stripesace

the conventional wisdom is heating up products is bad. Storage in areas of 40-90deg F. How old are these products?

There are a couple of different "detailing" schools out there that will teach you technique. You can take those same techniques and apply them to whatever products your using.

its one of those products that has been under development.

YES! Because you want a CLEAN surface. Your pad could pick up one of those contaminants and create more damage. When you get ready to polish you want a clean smooth surface.

It's a beast of a machine for it size. It's great for correcting in small areas like bumpers and lift gates, or places where the 15mkII can't fit properly.

Crack open the daily driver detailing video, and give this thread a read.... The "less obsessed" Adam's System It's a start.

Matte.

I have an oven with a microwave right on top in my kitchen... no matter how hard I try, I can't get them to be any less than 1.5 seconds apart.

Dan, It doesnt bother you that your garage door openers have different times?

I've put buttery wax on my car several times and it, since September has had a consistent coat Liquid Paint Sealant and regularly topped with H2O Guard and Gloss... I always struggle to see what Buttery Wax adds to my car. Maybe a little depth... But it sure is relaxing.

Nice PDF there.

Its glorified touch up paint that's got some formulation to it that makes not 100% paint. Check out their website. Even with my metallic paint it has matched pretty well. Basically you dab the paint into your chip and then smudge it with a gloved finger. Let it set for a while then use some special formula they call SealAct and then you clean up your smudge. It pulls the paint off of surrounding clear but leaves it in the hole you dabbed it in.

I had a nasty rock chip on my hood. Every second or so wash I go an drop some more Dr. Colorchip in it. It's starting to fill in quite nicely.

I found visco clay and unimpressive the first time I used it. The more I've worked it, and used it, the better its gotten.

It's not an end user available product, and can not be directly purchased from the website, so I didn't think it was an issue. I'll remove it anyhow... Lead by example right? I tend to agree with your assessment however. It's like the tube of lusterizing sealant I have in my glovebox that came with my car's Platnium Paint Protection that I didn't pay for. The warranty is you have to apply it twice a year for the length of the warranty. How do they verify that? The replacement can only be picked up at the dealership and they ask for your VIN number when you go in.If you go in to claim the warranty, and they see you havent gotten any extra tubes, then the "out of warranty" flag comes out.

First things first... At initial glance it seems like this product COULD fall in line with a category of products called coatings, which is the only way I think they could claim a 5 year life. If you polish the truck, you're going to be polishing this stuff off and starting from a blank slate so to speak. Sounds like that's your intentions, though.

Hmmm, doing some googling for their website to see what I can learn about this product that apparently only auto dealerships can buy.

Yeah that happens. The borderless gray are my favorite for H2O (because they don't stain...) and liquid paint sealant. Single soft is just right for polish removal, or after detail walk around. I use single soft for Revive removal, buttery removal, etc. my double softs are reserved for quick detailing. If I wash Friday night and don't drive the car all weekend, I'll pull'er out Sunday night when setting out the trash cans, grab a bottle of Detail Spray, and a Double Soft and have a little shine therapy as the sun sets.

2.5 for correcting? wow... people are used to spreading product at 3.... 5 for polishing... Guessing the faster speed jeweled a little better at higher speeds... Guess that makes sense. Interesting. I found myself at 4.5/5 for correcting and only needed about 2 passes. My paint finished well with just correction polish. I generally spread my Paint Sealant at speed 1 or 2...

Single Soft ~600 GSM w/ overlocked edge stitching medium nap Double Soft ~1000 GSM w/ overlocked edge stitching long nap Bordeless Gray ~450-500 GSM ultrasonic cut edges. long nap

I'm finding all kinds of edits right now... Despite printing it out and reading it for edits before posting here, but yes, I can probably PDF this version as it sits.

What speeds where you driving your new Mark II at?

Was trying to cover technique too. Length was almost unavoidable. Ive contemplated a video to pair with the write up. Ive the resources available to me... Its the time that is tight right now.

Step Five - Treat your Trim & Tires If you have plastic trim around your vehicle, it needs protecting too. Guard and Gloss will give you one level of protect, but I like to keep it topped off. Grab yourself a foam block and the bottle of VRT. Apply a small amount (nickel to quarter size) to the foam block, and apply it to your trim. Its ok if you get some on your windows and paint. Its water based and will easily wipe off. Your tires should be dry by now. Take a second foam applicator block and your bottle of Tire Shine. I like the stream spray pattern for tire shine. Spray the tread blocks of your tires being careful to not get any on your clean wheels. An alternative method is to spray the product directly into the foam block. Using the foam block play "ring around the tire" spreading Tire Shine evenly to the entire tire. Take care to work it into lettering and grooves. I like to take the corner of the foam block and get right up along the wheel or wheel cover. Step Six - Touch up and Walk Around Now that you're done grab a bottle of Detail spray and a single soft microfiber. This is my favorite part of the wash process. Walk around and admire your work. If you see something, give it a spray of detail spray and a soft swipe with your microfiber. Once I finish one walk around, I usually go back the opposite direction. REVIEW So now that we're done lets review the steps. 1)Tires and Wheels 2)Rinse and Wash 3)Clay 4)Protect 5)Tires and Trim 6)Walk around and enjoy... If you're a casual washer, and your likely to only wash your car once a month, these same steps will apply, with the exception of claying. You should only need to clay once or twice a year. If you're a more frequent washer then you'll only need to worry about Tires and Wheels, Rinse and Washing, and Tires and Trim. You'll want to redo your protection once every 2 months or so. When you're not doing H2O Guard and Gloss, you'll want use Detail Spray and the Great White Drying Towel to dry your car. Detail Spray will neutralize the water to reduce spotting, provide lubrication for the towel to not mar or scratch your paint, and provide a REALLY sharp shine!

Step Three - You want me to rub clay on my car? Your car is covered in all kinds of things that shampoo and a wash pad won't get off. The only way to do this, decontaminate, your paint is to clay the surface of your car. Spritz your car with detail spray, about 2-3 sprays per panel to help neutralize PH of the water on your car. Pick a panel to start with. For me it is usually my hood or roof. Take the Visco Clay that you prepared early and begin rubbing it on your wet lubricated with Detail Spray surface. I usually make 1 1/2' sweeps front to back over the paint working in rows front to back of the panel. I usually check my clay at the completion of each row. Follow the instructions on the Visco Clay for use of your clay. BE CAREFUL to not drop your clay on the ground. If so, consider it dead and throw it in the general direction of your trash can and order a Visco Clay replacement. Step Four - Lets lay some protection on your car... Now that you've clayed your car, you need something to protect the bare clear coat you now have exposed to the world. Grab two borderless gray towels, wet one. Lighting wet down your car. Grab your bottle of H2O Guard and Gloss and spray 2 to 3 sprays per panel, working 1 to 2 panels at a time. Take the wet borderless gray towel and wipe on/rub in/buff on the panel that has been sprayed with Guard and Gloss. You will notice water running away from your paint. Once the panel has been wiped down with Guard and Gloss, follow up with the dry towel to buff the residue off, and swipe any remaining water. Work your way around the car until every panel has been treated. Once your done with the body of your car, and want to make your wheel cleaning easier next time, apply it to your wheels in the same fashion you did your paint.