Tales of a rebellious man

[Aaryn NZ]

Very cool story indeed!

I believe many here will relate to alot of what you have written. Funny because if my Wife buys things . . . like say, her antique kitchen utensils, I call her a hoarder. So I guess because I detail for a living that makes me a professional hoarder, that makes it okay huh?

An enjoyable story, thank you for sharing & good luck with the addiction. Also - a couple of chips here & there on a swirl free Rav-4, still makes it a swirl free Rav-4.

QUOTE=ronkh57;1511469]You're only about an hour from the holy grail......... YOu should go take a drive tomorrow to AG.[/QUOTE]

Awh what! Jealous! I'm at least a 19 hour flight just to get to Florida!


Aaryn NZ.

[TJinFL]

FrankS

Mine is silver sky metallic. I noticed chips also. And the paint doesn't seem very thick. But it is a nice car for my purposes.

[TJinFL]

Route246

Thanks for your response. Actually I am a lot more like you than I let on in my little story. I probably care more about the appearance of my vehicles than I let on. And yes I find myself analyzing the finish on other vehicles especially those which appeal to my tastes. I will probably do my truck now. Should have done it first as my test vehicle. So now I can get out the polisher.

[TJinFL]

I have a couple of last comments.

Aaryn NZ. Hello there. I was in NZ once back around 1980. Loved the place. Did the North and South Islands. Really liked the South Island. Especially Christchurch and Queenstown. Landed on a glacier on Mt Cook. Why would you want to leave NZ to go to Stuart, FL?

As to visiting the "holy grail", well I just have no desire whatsoever to go there.

On McKee's 37 Paint Coating. In 2 coats I used about 40% or more of the contents. This stuff has a smell to it as one sprays it that seems pretty scary to me. Something between the fumes of say spray paint and epoxy paints. I am not sure but the smell does seem familiar. It is hard not to inhale the fumes without using some sort of mask. Now I figured it probably not do me that much harm this one detail job. But if I did these coatings on a regular basis without some serious protection I would be worried! Whether from the fumes or not I did end up with a pretty good headache afterwards and I don't normally get headaches. I am reminded of kids inhaling spray paint fumes to get high.

As I said before unless this stuff has some serious longevity and endurance I will probably go back to using Klasse AOI or HD Speed & Collinite 476s.

Also with the McKee's 37 Paint Coating Prep there is some serious staining of black trim. Hence the use of the painter's tape. This is why I originally got the HD Speed - no black trim staining! Now to be fair these stains seem come off pretty good using Meguiar's APC. McKee's 37 Stain Remover for Plastic definitely makes quick work of the stains. Although I worry about getting it on the Paint Coating.

Don't buy The Rag Company Everest 1100 mf towels. I just don't like them. They are 2 towels sown together to get the 1100 gsm. They are too thick and don't really absorb water that good for drying. Needless to say they wouldn't work well for polishing. Only good use I can find for them is to do my washes with them, but actually even for that I like my Supreme Junior 530 mf towels better.

[Paul A.]

Welcome into the garage, TJ, from Tampa. Glad to have you here and great intro post!

[fightnews]

What color is your RAV4?

I have a White 2015 RAV4 that I mainly use for detailing. I like the newer style much better than the older style with the spare wheel on the back.



Though white doesn't show the defects as much as a darker color, I still find myself looking at it at different angles hunting for defects and swirls...a symptom of being an autogeek .

Polishing and coating an entire vehicle at one time can seem like a daunting task. I find it easier to break it up in sections just doing a panel or two at a time when I get some spare time. That way I can do some other things and not have to spend an entire day working on the car.

I'm amazed out how quickly it picked up chips in the paint. I've already done a couple of touch ups on the front end. Toyota paint must be getting thinner these days.

I still get satisfaction at seeing the car look its best.

The paint on these newer cars just gets more and more cheap. I have major chipping that I feel will eventually ruin the car. I can imagine what the hood and front bumper will look like in 10 years if its this bad after 3

[Aaryn NZ]

I have a couple of last comments.

Aaryn NZ. Hello there. I was in NZ once back around 1980. Loved the place. Did the North and South Islands. Really liked the South Island. Especially Christchurch and Queenstown. Landed on a glacier on Mt Cook. Why would you want to leave NZ to go to Stuart, FL?

As to visiting the "holy grail", well I just have no desire whatsoever to go there.

Hey TJinFL,

I was born & raised in Christchurch but sadly our beautiful city is remarkably different now after the devastating earthquake of 2011. Much of the city was destroyed & the beauty of the old architecture is now a part of history. My Father was a painter & decorator, & around the time you visited New Zealand I remember going to work with his when he was painting the restaurant at Mt Hutt, which is just down the road from Mt Cook. Now I live in Blenheim, a small town just South of where the ferries dock to go between the North & South Islands in the stunning Marlborough Sounds but yes - the South is the best.

As for coming back to Stuart FL - I came over to Stuart with my Wife & Son in Jan 2015 to attend Mikes Boot Camp class, & to be fair, living in a small country, let alone a small town, meeting people who have a passion for this craft is next to none. My time at Autogeek was such a memorable moment for me, & if I were closer I would visit more frequently to attend the fine array of happenings that go on there. It is indeed the "Holy Grail" for a detailer like me. I love New Zealand, don't get me wrong but being a bit closer & a heck of alot more affordable to get to would be great.


Aaryn NZ.

[TJinFL]

Aaryn NZ

I remember the earthquake, but had hoped the recovery would restore all the old charm. But life goes on. I once saw a bumper sticker which said "wherever you go - there you are". Was a game changer for me. Florida is OK but its pretty flat. But this is where God has placed me and wants me so I make the most of it.

I remember when my wife and I were in NZ back in 1980 or so that NZ was pretty sheltered from all the problems of the world. Things seemed pretty idyllic there. We were there about a week. But we began noticing an undercurrent there where the people (I suppose the young idealistic ones) were looking for issues to get involved in. I remember there was a big demonstration about a US nuclear carrier making port in Auckland. Also there was a big issue about black discrimination in S Africa which seemed kind of ironic as there didn't seem to be any blacks in NZ.

Well now the world is a lot smaller and we all have many more issues than we ever dreamed of.

[TJinFL]

Vanity of vanities........All is vanity and vexation of the spirit!

[TJinFL]

It has been about a week since I applied the McKee's 37 Paint Coating to my car. It was raining so I pulled the car out of the garage to give it a bath. This was the coatings first exposure to water. I must say I am impressed. The water beaded up very strongly in many small beads just as it would have with a good wax such as the Collinite 476s I am familiar with. It dried off nicely and the surface is slick and smooth just like after a good wax job. So far so good!