Adamized the Raptor

[TheWolf]

Put the new Rupes polishers to work on some hammered paint.  Spent about 6 hours just with Correcting Polish on a little Porsche Boxster.

 

[Sac]

Did you find yourself missing the Cyclo any? 

[stripesace]

Can't wait for your write up on the Rupes vs. Cylco.

[07r/t]

Looks great. I love both my Rupes machines. Still curious on YOUR opinion and awaiting your write up

[TheWolf]

Serious Paint Correction

 

I needed a vehicle to test out the new Rupes polishers, and made the mistake of offering to correct the paint on this 2000 Porsche Boxster.  Before seeing the car, I had figured it would be a good tester since it is small, and has a convertible top, so less paint to work on.  My sister-in-law dropped it off at my house while I was still at work, and when I got home and looked over the filthy car, I texted her and told her to come back and pick it up!

 

It had severely swirled paint, lots of deep scratches, and scuffs everywhere from the car cover.  And it was covered in maple tree whirly-birds and sap.

 

 

 

OVERALL STEPS:

1. Vacuum interior
2. Strip wash
3. Clay bar
4. Strip wash again
5. Dry exterior with Master Blaster
6. Dry jambs with Waterless Wash Towel
7. Mask off all trim and convertible top
8. Correcting Polish
9. Waterless Wash
10. Finishing Polish
11. Strip wash
12. Sealed with H20 Guard and Gloss
13. Clean all interior plastic and leather
14. Clean carpets
15. Dress interior with Leather Conditioner
16. Clean interior glass
17. Dress trim with VRT
18. Apply Tire Shine

 

DAY ONE:

 

I like to vacuum the interior before washing to get all the dirt out of the door jambs, so that it does not get blown out onto the paint when drying with the Master Blaster.  Cleaned all the tree litter out of the jambs.  Washed and scrubbed and washed some more.  I don't think the wheel barrels had ever been cleaned, the wheel bucket water turned black.

 

 

 

Clay bar decon with Detail Spray, then strip washed again to remove all the residue.  Scrubbed the wheel barrels again, more black water.

 

Forced air dry, then pulled into the garage to towel dry the jambs, then let it sit overnight.

 

5 hours to get it clean...

 

DAY TWO:

 

 

 

Masked off all the plastic and rubber trim so I could polish right to the edge of the paint.  Masked the top with plastic to keep polish splatters and residue dust off the fabric and also ran a row of masking paper across the cowl.

 

 

 

Used the halogen flood lights to inspect the damage, and removed some stubborn sap with IPA.

 

 

 

 

Started with a test section on a quarter of the hood, with a speed setting of 4.  The Rupes 15mk2 made short work of the swirls, removing them by the time the polish flashed.  However, to remove some of the deeper scratches, I had to work those sections two to three times longer.  Used the Mini to polish the mirrors, around the windshield, and some complex curves on the trunk lid.

 

 

 

 

6 hours on the paint correcting step...

 

Did a quick Waterless Wash to remove the polish dust and any missed residue.  While some would consider this unnecessary, I like to work clean and also think that it is worth the extra 15 minutes to not have Correcting Polish dust getting picked up on the finishing pad.

 

After the correcting step, I considered calling it good, since this 16 year old car had a fair amount of chips and deep scratches that could not be fixed.  Ended up doing a quick round with the Finishing Polish, which took about an hour.

 

Results were a major improvement.

 

 

 

DAY THREE:

 

Pulled all the masking, then stripped washed again to remove all the polishing dust and any missed residue.  Applied H20 Guard & Gloss with the car wet, being very careful not to spray any onto the fabric top.

 

I had not planned to clean the interior, other than the vacuuming, because just polishing the paint was too much work.  But, my wife saw how dirty it was, and offered to help clean it, since she is good friends with my sister-in-law.  Normally, if I was going to clean the interior, I would have done it first, rather than having to be very careful with the freshly polished paint.  We used Leather & Interior Cleaner on all the interior plastic and leather seats, then wiped everything again with damp towels to remove any excess cleaner left behind.  Then my crazy wife decides she is going to use the Bissell and Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner on the carpets, so I let her do that while I hand wash all the towels.

 

Finished by cleaning the interior glass, then dressing all the exterior trim with VRT.  The HGG had made some decent improvement on the fade trim, but the VRT made it look new again.

 

After inflating the nearly flat ties to the proper pressure, applied Tire Shine.

 

5 hours for this final day...plus another hour of cleanup.

 

 

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

 

As expected based on other reviews of the Rupes polishes, they have a good deal more correcting power than the Cyclo.  However, these single-pad machines take a bit more technique to keep the pad flat on the surface, without adding too much pressure, whereas the Cyclo takes almost no effort to run evenly.

 

I think the major drawback to the Rupes tools is cost, since you need to have the two machines to get most of the areas.  Around the windshield and some tighter curves on the trunk lid could not be done with the 6" pads on the 15mk2.  I could have done the entire vehicle with just the Cyclo, even the mirrors with some careful handling, it just would have taken longer to get the correction needed.

 

With the Rupes polishers listing at $700 for the pair, the Cyclo at $380 is a bit more than half the cost.  So for polishing a couple properly maintained vehicles a year, the Cyclo would still be my recommendation.  If you regularly work on correcting neglected paint, then the time savings with the Rupes machines would be realized and justify the additional cost.

 

Also, the inability to machine polish the side intakes has given me the itch for a Nano...now just how to justify that cost.

[mc2hill]

Fantastic write-up Dan!

 

I have a green Boxster of about the same age to do in a few weeks, so this was a great primer for me!

[TheWolf]

Fantastic write-up Dan!

 

I have a green Boxster of about the same age to do in a few weeks, so this was a great primer for me!

 

Thanks Michael!

 

Did you get a Nano yet?

[mc2hill]

Thanks Michael!

 

Did you get a Nano yet?

 

No, I have used them at 2 different events, but it is a little too rich for me right now.  I am hoping my client will pick one up and let me borrow it!

[Ricky Bobby]

Wow Dan you must have dropped 5 lbs with all those hours of sweat equity on that Boxster! I guess you won "brother in law of the year" award?

 

Phenomenal work and I like your honest opinion on Cyclo vs Rupes combo. I agree, if you have a Cyclo you don't news any other machine unless you have some money to burn, and I also agree in Rupes being a true system, I would want the Mini 75E if I had a 15 or 21 for sure. Even on my current DA system now I still have a dedicated 6" and 4" pad machine.

[marquez93]

Nice work Dan! My only question is why go through all that work and then only seal with HGG? Why not go with PS for the longest protection? Perhaps because you know she'll continue to neglect it no matter what you do?

[TheWolf]

Nice work Dan! My only question is why go through all that work and then only seal with HGG? Why not go with PS for the longest protection? Perhaps because you know she'll continue to neglect it no matter what you do?

 

Thanks Matt!

 

Yep, you answered your own question!     She is not the type of person who will ever hand wash a car, hence the neglected condition of the paint, so I figured the extra time to use Paint Sealant would most likely be a waste.

 

Now, when she picked it up, she was quite impressed with how it looked, and was surprised to see all the metallic in the paint.  You can see in the Before pics that the metallic was not really noticeable, but in the After pics you can see there is a lot of metallic in the paint.

 

I told her not to use the automatic car wash anymore, and I don't think she will.  I did recommend a local hand wash place that does a fair job on some cars, if they know the owner cares about how the car looks.  But there is still the chance that she will continue to use the touchless wash, which will strip any sealant.  Even though I explained it to her, most people still don't understand the harshness of the chemicals that the touchless washes use; after all, soap is soap!

[pirahnah3]

Dan, Great work! you certainly show why we have this addiction. She should be lucky you like your brother so much haha. 

 

Also great review comparing the Cyclo and Rupes 15. The only thing I would like to add is a mid range combo, the Cyclo and the Mini, Get the power of the Rupes when you need it but use the speed when you dont and it all takes the same pad combo. 

 

You should have told her for $x per month you would be happy to hand wash it and apply protectant to it for her. Make a little coin for your hard work. 

[TheWolf]

Detailed the wheels while they were off the Explorer.

 

Did both the fronts and backs of the wheels.  Scrubbed the tires with APC, washed the wheels with Car Wash Shampoo, then dried with the Master Blaster.

 

Applied Paint Sealant front and back with a piece of foam cut from one of the blocks,  This way, I can toss it in the trash after using it on the wheels, rather than trying to wash out a real applicator.

 

Spread a couple coats of Tire Shine on the back sides of the tires.  I do this to keep from getting mud stains, and it looks better if you happen to see the inner sidewall.

 

Mounted, torqued, then applied Tire Shine to the fronts.

 

 

 

Also, used some Velcro wraps to try and train the polisher cords into loops, rather than how they cords came bunched up.  The kinks in the bunched cords bug me, and they get tangled.  Once the kinks are relaxed, I will wrap the cords into larger loops, so there are no tangles when being used.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Nice work on those wheels Dan - wife chunked one of her 18" wheels the other day and got it replaced with a new one from the dealer - now I am going to take each wheel off and deep clean and polish them with my 4" pads and PC so that the finishes all look the same (my ocd says that the new wheel sticks out more than the ones with 17k on them) - and I am the same with you whenever a wheel is off I deep scrub the back of the tire and dress it in addition to cleaning and sealing barrels and behind the spokes.

[TheWolf]

Nice work on those wheels Dan - wife chunked one of her 18" wheels the other day and got it replaced with a new one from the dealer - now I am going to take each wheel off and deep clean and polish them with my 4" pads and PC so that the finishes all look the same (my ocd says that the new wheel sticks out more than the ones with 17k on them) - and I am the same with you whenever a wheel is off I deep scrub the back of the tire and dress it in addition to cleaning and sealing barrels and behind the spokes.

 

Thanks Jason!

 

Funny you mentioned getting a new wheel, as I had to have one of the wheels replaced because it had a gouge in it that I found when washing it right after taking delivery.

 

The dealership swapped it out with a wheel from another Explorer on the lot, and I found that it had some nasty residue in the barrel, probably from some type of wheel cleaner that did not get rinsed clean.  Most of it cleaned off, and I thought about polishing it, but decided to wait until this fall, and then polish all four wheels.

 

That's why I like to order new vehicles, and take immediate delivery, so its not messed up from sitting on the lot getting abused.

[pirahnah3]

Dan, as always great work and nice pics. 

 

Never fun to get a brand new vehicle and find issues like that with it. Glad they were able to get it replaced even if all they did was pass the problem along to someone else. 

[stripesace]

 Glad they were able to get it replaced even if all they did was pass the problem along to someone else. 

 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth! 

 

While I've never ordered a car, they've never had the one I wanted fresh on the lot. Its always in the supply chain somewhere, so I am essentially getting one thats had minimal sit time on the lot.

 

Dan (TheWolf) just curious what your conversation with the dealer is to ensure you can take delivery without them "washing" your new car for you. 

[TheWolf]

Took the words right out of my mouth! 

 

While I've never ordered a car, they've never had the one I wanted fresh on the lot. Its always in the supply chain somewhere, so I am essentially getting one thats had minimal sit time on the lot.

 

Dan (TheWolf) just curious what your conversation with the dealer is to ensure you can take delivery without them "washing" your new car for you. 

 

I actually let them wash it before delivery, so I could inspect it for any damage.  If it was left dirty, then any transport damage might not be noticeable, and I did not want to get into an argument with them on whether the damage was there or if it happened after I left the lot.

 

When I ordered my truck, I debated whether to tell them not to wash it.  After inspecting the vehicles on the showroom floor, I did not notice any major damage, so they have a decent detail shop.  I ended up just making it very clear to the salesperson that they need to be careful and not swirl it, and to not use any detailing or dressing products, interior or exterior.  They did a good job on the truck, and a good job on the Explorer.

[TheWolf]

The Lowrider Seat

 

When working on the lower rockers of cars, my detailing seat was too tall, so I would use the creeper to sit on instead of sitting on the floor, but it was a little big and awkward to move around.

 

So I got another Traxion ProGear Seat and modified it so that the seat is bolted directly to the frame, instead of using the adjustable cylinder post.  This makes the seat about 5-1/2 inches lower, and I am still able to move it around with my feet.

 

 

 

Removed the post plate on the bottom of the seat, then used it to mark the frame, and drilled out the holes.  Then got some longer bolts to go through the frame and into the nuts in the seat bottom.

 

 

 

I also added some bottle holders so I don't have to put them down on the floor, where they get knocked over.

 

 

 

These Tamrac bottle holders have a flap for attaching to a belt.

 

 

 

I cut the stitches in the seam on the cover to a width that would allow the flap to slip inside, then added a stitch on each side of the flap to keep the cover from coming apart.

 

 

 

Loaded up some black Shoe Goo into a small craft syringe.

 

 

 

Injected some into the cover on both sides of the flap, to make sure it stays in place.

 

 

 

 

Added some more to the back of the bottle holder.

 

 

 

Taped them in place overnight to let the adhesive dry.

 

 

 

The bottle holders are handy, so I ordered some more to put on the other stool.

[stripesace]

You really do think of everything. 

LOL 

[Gen9Rolla]

You really do think of everything.

 

Seriously, that is incredible

[zapdon]

those seats are badass, beats my  craftsman mechanics stool.

[TheWolf]

Matte Vinyl Cleaning and Protection

 

Last month, a buddy from the Ford Raptor Forum brought his very impressive Raptor over so we could work on getting his matte vinyl cleaned up and protected.

 

Started with a full wash using the pressure washer and foam cannon, then dried with the Master Blaster.

 

 

 

After pulling it into the garage, we wiped down all the vinyl with Waterless Wash to clean off any remaining gunk, and to see what else was left behind. The wipe showed some additional bug guts and vertical streaks from some trim dressing.

 

To get all that cleaned out, we hand polished the vinyl with Revive Polish and Blue Hex Grip Applicators, then wiped off the residue with Waterless Wash.

 

To give the vinyl some protection, we applied H2O Guard & Gloss using the "Dry Application Method". In this method, the product is sprayed onto a wet towel, then wiped evenly onto the vinyl. Since matte vinyl is porous, just spraying the product directly onto the vinyl can lead to an uneven application that looks blotchy or streaky.

 

At the same time, we applied the H2O Guard & Gloss to the rest of the truck: paint, plastic and rubber trim, and glass. We then switched to some lower grade plush towels to apply to the wheels and to the Line-X on the flares, running boards, and light tower.

 

Since the matte vinyl is a little tricky with this product, there were still some streaks from the wiping. To address these, we went back over all the vinyl with a slightly damp portion of a clean towel, then wiped with a dry portion of the clean towel. Any more stubborn streaks were evened out with a damp towel that had just a few sprays of H2O Guard & Gloss. The small amount of product kind of reactivates the sealant to even it out.

 

 

 

 

Some additional tips for matte vinyl:

 

A neutral pH shampoo like Adam's Car Wash Shampoo is very important, since this is the product that will be used often to clean the vinyl.

 

Never wash, clean or apply products to vinyl when it is hot to the touch. Allow the vinyl to cool down and work in the shade or a garage.

 

Do not use abrasive polishes, clay bar, or machine polish matte vinyl.

 

When hand polishing with Revive, be careful along the edges to prevent build-up. Apply the product along the edges, not back-and-forth across the edges.

 

When trying to clean off visible stains or residue that are not removed by washing, start with the least aggressive method first: Waterless Wash wipe-down after a wash, Revive Hand Polish, or Brilliant Glaze. While the most stubborn stains might required diluted All Purpose Cleaner or diluted isopropyl alcohol, these two products should only be used as a last resort, since they can both cause damage if not done properly.

 

It takes some work and technique to apply the H2O Guard & Gloss. Another easier option for protection is VRT Dressing, but since it is water-based, it will only last a few washes or rains, while the H2O Guard & Gloss will provide about two months of protection.

 

[rkj4243]

Looks great Dan!

 

Did the Raptor come from the factory with the vinyl on the doors and bed sides, or was it added afterwards?

[TheWolf]

Looks great Dan!

 

Did the Raptor come from the factory with the vinyl on the doors and bed sides, or was it added afterwards?

 

Thanks Robert!

 

All the black vinyl was added, the stock paint color is called Terrain.