shane@detailedreflections

Yes. Coating prep is their version of IPA.

Skip the second strip wash. It’s not really needed. In fact, strip wash by itself when polishing is a bit of a waste. Pretty much nobody else makes a strip wash. Polishing will remove anything left on the paint if anything is there.

I do have the ability to cut and sell ppf in kit form if someone needs it. Even if it’s just for the headlights.

I would wash before I iron remove. You don’t want the dirt to block the iron remover from working. Wash. Iron. Clay. Etc.

Like anything...do a test spot. It shouldn’t take much to knock them down. If you use a heavier grit, you just make more work for yourself to bring them back.

Of course, and thank you!

We offer odor elimination via use of an ozone generator. But keep in mind that if you use ozone, you need to let the vehicle air out for a long time before returning it to your client. Ozone for us is a separate service and is never included in a base price of service. Our ozone machine didn’t come for free, and it’s a piece of equipment not everyone has so it comes with a price. Ozone does work to eliminate odors. It’s not hype, it actually works on a molecular level to destroy odors. @pirahnah3 provided a great explanation at one point about how they work here on another thread of mine. The answer in this case I still feel is steam. Lots of it. And if you already have a steamer, you should be using it.

We did have responses and we had a few guys come and some RSVP and cancel. You’re welcome to link it up to them again. The more the merrier! Thanks Rich! I’d post on the Vette forums myself but not having a Vette makes it hard to really engage on those forums. Anyone else is welcome to invite others or link other relevant forums as well. We are happy to have the attendees.

You have the answer already. The power of steam. One of the big benefits to steam (besides it being awesome with heat and all that) is that you don’t need so much (if any) chemical. Maybe a little diluted APC (the steam will make it stronger so it can be cut pretty far) and steam it out and you’re good to go. Our steamer we can mix chemical right into the steamer. We use diluted APC in ours. So very diluted APC, steam and a microfiber towel. Your client will be happy and you’ll have one of the cleanest panels you’ve ever done. Leather conditioner is a great dressing for things other than leather. We use it frequently on dashes and door panels. It streamlines the work since it’s usually already out with an applicator.

You’re on the right track with wetsanding them. Sand them down, then polish them back to life. Once you’re satisfied you can take some trim coating and go over them to reseal them.

Thanks @Rich and @pirahnah3! The clinic is about three months away. Hopefully we get some RSVP’s together soon so we can plan the event out and exceed everyone’s expectations! If you’re traveling, please let me know and I’ll help with coordinating accommodations.

Kenzo is a decent product. I’d think it’s more durable than 3-4 washes. I wonder if he’s just being overly cautious. If you’re going to use wax, use ceramic wax. It’ll play well with the coating and maintain contact angles and all the technical stuff. For our flagship coating we typically throw down a quick finishing polish to smooth/correct any issues and reapply a single layer. We do that at the cost of a standard service rather than coating install variant. If a client has spent enough up front to put the coating on, I won’t work them over for another big bill for annual maintenance when it takes my guys an extra hour or so to apply the top layer again.

I’m curious as to what products adding a spray ceramic would replace in your lineup? We wouldn’t use it as a replacement for a wax/sealant as the prep is far less forgiving when doing a coating of any kind. It also wouldn’t replace with full coating for us since the durability is nowhere near where it needs to be for the cost. I’m not nitpicking, I’m just trying to understand your thought process so as to offer more useful suggestions and guidance. From what I know of your work environment and business model, it sounds like coatings aren’t really the direction you should be moving in. They’re best installed in covered environments. They can be done outside; but require the perfect storm of good conditions for the best results (which we a professional you should strive to provide). As someone who’s detailing for money, can you afford to have the constant weather concerns interfering with your schedule? Can you deal with the unpredictable conditions? The other coating consideration is what equipment you have to work with? Like I mentioned before, a full package is inclusive of wheels off and coating the barrels too. 98% of clients we do work for are “wheels off.” The only time we’ve done otherwise is to save a client money when they were stretching to get the job done. There are endless variables. Once we know more, I’m happy to help offer relevant advice.

Let’s clear up some confusion on the layers of coating and if they’re useful. Some coatings are designed to function in layers. So yes, some may require layered application. Adam’s is not designed that way as it’s s consumer grade coating. Our flagship coating is a three layer process. A very hard base layer which provides the durability and two coats of a slightly softer (remember hardness isn’t the be all of coatings) that’s more hydrophobic and essentially a “sacrificial” top coat which may be removed/repaired/replaced as needed. Adam’s has provided clear instructions on the use of their coating and wouldn’t speak to other brands of products and their application. It’s always a good idea to follow the instructions and guidelines for whatever products you’re using. That documentation was written by those that know the most about the product. Dealers do make a killing selling coatings. But it has nothing to do with the number of layers or how long they keep the vehicle for. It has everything to do with that a bunch of prep steps are skipped since “it’s new.” Even new cars benefit greatly from polishing and decontamination.

Can I also ask what coating was installed on your car? I’m curious as to what product was used and if the installer was just someone who installed it versus an authorized/accredited installer?

You could use a wax over your coating, but why? Coatings tend to be silica based and waxes are plant or polymer based. Waxes will change the contact angle which is where the hydrophobic property comes from. If you use a product over your coating, you’ll have the best results with a ceramic based product (boost, ceramic wax, etc.). One of the benefits of a coating is less maintenance required (not maintenance free). Adding a short term wax like Buttery (which has a SHORT lifespan) is counterintuitive.

I’ll expand on this a little bit. You can install coatings “mobile.” Ideally though you have a garage or a covered area to work. Heat and humidity play such a large variable in terms of flash and curing times that experience will tell you how to alter your timing for each scenario. The ideal scenario for coatings is a controlled environment. Curing times vary, but we won’t let a coating out the same day it was applied. It’s an overnight visit. I don’t want a vehicle sent out and exposed where a client can come back and have us redo it at our expense to satisfy them. If a client wanted to pick up a vehicle early, I’d have a signed copy of the release basically saying they acknowledge they’re picking it up early and any issues are on them at that point. Oh, and a ton of photos. Installing coatings isn’t for every detailer. Maybe they don’t fit into your lineup of products? Maybe they do? Keep in mind to truly offer a full coating install you need the ability to remove wheels so barrels can be coated too. Not everyone has barrels done, but we do far more wheels off coatings than wheels on. Our prices also reflect that level of work. Your issue with coatings and the Adam’s video are misguided. Coatings have nuances. One is the proper environment for the best result in application. This isn’t an Adam’s issue, it’s a reflection of your business model. Not to say it’s broken, but it may not fit. As for policies after a coating, it’s up to you. We advise no wash for seven days. It can get wet when we let it go. And we’ve kept it for the initial cure. The big takeaway is that not every product fits every user. Know what to try and what not to.

You’re very welcome. Happy to help. Adams keeps the line pretty simple. And one other thing to consider is just because one combination worked one vehicle doesn’t mean similar damage on another vehicle. Different brands have different paints. For example...Mercedes paint is crazy hard. It takes way more to correct than say Honda or Subaru paint which tends to be pretty soft. Honda paint also tends to be a little thin in our experience. The test spot should always be step one since every car and every paint job is different regardless of damage. We actually go to the level of measuring the paint to know what we have to work with. It’s a luxury most weekend warriors don’t have (a generic paint gauge can be had for less than $150, but they don’t last long in our experience). But if you’re doing a lot of work, it’s absolutely something to consider investing in.

I can’t stress the importance of least to most aggressive methods enough. Try a test spot. You may be surprised at what correcting polish will do. Or even just a finishing polish. You may not need to go to a compound. Maybe you do? But if you don’t, and you use a compound you’re spending time you don’t need to spend and removing clear coat you don’t need to remove. For reference, in the line of polishes/compounds we use we have seven or eight different ones. It helps us really dial in “just the right amount of aggressive.” This is true particularly when you match it to the five or six different pad types/cut we have. We have one compound that will matte your finish and allow you to polish it back. It’s not commonly used for other than scratch removal, but we have the option. Most people don’t need that varied of a product line, but it just reminds you of the variables you can encounter when working with paint and sometimes you don’t need that super aggressive stuff. It seems the idea of a test spot is quickly forgotten.

I’ll second this. Or we use white scotch brite and a cream cleanser. The #0000 steel wool is awesome though and cheap.

Gorgeous truck. It’ll be a fun build. Too bad you’re far away. Would have loved to collaborate with a coating for you! Enjoy the process.

And as promised, here’s the Jeep! Sorry the pics aren’t better on this one. It was super cold when I had to deliver it. We have an Audi A6 coming in tomorrow for a one step polish.

Now that we are into the new year, it’s time to really start planning our clinic out. We are still going to work on installing a ceramic coating during the clinic. The weather needs to cooperate to do it successfully. Not because we can’t work inside, but it needs to cure before going home or he left overnight. Food for thought... We are going to do an exterior coating, an interior detail and install a glass coating. So three attendees will have services done by the group. The prep for a coating is similar to any other vehicle, it’s just the last steps that change. All of our tools and products we use are fair game to try out. To give a short list of tools: Rupes 21 and two 15 DA polishers Rupes Mini Rupes Rotary Rupes long neck and short neck Nano’s Tornador Vapor Chief Steamer MyTee Hot Water Extractor Metro Sidekick Metro Master Blaster And we have a large selection of products to try. Those who have been by for work can attest to that! It’ll all be opened up for everyone. We will provide a cookout style lunch and beverages. Alcohol is fine, but it’s BYOB for when we are done. I know some people were considering traveling. If you are, I’m happy to help find accommodations for you. Also, if there’s interest, the night before we can go to a nice dinner together as a group. I just need a head count to get reservations as it gets closer. There is no cost for the clinic unless you want to go to the dinner the night before. We do this to give back, not to make money. If you’d like any services done outside of the clinic, we can make arrangements to accommodate that as well! And to enter for one of the services for the clinic, submit a photo of the vehicle you want to use with a reflection somewhere in it (we are Detailed Reflections after all). If you have a topic/tool/technique you want to see get covered...let me know!

I’m entirely okay with agreeing to disagree. We all have our own methods. It’s what makes for good discussions.

I went back and looked at that Jeep before I delivered it back to the client. Final photos will be coming as soon as I pull them off my camera. But the texture you see is actually that the Jeep has a fiberglass hard top. So the fiberglass has texture which is what you are seeing on the Jeep. Orange peel looks nearly identical though. And if you guys are wondering about about some tools that let us get the results we do, this is the main polisher collection we have at our disposal. We also have a DeWalt rotary which is set up with an Auto-triz pen style micropolisher (smallest is a pad the size of a chapstick cap). That polisher doesn’t hang well. We also have a cyclo machine set up with carpet brushes that comes out occasionally as well, but it doesn’t hang well on these racks either. So we are all Rupes. We have a 21mk2, two 15mk2’s, Rupes Mini, Rupes Nano shortneck, Rupes Nano longneck, cyclo and DeWalt. Tools are one of the biggest differences between someone getting paid to do work, and someone just doing their own work.