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Luken10

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About Luken10

  • Birthday 10/04/1993

Converted

  • Location
    Orange County
  • Vehicle Year
    1995
  • Vehicle Make
    Chevrolet
  • Vehicle Model
    Impala SS
  • Real Name
    Luke
  1. Where did you find a "Texas Silverado" branded mirror? Looks fantastic!
  2. I have done some research on them before. Seems to me like the cleaning process goes much faster with a tool like that. The only thing I would be worried about is getting the liquid cleaner into cracks and crevices it really shouldn't be in. Especially all the electronics in cars today.
  3. I am sure it depends on your exact conditions, but for me it is an absolute worst case scenario. Black paint in the direct sun becomes too hot to even touch. My polishes will just cake up and dust leaving me in fits of rage! I have never been able to successfully do it, but that is just me. I also have only done black cars, so that is another factor. I am a bit bitter about it because to this day there are some spots I see where I can't tell if it is a chip in the paint or just dried on polish. That stuff is impossible to remove!
  4. I decided to test the Opti-Coat product on my car a couple weekends ago. Wetsanded and then buffed my trunk lid to perfection. Applied the Opti-Coat on one side, and brilliant glaze / Americana on the other. I asked a few people which side looked better, and it was always (almost instantaneously) the Adamized side. I personally didn't want to believe it since I really wanted to utilize the extra hardness for those fine swirls on a daily driver. But, at the same time, if I know my paint can look even better I do not want to settle for less. To me the the waxed side just looked deeper and wetter. Not to say the Opti-Coated side didn't look amazing, I did damn fine job at polishing. It was just lacking what the other side had. I will have to try putting brilliant glaze and Americana on the Opti-Coat to see how that looks. However, even if it does end up looking the same, I know I will probably have to reapply every week because of the properties of Opt-Coat. I'm not sure if that is worth my time and money. Also, as for water beading. I could not tell a difference at all. Misting, sheet rinse, dew on the car in the morning, it all looked and performed exactly the same on each side. I know the Opti-Coat is going to last a whole lot longer, but for some reason I was expecting more "magic" to happen. Oh well!
  5. I made the mistake of unknowingly using the edge lock tape on some rubber trim and plastic that was over 15 years old. Finished polishing, started peeling off the tape, and the rubber/plastic just peeled right up! Obviously just a very thin layer, but still did the whole splotchy number on it. Hopefully I will never make that mistake again.
  6. I have read that IPA has little to no lubrication, hence the 50/50 water mix. However, sometimes i feel like when the polish is being too stubborn, wiping down with the IPA solution can still cause the lightest of micro-marring. Has anyone tried adding waterless wash to their IPA solution? I know there are other products that have a wipe down IPA formula with extra lubrication. But, who needs that if I can make my own with Adams! Also I have read that IPA can dull the finish after polishing. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that claim?
  7. The guys at my local detailing store told me to use distilled water instead of detail spray. I had a problem with the polish caking up with detail spray. I definitely could just be using too much, but that was their suggestion. Haven't tried it yet though.
  8. I have an 1800 psi Greenworks electric pressure washer from Lowes. I think you will be fine. It won't do anything to the paint on your car, even from a few inches away with the 40 degree nozzle. Just try to not focus on any cracks or rock chips. Even then though it took the 0 degree nozzle to take the paint off a buddies spray painted hub caps.
  9. Just as a tip, try to use as little pressure as possible when removing polish or wax. Sometimes the Adam's towels will give you a feeling of false security. You think they can do no harm because of how amazingly soft they are, but with enough pressure anything is possible. Pressing to hard while removing product will almost positively introduce the "fine scratches" you are talking about, at least from my experience.
  10. If you do have to do it in direct sunlight there are a couple things you can do to help make the most out of it. I am found that a foam gun in absolutely necessary. Keeping the whole car covered in soap while you are washing helps keep the water spots away. You have to keep spraying the suds on it while you are washing, which definitely takes extra time and effort, but I find it to work well. When it comes down to hosing down the soap off the car make sure you keep soaking the spots you have already sprayed. So say you just hosed off the top and are now going on to the side make sure you keep the top wet. It will help keep the panels cooler and stop water spots from forming as quickly. As for drying you can definitely do the "sheeting technique" if you are quick enough at it. If not make sure you have a couple towels ready and be ready to hustle! Get the bulk of it dried, and there will be minimal water spots. A little detail spray wipe will help with those. But then again I have had trouble with the detail spray in direct sunlight. So will your car be perfect when you are done? No. But it will definitely look better than if you had not washed it. Definitely a whole lot more effort than washing early in the morning or late at night.
  11. That is good to know! You just gave me a reason to bust out the Americana more often.
  12. Yeah, it definitely gets very hot. Especially the non covered metal areas.
  13. Definitely had a love for cars my entire life, but given that I am only 18 I have many more years to come! For all of you who like the Impala B-Bodies the picture below is what I currently drive. Stunning car, and I love it regardless of its age. Well, minus the gas mileage I get from the 383 stroker. As for my dream car I have always had a thing for Porches. I know this is the latest model, and I am technically not 16, but the new 911 is an absolutely incredible machine. Definitely a great motivator for being financially successful in life!
  14. I too have had problems with the swirls coming back much too soon. It is a daily driver, black car, and stays outside 100% of the time. Basically the worst combination ever! Unless it's dark outside, then it looks fantastic regardless of the swirls. But I tend to get super fine swirl marks after I wash my car unless I am absolutely perfect with my technique. So basically I try and wash it once a week, and I use a California Car Duster once or twice a day. If I keep up with the dusting I find that there is little to no damage to the clear coat. If I miss a day I won't use it because too much dust builds up for a light dusting. I have found that Brilliant Glaze and Americana are my best friends in this situation. They do a great job of masking up the super fine swirls that show up after a few washes. I would like to hope with more practice and experience things will become easier to do, but maybe it is just one of those things in life that you really have to put in the extra effort to get the results you want. As a side question. In my wash routine I find that my water faucet doesn't give as much water pressure as I would like. I don't have an Adams fire hose nozzle, but I was wondering if buying an electric pressure washer is a better move. Given that the nozzle and on/off valve are $70, is it worth it to just spend a little extra money and get even more water pressure? Would the electric power washer be able knock off a considerable amount more dirt than the fire hose nozzle to stop more swirls from forming?
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