SgtLip

BINGO!  Excellent products plus good technique equals awesome!  After 10 months, 8300 miles, and about 30 washes the truck still looks amazing.  And keeping the paint in great shape avoids the extra work of doing a paint correction at each detail.  Throw in some good equipment to save time and effort, and you get a first-class ticket to Shineville!

A WINTERTIME WASH
 
After 6 weeks of bitter cold and then very wet weather, the truck was a dirty pig.  I am pretty sure the deicer that they use around here is mixed with glue, as the nasty road spray is hard to get off, even with layers of fresh protection.  I took advantage of a 38 degree, overcast day to get some shiny before it gets cold again.
 

 
I started with a good rinse with the pressure washer and warm water to remove the loose crud.  Then a prewash soak with the foam cannon with 2oz CWS and 4oz RW.  I let this sit while I worked on the wheels and tires so that it would work to soften up the stuck-on dirt.
 

 
While I always use the two-bucket method on the wheels/tires, when it is this dirty I will do all four wheels first, and then go back and scrub the tires and wells.  This keeps the water cleaner for the wheels to prevent scratches.  Since I have LPS and QS on the fronts and backs of the wheels, I only used CWS for cleaning as I don't want to strip the protection off the barrels as they can only be sealed properly when off the truck.
 

 
A handy item I found for scrubbing the brushes clean while washing is this washboard/grit guard combo called the "Dirt Dropper."
 

 
Once I finished with the wheels/tires/wells, I pressure-rinsed the truck with warm water.  Even after a pre-rinse, a sudsy soak, and another rinse, there was still a good amount of nastiness.
 

 
I then foamed it with 3oz CWS and 2oz RW.  Using the wool wash pad, I did each section, rinsing the pad good between sections in a bucket of warm suds.  Since this truck is big, I can't get it all washed before the foam falls off, so I do the top half, then foam again, then do the middle portion, then foam again to do the lower portions and bumpers.  I then switched to the DI water for the final rinse, again using warm water.
 

 

 
Dried by blasting most of the water off with the Sidekick, then moved it into the warm garage and finished drying with the Great White Drying Towel and DS.
 
Dressed the running boards with SVRT, then treated the wheels to two coats of QS, and finished with Tire Shine.
 
Final result was a swirl-free, super-clean, jaw-dropping level of shine that blows my mind every time.
 

 

 

 

It was time for the Fall Detail to add some fresh layers of protection before it starts to snow. While there were a some very minor scratches and scuffs, I did not do any paint correction as I plan to only do that for the Spring Details. With the snow, ice, road sand and deicing chemicals, there will be some inadvertent paint damage that will need to be addressed next time. Also, since I did the wheels a few weeks ago and did a full interior detail last weekend, the steps shown only addressed the exterior body of the truck.
 
FALL DETAIL AND WINTER PROTECTION
Strip washed the truck with pressure washer and foam cannon containing 4oz CWS and 2oz APC, used a wool wash pad and rinsed it in the grit guard bucket between panels, thorough rinse with DI water. Clay bar treatment with DS. Rinsed off residue with pressure washer, wiped down with 50% APC dilution and wash mitt, DI rinse and then dried with Metro Sidekick. Finish drying with Great White Drying Towel. Applied Glass Sealant to the windows. I did this first to make is easier to remove residue when I put QS on the window trim. Applied QS to all plastic and trim, leveled with foam applicator and wiped residue with Singe Soft Towel. Polished with Revive, using the Cyclo and White Foam Finishing Pads. Removed residue with Double Soft Towels. Used the Metro Sidekick to blow off the polish dust that collects in the nooks and crannies. Wipe down paint with 50% IPA dilution and Single Soft Towels. Sprayed the towels rather than the paint to keep from stripping the QS off the trim. Applied another coat of QS to the trim to add additional protection from staining and to seal the paint right next to the trim. LPS with Black Machine Sealant Pads on the Cyclo, removed residue with Double Soft Towels. Americana Paste Wax with Black Machine Waxing Pads on the Cyclo, removed residue with Double Soft Towels. Since I did not want to strip the sealant off the wheels, I covered them with cardboard to keep the foam off.

 
Here's the lineup.

 
Since I rinsed with DI water, I did not have to dry or worry about water spots before using the clay bar.

 
And some Revive Polish to clean the paint so the sealant gets a good bond.

 
The towel on the left removed the residue from the Revive, but the two towels on the right show additional residue removal with a wipe-down using the IPA dilution. I think having the paint as clean as possible is important for the longevity of the sealant.

 
One big benefit to the Cyclo on a truck this big is that I can reach the middle of the roof without having to lean against the side.

 
Time to do the laundry. I will give these a rinse and then presoak them overnight in a wash bucket with 3oz of MFR&B. Then I will run them through the washer and dryer.

 
And the required "Product Reflection Photo".

 
Photos of the final results to follow...

Good idea with the Car Shampoo.  The soap should help give the Rinseless more "cling" to break up the grime.
 
You just may have found the perfect pre-soak of a hammered car when doing traditional rinseless washes as well.  Hit the car with that solution and let it dwell, rinse with a high pressure stream, then take your bottle of 1:16 diluted Rinseless, pre-soak the panel, and go into your traditional Rinseless wash method.
 
Nice!

Wow....just....wow!!!

Great minds, Jason!  My next post was going to be RINSELESS WASH PRE-SOAK WITH THE VENUS FOAMER.
 
I used the Venus Foamer with a solution of 4oz RW and 2 oz CWS with 1L distilled water as a pre-soak on the front of the truck.  It worked really good on the bugs.  I plan to pick up a second Venus to have one dedicated to APC and one for pre-soaks with RW solutions.
 

 

Nice updates Dan.
 
I agree on the Venus sprayer, I don't use it on tires because the sprayer is too fine to control amount of product coming out, and it uses way too much in the realm of APC.
 
I only use my Venus with Rinseless diluted, as a pre-soak on panels when doing a rinseless wash or for loosening up bug guts and bird poop before a traditional wash.

WHEEL AND TIRE CLEANING AND PROTECTION
 
I needed to rotate the tires so I decided it would be a good time to give them a good cleaning and sealing. I sprayed on a cocktail of APC and Dawn Soap with the Kwazar Venus Pro Foaming Compression Sprayer, figuring the Dawn Soap would add some lather and give the APC more time to break down multiple layers of QS and Tire Shine. Having the wheels laying flat made scrubbing much easier. I used the Cyclo with the carpet brush attachments.
 

 

 

 
Note that this Cyclo is dedicated to brushes for tires, carpets, and other dirty tasks. I do not use this machine for polishing to avoid any chances of getting dirt and grime onto the paint or polishing pads. The brushes kick up quite a bit of spray and splatter and the machine ends up pretty dirty.
 
After a good rinse with the pressure washer, I dried them with the Metro Blaster Sidekick and a Microfiber Waterless Wash Towel. Once completely dry, I put layer of LPS on the insides and backs of the wheels and barrels, wiping the residue with an Edgeless Utility Towel. After letting the LPS cure for an hour or so, I added a layer of QS to the backs and then two layers to the fronts. After remounting the wheels, I sprayed on some Tire Shine and then evened it out with a Hex Grip Tire Applicator.
 

 
Of course, once I was done it was raining so I didn't get pics of the finished project, but here is one from a few months ago.
 

Since someone on this forum recently suggested that I needed to improve a bit, I fast-tracked the R&D on the latest addition to my cleaning equipment.
 
I have an underbody lance for my pressure washer that worked pretty good for getting the mud off the underside of the truck, but it was a little awkward to use without banging it into the ground or the bottom of the truck, or dragging it along the driveway.  I thought some casters on it would be useful, and found this furniture dolly at the hardware store.  I bolted a Quick Fist clamp onto it to attach it to the lance.
 

 
Now, I can sit on my stool and run this under the truck with ease.  It even propels itself back and forth by just twisting the wand to vary the direction of the stream.
 

 

 
The Quick Fist clamp makes removal easy, so I can use just the curved lance without the casters to get the wheel wells, suspension components, and the backs of the wheels and tires.

Dan, you are a sick puppy.   I love it!  You are not alone, but have taken OCD to a new level, which certain, is FANTASTIC.

Very funny!  Thanks for the kind words!
 
"Process improvement" is a minor obsession of mine, its a hobby that drives the other hobbies.
 
Now, what is the employee discount?  Or maybe I could just get paid in product.
 
Detailer's Log - October 9th, 2014 - Honored by his Royal Shineness, the Detailer-in-Chief!

Dan, why aren't you more thorough?  How about thinking things out a bit, and trying to improve a bit?  Geesh!!!
 
Wow, must say, i'm totally impressed.  Just read this thread for the first time, and you might need to come work here.....you available?
 
Awesome write-up, awesome upgrades, and I'm honored to have you as a customer!

I put some 3/8" vinyl vacuum caps on the pump nozzles to keep things from drying out now that they will see a little less use this fall and winter.  This summer, with weekly pump action, the only product that dried out enough to make a little booger was the LC, so I have been keeping a cap on it when not in use.
 
 

I decided to try one of the Kwazar Venus Pro compression sprayers with a foamer tip for cleaning the wheels and tires with APC. 
 
The wheels on the truck were not in need of a scrubbing, so I tested it on the Jeep.  The left side I sprayed with a standard sprayer and the right side got foamed.
 

 
The foamer tip seems to add some foaming to the APC, which helps it hang a little longer.
 
The only downside to the compression sprayer is it really pumps out the product and with the foaming tip, there is not much control over the amount coming out.  If you twist the tip to reduce the amount of product, it only sprays out a few inches.  I sprayed the tires, wheels and wells and went through 3/4 of a liter.  Too much to use on a regular washing, but for the occasional scrubbing to remove a few layers of Tire Shine and Quick Sealant it would work better than just a standard sprayer.  I would not use the compression sprayer on the wheel wells again since it uses too much product.

I decided to upgrade my detailing stool as the Craftsman one I had been using has small wheels that get hung up on the expansion joints in the concrete, a few times nearly tipping over.
 
I went with a Traxion ProGear Racing Gear Seat.  I have a ProGear creeper and I knew the larger 5" wheels go over the slab joints much easier.  The new seat is much better, I wish I had got it a long time ago.  The seat is deep with good side support and the handle makes it easier to move around.  The seat adjusts from about 14 to 18 inches.
 

 

 

 
The seat comes with a tool tray that spins around but I did not use it as I just hit my heels on the old seats tray.  I think it works much better without the tray.
 
While this model is imported, Traxion does have two American Made creepers and a few "USA Assembled and Inspected" seats, so at least they are trying.
 
UPDATE - Traxion's website now lists this seat as being Made in the USA, along with a few of their creepers.  I have the ProGear WideBody Creeper and I really like it because it has a contour that adds some lower back support, rather than just being flat.

After using the MetroVac Blaster Sidekick Dryer a few times, I found it a little awkward to try and get the different angles to get water out from under the trim, and also a little difficult to move the water off the larger areas as the handheld unit is a little heavy and not too easy to sweep from side to side.  I was also afraid of banging it into the paint. So I added a 3 foot hose that MetroVac makes, and it makes it much easier to use, much like the larger Master Blaster that has a hose attachment.  I got this hose from Amazon but you can also order them directly from MetroVac.  I think they are such a good addition to the dryer that Adam's should consider adding them to their website.
 

Spent some quality time with the Label Maker today.
 

 
Up to 111% nuts now.

It is the CR Spotless DIC-20 from Costco.  You can check out crspotless.com and also Costco's website.  I removed it from the little cart that it comes on and mounted it to the Rubbermaid cart.

Would you mind sharing some info on that Deionizing system you have? Thanks.

Here's the latest addition to the arsenal.  A beverage dispenser full of deionized water for use in the foam cannon and for making product dilutions.  It wasn't quite tall enough for the bigger bottles so I rotated the spout.  I know, a little ridiculous, but Amazon thought I would like it so I had to buy it!
 

At the Show & Shine for our school district.
 

 

 

Today I finished a project which is a handle that connects two bucket caddies together.  This allows me to move them around more easily.  This two-bucket setup is dedicated to wheels and tires.
 

 
The handle is from a old garden tool, I bolted on two steel straps, painted it black, and then bolted it to the bucket caddies.  I also drilled small holes around the inside of the caddies to let water drain out.
 

 

I have since added a wire shelf to use as a drying rack instead of laying the applicators out on towels.  The shelf works much better and frees up counter space.  The grit guards also work for drying racks if you don't have too many items to dry.
 

Good tip on dedicating applicators to one product. I use a Sharpie to mark them. Not all need to be marked since some applicators are color coded to a specific product. I will add this tip to the list.

I will have to try Dawn soap on the Liquid Paint Sealant next time.

I also like to clean the applicators between each step instead of having a pile of them to clean at the end when I am usually tired out.