Aaron@P2PQD

Being in Australia I regularly have to deal with fast flashing due to the ambient heat over here, This summer I corrected several cars in 40 degree celcius ambient and I feel your pain, probably one of the steepest learning curves I've had. The heat & humidity literally wreak havoc on the rules, Here's what I've found through my experience. All I can say is thank god winter's here!

- Decrease the size of your polishing area, sometimes I'm working 1' x 1' to prevent the polish drying on the panel before it's flashed

- Use water instead of Detail spray and keep the pads moist to extend the flash time

- Reduce pressure on machine

- Arm speed will become critical, Usually I find I need to move a little quicker over the panel and sometimes do 2 passes.

Hope this was of use to you, Good Luck!

Aaron

I use them regularly for Quick Sealant. Takes me 15-20 minutes to get around a mid size sedan

I would start with White foam pad and PFP....

+1, If it's marring this should remove it

You shouldn't get holograms if you keep your pad temp under control, I keep the drill speed down and move across the area a little quicker than with a DA, and keep the pad well lubricated. Then follow up with with white foam and finishing polish. Other way to attack it if your not too confident is just stay with the white foam and white polish as Michael suggested. Best advice I can give is don't get greedy or over confident and you will be fine, Just go easy and analyze the area between passes to stay on top of the process.

Have experienced this before on really soft resprays even with fine grade clay. When I'm claying soft surfaces I usually use alot of lube and pull right back on the pressure. I wouldn't stress too much about it, Paint Finishing Polish will definately remove it but I would try your luck with Revive first. Let us know how you go

New formula is really good. Dusting has been greatly improved and in most cases seems to cut a little better too

GORGEOUS and RARE.

 

I would blank out your license plate though if you are worried about thefts.  A google search would turn up your pics.

Thanks Jason, I haven't had any attempts for about 12 months now but we've changed the way we use it and store it also. 

I'm not even gonna lie, that is a sexy car! It came out really well. How much do those work wheels weigh? less than stock?

Thanks Calvin, These came with fairly light BBS wheels from factory and I think the Works might be slightly heavier. I'm only keeping the Works on their because when I go to a wider set of fenders I'll need to go to another set of wheels also. Most likely be Advan RZ-D or RS-D's. 

I've always had a twisted obsession with Rotaries, had a few back in the 70's.

Yours is very nice, love that body style.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce, I know what you mean. I actually went out looking for a 70's Chevelle or Challenger and somehow came home with this even though I swore I'd never own another rotor haha. 

Hey All,

Been a long time since I've posted as I've been busy setting up shop and focusing on getting my business off the ground. I've kept this a bit of a secret around these parts but alongside my pride and joy Calais I also have a Mazda RX-7 that I like to track and gymkhana occasionally. I don't post much info on this car as I've had quite a few theft attempts over the years, And although I can always buy another one it won't be THIS one. This is one of those cars that is like your best friend, It's more than just the sum of it's parts or it's monetary value to me and I'm sure most people on this forum know the feeling I'm talking about.

It's a 2002 Spirit-R Type A, build number 1403. It's believed that of the 1500 Spirit-R's Mazda built to send off the FD chassis only about 500 were Type-A's so unfortunately it's thief bait. The Type-A's were basically the track spec version with fixed back buckets, stiff bilstien suspension and about the quoted flywheel horsepower at the rear wheels. This one makes in the vicinity of 300rwhp on 10psi of boost and I have done alot of work bringing the weight down to slightly under 1100kg. At the track it can hold it's own, It's not the fastest thing on 4 wheels but I usually manage to be at the pointy end of the rear wheel drive cars which isn't bad considering it drives to the event and home under it's own power.

So onto the detail, As I use this car primarily for motorsport it doesn't get alot of love in the paint department. A few months back I decided to give it a pass with the flex and throw some wax on to tidy it up a bit and to my surprise it came out fairly decent. I didn't take many before shots as I only set out to clay and seal the wheels. As usual I did get a bit carried away, Here's what I did

- Clay, Revive and Quick Seal Wheels

- Clean wheel arches and suspension

- De-Oxidize and dress trims/rubber seals

- De-Badge "Mazda" and "RX-7" to clean up the back a bit

- Delete rear window wiper as I never use it (and I have plans for the reservoir)

- Removed Rear Wing and cleaned/polished/sealed underneath it

- One pass of Paint Correcting Polish with the Flex 3401 and orange Microfiber

- Liquid Paint Seal and Patriot Wax

- Install rear diffuser to clean up rear airflow

- Strip off previous Meg's interior product and apply Total Interior Detailer

Here's the pics

Before

So after looking at these pics it is pretty apparent that the paint is lacking some serious depth and gloss. Being Silver I didn't expect such a big turn around though. Something I failed to capture was the 12 years of swirl marks it had. The wheels were also hammered from years of heavy braking, They came back pretty well though I thought. The wheel on the right is how they came off the car, The one on the left is clayed/polished/sealed

And here is after, Sometime after the wheels I forgot to take pics. When I sink my teeth in this usually happens. I hadn't finished the glass at this point and I'm amazed I could see where I was going!

And this is how it currently looks with the diffuser on, That was a bitch of a job and I'm still a bit doubtful as to whether it actually works or not at that ride height or whether it's just extra baggage. If it doesn't work it'll be going in the bin.

Well, That's how it sits now. Next on the list is to get the alky injection on and sorted and hit the dyno to get a bit more out of the tune.

This was the day after I did our DD with LPS and Patriot, Got some unexpected rain and was pretty impressed. The LPS has only just started to break down after 8 months, Pretty happy with it's longevity and hanging out for the new coating

Pretty badass looking car. I guess its your guys' version of a Ford Fusion?

Basically Yes, Australia never dropped the Falcon and I believe it is a bit bigger than a Fusion, Falcon is RWD also and I believe the Fusion is a front wheeler? In the next couple of years Ford are stopping production in Australia and we will be getting the Fusion as it's replacement, Can't say I'm overly happy but Ford needs to remain competitive and people are moving away from our bigger sedans these days. On the flip side we are getting the Mustang though and I'm hoping Chev will bring the Camaro & Corvette to the market when Holden ceases manufacturing here also. Pretty crappy we don't build cars here anymore though, I feel like we were just starting to figure it out haha

Fender brush I don't see the point, would be useless for its intended purpose (getting into the fenders where you can't reach)

 

Wheel brush I've kicked the idea around, we even have a prototype here if theres demand.

Low profiles are where I find the full size brushes have trouble. When you have a vehicle that has low profile tyres and tight fitting rims the big brushes are just too big. You need something palm sized and short bristled to tackle these properly, I make do with a shoe brush at the moment but something fit for purpose would be better. I was tossing ideas around for one a while back and I think it would need to meet the following criteria to work

- ergo moulded palm size grip, not massive though. Something that can be turned sideways to deal with 30 profiles on 255-300 section tyres

- lightly rubberized to prevent damage with a fender/guard if contact is made, Alienware laptops have a nice soft feel rubber that's pretty hardy and may work. I don't know what it is specifically though

- slightly softer bristles than a fender brush to allow the bristles to work into the lettering and recesses on the sidewall and also down into the bead without damage

- Could also be used to clean the tread blocks out for show cars that see road use

These are just the ideas I've been tossing around, Majority of my customers have cars with 30/35 profiles and slightly tucked wheels, I think there is definately a gap in the market here for something smaller and more maneuverable. Would be more than happy to discuss with you further Dylan if you want to have some feedback

Thanks

Aaron

Mixed emotions on this but I think it is the right move to remain relevant in the market and to continue to move forward. I completely agree with and support the decision, Keen to see what products start to filter through!

I'm glad this came up as I was pondering this only the other day. Thanks for the good info gents

This may sound a bit odd, But try some Eucalyptus Oil on a microfiber and see how you go. the only time I ever use this is if I have super stubborn staining I can't remove any other way. I rinse with water after every application as it's pretty heavy duty. You don't want it on your paint too long, I would test in an inconspicuos area first, I only ever use it if NOTHING else works.

Thanks Chris

Hey Chris, Could I possibly change my name to something more professional. Like maybe Aaron@P2PQD ? Thanks mate

Well, To follow up on this I spoke to the customer today and he contacted the panel shop as he knew them rather well. The panel shop said they believed it was damage that occurred while fitting the hood and did touch it up, They have offered to repaint the panel for him free of charge. I offered to shoulder some of the expense but they didn't think it was necessary. I still think I could have been more careful and definately should have excercised more caution. 

Thanks Dylan,

Have taken more thorough thickness measurements across the repainted panels and I think I just got unlucky. Bonnet (05 GTO) scoops measure 4.35 mil on one side and 5.35 mil, Hood seems to vary between as low as 3 mil and as high as 6. Just measured the fender in micron and the top corner (where I went through) is as low as 97 but get's as thick as 600 micron as you move forward and down the panel. 

I think at this stage I'm leaning towards it being a poor respray, And me trying to cut too heavily to remove the swirling. None of the swirls I was chasing were deep enough to catch a nail so I thought I was pretty safe chasing 95%, Evidently it shows you can never excercise too much caution.

No luck I'm afraid, I even went through my microfiber to see if there was any evidence of it in there. If it is a touch up it's an odd place for it. I find it odd that I wouldn't have seen this on the previous wipe down or during claying but maybe I did just go through and not notice until I went to the white pad

Thanks Jason, I literally watched it appear in front of my eyes which is why I initially thought maybe I had a build up of polish on the pad which had deposited itself in the panel gap. I'm 100% certain it didn't occur earlier as I wipe down after each pass to asses which pad/polish to use for the next

The other thing I'm finding weird is that I'm getting no paint transfer. If I was getting paint transfer I could pretty safely say I just f'ed up but as I'm not seeing any I'm not so sure. Although, Does that rule still apply when looking at primer?

Hi Scott, It's had a few over it's lifetime but the front end is the most recent. The roof is the only factory paint left on it and weirdly it measures very similar to the resprayed panels. I know the respray was an insurance job and the gapping isn't pretty. The car has had a supercharger and cam fitted since the respray also so maybe something happened then and it got touched up, I might be reading too much into it though.

The other thing I'm finding odd is the amount of clear coming off from a cut, With this same combo on Jap cars and soft blacks I usually see no more than 4 microns a pass. This is averaging 10 which is worrying to say the least.

I still have bottles with both, and to be honest I find the B is more sturdy. A's used to leak sometimes which the B's don't seem to do

Yeah Chris, It is slightly inside the corner of the panel

Hi Guys,

             Looking for some professional opinions here as I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm polishing a Red Holden GTO and have come across a problem. Hoping someone can confirm or deny my suspicions.

So, I'm using the Flex 3401 VRG with Adams Paint Correcting and Adam's Paint Finishing with Orange Microfiber and White foam. I have done 4 passes on microfiber and there are still some scratches but nothing major. When doing pass number 5 on White foam the below damage occured. The damage occured instantly and at first I thought I had dropped a blob of polish from the pad into the panel gap. At first I thought it was strikethrough and my heart sank as the person who owns this car loves it immensly and has trusted me to prep it for show.

Upon further inspection though, I'm not so sure the damage is entirely my fault. Here's the data to help

- Car was resprayed about 3 months ago

- Car has 140 Micron of paint fairly consistently across all panels

- Car has burn marks from previous respray/rotary buffer

- I had done 5 passes in total which lead me to believe I had burnt through (still quite likely)

- Area of burn through has 97 micron or 3.3mil according to my gauge

- Area I polished has 104 micron left

Data that doesn't add up

- Area of burn through shows no hazing around immediate area or at all

- No paint transfer on White foam

- No paint transfer on Revive & Blue applicator

- Scratch looks shiny, not Matte

- Still alot of paint left on area, Although I do understand that this is no indication of the clear coat thickness

- Scratch has sharp edges like something has dragged it at some point

- I wipe down after every pass, I would have noticed hazing and stopped immediately

- I don't apply alot of downward force when polishing, I would say no more than 2kg of pressure

- Damage happened immediately, Not progressively

After taking this into consideration, I'm actually beginning to wonder if the car had a previous touch up and I was unlucky enough to take the touch up off with the buffer, However I am willing to accept that there is every likelyhood I just straight up went too hard. We were chasing perfect for this particular car and I will admit I was pushing the limits to achieve it, I did think 100 micron would leave me with a safety margin though as most cars I have polished have had less than this to begin with. A professional opinion would be greatly appreciated at this stage, I have stopped the correction until I can get hold of the customer but I would like to pinpoint the cause so I can learn from this experience.

Pics