Drive XR7

Will be participating in this year's Hot Rod Power Tour, and keeping the car clean for each show is a must. I have a little Adam's tote that I put all my bottles in. No room for a bucket or brushes.

I'll be packing the following:

• Microfiber towels. Lots of them. Especially waffle weave towels and single soft towels. No chance for washing while on the road.
• Plastic bag for dirty towels
• Waterless Wash
• Deep wheel cleaner
• Brilliant Glaze & foam applicator
• Detail spray
• Glass cleaner
• Interior Detailer
• SuperVRT & applicator
• Tire Cleaner
• A roll of quarters for the coin-op car washes

I've found that this is pretty much all I need. Leaving the big stuff at home.

I soaked my G&G towels for a few days in water, APC, and Dawn dish detergent. Then did a regular wash, and they seem to have come back to life. I bought some new towels anyway, but will reserve my old towels for G&G duty only.

Thanks guys.

Sadly I have not been washing out my towels after using G&G. Sometimes the towel will sit in the hamper for a week or two before I get to washing them. I have them all soaking in a 5 gallon bucket with some APC. Hopefully this will rinse them clean. I'll wash and hang them to dry, and re-test. If it still doesn't hold water, then they will be boiled. Sadly I probably ruined 10 towels by not cleaning them after G&G use.

I'll probably order some new towels anyway, and follow in your guys' lead and dedicate a specific color/towel to G&G.

+RaggTopp. I use it on my 'vert also.

The sad answer is that you have a black truck and you will always see some kind of imperfection. Any time you touch your truck you will create some kind of imperfection. 2-bucket wash, grit guards, waterless wash, etc all will minimize scratching but there is no way to prevent it completely. Black is maddening. Have lots of Glaze on hand. It's easier to apply a quick coat of glaze to really make the truck pop versus a full polish.

I searched and found several others with the same complaint. I will try soaking in Dawn detergent for a few days and then boiling. I don't have any Microfiber Revitalizer on hand (yet!). If this doesn't resolve it, I'm afraid I'll have to demote these to dirty jobs duty and purchase new ones.

I kept my APC in an Adams spray bottle and it came with a foaming sprayer. I loved it. That bottle developed a crack and leaked all of the product out onto the floor. I switched to Kwazar bottles and sprayers for my most used Adams chemicals, but sadly these nozzles do not foam up. Are there any foaming nozzles for Kwazar bottles? Or what are you using for foaming APC?

I use a set of single soft microfibers when I apply Adams Gloss and Guard. I wash them on high heat after every use. I have found that these same towels still remain nice and fluffy, but they seem to repel water. It takes some time to actually get them saturated with water. When I use the same set of towels to wipe down detail spray, it streaks and I have to wipe it several more times.

I guess it would make sense that since I am using them mostly for G&G, they would now be contaminated with G&G and would repel water.

Is it time to demote these to wheels and door jams only?

I use both Americana and a competitor, Pinnacle Souveran. Americana is easy on, easy off, provides a good durable shine, and that silky smooth feel. I would say that it's a less deep shine than Pinnacle and I actually prefer Pinnacle on dark colors. The disadvantage with Pinnacle is it seems to attract dust whereas Americana attracts less dust.

I use a machine for sealant application but wax by hand. There is something calming about methodically wiping down the car with an applicator in one hand and can of wax in another.

I probably would not use a magnet, unless the body panels are all aluminum. You risk the magnet pulling itself directly to the body panel, causing more damage.

2 coats Brilliant Glaze the day of the show.

When will the quadruple soft towels be released?  

If you have a great education or a needed skill, you will have no problem finding work here.  It's a lot harder without those two things. 

 

I've been fortunate.  I only had a high school education, but was one of the last generation who got a manufacturing job, and that job provided a living wage for me to be able to provide for my family while my wife stayed home and raised the kids. I own a house, a couple of cars, my kids are both college educated (which neither me or my wife are), and now I'm retired and have a pension. I am also a veteran and served during Viet Nam.  This country has treated me and my family well.  But I worry for my grandchildren because of my first sentence. Time will tell. But for all of the good and the bad, I'd rather live here than any other country. 

It's interesting hearing stories like this. Yours is unheard of now. No longer can you go get a job at the local Ford plant or steel mill and raise a family of 4.

I have had poor luck with the Merino wash mitt. It would tangle easily and the inside began to fall apart, and holes developed. I have tried two, same problems both times. It also collects dirt and does not rinse cleanly. I've switched to synthetic wash pads completely now.

I tell the dealer the same thing. No washes please!

I work in Division Orders for an upstream O&G company. Think of it as a cross between Land/Title work and Accounting.

I'm also in Oil & Gas. Tough times right now, bud!

I'm a Cloud Automation Lead for a Fortune 10 manufacturing, energy, healthcare company. I specialize in automation using Amazon Web Services.

Brewer/Owner

What's the name of your beer company? Where are you located?

I've used blue painter's tape for autocross and drag race events, but it does look a little silly.

 

If I ever get back into drag racing, I think I will try using clear plastidip and spraying about 5 coats on that area and then just peel it off afterward.

Many of the guys I see autoxing have painters tape protecting the front end and rear quarter panels.

We bought our '13 Edge brand new and it came with dealer-installed scratches. I did a light polish as soon as I got it home and put some sealant on it.

Yes you want to use HGG on clean paint only. A couple options for dealing with dust.

 

You can cover the car after it's washed.

 

Depending on how much dust has accumulated on the surface, you can also use a California duster if needed, before I get flamed for this, if you use one of these correctly, by just letting the tips lightly touch the paint, you can remove most all of the dust, and cause no marring to the clear coat, and then follow up with WW to get the rest.

Don't listen to the others. Cali Car Duster is fine if you use proper technique. Very light, barely even touching the paint with the bristles, and it will lift the dust off. Barely anything touching the paint.

If you put it flat on your paint, you are destroying it.

Junkman has a great youtube vid on Cali Car Duster proper technique. Used properly. it's an effective tool.

I mounted the Ridgid in my garage in a convenient location. I have a big Craftsman wet/dry vac with a big container, but it's hard to move around and the hose is short. This new one is portable and a very long hose -- some 15 or 16 feet. It came in very handy the past week when I remodeled my utility room and I didn't even have to take it off the wall.

It is less powerful than my big Craftsman, so I'm a little disappointed in that, but for vacuuming cars I think it will come in handy. The long hose is especially useful.

I bought the WD5500 today at Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Stor-N-Go-5-Gal-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-WD5500/100377372

It was on sale for $89 and they have 1 left in the store, so I didn't have to wait for shipping. I'm excited to try out. I have to find a suitable place to mount in my garage first.

I'm interested in this too. I'm using a big Craftsman wet/dry vac. It's big and clumsy to roll around. I do most of my interior vacuming with the car parked in the driveway so I have enough room to open the doors wide open. I like the looks of these wall mounted vacs, just concerned there will not be a long enough hose.

What about the handhelds? Do those hold up well? With a hose/extensions to get in all of the crevices (under, around the seats)?