K5/TBSS

This may be a dumb question...

I know the video said no cure times... Does this mean no 18 hour cure time after removal, before application of say Americana?

i used the flex polisher and on i actually one used the one step method adam told me about.

the reason im cheap is this is toledo the economy sucks. i have had mom ask me to do their minivans full of kid stains and when i say around 100 they think im nuts they want to spend 20 or 30. i tell them go to craigslist.  another thing is im working out of my parents garage since mine sucks so i cant say i have an address and to stop by. this summer was a test this coming spring im coming strong business cards, flyers at shows, telling everyone who has ears what ever it takes. 

I know exactly what you mean about mom's and their minivans... I told myself when I started detailing cars that I'm a detailer, not a janitor... So if it's a kid mobile with food, dried pop, gum, etc., I'm going to quote a premium, because I don't really want to clean it in the first place. If they think my price is ridiculous, they can take it elsewhere.

I'm a 26 year old with roughly 10 years of on and off experience (only detail for money in my spare time) and I usually charge $20-$25 an hour. So far people have been very happy with my work and have left tips on top of that.

Still have the Flex?

I have detailed our company pool vehicles, but never a rental car.  

Definitely done this...

I was confused months ago as to why I had been creating swirls in my corrected paint while using a 2-bucket wash, detail spray and GW drying towel; all the right techniques. Dylan told me a "dread locked" wash pad would do that. Do any of you guys notice a problem with swirls and can't figure out where the issue is? This may be it.

Can you guys show me a pic or link of a brush you like to use... Maybe mine is too stiff or long of brissels.

Hey guys. I've had my Merino Wool mitt a little over a year now. It's quite obvious that it doesn't "poof" out the way it did when new, especially compared to the car was videos. I tried combing it out with a dog hair brush, and it pulled a ton of material out of the mitt. In one place, you can see what would be the bare "skin" of the mitt, no hairs left at all. The bare area is about 1/2 the size of my fist, quite noticeable.

Is this common? Is a year about the typical lifetime of these pads? I will take a picture to illustrate what I mean tonight if I remember.

Thanks guys... This little guy is something else. He and Papa are almost inseparable when he's outside working.

Hey all, a few months ago I got my dad hooked on Adam's by taking him to a local detail clinic in Wichita, KS... Thereafter he did what the rest of us WISH we'd done, and bought the premium bundle kit, which includes just about EVERYTHING you could ever need, including the Flex polisher. He's a lurker on here, but last time I had checked, has never posted. A few weeks ago he did a much needed paint correction on his '05 Denali that he's had since new. Now it looks new again! I won't give away his age, but will admit that I'm impressed on how well the old man still gets around...

ANYWAY - at the time he and my mother were also babysitting my nephew, who is equally interested in vehicles as the rest of us. While Dad was washing, Landyn insisted on cleaning up his ride too. Here's a pic my sister took during it all.

And the Denali after completion. He's got a lot better pictures of it in process, maybe this thread will make him come out of the woodwork and post them! Don't hold your breath though...

This is true....

Agree x2

I've had my glass sealant for a while... but hadn't used it yet... Always thought the glass cleaner itself made it bead up nicely.

I put it on last week after my wash, extremely easy to put on and remove, compared to Rain... errr.. the "leading" brand...

Sunday we were down at my parents for mothers day and there was a light shower before we went home. Got in the truck and I couldn't believe how much more it beaded... Mine even flew off the windsheild even at 40 mph... Of course mine is only 3 days old lol

mine has been a bear to get closed since I got it. just thought that was how it is. I got the patriot wax havent used it yet cause I dont want to use it all up if they arent going to offer refills or sell it after the 250 run.

Mine was the same way and I thought the same thing. Ashley looked up when I bought it, saw that I had the "old" version, and shipped me a new one for free!

FWIW... There was a problem with my original Americana container where the lid wouldn't screw on correctly... I talked to Ashley about it, and she sent me a new container and told me there Americana wax could simply "pop" out of the container and into the new one... It worked fine...

Two bucket wash & grit guards... I used to "detail" cars in high school and never used either. Being careful ahead of time will save you hours of polishing.

Thanks for all the advice guys... I assume IPA can be bought at Wal-Mart, etc.?

Dumb question, but I thought that's exactly what a strip wash does?

There's a couple of ways to skin this cat... I usually spray my MF applicator with the AQS and apply instead of spraying the car with it and spreading.

 

I wait 5-10 minutes and then remove. AQS can create some streaking that's noticeable on darker colors and I've seen where it's almost impossible to remove if left to cure too long, but I've never had tacky. I could see this happening if you're applying it over a carnuba based product. The solvents may liquify the leftover carnuba and create an issue.

 

As for the shedding of the MF, that's a WHOLE separate issue. It sounds like you MF has reached the end of its life. I've got several towels that do that. I use them for polishing, but not for my LSP removal.

 

Chris

I don't think it's the towel's "fault". All other times I've used them they've never left lint... I've only used these towels probably half a dozen times...

Well, I didn't do the strip wash, as I didn't plan on even waxing it when I started washing... It sounds like that was my problem.

On another subject, I've never done an IPA wipedown... I've never heard Adam or Dylan or anyone from Adam's talk much about its benefits so I've never invested in it. Not saying they HAVEN'T said that... Just haven't seen it. Any write ups on here on how to do a wipedown, explained by one of Adam's guys? Just wondering.

Thanks for the help, all!

I washed the SS last night and the water wasn't beading up as much as I'd like it to, so I decided to throw on some quick sealant, glaze, and APW...

This has happened before but seemed especially bad last night. I spray on and apply the sealant, then when I wipe it up, the paint feels especially tacky, and actually leaves lint from my microfiber towel on the paint. I can't get it to come off! Usually, if I let it set for 5 or so minutes, it's not nearly as bad... I went back and watched Dylan's video and noticed he wipes it away right away, so I tried that, same results...

What am I doing wrong? Is there an issue with my towels? Perhaps the spring humidity? Have any of you had this problem? TIA.

*EDIT* I don't think I'm using too much product, I spray on about the same amount as he does in the video, any less and the applicator seems to not glide across the paint at all.

I've never met anyone in person other than my good friend and neighbor. Even at car meets no one knows what the good stuff is, it's just swirl city.

 

That's pretty cool tho.

This is so true... I was at my first car show a few weeks ago, and a good family friend that I've always looked up to that has tons of classic cars (he's probably 65) pulled up and pulls out a california duster and a squirt bottle of Armor-All. I was so let down!

Won't hurt anything, it's just wasted effort if you in fact don't need all 3 steps.

I'm no master... What I am is busy doing other things which means my time is valuable. lol

 

I would suggest nixing the sanding and just by a Langka or Dr. Colorchip kit.

 

Chris

X2 on the Dr. Colorchip. Got one for my TBSS and absolutely love it. Takes a while to get the hang of, but results are awesome.

Maybe a newb question, but what's the disadvantage to sealant then? Besides the added time and effort to apply... Can it take away from the overall gloss & depth of the paint?

Welcome from South East Kansas. I'm in Stillwater probably once a year on business. Love that town.

Good looking truck, too!

Looks like epoxy to me from just looking at the picture.

 

Take a heat gun and drill.

Get you a wire brush to attach to drill.

Heat the pipe up some a d light hit it with the brush.

 

My guys run into this from time to time.

Never tried it on a tail pipe though.

 

My two cents worth.

Note: do test spot where it won't be noticeable.

 

Goodluck ,

Kevin

At the risk of being a smarta**, why do you need a heat gun? Can you just let the truck idle for a while to heat up the exhaust?