Hi George,

I was able to get two coats of Dodo double wax hard and one coat of the soft so far. I am going to get another coat or two of the soft on this weekend and then get some pics for you. Sorry for the delay.


Here's a good pic from the Modified Magazine shoot that is now my favorite pic to date. This is after a PO106FF, FMJ and Natty's Red.

 

Thanks George

I dont think it was as smooth as it could have been after claying it. I cut the detailer with 25% water, perhaps I should not have done that?

If nothing else I am learning!

I will get some pics up soon. Cheers again.

 

George, some interior cleaning questions: wouldn't it be easer to throw in the floormats in the washer and air dry? also looking into some leather cleaner that smells halfway decent. i've used some meguiar's gold class and armor all stuff that smells like formaldehyde. obviously they're little cheapy products so is there something more professional that smells a little closer to new car or leather? trying to stay away from girly/fruity aromas. and when doing the interior, i do the following:
1-vac
2-wipe down w/ moist terry cloth then allow to dry
3-apply interior cleaner for stubborn spots
4-apply conditioner (while in the garage)

i heard leaving the vehicle in the sun with the windows up "opens" up the leather and allows conditioners to work in. but i also heard that the "fumes" will leave a film on the interior glass. how would you go about that? thanks.

 

You have the correct order of the steps. ScratchX is a good polish to start with to gauge your imperfections. It's user friendly and can be worked by hand or with a buffer. Most of the polishes we offer are designed specifically for buffer use for best results. My go-to finishing polish is usually Menzerna PO106FA.

Let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you.

Tim, wow that picture is outstanding! Definitely magazine worthy

What did you think of the Dodo wax compared to Natty's Red? Looking forward to seeing some pics. Hope all is well!

If the paint wasn't smooth after claying, than my guess is you rushed the process a little and stopped short of removing all of the contamination. The paint really shouldn't feel any smoother than after you've just clayed it. Here's a link to our clay bar guide, I'd read it over to make sure you got the most out of your claying process. Cutting your QD with some water shouldn't have effected the smoothness of the paint after you've finished claying.

Try claying a small section of your car again following the steps in our guide and see if it helps.

You could throw the floor mats in the washer if desired. If you maintain your mats on a regular basis, usually all it needs is a mist of some all purpose cleaner or carpet cleaner and a firm bristle brush to remove loose debris. It usually only takes me a few minutes to do thoroughly clean my mats.

For your leather, if you want one of the best leather conditioners, consider the Leatherique products we have as our May monthly special. Here's a look at how one of the top detailers uses Leatherique to restore his customers leather.

If you're looking for more of a 1 step product and not so much a restoration product, consider Poorboy's Leather Stuff. It gently cleans, conditions, UV protects and smells like leather all in 1 step. Perfect product for maintaining leather in good shape.

You shouldn't see any product on the glass because of leather conditioners sitting out in the sun. Usually it's because of the vinyl (or interior dressing) product that is sprayed real close to the glass (dash and doors) that can cause the film to appear. If you apply most products as thin as possible, work it into the surface and buff with a dry towel to ensure a clean matte finish, you shouldn't experience this problem at all.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions on anything.

Cheers,

George

 

George,

I finished the detail but have not had time for a full photoshoot. With summer getting here I have to take the pics first thing in the morning or at sunset. I was able to get a couple last night after the last coat of wax but only one wasn't blurry. I'm going to get more tomorrow morning.

As for my initial thoughts (more to come), the Dodo is in another league compared to the Natty's Red. The Natty's Red is a great wax but if you are looking to move up to the big league Dodo is the way to go. The overall depth of my finish is amazing. It looks like the car has brand new paint on it and the paint is 5 years old! And it lives in the hot Phoenix dust filled, 120 degree heat!! I have never seen a wax with this much depth and shine. I am 100% sold on Dodo.

I found the soft wax a lot easier to use than the hard. I took my finger nail and broke out a lot of the hard wax before I put it on the applicator which made it easy. I did one panel at a time and then removed it. Now I understand why the hard lasts a bit longer than the soft. Overall it was very easy.

The soft wax went on like butter and came off just as easy. I'm not the biggest fan of the spearmint scent but it's wax. The fact it didn't stink was a plus in my book. LOL Since I like to wax my car every 1-2 months when possible I think the soft wax is better for me.

Here's a teaser shot for now. The blur at the bottom is because I have a clear bra.

 

Tim,

Thanks for the feedback on the Dodo Juice Double Wax. The DW is one of the only ones that smell like spearmint, the rest smell very pleasant, some people even commenting on how they could double up as candles.

I prefer the soft waxes as well, extremely easy to apply and remove and just a pleasure to work with compared to other waxes.

Can't wait to see some full vehicle shots. Thanks again for posting your thoughts!

George

 

I remember reading about all the other scents. Don't get my wrong, the spearmint isn't bad, just not as good as some of the others. Either way, even if it smelled like crap, the results are amazing! It's like the Aerospace 303 protectant; that stuff stinks but I use it at least once every 60 days because it works!

 

What do you guys use to clean the wheels so well? I can never get all the brake dust off on some of the wheels i clean. What do you recommend?

 

I'm going to be using the Optimum Power Clean I got from you on my motor. It looks like I just spray it on, let it sit a few minutes, then hose off. Is this correct or should I spray off the motor with water first before I apply? Also, should the motor be hot or cool when I apply? Thanks.

 

So true, as long as a product works and yields great results I don't mind. Nice smell is just bonus points

I typically use P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner, let it dwell as long as it needs to (the longer it dwells the more it cleans usually up to 1 hour). Agitate the inner barrel with an E-Z Detail Brush, and wipe the face down with a wash mitt. If the wheels are oxidized and need polishing, follow up with a polish. If you want to further protect your wheels from brake dust embedding on the surface, consider coating them with Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant.

I'd follow this Engine Bay Guide and use your Optimum Power Clean where it says to use Total Auto Wash. It's best to have the engine warm, definitely not hot though.

If you have any other questions on anything, let me know.

George

 

Hi George,

Just ordered some sealant & wax from you & have a question. I need to get some on the car now for some paint protection, but I do have some very minor scratches & swirls that I won't be removing right now. I'm planning to polish, seal & wax in the fall after I get a PC & polish, at which point I would've planned to clay for sure prior to polishing.

I'm wondering whether I should clay now, prior to applying sealant & wax, knowing that I would be claying in the fall prior to machine polishing if I don't do it now. If I do clay now, can I get away with not claying again in the fall when I'm going to polish?

Bottom line, I really only want to clay once if I can get away with it, and want to do it at the right time.

Thanks.

 

Went and took some pics after work tonight. Car wasn't perfect but they should be ok. I'll get them off the camera and see.

 

and videos?

 

If you're only going to clay once, do it prior to polishing in the Fall. It will help you achieve better results during your polishing session and keep your protection layers as durable as possible.

Looking forward to it.

That'd be sweet, I'd love to see Tim's car in action

George

 

Here's a couple pics I got last night.