mattpiper

My 2011 Dodge Challenger is also my daily driver, so I knew something like this was bound to happen. The upper door panel has a small tear and other small damage as shown in the photos (piece of plywood hit the panel while being removed from the vehicle).

I have seen some vinyl/dashboard repair kits, but have no experience with these. Has anyone here had success with a vinyl repair product or have other hints (other than buying a new door panel!).

Many thanks in advance!

I suspect I did use more product, now that I think about it...

Had some time this morning to wash my car with Adam’s new Wash & Wax for a second time… I tried it two weeks ago, and I felt it just did OK. The water didn’t bead as well as I had hoped, and I thought the shine was a bit lackluster. But! I’ve learned never to review something after just one use.

I didn’t put any last stage protection on after last wash or this one, and look at this killer shine! I normally have to put Brilliant Glaze on to get that kind of reflection! And the water beaded off like crazy this time. When I did the pooling rinse, the car was almost bone dry when I was done. Just a few minutes with the leaf blower, and one waffle weave towel was is needed.

As per usual, Adams doesn’t let me down!

I am about to purchase the new Adam's Swirl Killer to replace my PC72424XP, and would love to turn that into a 4" tool like I've heard about here, but I cannot find a thread on what all would be required to make this possible. 

I see a 4" backing plate at Adam's Polishes, but it says it's for the for Cyclo, and then there's the drill attachment backing plate. Would one of the two of these work? I bought my PC7424XP secondhand, so if it originally came with this plate, I do not have it.

Any help would be great! Thank you!

I'm in Carrollton... Welcome to the club!

Guess I'm spoiled. The old hex pads (the last ones I used) had the foam hang over the back edges and the backing was exactly the size of the backing plate. Just all fit perfectly. This seems a step backwards. I don't "need" a centering ring, but it sure was nice.

Also, no one appreciates being called ridiculous. We're better than that here on this forum.

Of course, in my haste, I mis-titled the header. It should read is the new "PC-7424XP BACKING PLATE needed? Or did I order the wrong pads?"

I just received my order with the new 6" pads and 5" PC-7424XP backing plate... Replaced the backing plate only to find the new pads are significantly bigger then the new backing plate, and nearly perfect (just *slightly* too small) for the old backing plate.

Did I order the wrong pads? They are the Gen5 6" pads. There's no way to easily center them on the new PC-7424XP backing plate. But they'd be almost perfectly centered on the old one...

Should I just keep using the old backing plate? Is there a reason for the size discrepancy on the new backing plate versus the pads (assuming I ordered the correct stuff). 

Pics should be attached...

And from another set of pipes... The nickel has worn off in places, but that didn't stop the shine from coming through...

Now just waiting on my Adam's box to arrive with the goodies...

I'll take pictures of the process and post here when done.

is there any way to disassemble them and get the metal that needs to be polished into some kind of jig to hold it while you attack it with a machine?

Unfortunately no... On lesser quality pipes, the various metal bits can be easily removed (pried off with a fingernail), but no, I had to buy a high-end set. These metal bits are threaded (hand-chased threads on sterling silver!) and then glued onto the various parts, so they are not going anywhere.

Metal polishes #1 and #2 have been ordered...

Any ideas on how best to remove the scratches? Clearly just going round in circles has caused issues before. And there's not really a machine that could do this (so it's all going to be by hand).

Maybe try some hand 2-Step Polish by hand. Looks like its actually from using metal polish on a rag and going around.

 

When you used the Metal Polish before, did the rag turn black?

Yes, the rag turns black...

A somewhat unusual question, but I have a set of bagpipes mounted with sterling silver. It's plane with no additional detailing, but it has a lot of micro scratches and swirls from years of polishing with various standard metal polishes.

Now that I've removed all the swirls and Mike are scratches from my car, it bugs me to see them on my bagpipes… What products and/or processes would one used to get sterling silver to a flawless finish? I'll try to post photos here shortly of the silver in its current condition…

I LOVE the smell when its atomized into the wash process.

Don't you mean Adamized?

I had sprinkled baking soda over every soft surface yesterday and vacuumed it up today. No change it aroma. It's now on its way back to the dealer to see if there's a leak...

I told them no deodorizing crap in my car (Febreeze and the like).I don't mind hot water extraction and an ozone treatment, but no deodorizers. Can't have my Challenger smelling like a rental car for the rest of its days.

The right-side fuel pump of my 2011 Dodge Challenger (accessed under the rear seat) cracked on Friday and leaked a gallon or so of gasoline outside the vehicle... The pump has been replaced, and no fuel actually dripped onto the materials in the vehicle, and there is a plastic cap that also helped keep the fuel from getting in the interior during the leak, but man alive, it's unbearable in the vehicle right now. It's like having your nose right up to a fuel pump nozzle. It's been day 5, and no noticeable fading of the extreme smell (and yes, the leak is fixed).

I've removed as much of the soft interior materials as possible (rear seat bottom, all the floor mats, the rear cargo mat), as well as the cabin filter (which also reeks as if it had been soaked in gas; new one already ordered) and am keep the windows down as much as possible (difficult given the intermittent rain, and the smell is far too strong to keep int he garage; tried that and it was seeping into the house).

How best do I battle this? I've consider cleaning all the non-soft materials with Adam's All Purpose Cleaner (diluted as to not damage softer plastic), and then a thorough treatment of Adam's Leather Conditioner on all the plastics...

Bt what would be best for the removal of extreme gas smell from the seats, carpet, and headliner? I have a Bissel Green Machine Pro-Heat, but it's not a true hot water extractor....

As it stands, the vehicle is not able to be driven more than 3-4 minutes before you'd become ill (I was ill after driving it home from the dealer, approximately 15 minute drive).

Any help/advice help be great, and many thanks in advance for any help y'all can provide.

Very nice ride. 

Another reason to carry a briefcase. I have a small bottle of waterless wash in there, and since I carry it with me, it doesn't get left in the car to boil in the Texas sun. 

As for bird droppings, I've had a few doozies, but I am always get them off before getting home, even if it's water (or spit) and a handkerchief (but this is why I try to always have my waterless wash). I'll risk a few micro scratches or swirls that can be buffed out versus a hole in my clear that needs with wet sanding or a respray to fix.

As for my briefcase, nothing beats my Saddleback Leather Classic briefcase in dark coffee brown.

I also own a Dodge Challenger, and I'd say the clear coat is pretty hard. It doesn't readily scratch. I haven't needed to correct my paint in over almost two years after my first correction and proper washing. There are some micro-scratches starting to appear in certain lighting conditions, but that's to be expected even with proper care on a daily driver.

You have to be patient with a PC-7424XP to get any results, and there's a few places I never could get completely swirl-free with the Porter Cable. One of these years I'll upgrade to a Flex. 

Hope that helps.

These are photos of about 9-12 months after the paint correction... With proper washing technique, the hard clear is staying pretty swirl/scratch free.





Another reflection shot


 

Mook's picture says it all. Oh my goodness gracious. Well done, sir.

Fantastic. Most corrections I see are on late model vehicles. I love seeing older makes get corrected. Can't wait for more pics. 

Is there a problem with them getting 'dreadlocked'? It's still soft, and still passes the CD test (just tried it). It's not quite as pretty, but iI can't see why it would damage your vehicle's finish...