shane@detailedreflections

I just asked the person who I did it for. They are pretty new. They're winter tires from last year. So it could be the mold release agent. I used both the old and new tire brush on it. I've had good luck with the tire cleaner before and was surprised it happened. Next time I'll just continue to attack it until they're black as they should be.

It did do it on the second pass. There was no outward change in the appearance of the white residue on the tire though. Maybe i needed to simply keep repeating the process? But that's a first. I've never had to go that far with the product before.

Nice turn around. I haven't gotten into the sanding of headlights yet. I'll knock some oxidation off with polishes but it's not anything like the sanding process. Strong work!

I'd also add a paint sealant if you can. It's the longest lasting protection short of ceramic coating. This can be done before or after the glaze. I've been doing it before sealant since it can go right after polishing without buffing off. I'd say your sealant is more important than your wax for lasting protection. And you can top it with any wax you'd like. My choice is Americana for most and I still have some Patriot I use for special occasions. I have buttery but don't use it that often to be honest. I've seen the revive polish being discussed as a paint cleaner after polishing. I haven't tried it yet, but it does make sense to me. I think I'd typically only go that far on a "show car" type of detail. I do plan on giving my garage queen the works in the spring. I'm fully planning on spending a good three or four days doing that job and nothing will be skipped or spared. I'll see if I'm impressed with the revive as a paint cleaner, which I'm confident I will be.

I haven't either. It's why I asked. I just refilled my bottle from a gallon, so hoping it's just something I did this time. I'm usually pretty meticulous though. Wondering if anyone at Adams has seen this happen. When agitated with a brush it turned the yellowish-brown like it commonly does. I have another detail scheduled for Friday. Hopefully the results will be better.

Today while using Tire & Rubber Cleaner I had something happen that I hadn't experienced before. The cleaner left a whitish residue on the tires. I reapplied thinking I didn't get it clean enough and the result was exactly the same. The tires still dressed okay. Any thoughts? Thanks

I spent some time today detailing a Mazda 3 this afternoon. This wasn't a magnificent "turn around"'detail as the car was only about a year or so old with 14,000 miles on it. It is a car though that doesn't get detailed and gets little more than cleaned out and the occasional wash. Luckily the finish wasn't swirled when it came to me, so for this one I skipped the polishing. So the work flow for this one goes something like this... - Clean wheels with DWC - Clean tires with Tire & Rubber Cleaner - Strip wash - Iron decon (DWC at 1:1) - Clay - Wash to remove clay residue - Dry with MBR - VRT - Glaze - Sealant - Vacuum and blow out interior - Extract carpets - Clean interior with TID - Clean seats with leather cleaner - Condition with leather conditioner - Glass cleaner - H2O G&G on the wheels - Tire shine on the tires - Two thin coats of Americana I'm pleased with how the car came out, and so was my client. I'll get this one back in the spring for a refresh for the summer. Enjoy!

Sorry I never updated this post. I wanted to get a few details out of the way to form some solid opinions on these polishers. Now that I've gotten some time with them, I have to say that I'm impressed and pleased with them. The investment wasn't small, but the versatility of multiple polishers can't be overstated. Anyway, enough with that...on to the nitty gritty and the details. Rupes 15 - Having used this polisher back to back with my cyclo, I can say that it's definitely more powerful. That's not to say the cyclo can't get it done because it certainly does, but you can feel the "work" the Rupes is doing. The size of the pad covers a good area relatively quickly while providing great cutting power. The cyclo is a little easier to get into some spots when turned sideways. With the Rupes, the pad area is the same regardless of orientation. The downside to the Rupes is that it definitely vibrates a bit more than the cyclo. It's not bad vibration, it's just noticeably different. Rupes Mini - The Mini serves it's purpose best on bumpers and a, b and c posts. The tool fits in these areas much easier than either the cyclo or the bigger Rupes. The vibration isn't bad at all. I wish instead of being on on/off switch that it were trigger operated and you could vary the speed while using it. But those are minor inconveniences for the times that I'll use this polisher. Rupes Nano - I can't lie, this polisher was the one that I was most excited to try out. It was the product I felt could pull ahead to some "next level" stuff for me. The versatility of the machine is pretty incredible. I kept finding more uses for it. From seats to brushing interior panels to polishing the thinnest panels. I took it for a test drive on a scratch on a hood. It wasn't one I'd really planned to polish out on this particular detail, but it was a great opportunity to test out the Nano's cutting power. I was impressed by how quickly it made work of the scratch. Granted, it wasn't a horrible scratch by any means. But the Nano took no time to cut through the scratch and to finish down nicely. The uses for the Nano are endless. If you're considering upgrading your arsenal, I'd strongly recommend one. I don't think you'd be disappointed. Enjoy!

It depends. Does it need correction? Does it need to just be cleaned up? At the least I'd strip it, clay it, glaze, seal and top with two thin coats of wax. That usually manages to get the depth and appearance I like after detailing a vehicle. And I correct as needed. Another option would be to go ceramic. It really depends on what you have available for products, tools and time.

I'd try polishing pad and a drill first. Least aggressive to most aggressive. Wet sanding is a pretty aggressive move. You can even try the new heavy correcting compound. A bit more cutting power to get through it possibly? I haven't used the new compound yet but I have some on the way for vehicles with a bit more damage. I'm guessing it's going to work well.

I agree with Rich. I'm not one for dilutions very much. It leads to having more bottles to keep track of different mixes. That being said, I do keep a mix of Deep Wheel Cleaner at 1:1 for iron decontamination since that can chew through product. And I have some rinseless wash mixed up as a clay lube since again, that can chew through a lot of product. Otherwise, I don't dilute and I've never had any damage.

I'd say regular mobile detailing business. It's better to have the tools for a job and not need them as opposed to the other way around. As I've done cars for other people, they generally don't come in as well maintained as mine. What works for my vehicle doesn't work for theirs. The ability to use a foam cannon will be beneficial and help to reduce your time per job. When you're detailing for dollars, your profit margins will be established mostly by the amount of time you spend on the job. That's not to say rush through a job, but the more time you're there the less you're making. Time is money. Price yourself accordingly. At seventeen, your biggest business obstacle is going to be getting some people to trust you with their vehicle. A vehicle is the second largest purchase of their life for most (house is usually number one). My suggestion is to keep a portfolio of your work showing some before, during and after photos. You'll also want to show that you've invested in yourself and your trade by having the proper tools for the job. The kinds of people who have their cars detailed by someone else are usually those with extra income and it's cheaper for them to have someone else do it or those who lack the knowledge and/or proper tools to do the job right. Having the right tool for the job is important to selling your services. If you won't invest in your business, why should they? I realize at seventeen, income may be limited to obtain all of the tools, I'm just giving a view that some customers hold. I've gotten some work along the way because I've shown that I have the resources to do it correctly and efficiently. This wasn't meant to be discouraging. Just providing thoughts as I've slowly been gaining clients. That being said, detailing for me is not my career. It's simply something I do on the side as I pick up clients here and there. Do good work, and referrals will build.

I concur doctor.

That should be adequate for keeping it sealed up and protected with longer term protection. Just a random thought though if you're maintaining to preserve value, why go half way with it? I tend to keep my daily driver as protected and clean as my garage queen. Sure, I expect more "wear" out of my daily driver being that it's driven more but there's no reason for me to half way take care of it. My last truck I maintained flawlessly from day one. I got more than paid back when I got rid of it. 49,000 miles on it in two and a half years and I lost $8850 from what I paid for it brand new. I don't believe I would have gotten as much out of it without it looking as well as it did. Food for thought.

I've used In & Out Spay on any non painted plastic with good success. I looked at the product details again to make sure I didn't miss anything and it didn't say anything about textured plastic. The downside is that the In & Out Spray doesn't offer much in the way of protection. It's more of an appearance product which was why I suggested Quick Sealant if you had any. I have some left, and I find myself always hoping they release a new version of it.

Much to be thankful for here! I have a great family, great friends and I'm actually home for a holiday to share it with them (which is somewhat rare for me). I'm super fortunate in life. So much to be thankful for. Hope everyone enjoys their family time.

A steamer is your friend with stains like these. I use a McCollough 1385. It's got an attachment with a brush on it that will really help to mobilize these stains. Short of that, you can use carpet and upholstery cleaner and a stiff bristle brush to agitate it loose. I don't know if you'll get it all the way out that way. My routine would be to steam and scrub with carpet and upholstery cleaner, then to use a hot water extractor.

I use an extractor and found it to be a great investment. That being said, it's not a small one. If you plan on doing a decent amount of detailing, it's worth it. Right tool for the job and all that stuff. The saying holds very true. For those seats, I'd use carpet and upholstery cleaner along with a cockpit brush (soft boars hair). Use some cleaner and then agitate with a brush. You can use a shop vac to pull out any debris that you agitate loose. It's going to take some patience to make those seats look great again, but the rewards will be worth it.

In and out spray and some quick sealant (if you have some or can find some) will also help provide some protection. As for the cleaning, it's simply time consuming to get it done. The last nasty grill I did I sat down with waterless wash and a towel to really get each spot that needed it. It took a while.

I don't think I saw it mentioned, and if it was my apologies. Can this product be used on clear coated wheels (as most of them are)? I know I've polished clear coated wheels in the past. It would be nice if this product can be applied there as well.

I'll second that steamer. Makes quick work of most things interior and I've even used it to get stubborn bugs and such off of the paint. Affordable with decent output, a lot of attachments and reliable. The attachment with the brush on it is perfect for carpet stains. It's a frequently used one for me.

I usually get a gallon and a 16 ounce of new products. The 16 ounce so I have the spray (and more product) and the gallon to refill. I have noticed a trend though where the bottles are getting smaller (8 ounce mostly) and not all gallons are being offered (odor neutralizer). I think Dan said they were working on a solution for customers who detail more often or shops so that they can buy bigger quantities of product. I keep waiting for that to happen. Sometimes an 8 ounce bottle isn't enough when you're detailing frequently.

So despite my wife probably wanting to kill me, I may have lost my mind and decided to add a Rupes 15 mk II, a Rupes mini and a Rupes nano to compliment my cyclo (right tool for the job and all that, right?). I unboxed them today and figured I'd share some initial thoughts. I'm doing a detail tomorrow for the neighbor where I'll follow up and finish my thoughts. So for now, here's my gut reactions. Rupes 15 mk II - First, my reason in getting a 15 in addition to my cyclo is that the Rupes has just a little more cutting power. The other reason is that I've been doing more and more work for other people and I've been doing the work with my buddy that's also a shine freak. So having two polishers working is where the time is greatly reduced in completing the job. Holding on to the polisher feels quite a bit different from the cyclo. It feels very balanced and doesn't feel as heavy as my cyclo. Plugging it in and turning it on, it seems to feel pretty smooth. We will see how the results and feelings towards it change tomorrow when it goes to work. Rupes Mini - This polisher is definitely going to come into play when doing bumpers and other smaller areas. I can see it being useful for getting between raised letters on the back of a vehicle. One of my vehicles has chrome letters across the back of it. There's decent space between them, but not enough for a larger polisher. The one thing I don't know how I feel about is that it's a large diamete body. I can see it being a little uncomfortable if you were doing a lot of work with it. Again, it's just a gut reaction. Tomorrow will help to put it to work and see how it really feels. Again, a lot of uses. The Rupes Nano - I chose the shortneck version after reading some input from Dylan on control. Unboxing the tool is impressive. It comes in a nice case with all the appropriate cutouts for accessories. The kit comes with 1.25" polishing pads and 2" polishing pads, some polish, a nylon brush and a boars hair brush along with the batteries and chargers. The polisher can be set up as an orbital or a rotary (I'll really only use rotary for brushes). The tool has a gentle startup and feels great in your hands. I can see this being a tool that's going to push into the "next level" of detailing. The uses seem endless. Everything from easy scrubbing of interiors, correcting smaller areas such as door sills and jams, mirrors, etc. the list goes on and on. One of the uses I'm most excited about is going to be for metal polishing. I can this product making polishing exhaust tips super easy (I purchased the correct pads for a metal polish as well). The boars hair brush will be great for getting small areas of cleaning wheels or interiors that need gentle cleaning. The nylon brush for scrubbing a small interior stain. I'm also curious if you can even utilize some polish to correct blemishes on interior panels that are smooth. I may find a scrap panel somewhere and try it to see what the results are. If I had to pick a single tool I'm most excited about is the nano. This tool is going to be a lot of fun to play with. I'll post some more thoughts when I'm done with detailing tomorrow. Enjoy.

Thanks for the quick reply Dan. I still have some of the products I need that are now offered in the 8oz only. I may wait to order those items since you said there's some new stuff coming in the next few weeks. I do need a few things now...which is killing me since I don't know what's coming down the line. I guess these decisions are all first world problems...

Hey guys, I was just putting together an order to do some restocking. It looks like some of the sizes of products have changed recently (or maybe not so recently)? The LPS is only available in an 8 oz size now? The same also looks to be true of the correcting and finishing polishes? Are there plans to reintroduce the larger bottles? Or is this the new way? Hoping to find out before I order these smaller bottles. I like to keep a decent inventory in my garage for not only my vehicles but for when I do them for other people as well. Thanks.