Sac Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 That's awesome. I'm going to pick up some quick sealant on my next order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) For interior cleaning, I think it is important to vacuum everything before wiping with TID or LC. This removes the dust so that it does not end up in collecting in the nooks and crannies of the plastic areas (doors, dash, console) or the seams and perforations on the seats. I vacuum from top to bottom in each seating position, doing the floors last. I also use dedicated attachments for the floor, so I am not transferring dirt from the floor up and onto the seats, dash or doors. I also found that a typical brush attachment causes small scratches in the shiny plastics, so I have a soft-bristle dusting brush for plastics and leather, and use the brush that came with the vac for floors. Here's the attachments I use. The crevice tool has a flexible end which helps getting into the hard-to-reach places. The soft-bristle dusting brush on the dash... ...and the seats, paying special attention to the perforations... and then the doors. Then the regular brush on the floors. After vacuuming the carpets, I spot treat any dirty areas with CUC. Then scrub with the Cockpit Brush and wipe with a cheap towel. This area was not completely soiled, so the towel is not filthy... ...but regular light cleaning means not having to use the Bissell. To show the difference on the brushes, I used the CD Test. The regular brush on the right half at 100 passes. Then the soft-bristle dusting brush on the left, also with 100 passes. The regular brush caused a lot of scratches. The soft-bristle brush also caused a few scratches, so you would still want to use a light touch and not scrub on any shiny chrome accent trim or other glossy interior surfaces. Edited March 9, 2015 by TheWolf SgtLip and chevytruckjsm 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Nice comparison on the CD. Once again, taking it a step further than most. TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) How do I wash thee? Let me count the ways. The two-bucket wash. You read about it on this forum, you see it in the videos. It is an excellent method for proper washing and should be the first thing you learn how to do correctly. However, you will find that sometimes you may need more, and sometimes you could do less. One bucket, two or three, It depends on thine needs. This is where I view proper washing as more "performance based" rather than "prescriptive based". Prescriptive means a list of steps: do this, then this, with this, like a recipe. The standard two-bucket wash is such a method. A soap bucket, a rinse bucket, and the prescribed steps for the process, including rinsing the wash pad between each panel. A performance based method describes the desired end result. In our case, a clean and shiny vehicle that does not get damaged during the washing. With some experience and consideration of the situation, this will often lead to a washing method other than the standard two-bucket wash. A common improvement is the three-bucket wash, where a third bucket is dedicated to wheels. This allows the wheels to be done first, before rinsing the entire vehicle. The benefit is that the vehicle is not left sitting wet, which can lead to water spots. Then once the wheels are done, the entire vehicle is rinsed and then washed with the other two buckets in the standard fashion. You will read or hear about a four-bucket wash, with dedicated soap and rinse water buckets for the wheels, and then dedicated soap and rinse water buckets for the paint. So this is where your experiences and judgment will be used. You know the desired end result is a safe, effective wash, so you evaluate the condition of the vehicle and then scale the washing process to fit the conditions. Inspect the vehicle. How dirty is it? What is on the paint? Just dusty, spotted from a rainstorm, or covered in sand and dirt? How the does the current weather factor in? Is it cool and overcast, so that water and soap won't dry during the wash, or is it hot and sunny, so that you will have to be more careful? Then you can make a decision on the best process to achieve the desired result. When my truck is just dusty, no sand or dirt or rain, and the weather is cloudy and cool, I have done a one-bucket wash. I know that a good rinse will remove 95% of the dust so the pad isn't really getting dirty enough to require a rinse bucket. Since the weather is cool, I can do the wheels after the paint with the same bucket. Once done, I can verify this was sufficient by checking to see that no sand or grit is in the bottom of the bucket. On the other end of the spectrum, I know that if my truck is a dirty pig, covered in dirt, and it is sunny, I will use the four-bucket method. And when finished, there will be dirt in both rinse buckets. The same thinking is applied to the whole wash process. Not really dirty, I use the wash pad on a few panels before going to the rinse bucket. Dirty like a pig, I might rinse the wash pad multiple times on each panel when doing the lower rockers. For really dirty wheels and tires, I will two-bucket AND do all the wheels first before going back to do the tires and wells. I strive to nourish and protect, So as to never cause neglect. Protect, protect, protect. The foundation to a safe, effective wash is having the proper protection on the paint so that the dirt is easier to get off. The better the paint is sealed and/or waxed, the easier it will be to remove a good amount of the dust and dirt with a pre-rinse, before you even touch the paint. During the wash, it will require less work with the wash pad on the paint, which greatly reduces the chances of causing damage to the paint. With proper care through time, I will forever enjoy your shine. Regular maintenance washes, done with the proper methods and equipment, can keep your paint in excellent condition. This reduces, or even eliminates, the need for frequent polishing or paint correction. If you are having to machine polish out the swirls every year, you may want to consider what is causing the damage to the paint and make changes to your washing routine. Certainly, it is not possible to avoid all paint damage, unless you never take the vehicle out of the garage. You will likely have situations that will require the need to polish at some point, but how you wash should not be one of them. For by the grace of Adam's, I shall keep thee swirl free. The core elements to proper washing are: products, equipment, and methods. Adam's has you covered on all three. Products: excellent sealants and waxes for protection, effective car wash shampoo designed to provide safe cleaning with maximum lubricity, detail spray for use in drying. Equipment: buckets with dedicated soap or rinse labels, grit guards, wash pads, and microfiber drying towels. Methods: Instructional videos, How-To and FAQ articles on the forum, information and answers from your friends on the forum, company email and phone support for any questions or advice. Getting the results you want makes the process enjoyable. When you can stand back and admire the swirl-free shine on a vehicle that you have washed forty times in the last year, and the paint still looks as good as the first time, then washing ends up being something fun that you look forward to doing, rather than just a chore that you rush to finish. Edited March 14, 2015 by TheWolf SgtLip and LFairbanks 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Dan, we may need to have a Detailers Anonymous forum where you are the moderator. You're giving DVK a run for his money in regards to the most philosophical member of the forum lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Dan, we may need to have a Detailers Anonymous forum where you are the moderator. You're giving DVK a run for his money in regards to the most philosophical member of the forum lol! What? I thought this forum was Detailers Anonymous, and it was just sponsored by Adam's. It all started with the new bucket labels. That got me thinking about how different my wash routines can be, depending on the situation. Which made me think of the title of that poem and song. Edited March 15, 2015 by TheWolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I love it bro it's great! TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) GROUNDING FOR DUST? I have been reading some posts about grounding a vehicle to reduce attracting dust from the static electricity produced when rubbing the paint with MF towels. It seems like there are differing opinions on how much grounding helps, but I figured I would give it a try to see if there is any difference. I bought some ground clamps but couldn't really find a convenient place to attached the clamp to the vehicle, without getting underneath or popping the hood. I needed something easy to connect that I could use at work and at home. For attaching to the vehicle, I came up with the idea of using the ground pin in the trailer plug connection. I got a replacement plug, attached a coiled cord to the ground plug, and then soldered the other end of the wire to a neodymium magnet, which is conductive. The magnet makes it easy to hook up to a large spike I drove into a crack in the parking lot at work. I also used liquid electrical tape to seal off the unused pin connections inside the trailer plug, so that water would not get in the plug and short out the lights. For use in the garage, I got a grounding probe (made for aquariums) and cut the probe end off, then soldered the wires to another magnet. The plug end of the grounding probe plugs into an power outlet, but only the ground pin is metal, the two power blades are plastic. Then, when the magnets are joined, the trailer plug and the power ground are connected (tested it end-to-end at 0.5 ohms resistance). After washing last weekend, I plugged it in for the night. I don't typically notice dust accumulations in the garage because it is not really parked for long periods of time, and my garage is clean. I do notice a lot of dust after just a day parked outside at work. Unfortunately for my non-scientific experiment, it was a windy day so it got covered it dust anyway. I plan on testing it some more to see if it makes a difference on calm days, where the grounding might prevent attracting the minor amounts of dust in the air. I tried to make the experiment more scientific by having a coworker actually wash his car for once, so it could serve as a control, but he declined. Edited March 16, 2015 by TheWolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I've had some old jumper cables hooked to the frame of the Rocket for a few weeks now and I think the dust is noticeably less! TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Here is some more info on using DI water filters. I posted some of this in another thread last year, but figured it would be good to post it in this thread, too. I run the CR Spotless and use it for the entire wash process during the summer months, so I don't have to worry about heat or sun, or trying to hurry before the wash water dries. I got about 12 complete washes out of the resin, which makes for some pretty high ongoing costs. During this past winter, I only used the DI water for the final rinse and used regular water for the pre-rinse and with the foam cannon for washing. This worked fine as it was often overcast and cool, or just plain cold. Only using the DI water for the final rinse makes the resin last longer, lowering the cost per wash. The life of the resin also depends on how hard your water is. Mine is not too hard, about 140 ppm. If you are interested in a DI system, first test your water and then use their tables to figure out how many gallons you will get for each resin refill. The last thing you would want to do is drop the big money on the unit only to find that the cost per wash is too high. If you don't want to buy a TDS meter to check your water hardness, you may also try to find someplace that will test a sample, like a store that sells water softeners. Here's a link to the info on the CR Spotless and there is a table showing the total gallons that can be made based on your hardness. The big variable is how many gallons you would use for each wash.http://www.crspotles...ss-water-facts/ An important thing to remember is that you need to check to make sure the resin is still working when you finish each wash. The CR Spotless unit has a built-in TDS (total dissolved solids) meter, which will read 000 when the resin is good, which means the water has no minerals in it. When you start to see numbers on the meter, it is time to replace the resin. Checking it after each wash also lets you know if you need to completely dry the car so it does not spot. The resin could be fine at your last wash, but then start to get exhausted during the current wash. The last thing you want is to assume the filters are working, only to come back later and find water spots that have to be polished off. It you are using another brand DI filter that does not have a meter, then get a hand-held one from Amazon (about $22). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevytruckjsm Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thank you Dan. Whenever my wife says i am too obsessed with this stuff i can just show her this. TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red94chev Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I tried to make the experiment more scientific by having a coworker actually wash his car for once, so it could serve as a control, but he declined. This made me lol. Grey Ghost and TheWolf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Thank you Dan. Whenever my wife says i am too obsessed with this stuff i can just show her this. You're welcome, Jacob. It is comforting to know that you are able to use my apparent insanity as a way to make your relatively minor obsession seem normal. Edited March 18, 2015 by TheWolf chevytruckjsm and red94chev 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Ghost Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Dan, I rediscovered this thread during a 'critical' conference call this afternoon and read it from start to finish. As many have said, you are insane (in the good way). You should start a blog on here and I would bet it would be one of the top 'hits' daily on these forums. I tried to make the experiment more scientific by having a coworker actually wash his car for once, so it could serve as a control, but he declined. Like Jake, this made me laugh. Might be the best line in this entire thread. Bravo, sir! red94chev and Ricky Bobby 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Dan, I rediscovered this thread during a 'critical' conference call this afternoon and read it from start to finish. As many have said, you are insane (in the good way). You should start a blog on here and I would bet it would be one of the top 'hits' daily on these forums. Start to finish? That must have been one looooooong conference call! I tried to make the experiment more scientific by having a coworker actually wash his car for once, so it could serve as a control, but he declined. Like Jake, this made me laugh. Might be the best line in this entire thread. Bravo, sir! I left out the part that when he declined, I also held my finger and thumb in the shape of an "L" on my forehead. Grey Ghost and red94chev 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) LEATHER CONDITIONING I think by now, most of you know that I have a rather strong affection for Leather Conditioner. Since there may be some people that have not tried it yet, here is a quick look at how easy it goes on and how nice and subtle the finished look is. In this photo, the product has just been applied to the left side of the seat with a small microfiber utility towel. The leather was clean, so the seat was only vacuumed before application. This leather has always been well-conditioned, so it is not dried out at all. Here is a photo after about 10 minutes, the product is still wet-looking compared to the untreated side. The other side of the seat was done, then it was left overnight. The Leather Conditioner dried to a nice, matte finish. There is no feeling of residue on the surface. Now the leather is protected from sun, heat, dirt and spills. The product also works great on all the textured plastic. Get some, try it, I think you will like it. Edited March 21, 2015 by TheWolf Beemer, LFairbanks and SgtLip 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMo Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I think you have just sold me on this, Dan. I have always just used the Total Interior Detailer on mine, which is a great easy on/easy off product, but this looks amazing. You getting a commission? TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 This is consistently the best thread on the forum. Grey Ghost, TheWolf, Ricky Bobby and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) I think you have just sold me on this, Dan. I have always just used the Total Interior Detailer on mine, which is a great easy on/easy off product, but this looks amazing. You getting a commission? Glad to hear you are going to give it a try. Edited June 13, 2015 by TheWolf McMo and Beemer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 This is consistently the best thread on the forum. Thanks Roger! Beemer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT3 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Yeah... You 'WEIRDO'..!!!! ; ) (Inside joke) I would agree with the other sentiments. Your process, methods, ingenuity, obsession!, time you take, photographing and writing all this up... It's invaluable to MANY on this forum. Kudos to you sir. And thank you. TheWolf and McMo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Yeah... You 'WEIRDO'..!!!! ; ) (Inside joke) I would agree with the other sentiments. Your process, methods, ingenuity, obsession!, time you take, photographing and writing all this up... It's invaluable to MANY on this forum. Kudos to you sir. And thank you. Thanks Phil! Very happy to hear you have found it useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 ^Dans thread is thread of the year for sure. Just the scent alone sells me on LCon, throw out those Wally World wipes and get a bottle. Great for protecting rubber mats as well as Dan previously mentioned, and if they are maintained well you don't have to clean before dressing because the LCon has light cleaners in it too! TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Just the scent alone sells me on LCon... Yeeeessss! I got Jason hooked on LC! Ricky Bobby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Might need to do a quick wash tomorrow... Did manage to keep the wheels pointed down though. SgtLip and Beemer 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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