Mobile-Detailing in the GTA
#151
06-27-2006, 05:44 PM
#152
06-27-2006, 07:50 PM
Great write up Kevin. Thank you very much for taking the time do this. I'm sure I'll appreciate time and time again as I admire my soon to be found great shine.
I laughed when I read the washing sequence and extra rinse bucket. I've done that for many years just learning it on my own. I've got to find out where I can buy some of those products you reference.
If you have a chance on the "red" tips I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Deane
I laughed when I read the washing sequence and extra rinse bucket. I've done that for many years just learning it on my own. I've got to find out where I can buy some of those products you reference.
If you have a chance on the "red" tips I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Deane
#153
06-27-2006, 08:02 PM
Originally Posted by canuck
Wow Kevin, that is AWESOME information! Kudos to you for taking the time to write that all up! 
I have always used a chamois to dry my car.....what are your thoughts on those? Will they hurt my paint?
I have always used a chamois to dry my car.....what are your thoughts on those? Will they hurt my paint?
Originally Posted by PDT
Great write up Kevin!!
As God|ZIlla168 said, you've taught me a lot of stuff too. I appreaciate all your help and your tips! Thanks Kevin!! Btw, My friends want me to detail their cars too!
I never used the alcohol mixture, but my car looked great after I polished it. Is that okay?
As God|ZIlla168 said, you've taught me a lot of stuff too. I appreaciate all your help and your tips! Thanks Kevin!! Btw, My friends want me to detail their cars too!
I never used the alcohol mixture, but my car looked great after I polished it. Is that okay?
Deane and everyone else; look for more info later tonight. Today turned kind of hellish, actually this whole week has been. No biggy, just lots of little things that need doing. I'll do a "how to clay" as well as "sealant, wax, glazes, wtf?" section tonight.
#155
06-27-2006, 10:11 PM
Ok here it is. Sorry for the delay; this week from hell seemed to come to a head today.
OK, so claying. Why clay, and how do I do it?
Why - you clay to remove bonded contaminants from the surface of your paint. Now you might be thicking, eh? Washing does that right? Well, no; they're bonded, meaning stuck, meaning in the paint. You can see some of them and can't see others, you can sure feel them though. Want to feel them? Get a plastic bag and put your hand in it then run the tips of your fingers over the paint lightly. Feel the sandpaper-y texture? That's crap. That's rail dust, fallout, brake dust, etc; it's bad for your paint and it feels bad, makes the paint rough and gross. You can't get it out by washing, it's stuck; which is why we clay.
Clay removed these contaminants, you can tell it works with the bag trick; aftr clay the paint shoot feel smooth (it will, trust me). How do I clay?
It's easy, and I mean easy. Get a bar of clay and some lubricant (I like a quick detailer cut 2:1 with water), cut the clay bar in half or in thirds, you don't need it all unless the car is really in rough shape. Also if you drop it, toss it, so if you use the whole bar and drop it... you lose.
Lubricate an area of paint *well* (lots of lube), then rub the clay over the paint lightly, almost no pressure. Just move it back and forth in overlapping motions, lubricate more as you go. Top to bottom, never in circles, always the way the wind flows over the car (which is almost always back and forth from the front to the back). After each panel re-mold the clay in your hand to get the crud off it's surface. Again, if you drop it (you will the first time), throw it away. THROW IT AWAY. If you put it back on your paint you will scratch the paint, period.
CLay is also awesome at removing overspray, product sling, tar, bug guts, etc.. it's really great stuff.
You should clay once per year. White cars or cars in heavily railed areas, twice. (why? white cars you can SEE the rail dust (little orange dots), it looks bad, so do it 2x if needed).
Clay will also remove your wax and sealant (obviously), so you can use it to strip waxes/sealants, and you need to re-wax or seal afterwards.
You can clay your wheels too! Next time you have them off clay them, you'll go "WOW" when you see what it does.
Next, waxes, sealants, lions, tigers, and tire dressing.
OK, so claying. Why clay, and how do I do it?
Why - you clay to remove bonded contaminants from the surface of your paint. Now you might be thicking, eh? Washing does that right? Well, no; they're bonded, meaning stuck, meaning in the paint. You can see some of them and can't see others, you can sure feel them though. Want to feel them? Get a plastic bag and put your hand in it then run the tips of your fingers over the paint lightly. Feel the sandpaper-y texture? That's crap. That's rail dust, fallout, brake dust, etc; it's bad for your paint and it feels bad, makes the paint rough and gross. You can't get it out by washing, it's stuck; which is why we clay.
Clay removed these contaminants, you can tell it works with the bag trick; aftr clay the paint shoot feel smooth (it will, trust me). How do I clay?
It's easy, and I mean easy. Get a bar of clay and some lubricant (I like a quick detailer cut 2:1 with water), cut the clay bar in half or in thirds, you don't need it all unless the car is really in rough shape. Also if you drop it, toss it, so if you use the whole bar and drop it... you lose.
Lubricate an area of paint *well* (lots of lube), then rub the clay over the paint lightly, almost no pressure. Just move it back and forth in overlapping motions, lubricate more as you go. Top to bottom, never in circles, always the way the wind flows over the car (which is almost always back and forth from the front to the back). After each panel re-mold the clay in your hand to get the crud off it's surface. Again, if you drop it (you will the first time), throw it away. THROW IT AWAY. If you put it back on your paint you will scratch the paint, period.
CLay is also awesome at removing overspray, product sling, tar, bug guts, etc.. it's really great stuff.
You should clay once per year. White cars or cars in heavily railed areas, twice. (why? white cars you can SEE the rail dust (little orange dots), it looks bad, so do it 2x if needed).
Clay will also remove your wax and sealant (obviously), so you can use it to strip waxes/sealants, and you need to re-wax or seal afterwards.
You can clay your wheels too! Next time you have them off clay them, you'll go "WOW" when you see what it does.
Next, waxes, sealants, lions, tigers, and tire dressing.
#156
06-27-2006, 10:27 PM
#157
06-27-2006, 10:27 PM
So what's all this sealant and waxing business, wtf?
Sealants and waxes are two very different products which are intended to serve the same purpose; the protection of your paint. They protect from UV damage, bird bomb etchings, acid rain damage, water spots, and make the car easier to clean in general. As a side benefit they also enhance gloss, slickness, wetness, depth, etc...
So which is the best? I hate this question; I will only say this once: THERE IS NO BEST. This is like saying "So I'm golfing tomorrow and only want to bring one club, which is the best?" or "which is the best wine?". It doesn't work that way. I can tell you what the differences are and some attributes of popular ones.
Let's start with waxes. Waxes have been around forever; it's wax. Todays waxes are actually only 1-10% wax (most of them), the rest is oils, silicone, etc... Generally waxes will last on a car 2-6 weeks, so you need to re-wax pretty often. Waxes TEND to give a more subtle "carnauba glow" type look; wet, deep, darken color... They can also mute metallic flake and tend to make the paint look soft, like water. Waxes come in liquids and pastes, neither is better, just different. They are mostly applied in the shade by hand, you let most of them haze then wipe off.
Sealants are synthetic polymers which do the same thing as a wax, but longer (generally). Sealants are always liquids, and last normally between 3-6 months. In general sealants give a more reflective "harsher" look, they make your clear coat look thicker, they are intense and very glossy. Some people like this, others describe it as "wrapping the car in saran wrap". I took some wax off Peter "G-Force's" car today and put on a sealant, we both commented how the car looked incredibly slick and glossy, the metallic flake was absolutely popping, but the blue color was a little lighter looking, almost lost in the intense reflections.
Which is better? Neither. It's which is better *for you*. If you don't want to wax or seal often, then sealants tend to be a good choice. If you like the way sealants look, then again, good choice. If you don't mind waxing every 4-6 weeks and like the look of a wax, go with a wax. Make sense, right? If you want an easy to maintain protection sealants are generally easier because you apply them less AND there are many spray sealant boosters that are incredibly easy to apply.
Now, you can combine them, you can put a wax over a sealant and get the best of both worlds; however your wax will still fade after 4-6 weeks. You will still have the protection of the sealant but will need to re-apply wax for the "wax look", also, you can not apply a wax over a sealant, so when it comes time to re-apply it all you will need to start from scratch (no big deal).
What do *I* think about them on different colors? Well here is a little rundown. Remember, this is MY OPINION ONLY.
Non-metallic dark colors (black, blue, green). On black I like waxes, period. I find sealants take away too much of the black color; they make it looks grey-ish from a distance because they are so reflective. Which waxes? Nattys Blue is a great $20 wax, easy to apply, easy to buff off, looks very wet, glossy, and deep. Another is Clearkote Carnauba; less wet, more depth and deep dark black color. Another is Souveran, it's expensive, and lasts only 2-4 weeks, but it looks incredible. Another option here is to add a glaze to the mix (next section).
If I went with a sealant on black it would be Z5 pro or Poorboys EX. Z5 pro sealant looks the most like a carnauba and gives 6 months of protection and fills minor marring. It can also be "boosted" easily with the spray sealant, Z8. EX actually has carnauba in it so it looks very much like a wax, and can be applied in full sun.
Non-metallic red: Again, I like waxes. Nattys Blue looks absolutely awesome on red. Especially over a glaze (next section). So does Souveran (it's made for red), but it's pricey.
For sealants on red I would go with Z5pro if you have some marring, or FMJ + HGAS if you don't. FMJ + HGAS are incredibly wet, reflective, and glossy, plus it's easy to maintain and it looks very wet on red.
Metallics, all of them but silver/white: I like sealants here. Why? You don't loose as much color as dark colors, so the added reflectively and metallic "pop" is nice. Waxes tend to mute flake. Which one? Z2pro with Z8, Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic Jett (which AJ trigger) or FMJ with HGAS, all these are liquid sealants with their respective spray booster. All last 4-6 months, all look incredible and are easy to maintain.
If I went with a wax on metallics it'd be P21S, since I find it's the "clearest" wax.
Silver/White (metallic or non). Either 4* UPP or Acrylic Jett, period. Why? I don't know; both of these just look awesome on silver and white, so wet, so glossy - something about them just works on these two colors, IMO.
OK, up next, a quicky on glazes.
Sealants and waxes are two very different products which are intended to serve the same purpose; the protection of your paint. They protect from UV damage, bird bomb etchings, acid rain damage, water spots, and make the car easier to clean in general. As a side benefit they also enhance gloss, slickness, wetness, depth, etc...
So which is the best? I hate this question; I will only say this once: THERE IS NO BEST. This is like saying "So I'm golfing tomorrow and only want to bring one club, which is the best?" or "which is the best wine?". It doesn't work that way. I can tell you what the differences are and some attributes of popular ones.
Let's start with waxes. Waxes have been around forever; it's wax. Todays waxes are actually only 1-10% wax (most of them), the rest is oils, silicone, etc... Generally waxes will last on a car 2-6 weeks, so you need to re-wax pretty often. Waxes TEND to give a more subtle "carnauba glow" type look; wet, deep, darken color... They can also mute metallic flake and tend to make the paint look soft, like water. Waxes come in liquids and pastes, neither is better, just different. They are mostly applied in the shade by hand, you let most of them haze then wipe off.
Sealants are synthetic polymers which do the same thing as a wax, but longer (generally). Sealants are always liquids, and last normally between 3-6 months. In general sealants give a more reflective "harsher" look, they make your clear coat look thicker, they are intense and very glossy. Some people like this, others describe it as "wrapping the car in saran wrap". I took some wax off Peter "G-Force's" car today and put on a sealant, we both commented how the car looked incredibly slick and glossy, the metallic flake was absolutely popping, but the blue color was a little lighter looking, almost lost in the intense reflections.
Which is better? Neither. It's which is better *for you*. If you don't want to wax or seal often, then sealants tend to be a good choice. If you like the way sealants look, then again, good choice. If you don't mind waxing every 4-6 weeks and like the look of a wax, go with a wax. Make sense, right? If you want an easy to maintain protection sealants are generally easier because you apply them less AND there are many spray sealant boosters that are incredibly easy to apply.
Now, you can combine them, you can put a wax over a sealant and get the best of both worlds; however your wax will still fade after 4-6 weeks. You will still have the protection of the sealant but will need to re-apply wax for the "wax look", also, you can not apply a wax over a sealant, so when it comes time to re-apply it all you will need to start from scratch (no big deal).
What do *I* think about them on different colors? Well here is a little rundown. Remember, this is MY OPINION ONLY.
Non-metallic dark colors (black, blue, green). On black I like waxes, period. I find sealants take away too much of the black color; they make it looks grey-ish from a distance because they are so reflective. Which waxes? Nattys Blue is a great $20 wax, easy to apply, easy to buff off, looks very wet, glossy, and deep. Another is Clearkote Carnauba; less wet, more depth and deep dark black color. Another is Souveran, it's expensive, and lasts only 2-4 weeks, but it looks incredible. Another option here is to add a glaze to the mix (next section).
If I went with a sealant on black it would be Z5 pro or Poorboys EX. Z5 pro sealant looks the most like a carnauba and gives 6 months of protection and fills minor marring. It can also be "boosted" easily with the spray sealant, Z8. EX actually has carnauba in it so it looks very much like a wax, and can be applied in full sun.
Non-metallic red: Again, I like waxes. Nattys Blue looks absolutely awesome on red. Especially over a glaze (next section). So does Souveran (it's made for red), but it's pricey.
For sealants on red I would go with Z5pro if you have some marring, or FMJ + HGAS if you don't. FMJ + HGAS are incredibly wet, reflective, and glossy, plus it's easy to maintain and it looks very wet on red.
Metallics, all of them but silver/white: I like sealants here. Why? You don't loose as much color as dark colors, so the added reflectively and metallic "pop" is nice. Waxes tend to mute flake. Which one? Z2pro with Z8, Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic Jett (which AJ trigger) or FMJ with HGAS, all these are liquid sealants with their respective spray booster. All last 4-6 months, all look incredible and are easy to maintain.
If I went with a wax on metallics it'd be P21S, since I find it's the "clearest" wax.
Silver/White (metallic or non). Either 4* UPP or Acrylic Jett, period. Why? I don't know; both of these just look awesome on silver and white, so wet, so glossy - something about them just works on these two colors, IMO.
OK, up next, a quicky on glazes.
#158
06-27-2006, 10:35 PM
Alright, so what the heck is a glaze? Glaze is an often mis-used term because it tends to apply to a lot of products. Generally a glaze is a product that provides no protection AND no corrective abilty, but is purely aesthetic. These are often filled with oils and deepen and darken paint, their primary function is often filling marring (filling, NOT removing). They work best in conjunction with waxes, not sealants. Sealants do not like bonding over glazes (though some will).
When do you use a glaze? Before waxing, after your isa rubdown (the alcohol will strip it, so polish, isa, glaze, wax). I don't use glazes a ton, but do sometimes. Here is when I do:
1) I am going to use a wax ont he car for sure.
2) The owner doesn't care about durabilty, glaze + wax usually means 4 weeks or less.
3) The car spends a lot of time in a garage *OR* lastly:
4) The car is a black or dark daily driver and has marring that is un-fixable.
Now some guys use glazes a lot to fill marring. I like fixing marring, so I don't use them to fill often, but in some cases it's just unreasonable to expect to remove all marring, so they have their place. Which glaze you use depends on what you're trying to accompolish, for example:
My favorite glaze is Clearkote Red Moose (or machine) glaze. It's sister product, Vanilla Moose, is a light polish and glaze that is also wonderful. Neither of them fill a lot of marring, but both do some filling. What they do best is make paint much deeper and darker. The first time you apply RMG to black you *will* notice a difference, it makes it look like black, liquid, oil. It's great. RMG is also laughably easy to use (as is VM), apply and remove wet or dry, super easy to buff off.
On the other hand if I need more filling, I often use Menzerna Final Touch Glaze. This has more fillers but less deepening/darkening, it's also very pily and much tougher to remove. The same goes for Megs #7 show car glaze, it's great, but hard to use.
Should you use a glaze? Well, if you intended on re-glazing and waxing every 4 weeks, then sure. It will make a difference, but it's a comminitment (basically). I glaze my car because I wax it every couple of weeks (and re-glaze every month), also because I like it to look crazy good, and also because it's a black daily driver that was abused for 2 years and it does have some marring which will never be fixed... I use RMG and top it with Souveran or Nattys Blue. This combo is disgustingly good looking, but it's at the expense of durabilty.
What else? Oh, dressings, tires, trim, etc.. I'll do that next quickly.
When do you use a glaze? Before waxing, after your isa rubdown (the alcohol will strip it, so polish, isa, glaze, wax). I don't use glazes a ton, but do sometimes. Here is when I do:
1) I am going to use a wax ont he car for sure.
2) The owner doesn't care about durabilty, glaze + wax usually means 4 weeks or less.
3) The car spends a lot of time in a garage *OR* lastly:
4) The car is a black or dark daily driver and has marring that is un-fixable.
Now some guys use glazes a lot to fill marring. I like fixing marring, so I don't use them to fill often, but in some cases it's just unreasonable to expect to remove all marring, so they have their place. Which glaze you use depends on what you're trying to accompolish, for example:
My favorite glaze is Clearkote Red Moose (or machine) glaze. It's sister product, Vanilla Moose, is a light polish and glaze that is also wonderful. Neither of them fill a lot of marring, but both do some filling. What they do best is make paint much deeper and darker. The first time you apply RMG to black you *will* notice a difference, it makes it look like black, liquid, oil. It's great. RMG is also laughably easy to use (as is VM), apply and remove wet or dry, super easy to buff off.
On the other hand if I need more filling, I often use Menzerna Final Touch Glaze. This has more fillers but less deepening/darkening, it's also very pily and much tougher to remove. The same goes for Megs #7 show car glaze, it's great, but hard to use.
Should you use a glaze? Well, if you intended on re-glazing and waxing every 4 weeks, then sure. It will make a difference, but it's a comminitment (basically). I glaze my car because I wax it every couple of weeks (and re-glaze every month), also because I like it to look crazy good, and also because it's a black daily driver that was abused for 2 years and it does have some marring which will never be fixed... I use RMG and top it with Souveran or Nattys Blue. This combo is disgustingly good looking, but it's at the expense of durabilty.
What else? Oh, dressings, tires, trim, etc.. I'll do that next quickly.
#159
06-27-2006, 10:58 PM
OK, so trim. Trim is funny; I have a lot of it on my car so I've gone through a lot of dressings/products to restore and maintain it. Surprisingly there are very few I actually like. A couple things before we restore/dress trim.
First, clean it well with alcohol and water. (same as the stuff you used before), if it's dirty any dressing will not penetrate it, so make sure it's clean.
Now, if it's stained or dry/greyish you need to restore first before dressing. A couple product I like are:
Poorboys Trim Restorer
Einszett Tiefenpfleger (yes, that's what it's called).
Leatherique Trim Dye
Now the first two are basically oily restorers that re-hydrate dried trim, they are oily and can be a pain to use, they are hard to clean off paint so be careful. Just apply them with a mf cloth, let them sit, then wipe any residue off after 10 minutes. Now you may notice the trim looks the same after 10 minutes, that's because it's dry and is sucking the stuff up. When I got my car I used almost half a bottle of TR on my front trim peice before it stayed black.
Leatherique Trim Dye is an actual dye, I like it, but be very careful as it literally dyes trim.
Use these products only when needed, not to maintain.
Now dressings. Use these to maintain after every couple washes (or every wash). I like:
Poorboys Natural Look (silicone based)
Meguiars #40 (silicone)
Mothers Back to Black (water)
Aerospace 303 (water).
Now the silicone dressings last longer by virtue of their silicone content, they are also messier and harder to apply. They steak more too, so apply them then wipe away right away with a clean mf to prevent streaking. The water based ones are easy to use, but will only last 1-2 washes. All of them will protect from UV.
Before I sign off; where do I get my stuff? Well, I get what I can at Canadian Tire, stuff you can get there off the top of my head that is good:
Buckets
Aerospace 303
Some Megairs products (#26 yellow wax, #40 trim dressing, #7 show car glaze)
Mothers Back to Black
Nevr Dull Metal Polish
Megs Deep Crystal soap
Foam Applicators
Quick Detailers
Clay
I think that's it. Don't buy their mf's or mitts, they are suck.
I also use eshine.ca (Chris is a great guy, ships fast), and carcaresmart.com. Chris carries almost all the poorboys stuff, good mf cloths, but crummy mitts (imo), carcaresmart has AWESOME sheepskin mitts. They also have some Menzerna products. Zaino I get from the Barbers Chair (they dont have Z5pro yet), I got that from the states, but it'll be in the barbers chair soon.
Lastly, I get a lot of my stuff from George at detailedimage.com. He's in NY state, however he will ship USPS to avoid customs and is a great guy, AND ships quick AND has good prices. If you ever need a product reco, let me know.
Questions? I'm all ears.
First, clean it well with alcohol and water. (same as the stuff you used before), if it's dirty any dressing will not penetrate it, so make sure it's clean.
Now, if it's stained or dry/greyish you need to restore first before dressing. A couple product I like are:
Poorboys Trim Restorer
Einszett Tiefenpfleger (yes, that's what it's called).
Leatherique Trim Dye
Now the first two are basically oily restorers that re-hydrate dried trim, they are oily and can be a pain to use, they are hard to clean off paint so be careful. Just apply them with a mf cloth, let them sit, then wipe any residue off after 10 minutes. Now you may notice the trim looks the same after 10 minutes, that's because it's dry and is sucking the stuff up. When I got my car I used almost half a bottle of TR on my front trim peice before it stayed black.
Leatherique Trim Dye is an actual dye, I like it, but be very careful as it literally dyes trim.
Use these products only when needed, not to maintain.
Now dressings. Use these to maintain after every couple washes (or every wash). I like:
Poorboys Natural Look (silicone based)
Meguiars #40 (silicone)
Mothers Back to Black (water)
Aerospace 303 (water).
Now the silicone dressings last longer by virtue of their silicone content, they are also messier and harder to apply. They steak more too, so apply them then wipe away right away with a clean mf to prevent streaking. The water based ones are easy to use, but will only last 1-2 washes. All of them will protect from UV.
Before I sign off; where do I get my stuff? Well, I get what I can at Canadian Tire, stuff you can get there off the top of my head that is good:
Buckets
Aerospace 303
Some Megairs products (#26 yellow wax, #40 trim dressing, #7 show car glaze)
Mothers Back to Black
Nevr Dull Metal Polish
Megs Deep Crystal soap
Foam Applicators
Quick Detailers
Clay
I think that's it. Don't buy their mf's or mitts, they are suck.
I also use eshine.ca (Chris is a great guy, ships fast), and carcaresmart.com. Chris carries almost all the poorboys stuff, good mf cloths, but crummy mitts (imo), carcaresmart has AWESOME sheepskin mitts. They also have some Menzerna products. Zaino I get from the Barbers Chair (they dont have Z5pro yet), I got that from the states, but it'll be in the barbers chair soon.
Lastly, I get a lot of my stuff from George at detailedimage.com. He's in NY state, however he will ship USPS to avoid customs and is a great guy, AND ships quick AND has good prices. If you ever need a product reco, let me know.
Questions? I'm all ears.
#161
06-28-2006, 12:02 AM
Yup big thanks Kevin, great wealth of knowlege. That sealant vs wax explantion was great. A few weeks ago I was parked between an A4 and and an X5. All the cars were black. It was raining out and all the cars were wet looking, but I was trying to figure out why the other two cars were so much "blacker" vs my G which looked grey in comparison. I was thinking to myself damn Nissan and their inferior paint.
I use Meg NXT which I am assuming the reason for this? In the sun it looks great. I've just ordered some RMG so hopefully that will make it look darker.
I use Meg NXT which I am assuming the reason for this? In the sun it looks great. I've just ordered some RMG so hopefully that will make it look darker.
#162
06-28-2006, 12:06 AM
Actually NXT does darken paint, since it's very much like a glaze and sealant mixed together. It does a lot of filling while sealing. That said, I have never been super impressed with the way it looks and the durabilty is sub-par for a sealant. Now that you've ordered RMG you might consider a paste or liquid wax to go over it (NXT is a sealant, and has cleaners, so it'll clean the RMG off and won't bond over it correctly). I'd suggest some Nattys Blue, P21S, or Clearkote Carnauba Wax.
Remember, another reason they may have looked "blacker" is that it is possible you've got some marring (do you?), in which case you might be in need of a polish. As I mentioned above, prep is really the key, the sealants and waxes are just icing on the cake.
Remember, another reason they may have looked "blacker" is that it is possible you've got some marring (do you?), in which case you might be in need of a polish. As I mentioned above, prep is really the key, the sealants and waxes are just icing on the cake.
#163
06-28-2006, 07:55 AM
