DaleH

1 hour ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

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. 

What about between the polish and the coating prep? Is an IPA redundant in there?

1 hour ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

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. 

Nice. What about... say... full hood size for a 2013 MKX? I bought a kit off of Amazon. I don't care how much they say the stuff stretches the shape is wonky. Can't find anyone that sells more than 18" wide in bulk. I can wrap the whole hood and cut the stuff myself much easier than trying to make the pre-cut fit....

system shutdown

12 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

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. 

All this for sure.

I also use an ozone generator. Not sure if it's just hype or confirmation bias but it seems to knockout every other scent. I forgot to take my wife's favorite air freshener out before the last treatment and it almost neutralized that.

X2 on the 'gain' smell. There is something in there that is vile. Our washing machine broke mid batch so we finished laundry at a friends house. We had to re-wash our clothes three times to get the gain out.

handled poorly

@Firebuff17 That was the plan. The thing is.... I bought the paint to do the calipers, cleaned them, and then chickened out/made a better choice. I was going to do them red to match the tail lights. It's a Ford Edge that I need to sell before the end of the year. It's taken me 50 to years to learn this but I've finally figured out that the flourishes I like tend to cost me when it comes time to sell.

brakes... and a little cleaning.

before:

After:

fair play

Pics... or it didn't happen

15 minutes ago, GolfR said:

Looking at it from another view/a different idea - Given that currently the website doesn't display items as back ordered (only out of stock), it makes sense that they ship what they can and then ship the remaining item(s) later as they become available. 

 

If they were able to have items show as back-ordered on the website, I'd be ok with my whole order being held for shipping until everything is available. I'm sure not everyone would be on board, but I feel like it could help reduce unneeded shipping costs on their end and decrease some confusion/issues with people receiving their order and an item or two not being present. I know the first time I received an order and an item was back-ordered, I didn't see the note right away and was thoroughly confused as to where my wax was. 

For me the issue has been that I've ordered a couple of things, get a shipping notification, clean out the garage in preparation... and then the package arrives with the main ingredient missing. A big part of it is that I'm living proof that Murphy's Law really is a law. The two big ones that caught me were the Mini Swirl Killer back order and the ceramic coating kit. What would be nice is knowing when the box leaves, what didn't leave in the box.

3 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

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. 

 

 

Absolutely. One of the best pieces of advice. It's also important to remember that different parts of the car are not finished the same way. What I've done on body panels has been different than the bumpers and the large trim pieces. The only reason I'm waiting for the compound is that I want all the tools in the shed before I start just in case. I've also got the 5.5" set of pads coming as well. Maybe I've watched too much Kevin Brown but I try and do as much as I can with as little as I can. I did a test run on the Edge with my HF DA to get used to using a polisher before jumping on the black paint, so I know that correcting polish on an orange pad isn't going to get me where I want to get. My plan was to try microfiber and CP before upping to the compound.

I've made enough mistakes to have learned to test everything. I think of it as LASIK eye surgery. There are no do overs. Thank you so much for taking the time to help out a weekend warrior.

2 minutes ago, Dan@Adams said:

Welcome aboard! Let us know how the Tire Armor works out for you as well - make sure to give the tires a thorough cleaning first to remove any previous dressings or products for best results

Yup. Got the kit

hole punch

I wish I'd taken an a/b of the difference the finishing polish made. I almost didn't do it because the correcting polish did such an awesome job. Next up is the Edge, which is Mineral Gray, so I'm not expecting the same... If it is there will be pics this time. It has a few more miles on it so I'm waiting on my heavy correcting compound.

Wow... looks like. Didn't get a 'sold out' warning...

Watched the livestream. The vid made the car look like a chrome wrap! Not bad for a bowtie!

session override

Yup... just finished. It's beautiful. Made the black nice and deep. This is after polish before coating. 

Drivers side fender... Hard to take pics of black. Biggest problem I had was prematurely hitting the power switch on the Swirl Killer sending sling all over the car and the garage. Tire armor should be here this week to clean up the messy wheels.

correction fluid

52 minutes ago, moons21 said:

As I read this post, and see all the points from the different users, I thought to myself about the differences in the LSP's between coatings and sealants.  One thing that popped into my head was the application costs of different products.  What I'm referring to is the cost of consumables to apply these.  For the average home user, do you really want to spend a lot of money on towels using the CSC to simply do your windows and trim probably monthly vs. the re-usable applicators that you use for the glass sealant or VRT blocks etc.   Sometimes I feel that the cost of the application might come into play for the different products and that could be another reason to not remove some of the other sealants available.

Right on the $$$

Yes, yes it is...

Pic 1 - first sticker on my new toolcart.

Pic 2 - reflection of said sticker and toolcart... Passenger door paint corrected in anticipation of ceramic coating this weekend.

Blue oval lovin' Canadian living in Texas. I bought a Black Lincoln and the rest, as they say, is history.