was starting to get some where, but I felt like I could do a little bit better. Thickness readings about 2 µm removed. 3. Correcting Polish - I moved to Correcting Polish with an Orange Pad on high speed, and when I wiped away the residue, I was very happy with the depth and clarity that was produced. Thickness readings about 4-6 µm removed. I settled on using a one step process with Correcting Polish and Orange Pad running the Show. I think it turned out pretty nicely. It only took Two orange pads, one for each side of the car (not including what I used on the test section). I used the pad conditioning brush after every panel or every other panel depending on how I thought the pad was preforming, and I would spritz DS on the pad in the middle of polishing each panel. Total time was about 50 minutes after I did my test section figured out what process I wanted to use. Keep in mind, I was doing a small portion of a small car with only one step. Something minor that I did and think it was worth it, was once I put up the polisher and cleaned up to move on to the next step, I used Revive Hand Polish on the Head lights and Tail lights. I think it worked very well on both! Sunday Protection It was starting to get dark again, so I finished the night off by using Ceramic Spray Coating on both the Windshield and the Headlights to preserve the restoration. To use Ceramic Spray Coating: (on glass) I made sure to clay the glass during the wash, then use glass cleaner thoroughly and for the surface to be completely clean, smooth, and dry before applying CSC. I sprayed it directly into a microfiber applicator, and used the microfiber applicator in a cross hatch pattern to cover the drivers half of the windshield. As soon as that stuff hit the glass it seemed to be flashing. It was completely rainbow before I finished the cross hatch. So I ran quickly to the other side, and I applied the same way on the other half of the windshield. Then I quickily ran over and got my suede removal towel and carefully and thoroughly leveled the coating, first on the drivers side, then passengers. (on headlights) I used a Surface Prep and made sure it was clean and dry before I applied and leveled the same way I did for the windshield. At this point I put my stuff away, and told myself I would pick up in the morning, that way the coating will cure while I wait to come back. Wax The next morning quickly wiped down the vehicle of any dust with diluted rinsless wash. Then I pulled out the Swirl Killer and Red Pad again. I thought Ceramic Liquid Wax was the candidate for this job, so I applied it using the machine. I would apply to 2 panels before I removed with a double soft towel. I thought it came out nicely. I had a friend come by and help me everybody say thanks to this little guy.

This weekend I did two different methods of Headlight Restoration. One was a 10 Step Restoration on a really yellow really badly oxidized set of lights. (Beat up 2004 White Honda Odyssey) The other was a 5 Step restoration on a not as badly oxidized set of lights. (2001 Toyota Rav4) My goal with these headlights were not to make them perfect (although I tried, but just to cut away the oxidation and improve visibility for night time driving. To start with on both, I wiped down the headlights with diluted Rinseless Wash to remove any dirt or dust. Then taped off the paint, the grill and the rubber pieces surrounding the headlight. On each I did a test section to figure out what process I wanted to do. 10 Step Restoration: Step 1: Wet Sand with 600 grit Sand Paper by hand Step 2: Wet Sand with 800 grit Sand Paper by hand Step 3: Wet Sand with 1200 grit Sand Paper by hand Step 4: Wet Sand with 2000 grit Sand Paper by machine with soft foam interface, (after machine use by hand to get into the corners and areas where polisher wouldn't reach. Step 5: Wet Sand with 3000 grit Sand Paper by machine with soft foam interface. Step 6: Heavy Correcting Compound and Microfiber Pad by machine (multiple passes and stops to use conditioning brush and spritz DS or add more HCC) Step 7: Sprayable Compound and Microfiber Pad by Machine (multiple passes and stops to use conditioning brush and spritz DS or add more SC) Step 8: Sprayable Compound and Blue Foam Pad by Machine (multiple passes and stops to use conditioning brush and spritz DS or add more SC) Step 9: Finishing Polish with White Pad Step 10: Revive Hand Polish with Blue Hex Grip Applicator (Forgive the Loud Background Noise, I wasn't able to figure out how to turn the audio down) (Forgive the Loud Background Noise, I wasn't able to figure out how to turn the audio down) I found this very effective for really cutting away the nastiness and revealing a fully new layer of plastic. Wet sanding is a bit of a scary process. Seeing sanding marks is very unsettling even when you know that if you follow the process it will work. I found that there were a good number of scratches left in the headlight plastic that I couldn't get out. Im not completely sure, but I imagine that's a matter of spending more time with the 2000 and 3000 grit and the Heavy correcting compound to make sure I properly phase out the previous sanding marks. Anyways the plastic is very clear after this method, just has some scratches which I should have spent more time getting out. Picture above shows headlight on the right has not been restored vs. the one on the left which has been restored. 5 Step Restoration: Step 1: Heavy Correcting compound on a Synthetic Wool Pad by Machine (multiple passes, stopping to use conditioning brush once and spritzing DS) Step 2: Heavy Correcting Compound on One Step Pad by machine (multiple passes, stopping to use conditioning brush once and spritzing DS) Step 3: Heavy Correcting Compound on Blue Foam Pad (multiple passes, stopping to use conditioning brush once and spritzing DS) Step 4: Finishing Polish with White Pad Step 5: Revive Hand Polish with Blue Hex Grip Applicator It's clear to see that this is an immense improvement and definitely will improve visibility. This way left a scratch free surface, but I'm afraid it didn't cut all the way through the oxidation. There's still a very very light haze. Protection: After the Revive Hand Polish on both sets of headlights, I then used a surface prep, and applied Ceramic Spray Coating. Comparison: In conclusion, I'm going to guess that the 10 Step Method was the way to go. I think I successfully cut through all the oxidation,and onto a new layer of plastic. I believe the sanding introduced some scratches along the way and I'll have to get some more practice to figure out how effectively get those scratches out during the process. With the 5 Step Method, I think It will work for a little while, but I think the clarity will start to disappear. I say that because I don't think I got to a new layer of plastic. I think I just cut away some of the nastiness.

Hey John, I got my sidekick second hand and it didn't come with the fan attachment. I've been looking for one, but it doesn't seem like metrovac sells the attachments separately so I would have to order a whole new machine to get the attachment. Would you (or anybody) be willing to give that up?

I actually just used the new tire shine on some rubber mats. I applied directly to the mats and spread with a foam applicator. Then I went back 5 minutes later and went over them with a microfiber towel to even it out some more and get into some of the hard to reach spots. I let them sit in the sun for about 30 minutes to dry before I put them back in the vehicle. it had a similar effect to using VrT on trim. It basically just turned them from faded back to a dark lusterous black. i didn’t take any pictures unfortunately.

Finally got some pictures.ill stay away from those spots with my swirls killer. In my imagination the damage was a lot worse so I was happy to see it wasn’t as bad as I thought...

Ah I understand. Thank you. Good thing I packed my Revive to come with me.

Thanks @Rich and @mc2hill @RayS thank you as well. I do remember seeing the mustang, but the Lexus is new to me! Thanks for posting that I'll read that today. This was the post I was thinking of:

Thank you. when you say cleaner/wax what product do you mean by that?

I'm planning on detailing my brothers old car. It's a neglected 2001 Rav4, and the paint on the roof, hood, and other horizontal parts all have severe clearcoat failure. Hood is pretty much completely covered in [what I believe is] peeling clearcoat. Don't currently have pictures, trying to acquire some to post to show the damage. I think I remember @RayS doing a write up on a truck that had some pretty bad failure on the hood which resembled the damage of which I'm talking about. I think I also remember noting that Ray only washed the portion of the car with bad damage and then he didn't touch it after washing. I know a repaint is required, and my goal for this detail is not to "fix" the damage. I was more curious if it's a bad idea to try and protect the damaged paint with a wax or sealant or ceramic spray coating. Or should I just wash and leave it alone? Will try to update with pictures, but I would appreciate any recommendations or thoughts on this. Thanks.

Hi Andrew, and Welcome! Yes you are correct. You would want the Ceramic Spray Coating to be your base layer as it will bond with your clearcoat. Make sure to take proper prep steps before the ceramic spray coating. You need to decontaminate with iron remover and clay bar, polish as desired, and use surface prep to remove anything that may be left on the paint to expose bare clearcoat/paint. Once you've done that you can apply ceramic spray coating. After the Ceramic spray coating cures, that's the time to apply Ceramic Paste Wax.

Welcome to the Forum Clint! What ride are you keeping shiny? We love pictures on here.

Here's a chart I found on amazon. Not sure which is correct. The Website and this chart say Ceramic Waterless Wash has 10%, but on the label on the bottle it says 7%. Ceramic Paste Wax, which I'm not totally sure, but may be a thing of the past had 35% according to this chart, but the new Ceramic Coating Wax on the website is stated to have 30%. Whatever the SiO2 content, Cermaic Boost, Ceramic Wax, Wash+Coat, and Ceramic Waterless are some of the best products I've used.

Yeah this is the new coating, and for some reason it hasn't really been a big focal point that it's meant for trim coating as well. Anyways I love the Ceramic Spray Coating as well. You can use that on everything including your glass. I plan on using the UV paint coating as a base, on paint and trim and following up with Ceramic Spray Coating on all parts of the vehicle.

The below is from the product details and FAQ's for the new UV coating (It states instructions for plastic and trim) “What can I use this on? Can I just use this on the whole car?”Adam’s UV Ceramic Paint Coating provides protection to an extreme range of areas on your vehicle. Painted surfaces, Trim, Bed Rail Covers, Plastic Engine Bay Components,Headlights, Bed liners, Tonneau covers, Canvas tops, Floor mats— All are safe to be protected. For Use on Paint: Step 1: Remove the 4oz bottle of Adam’s Surface Prep and supplied Towel and fold towel into fourths. Prepare your paint and use the supplied 4oz bottle of Adam’s Surface Prep and Surface Prep towel to clean and degrease the surface of any existing protection or residual films. Spritz each surface with a direct spray and once into the towel to optimally clean the surface. For optimal results, users must Wash, Clay/Decontaminate, and Polish their paint for best results. Step 2: Remove the supplied UV Ceramic Paint Coating bottle from the packaging and the pair of supplied gloves. With the gloves on, open and begin to dispense the coating onto the supplied Micro Silk applicator and begin the coating process. Begin to work the product into the surface, ensuring full coverage over the desired area. Cross hatching motions are favored during this process and overlapping your previous pass by 50%. During your time between passes, utilize Adam’s UV Handheld light for inspections. Take note of between the body lines, bumper areas, mirror caps, and commonly missed areas on your vehicle. To ensure a thorough application, the light should shine and reveal an even and consistent bluish hue of light. If you notice streaking in the surfaces, level out with additional product and the used Micro Silk applicator. Step 3: To begin the removal process, remove 1 of the supplied coating removal towels from the packaging and fold the towel into fourths. Begin wiping the coating and applying minimal pressure to the towel. Once fully removed, allow the coating to fully cure for 24 hours, free from elements or weathering. Not allowing optimal time will force the coating to cure with whatever elements touches it during the curing process. Once fully cured, you’re free to enjoy the open road and have coated, perfected paint no matter how harsh the conditions. Step 4 (Optional): To give your coating that extra pop after application, spray Adam’s Ceramic Boost to the coating to top the coating with an added layer of silica enhancement. Apply as needed. For Use on Plastic & Trim: Step 1: Remove the 4oz bottle of Adam’s Surface Prep and supplied Edgeless Utility Towel and fold towel into fourths. Prepare your trim and use the supplied 4oz bottle of Adam’s Surface Prep and edgeless utility towel to clean and degrease the surface of any existing protection or residual films. Spritz each surface with a direct spray and once into the towel to optimally clean the surface. For heavily contaminated trim and plastic, we recommend a deep cleanse with Tire & Rubber Cleaner and an edgeless utility towel. Step 2: Remove the supplied UV Ceramic Paint Coating bottle from the packaging and the pair of supplied gloves. With the gloves on, open and open the bottle and begin dispensing the chemical onto the supplied micro silk applicator to begin the coating process. Begin to work the product into the surface, ensuring full coverage over the desired area. Since the product is being applied to a porous plastic surface, you will not see a rainbow/ flashing effect— the immediate color change of the plastic or trim will reveal where the product has been applied. Step 3: Allow coating to fully cure for 1-2 hours, free from elements or weathering. Not allowing optimal time will force the coating to cure with whatever elements touches it during the curing process. Once cured, you’re free to enjoy the open road and have clean, dressed plastic & trim no matter how harsh the conditions.

Iron remover was my next suggestion although I’m not sure

Matt, check on Amazon. There’s a lot of products that are boho. Go search something and look under the options of what size you can get and a lot of them have the option of bogo.

My first thought was waterless wash. I like to use a diluted Eco APC or something of that nature, since my countertops are nothing fancy. ANd I like to use something with some strength to cut throught the build up of whatever I may do on those counter tops. I know a lot of people with like nicer granite or other counter tops that have those coated or sealed. In which case waterless wash would be a great option to not strip that sealant. plus it's just a great overall product.

Hi, @falcaineer I was curious where the one step fits. the Compound seems to be doing about what I would expect from the one step seeing as it's going to finish down better than CP.

Hey welcome to the forum! congrats on the new ride! You have any more pictures? Have you thought about trying bug remover or a diluted all purpose cleaner? If it’s just something stick to the paint I’ve had luck with a diluted apc. Just make sure to not let it sit too long. Like 10 seconds max. Clay bar is another good option.

Happy Thanksgiving ! Excited and grateful to be a part of this community