shane@detailedreflections

We are a CP installer. Were the scratches there before they coated it?  If so, they may have been too deep to polish out safely. You may be chasing a problem where the solution is a body shop. 
 

What CP coating level did you get?  The top layers can usually polish off. The base layer is harder to work with. This is true of many professional grade coatings. It’s what can make some of the unforgiving to work with and why they require professional application. 

The best answer to this is to wipe it with an oil remover (ceramic prep) and then put water on it to see how it reacts. 
 
Without experience I’d use that as opposed to looking for “color change” since for some people, their awareness of color change may not occur until you’ve burned the clear coat. 
 
Different coatings come off with different amounts of abrasion. Some will come off with a polish. Some need a compound. Some of the ones we work with require wet sanding or a lot of compounding to remove. 
 
 

The best answer to this is to wipe it with an oil remover (ceramic prep) and then put water on it to see how it reacts. 
 
Without experience I’d use that as opposed to looking for “color change” since for some people, their awareness of color change may not occur until you’ve burned the clear coat. 
 
Different coatings come off with different amounts of abrasion. Some will come off with a polish. Some need a compound. Some of the ones we work with require wet sanding or a lot of compounding to remove. 
 
 

The best answer to this is to wipe it with an oil remover (ceramic prep) and then put water on it to see how it reacts. 
 
Without experience I’d use that as opposed to looking for “color change” since for some people, their awareness of color change may not occur until you’ve burned the clear coat. 
 
Different coatings come off with different amounts of abrasion. Some will come off with a polish. Some need a compound. Some of the ones we work with require wet sanding or a lot of compounding to remove. 
 
 

The best answer to this is to wipe it with an oil remover (ceramic prep) and then put water on it to see how it reacts. 
 
Without experience I’d use that as opposed to looking for “color change” since for some people, their awareness of color change may not occur until you’ve burned the clear coat. 
 
Different coatings come off with different amounts of abrasion. Some will come off with a polish. Some need a compound. Some of the ones we work with require wet sanding or a lot of compounding to remove. 
 
 

I’d do a light polish to the affected areas and reapply the coating. Streaks sound like unleveled high spots. 

I’d do a light polish to the affected areas and reapply the coating. Streaks sound like unleveled high spots. 

Lately it seems that there’s been a bunch of questions on the forums with regard to what products go with what.  It can be a confusing world of products especially as new “better” releases come about.
 
The first thing to consider is that just because something new comes along, it doesn’t mean the old product is obsolete. Change can come about for a million different reasons. It could be development, supply availability, changes in production...and the list goes on. 
 
New products also don’t mean they fit in your detailing supply cabinet. We all have different needs based on our tastes, what we used and continue to use and where we want our detailing to go. There’s always a temptation to try new products (and we try a bunch), but it doesn’t always mean it’s a good fit. The point I’m trying to make is to not force a product to fit because it’s the “latest and greatest.”
 
The “ceramic” line of products is a great example. The ceramic boost, wax, coatings are great products. They aren’t the ideal application for every user. Much in the same way that a regular wax isn’t ideal for a ceramic user. 
 
You can mix and match products as you go, but it may not be the best match. Think of it like mixing ingredients in the kitchen. Sure, it might go and not be bad. But it also won’t be the “wow” that makes you want to come back to it time and time again. 
 
When evaluating which products you want to use, consider what your goals are and define them. 
 
How long do you want the product to last?
 
How much maintenance do you want to do?
 
How much work do you want to put in for the project in the beginning?
 
Where is the vehicle kept?  How is it driven?  Is it a daily?  Or a garage queen?
 
What tools do you have or are willing to invest in?
 
What’s your budget look like?
 
Once you know some of those answers (and possibly more), you can put together your product list.
 
If you like the process of waxing your car often, ceramic based products may not be up your alley. You can still achieve a great finish without ceramics. Sealant, glaze and wax provides great durability and finish while allowing you to scratch the itch of needing to wax your ride. 
 
If you want more durability, maybe a coating is right for you. You need to be patient in its prep and application. I’ve mentioned before that great prep equals a great finish. The same is also true. If you cut corners, there’s a good chance it will show in the finish. Keep in mind though that coatings are NOT maintenance free, regardless of advertising hype. 
 
A weekend detailer can often produce the same results as a professional detailer. There’s plenty of access to some great products out there. We use many of the same products available to everyone in our work. Sure, there’s some that are “pro only,” but those tend to be more high end coatings then routine products to use. The biggest differences between the pro and the weekend guy/girl are that pros usually have a deeper arsenal of products, an understanding of products along with their nuances and pros often have a larger selection of tools to get the job done efficiently. 
 
The big thing is to evaluate each product, see how it fits in your scope of practice and to understand when and why to use something. More importantly, know when not to use something because it doesn’t fit in your vision. It can be difficult to resist temptation of the latest and greatest sometimes, but like they say “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” 
 
When in doubt ask questions, experiment and see what works for you. Just test in small doses so you don’t create a bunch of work for yourself fixing something you have done. 
    - No idea why the font carried over like that when I wrote it and copied it over. Oh well!

I would love to see/hear on applying ceramic coating. Specifically on leveling and knowing how to tell if it is uneven.

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.

That color will look even better polished out and sealed, waxed or coated. 
 
Gorgeous car. 

You ask questions that are difficult to answer without more knowledge of your goals. 
 
An extractor is an $800+ investment. You say you’ve considered one but are you looking at an extractor or a carpet cleaner?  My wife uses a carpet cleaner in the house but when it’s a mess, she asks for me to drag the extractor in. They pull a lot out. 
 
For us it’s essential. But we also try to provide top quality products out of the shop. If you use it a lot, it’s more than worth it. If you’re just sprucing things up...it’s probably not worth the investment. 
 
You can do a lot with a steamer and a shop vac. It just takes time to develop the process that works for you. 

There's a chance there's polish residue there. Wipe the area down thoroughly with Surface Prep, or Isopropyl Alcohol to see if you can remove it. There may be no color transfer onto any of the pads depending if you've gone completely through or not. How deep was the scratch, could you catch it with your fingernail?

They are safe for vinyl. Use low speed, light pressure and a no cut pad to apply a thin even layer. 

At 73, I have a lot to be thankful for.  A great wife of nearly 47 years,  two successful kids, two grandkids,  and I have pretty good health.  So I have all of the most important things in life.  Also grateful for the friends I've made on this forum, and through Adam and his company.  I've met some very fine people for sure. 
I hope all of you have family and good friends to spend the day with, a good meal to enjoy, and good health to enjoy it all. 
For you who are caught in the winter storms,  hang in there.  Stay safe and keep warm. And look in on any elderly neighbors or take them a meal. 
God bless us all.  
Happy Thanksgiving to you. 
 

You ask questions that are difficult to answer without more knowledge of your goals. 
 
An extractor is an $800+ investment. You say you’ve considered one but are you looking at an extractor or a carpet cleaner?  My wife uses a carpet cleaner in the house but when it’s a mess, she asks for me to drag the extractor in. They pull a lot out. 
 
For us it’s essential. But we also try to provide top quality products out of the shop. If you use it a lot, it’s more than worth it. If you’re just sprucing things up...it’s probably not worth the investment. 
 
You can do a lot with a steamer and a shop vac. It just takes time to develop the process that works for you. 

You ask questions that are difficult to answer without more knowledge of your goals. 
 
An extractor is an $800+ investment. You say you’ve considered one but are you looking at an extractor or a carpet cleaner?  My wife uses a carpet cleaner in the house but when it’s a mess, she asks for me to drag the extractor in. They pull a lot out. 
 
For us it’s essential. But we also try to provide top quality products out of the shop. If you use it a lot, it’s more than worth it. If you’re just sprucing things up...it’s probably not worth the investment. 
 
You can do a lot with a steamer and a shop vac. It just takes time to develop the process that works for you. 

@RayS you make some important observations in the difference between male owned and female owned vehicles. 
 
The first thing to recognize is that sometimes the discoloration is just that. It’s discolored and can’t be fixed without dyes and that’s a whole different creature we don’t play with. 
 
So we actually attack them the same way, regardless. You can use an APC and a stiffer bristle brush to help loosen and mobilize the byproducts left behind. The APC is a degreaser so it’s good at breaking up the oils. Generally speaking a normal interior detailer sometimes isn’t strong enough for those oils since they tend to be older and caked on. 
 
You’re going to need a variety of brushes (start least aggressive to most). And a lot of towels. It takes time. 
 
That sticky feel you mention, the APC should take care of it. Keep a bottle mixed at a little higher concentration for the tough stuff. Don’t use it all the time. But sometimes you just need...more. We’ve even used the APC we use straight on a towel to scrub stubborn spots. Not often, but we do.

Believe it or not...clean up was quick and easy. We are very organized in our shop with cabinets and all that. So we were able to sweep it out with a push room and scoop it to toss it in the garbage. And then we just took the blower and blew the rest outside and we were ready for the next job. Took us longer to do the laundry. 
 
One of these days when our space is empty, I’ll show how we have things organized. I’ve always been hesitant to show the images because they include a lot of non Adams products. 

Believe it or not...clean up was quick and easy. We are very organized in our shop with cabinets and all that. So we were able to sweep it out with a push room and scoop it to toss it in the garbage. And then we just took the blower and blew the rest outside and we were ready for the next job. Took us longer to do the laundry. 
 
One of these days when our space is empty, I’ll show how we have things organized. I’ve always been hesitant to show the images because they include a lot of non Adams products. 

@RayS you make some important observations in the difference between male owned and female owned vehicles. 
 
The first thing to recognize is that sometimes the discoloration is just that. It’s discolored and can’t be fixed without dyes and that’s a whole different creature we don’t play with. 
 
So we actually attack them the same way, regardless. You can use an APC and a stiffer bristle brush to help loosen and mobilize the byproducts left behind. The APC is a degreaser so it’s good at breaking up the oils. Generally speaking a normal interior detailer sometimes isn’t strong enough for those oils since they tend to be older and caked on. 
 
You’re going to need a variety of brushes (start least aggressive to most). And a lot of towels. It takes time. 
 
That sticky feel you mention, the APC should take care of it. Keep a bottle mixed at a little higher concentration for the tough stuff. Don’t use it all the time. But sometimes you just need...more. We’ve even used the APC we use straight on a towel to scrub stubborn spots. Not often, but we do.

You can get the same 'makeup' type residue from golfers that use sunscreen.  The Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner works good, but if you are using it at full strength be careful around the white markings on the stalks and on the steering wheel - I have removed some of the markings in the past. 
I would also recommend a microfiber glove for cleaning steering wheels.  I put on a nitrile glove, then the MF glover over it, put the cleaner on the MF glove, and work away around the steering wheel. 

Believe it or not...clean up was quick and easy. We are very organized in our shop with cabinets and all that. So we were able to sweep it out with a push room and scoop it to toss it in the garbage. And then we just took the blower and blew the rest outside and we were ready for the next job. Took us longer to do the laundry. 
 
One of these days when our space is empty, I’ll show how we have things organized. I’ve always been hesitant to show the images because they include a lot of non Adams products. 

So we had a client with a Jeep call and say she had some pet hair she wanted us to deal with. She sent some photos, and we agreed on the price. When she dropped it off, the photos weren’t representative of what we thought but we took it on anyway. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Since we took it on, it was time to get to work. We started by vacuuming and using a pet brush and pet stone to pull the loose hair up. Then we took our cyclo with carpet brushes to it to pull up and mobilize the deep stuck hair in the fibers. The cyclo was my first polisher and it’s relegated to this purpose in life these days. We are up to nine polishers in the shop...cyclo, dewalt rotary with an auto triz on it, Rupes rotary, two 15’s, a 21, mini and two nano’s. 
 

 

 


Sorry for the poor video. I didn’t set up the gimbal and all to make it a quality production. But the carpet brushes on the polisher is a great way to pull hair out. You just have to blow the hair it grabs out often to keep it. (Video at end for some reason?)
 
Once we got the hair up, it was business as usual to steam, extract, scrub and dress. 
 
The end result is a huge turn around. 
 

 

 

 

 
 

IMG_3797.MOV

In my post on furry interiors, it got me thinking of doing more in depth write ups and images on certain processes and how we tackle them. 
 
With that, what topics would you guys like to see covered in how we do things and I’ll expose our process?
 
One suggestion was...pet hair. 
 
But what other topics?  The world is your oyster as far as topics go. We cover a lot. I can’t promise a timeline for each subject as it depends on when we get a vehicle that fits that need. 
 
I know next weekend we have another nasty interior coming.
 
If I know in advance, I’ll set up photo/video and work it all out to put a detailed post together for various topics.