Pete,

Thanks for keeping us posted on how you made out with the products. I think using the distilled water would be great for a final rinse down, or it could be time to look into a water de-ionizer / water filtration system if you plan on using the distilled water every wash.

Keep us posted on how you make out and what you think of the beading / sheeting the Rain Clear offers on your windshield.

cutiewolf - When using the PC I really like the Menzerna polishes. Depending on how deep the imperfections really are is going to determine which polish and pad to use. From the sounds of it, I'd recommend a minimum of Intensive Polish with and orange pad, followed by Final Polish II with a white pad. If the swirls are severe, then you may want to consider using Power Gloss with a yellow pad for even more cutting ability.

I also recommend taking the time to research how to properly use the PC as technique can drastically vary your results.

Let us know how you make out.

Infinite1 - Look forward to hearing back from you with what you decided on using.

George

 

I just checked water hardness and it's about 180ppm, much better than what it was in the winter. But we've been getting a lot of rain that's broken a drought so this isn't surprising.

As you know, the problem with tap water rinsing is the mineral content so the only solution is to distill the water away from its contaminants. Not perfect of course as water's a polar molecule so it's going to become contaminated by the material of the container it's held in or the piping it flows through. At about sixty four cents a gallon (good ole' WalMart again) it'd be tough to beat making it oneself.

Rinsing as you recommend so the water sheets leaves the least water behind if the surface is clean and smooth enough so it wouldn't take but a few gallons of distilled water to sheet the tap water off. The remaining drops, if they're all just distilled water (it'll take more than one pass with the distilled water to be sure) can be allowed to evaporate and no spots will remain as there aren't any dissolved minerals to be left behind to create a 'water spot'.

Makes drying almost superfluous. What little spotting occurs due to incomplete removal of tap water minerals can be touched up with a spray and wipe. And if ya' don't need to put a towel to the paint ya' can't scratch or haze it any worse than washing does. Can ya' tell I *hate* drying off a car?

The Rain Clear works quite well. Water beads and moves off the glass at lower speeds and in smaller initial drops than with Rain-X. We've had enough rain lately to test it quite a bit. No complaints so far but I've only driven during the day. I do have to say that the windshield looks brand new, something I wasn't expecting or looking for. I suspect the stuff does a lot better job of filling in imperfections than Rain-X, I'll see the next time I get out at night.

I've been using the Gunk ammonia-free spray can window cleaner but picked up some Stoner Invisible Glass today in the hope it'll be less aggressive in removing or softening up the Rain Clear. The directions say to apply monthly (arrggghhhh... 'wax on - wax off') so it must wear easily. I _knew_ every new car came with an exercise program...

Most times I'll just use a damp MF to wipe off the bugs and stuff and one of those 'diapers' to buff it smooth again. I can tell the windshield is *much* slicker to the touch than with Rain-X, there's no doubt about that at all.

Cool stuff and the 303 wiper treatment seems to be more than worth the cost. I've never been able to keep wiper blades like-new but this stuff removes enough junk and smooths the surface well enough that only the end of the long blade still streaks a bit.

The only thing odd that's happening now is water 'pulls' from the end of the arc on the left, back across the windshield following the wiper on its return stroke. Kind of annoying. Not sure why unless I'm not cleaning enough of the blade surface. I'll have to dink around with it again and wait for it to rain, like tomorrow...

<\babbling>

 

Pete,

Great info! Glad to hear that the Rain Clear is meeting your expectations so far. I'm pleased to see that the water is beading off even at low speeds. I'm excited to see what you think about the Rain Clear at night, under lights, etc.

I'm pleased to see that the Windshield Wiper packets were worth the money.

I enjoy reading your thoughts on everything. Hope to hear from you soon!

George

 

what's the best way to get the black shinyness back into the black trim/plastic parts on the outside of the car such as mirror mounts and below the windshield?

 

There will never be a product that permanently treats the trim and gives off a glossy look, but temporarily it is very achievable. Typically for a glossy look you'll want to use a product more oil based than water based. Something like Poorboy's Trim Restorer sounds like it would fit the description for what you are looking for. My personal preference is more of a new matte finish because sometimes the glossy products can attract dust and contamination easier than the matte finished products. For more of a bold matte finish as well as some UV protection to prevent fading, consider 303 Aerospace Protectant, a water based dressing.

Keep in mind, the more you wash the car and expose it to elements the quicker the glossy finish will fade and will require a reapplication. This goes for any trim product you use.

Let us know what you end up using and how you make out.

George

 

i gotta stay away from your site. i ended up getting some poorboy's wheel sealant and a microfiber applicator along with some aerospace protectant. thanks!

 

izmir41500 - We appreciate your support. I'm sure you'll love the products you picked up. I would suggest 2 - 3 thin applications of the Wheel Sealant every couple of months for maximum protection. 303 Aerospace Protectant is a very versatile product, not only does it work well on the exterior trim, but also as an interior vinyl, rubber and plastic dressing that provides UV protection. It also works great as an engine bay dressing after detailing your engine.

Let us know what you think after getting a chance to use the products. Thanks again!

George

 

hey George, hows it goin? we havent talked in a WHILE. i hope all is well, from the # of pages on this thread it seems like business is pretty good for u. i wanted to ask you what procedure i should follow when i go to my car and see brid crap dried on it?. what i normally do is apply Bug/tar remover and let it sit for a few secs. then i rinse with some water and wipe clean with a damp MF. keep in mind that the car is already detailed and the crap is only on one panel so i dont want to wash the whole car. thanks!...Pete.

 

Pete, things are good, crazy, which is a good thing. We're in the process of developing a fully custom site for Detailed Image, which is taking up even more of my time. Look for it ~August.

Onto bid droppings. First thing I stress, is safely removing the droppings as fast as you can. I typically will keep a bottle of Spray & Wipe handy in my glove box along with a plush microfiber towel and remove the bulk of the droppings as fast as possible. From there I create a pasty mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid from the bird droppings and apply it on the effected area, let it sit for couple minute or so, and gently wipe it off, using Spray & Wipe again as a lubricant. Next I'll clay the effected area and assess for etching. If I see etching, I'll decide if I want to tackle this now or next time I polish. If I decide to do it now, depending on the imperfections on the panel, I may polish the entire panel. Make sure you re-protect the area you polished.

Hope that helps, let us know how you make out.

Great to hear from you.

George

 

by spray & wipe are you referring to a quick detailer or is that a different kind of product??? i keep alot of my Detailing products were my spare tire is, and alot of my MF towels in my trunk for emergency situations like these. Its amazing for the first 6-8 months i never got 1 bird dropping and all of a sudden theyre literally going for my car every week now . i wish i had the time to perform a procedure like the one you suggested but is there something a little less time consuming lol? school, work, a GF and hanging out with the boys takes up my whole life

 

I hear you with the time thing, I have a million ideas for DI / DU but only so much time to implement them.

Spray & Wipe is a quick detailer but it has a lot of cleaning agents which makes it a very versatile product. Many mobile detailers or people in apartment complexes, etc. will use it as a waterless wash product when there is a just a light dusting to remove. Any QD would certainly help, but b/c of the cleaning power in S&W that one makes it ideal.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and avoid those bird bombs!

George

 

George, I can't recommend Poorboys S&W enough. I started using it earlier this year and I don't think I'll every be without it in my arsenal. It's awesome stuff!

 

George,

Dropped by the dealer today for a car wash (they do a pretty good job for the price - nada) and for the first time they applied some kind of dressing to the interior that left the steering wheel slicker'n owl "beep". Luckily Prestine worked, and on the shift **** (the shift **** fercryinoutloud...!) but the stuff on the dash came off with a damp MF after a couple of passes.

Question now is what to use to keep the dash/trim in good shape.

The windows in the '07 sedan are marked as UV safe, or something like that, so I think I don't really need anything that's specifically a protectant. The diluted 303 cleaner and a damp MF wipe down is fine but it really only cleans.

The PB Natural Look Dressing and the 303 Aerospace Protectant look like the two best choices but I want the dash and trim to continue looking like they did on delivery, perfectly matte - I really hate the slightest gloss that'll show up as reflections in the windshield. The summer sun here in TX makes glare bad enough, I don't want to add to it at all.

I've searched and read a number of threads but I didn't see anything definitive so your advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Pete

 

Hi George

Just wanted to give an update on the Boars hair brush. I found one by Griots and I've used it on the sideskirts and the bumpers it looks like it works great. Unfortunately its been raining here for about a week straight so I haven't tested other body panels although i'm a bit fearful (b/c of scratches of course) But so far so good!


BTW - I was recently given a PC7424 as a gift. I am going to use PB SSR 2.5 with a LC CCS white pad. For a final polish, do you think Klasse AIO will suffice or should I use the PB's Pro polish? I know that AIO has cleaning properties and I dont' want to waste the 2.5 by using that. What's you're opinion? As it's my first time using the PC it's confusing on what to use. I at least know my first product (SSR 2.5) and last product (heheh..well..Collinite 845 or Natty's Blue)

Thanks very much again for your helpful information!

Ryan
Infinite1

 

Pete,

Great to hear from you. Yep, the Natural Look and the Aerospace Protectant are both great products for protecting your interior.

Between the two, the Aerospace Protectant is going to give you more of a matte finish IMO. To give you an idea, I dug up 2 interiors using each of the products bot with 303 Aerospace Fabric / Vinyl Cleaner as a prep step:

303 Aerospace Protectant on an M Roadster:


Poorboy's Natural Look on a Honda Accord:


Both look pretty darn good. If you have the cleaner already, I think the Aerospace Protectant is a better investment and a more versatile product (works well as an engine bay dressing, a matte finish tire dressing, exterior trim protectant, and interior protection obviously). The Natural Look is a cleaner and protectant in one which saves time.

I would venture to guess that the 303 Aerospace Protection provides more UV protection on your vinyl, rubber, plastic and leather than the Natural Look offers, but I have no hard facts on that at the moment.

For either product, you want to apply on a microfiber towel or applicator pad, work in, and using a clean microfiber towel, buff to a completely matte finish. They both spread pretty thin, so not much product is needed.

Let us know what you end up using and how you make out.

Ryan,

Thanks for the update on the boars hair brush.

As for your polishing is concerned. You more than likely want to follow up the Poorboy's SSR 2.5 with a fine abrasive finishing polish. The reason you want a finer abrasive polish is because the SSR 2.5 could yield some hazing or marring due to the larger abrasives and neither the AIO or the Poorboy's Pro Polish are abrasive polishes, both are chemical polishes. I'd recommend using something like Menzerna Final Polish II or better yet Menzerna PO106ff polish as a finishing polish. Both will finish down better than the Poorboy's SSR 1 (the PBW option as a light abrasive finishing polish) and will yield more gloss and depth. The 106ff is a superior finishing polish than the Final Polish II but realize it is quite the price jump. IMO it's worth every penny, and others who have used it would probably say the same.

Both the Klasse AIO and Poorboy's Pro Polish would fall under a pre-wax/sealant cleaner products. Here's a good read on pre-wax cleaners.

Let us know what you end up using and how you make out. Thanks again for keeping everyone updated on the BHB.

Look forward to hearing back from you again.

George