Aaron@P2PQD

Tried H2O for the first time today here Downunder and I think its going to be perfect for me in our harsh summer climate. Was seriously impressed with the shine popping on a near 6yo daily driver. Thank you Adam's and Joseph 
 
 

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

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

Phil, do you have an LED torch for a swirlfinder?  You can get one for $20 off ebay.  Very helpful in spotting defects but again, you may not have much.  Also, working in the overcast weather is hindering being able to spot any imperfections.  Yes it allows you to work outside since you haven't cleared your garage out, but its a negative when polishing and you aren't working with concentrated light source to identify defects.  As opposed to parking the vehicle outside, prior to pulling in the garage and polishing, you get a good idea of what kinds of defects (if any) are on the paint when you do a visual inspection in full sunlight, after the wash, and after claying.
 
However, as I've mentioned numerous times, you do have a decent rinseless and traditional washing regimen, and your M5 is just over a year old I believe and isn't dealer prepped or washed by them regularly?
 
If you are happy with the look of your finish and can't spot any obvious defects then just keep it sealed/waxed and drive it, and continue with your regimen which is obviously keeping your finish in good shape.
 
 
Don't drive yourself crazy thinking you "have to correct it because everyone does" or trying to polish out defects that aren't there.  If you have a good washing/rinseless regimen, you may not even need to hit the vehicle with Finishing Polish for light swirls, once a year.  I corrected my X5 in August of last year and just finished doing a spring detail.  After claying, I saw no new defects since last year's correction so I just sealed it and now I'm driving it.  Granted its not 100% but being a 2003, I'm happy with 95%.
 
I'm sure the Cyclo will be a tool you will own for most of your life as they are bulletproof, it will get its use someday, between your M5, other vehicles in the future, motorcycles, boats, etc. 

Thanks RB!
 
I'm with you!
The car never got to a dealer since I picked it up from the factory about 11 months ago. It's never been dealer prepped or washed by a dealer. It did see 3-4 auto washes while in Europe. And has seen 2 auto washes here in the US over the winter before I started doing my own self serve. Ever since, it hasn't seen any auto washes. I always take care to park in areas to minimize exposure to door dings, tree debri, etc...
 
So, to your point... I think you are spot on. I've got a good maintenance regimen and with the age of the finish and the color, any defects are minimal and well hidden. So, I'll just maintain the shine and enjoy it!
And yep...I'll keep the Cyclo as a great tool for my 'belt'.

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

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

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

I havent sold any for a while. Since deep wheel cleaner has come out ALL of my customers love it. Some use it on every wash and have had no issues. Along side with the price reduction is has helped a ton!
 
Hey Dylan what ratio would be safe to do a dilution for deep wheel cleaner? 1:3? 1:5? 

One more bonus:  Between 1 and 2oz of product stick to walls of the bottles, especially when bottles are continuously inverted.  When the bottles remain upright, over time, all product goes to the bottom of the bottle.  So, besides being easier to use, you will also get up to 1/8 more product from each bottle!

Fantastic car, must be a ton of fun at the track

Those RS-D's would look sick on your car!! I have been saving my pennies for some Forgestar F14s

Sweet looking ride!!

Very cool car!

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

I've always wanted an RX-7. Great condition. Keep it in a tightly sealed location.

Love the body lines of the FD's! Very nice work. 

You have got her looking good!

Very nice job. 

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?

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.

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.
 

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.
 

We have recently opened up our premium detailing services and made them available to everyone who is after a deep, wet and glossy shine on their pride and joy.
 
This recent detail was on a Ford XR6 that was booked in for our Light Paint Correction and Restoration Service. This car was not cared for in months however has previously been cared for with our range of products.
 
We used the Flex and Cyclo Polishers with Microfibre pads and our polishing system to achieve a deep shine and reveal the silver metallic in this finish.
 
If you'd like to know more about our services please visit www.adamspolishes.net.au or call us.
 
"The Road to a Flawless Shine Begins Here"
 
Enjoy!
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

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.