cwp2016nd

I’ve written things up a few times previously on the forums...and they’ve been generally well received so it’s something I don’t mind keeping up with as I’m able to. 
 
That being said, if there’s anything specific you want to see covered or asked...please do so. It’ll help inspire some of that writing. Maybe it’ll be a quick answer. Maybe it’ll be a write up with photos from an upcoming job. Who knows what it’ll turn into?
 
Topics can be detailing to busInes’s related. Maybe it’ll help foster good discussions. Our way of doing things isn’t the only way...
 
Anyway, I wanted to extend the offer. Maybe one day I can do a thread for a Q&A on all things interior with Marquis when he’s here working!  He won’t do the forum thing himself, but i can ask and get answers and type for him!  Just a thought. 
 
And as far as a clinic, we are still working on it!  Trying to workout some scheduling and funds to run the event the way it should be done since I sank a bunch into the new workspace!

I will definitely take before and after pictures. 
 
Keep in mind there is some rust on this car so it will not be perfect by any means, but it is the perfect test panel for me  
 
Its much easier than getting a hood from a junkyard and setting it up to work on. 

Hey guys, 
 
My family owns a 2001 Kia Rio as a beater car. It has about 40,000 miles on it (Older neighbors owned it and only took it to the grocery store) and I'm going to hone in my wetsanding skills on it. 
 
Does anybody want me to try anything particular for them? I'm going to play around with a bunch of different grits, polishes, pads etc. and see what I find on this particular paint. 
 
I'm pretty sure the car was never washed or taken care of that way, but there is quite a lot of paint on the vehicle (measured with a paint thickness gauge) so I have plenty to play around with. Besides, at the end of it all I can pretty much guarantee we'll have one of the nicest looking 2001 Kia Rios around! 
 
I will be taking plenty of pictures to document what I see and wind up doing. Just post up if you are curious about anything and I'll try it out 

I plan on doing something similar to that. I will play around with different pads/compounds and see how they remove different sanding marks. Everything from 1500 grit to 3000

I plan on doing something similar to that. I will play around with different pads/compounds and see how they remove different sanding marks. Everything from 1500 grit to 3000

I'm really not a fan of topping products like that....
 
I'd say use buttery wax on it's own being it doesn't last a while. Then you can go back to hydro2. If you haven't checked it out yet, Hydro Blue my Mckees 37 is a fantastic product as well. I got a gallon on sale for around $55 and it lasts a long time. 

I will definitely take before and after pictures. 
 
Keep in mind there is some rust on this car so it will not be perfect by any means, but it is the perfect test panel for me  
 
Its much easier than getting a hood from a junkyard and setting it up to work on. 

Here's an easy, short answer for you. 
 
In my experience, if you plan on polishing the vehicle after you clay the vehicle, use the mitt because it saves time. 
 
If you are NOT going to polish it afterwards, use the clay bar as it has less potential to scratch/marr the vehicle. 
 
I'm personally not a huge fan of clay mitts for my own reasons but they both work. 

Hi, Finally joining the forum. Long time user, but new poster. I have purchased Mystery boxes and buckets before so no real questions. Just stopping in to say Hi!

I have done it both ways and there is a difference. I've never had issues just wiping off the polish and going straight to LSP either, BUT it does make sense in my mind to rid the surface of all the oils in the polish before you lay down a sealant, wax, glaze etc. 
I think so too! But for how cheap the 32oz bottle is I guess its not so bad. My 32oz bottle has lasted MANY cars already. 

I'm just beginning to get my feet wet in detailing for money, but I have 4 polishers, tons of different compounds/polishes (and not even THAT much in the grand scheme of things), all the different brushes you can imagine, metro sidekick blower, two crates full of towels, 70+ compound/polishing pads, tornador w/vacuum attachment, waxes/sealants etc. I have well over $2,500 in my setup already and I don't have an extractor or steamer. Those are coming up on the "To buy" list but first I need a paint depth gauge which I think I'll order on Amazon today. 
 
My point is, keep your services limited to what you're able to accomplish and build your money and clients up in order to make big purchases. I didn't do that and had to pay for a bunch of stuff for a while with no clients. 

So I used Waterless Wash and a Clay Mitt this weekend with very good success. I got the mitt very wet with the WW and then sprayed 2'x2' sections at a time with the WW. With very little pressure, I was able to effectively clay the car.  I found the mitt gliding nicely over the vehicle and I could feel the containments being lifted off. The first few passes were rough but the more I passed, the smoother it got. I also didn't notice the mitt laying down any extra marks in the paint. I did end up passing over the car with an SK (that was my plan all a long) but I didn't see the mitt marring the paint. 
 
I can't say WW worked any better or worse than DS but WW is cheaper than DS and if I dilute RW it will be even cheaper, I think WW/RW will be my go to for claying for now on. 
 
Here's a before and after of a bird bomb that I was working on this weekend using the above process. The bomb etched the clear coat pretty bad. It's not 100% gone as I would have needed to wet sand the area but it's 90% gone and really can't be seen unless you are looking for it. 
 
Process:
Cleaned with Ultra Foam Shampoo
Dried with a Great White Drying Towel
Clayed with a Mitt and Waterless Wash
Heavy Cutting Compound on a Microfiber Pad
Cutting Compound on a Foam Pad
Finishing Polish on a Foam Pad
 
 

I have a homemade detail spray that I use. It's a concentrate of 3oz rinseless wash (non adam's although his would work fine I'm sure) per gallon of distilled water. It doesn't leave any residue behind and is plenty slick. It's also SUPER cheap. 
 

Great job! 

Nice save!

Nice work, Ian!

Wow, awesome work! you did a really great job. 

I did not expect to see those results especially on the trunk.  Nice job!

Single stage paint just means there is no clear coat. It is only paint on the panel which is why it looked "ashy" from oxidation. 
 
The finish polish wouldn't do much of anything to the naked eye to be honest. The paint was so far gone all I wanted to do was get rid of the oxidation and bring some color back to the surface. The correcting polish got me there faster than finishing polish. 
 
For fun, I wetsanded a small part of the trunk and used heavy compound, followed by correction polish and it didn't do anything for the finish so my best guess is the paint has been beat up and neglected for FAR too long. There are a ton of bird drop etchings and deep scratches in the paint as well. 

Adam's customer service truly is remarkable!

Just wanted to say how great Adam's customer service is. 
 
My day job is being the parts department manager at Shafiroff Racing and I speak with vendors ALL day long. 
 
I had a slight issue with a 6.5" orange pad and I sent the team an email. All they asked me for was an order number that it came on and the very next day they sent out a replacement! To boot, they threw in a bottle of orange correcting polish  How nice of them is that?! 
 
Just wanted to share with everyone how fast, easy and delightful this experience was. 
 
Thanks guys! 

sent pm

Son of a gun...wouldn't you know it.......a 12 pack of towels showed up at my house today.   I told you that MB was mine.  I'll send you my address and we can swap things around and correct this mess.  BTW, what did I get in my MB ?   I (You) got 12 towels, but there was no mystery there.  

I’m sure many will tell you it’s not necessary, but I think it’s a good idea. Every time I’m done polishing a vehicle i give it a wipe down with wax and grease remover, because the sealant will have a completely bare surface to adhere to. 

I’m sure many will tell you it’s not necessary, but I think it’s a good idea. Every time I’m done polishing a vehicle i give it a wipe down with wax and grease remover, because the sealant will have a completely bare surface to adhere to.