TheBurninator

Hi! How long before VRT is dry to the touch?

A couple of minutes tops. Really depends on humidity and temperature though.

I have both. I tend to grab the steamer more often than not. The exception being with carpeted floor mats.

So... I'm probably a minority here... but I don't use my washer's at all. Winter time I

On the GTI the washer fluid tank is used for water/methanol injection. The nozzles are shaved off the hood. And I will be doing the same on the CC when I get around to putting it back on the road.

Here is the video on bug gut presoak

APC would work better for tar. Soak it on a utility towel and leave it to soak for a few minutes to soften up the tar. Same procedure can be used for bugs. Make sure to rinse off right away though.

Customers voted with their wallets. It just didn't sell very well so we killed it off.

Makes sense. Kinda surprised since it was reasonably priced compared to other quality masking tape.

The 3M #06529 is a different tape than the green painters tape.  it is a paper type type like the Adams' tape and a lighter green.

 

My bad. I should have done some googling and actually looked up the part number. Thought it was the lime green colored 3M tape.

I'll grab a roll of that and give it a shot.

What is the 1:1 deep wheel cleaner for?

Paint decon

Annette any buyer with a good pair of eyes is going to either notice that the curbage is touched up poorly, or covered up by something you put over it.

 

If you're selling the car just make it shiny as can be, show that its well maintained. Wow any potential buyers with that and they may overlook some "love marks" from the curb.

 

If it was me I'd be less inclined to give a good offer if its covered up or piss poorly fixed, I'm the type that guys true mobile wheel repair touchup guys to fix my wheels if they get imperfections. Most of the times you can get a wheel fixed for less than $100 and you couldn't even tell it was repaired.

I agree completely. Curb rash happens. I'd rather see a proper fix or no fix at all if I was buying a car. Might be worth calling around and seeing if someone can do a good touch up for you.

will waterless work well to temove tar and road grine as well? and do you wash the car first before attacking tar and bugs?

It probably won't put much of a dent in tar. If it's light it might.

For bugs you would presoak before washing. I'll see if I can find the video on this when I'm not on mobile.

So I've done Deep Wheel cleaner and good cleaning on my '11 MINI wheels. They are a glossy black wheel. I have a few rubs on the edges. 

Is there anything special about doing wheel touch ups? I was thinking I could just go to Autozone or something and get a glossy black paint touch up pen. I think it is actually a BMW color, but wasn't sure with wheels if I should get anything special or what.

I'm hoping to get this done and then apply a coat of Quick Sealant as my final step.

 

Annette

Are they curbed?

Your method sounds OK for a quick touch up... but I wouldn't apply anything to them for a while until the paint cures fully for a month or so. If they are curbed you may want to fix the curb rash. Otherwise you will see it through the paint. Expect the paint to be mismatched a bit even if you get the same color. Although black will be easier to deal with hiding the mismatch and or masking lines. Wet sanding the transition area on the touch up can help that too... But may be a bit risky if you are new to that type of work.

Normally when I am refinishing wheels (I am a wheel snob and people say I go overboard, so take that for what it is). I will TIG weld any curb rash and reshape the lip where it was. Then strip the set of wheel completely and have them powdercoated or paint them.

Bang for buck, powdercoating is a no brainer. My guy charges me $400 for a whole set of wheels and he takes care of media blasting them and all the prep work. I just have to deliver them to him with no tires and any curb rash fixed.

or Adams adds 12 new polishers and you KNOW you need each one. 

FTFY

I cannot answer the specific questions, but this tape looks just like the tape Adam's carried - http://customfinelinetape.com/masking-tape/masking-tape-573.html.  You also may want to reach out to the Adam's Dealers for it.

I found a very similar tape - It is 3M #06529.  Theirs is green and from their body shop line, and it works around corners & reapplies just like the Adam's tape.  I have seen in at the auto parts store too.

 

I prefer these types of tape for polishing.

That looks like the same tape. Thanks for the link.

The green 3M tape is ok, but the orange tape Adam's used to carry seemed to be a bit thinner.

There is a Rustoleum Orange painters tape from Walmart which is also pretty damn good and strikingly similar in color to what Adams used to sell

 

Its not coming back that I know of, maybe a PM to Dylan and he can get you a link

I figured it was something that wasn't continued being carried, but I was curious to where to find it as it is some pretty damn good tape. Figured I would post for some visibility as well.

I like this discussion.  In for all the info anyone can provide.  I use diluted rinseless to get bird crap off my truck every night when I get home from work.  Soak, let sit for 2 minutes and it literally falls right off.

Give waterless wash a try instead of rinseless next time. It is more of a solvent based product and will losen the bug guts even easier.

What ever happened to the glorious orange masking tape? I've been having to go to home depot for masking tape and it is nowhere near as good as the orange thin stuff that Adam's used to carry.

Is it coming back? If not, who was the mfg on it?

You know you're addicted when you see a gallon container that's half empty and say "dang, I'm almost out...better order another gallon."

You're only ordering gallons? Guess I should seek professional help... *mumbles something about needing another 5 gallons of APC*

So yes, there are some lucky detailers out there that can be that choosy!      

I try to be that choosy in a way because these days I have only so much time with my 9-5 job and other projects I have going on in the garage. Lately it has been more of a choosy in that I am exchanging detailing work for other work to help out on my projects and keep some costs down. Those jobs get chosen over a detailing for dollars job because it helps me out more.

What I will say is I like seeing the turn around on a really nasty car sometimes. But I'm picky in that I will only do a really nasty car for a friend or family member.

On that note I'm not choosy on the type of car. I just charge accordingly (e.g. trucks, SUV's)

Mostly it is cost effectiveness. Obviously rinsless diluted is going to be cheaper in the long run.

On the other side of things WW has no wax, whereas RW contains some wax in it. So that may factor into what you chose as well.

Personally I really like WW to remove spent polish from a panel when I am polishing being that it contains nothing extra.

EDIT: WW is also great for bug removal.

Years ago it was the only option... my hands have the aches and pains to show for it. Its good for what it is - a budget solution to break into polishing or to do only occasional work, but with advances in the tool world there are far better options that will beat you up far less .

Eventually a Rupes mini will get added to my arsenal and the PC can be moved to brush use only. Even with a 4" setup on the PC it still shakes a good bit.

I wonder if I can find adhesive lined shrink tubing in that large of a size. Would pretty much fix the issue once and for all.

I've had really good luck with using neatsfoot oil (used for softening baseball gloves and saddles) and a heat gun to carefully heat up the leather and work the neatsfoot oil into the leather.

The downside is it doesn't leave the most pleasant smell for about a week.

If any of you are friends with an electrician, have them pick you up a couple LED bulbs from their supply house. Cheaper than Home Depot/ Lowes

Thanks! yea I need to come up with something to help with that, the bumpers are at a good height but could be better.

Maybe cut up a pool noodle or use roll bar foam. Actually run to home depot and look in the plumbing section. There is a foam that goes over piping that would work really well for this.

In the future you may find things a bit cramped on that cart. You may find it beneficial to leave some space on the top to set a polisher, or have a couple extra towels that you are currently using. Basically a small workspace type area to use during a detail.

Its usually the "why didnt I think of that" look, considering their spray and wipe methods of "cleaning" at a show are introducing some form of marring, rinseless washing takes the same amount of time but its so much safer and more efficient.

 

Those CK's look amazing and clean on the BMP

Mostly people wondering what I'm even doing. Colorado is a bit of a joke for VAG shows. Half the time people don't even clean their wheels let alone the rest of the car.

The CK's are classy looking. WAY better than the tarmacs it had before. Baby steps to get him into some LM's

If the UV protection is compromised which product would you use that would contain a UV protectant in it.

This is a tricky question to answer.

If the UV protection is compromised, then I would most likely be doing a full headlight restoration. Maybe I will do a writeup soon. There's a certain Mini Cooper S sitting in my driveway that is in desperate need of one.

After performing a full restore I would probably end up using OC's Lens Coating. It is specifically designed for this job. If you search around on another "geeky" forum there is a thread discussing some cheaper methods as well.

If you do a restore and just apply say LPS, or QS you may find that it doesn't last more than about 6 months and they are back to being yellow.

I really feel a proper UV coating on headlights is clutch to preventing oxidization of the plastic lens in the short and long term.

Just a quick update: Owner brought over the new wheels and I coated them with some remaining CQuartz I had sitting around. And the next day we took the car to a show. Car was dirty from rain the night before when we took it out, so I did a full rinseless wash when we got to the show. The looks and questions you get when washing a car AT a car show are always fun.

High Res of the picture here:

http://i.imgur.com/958iz8k.jpg

Nice! I like the setup. Kinda wish I would have done something similar but with a luxor cart instead of buying a toolcart to use for detailing.

You may want to add more protection on the edges of the cart to prevent issues with accidentally hitting a car.