BFEHB
02-10-2014, 06:31 PM
Alright, so I completed my first detail, on my wife’s 17 year old daily driver, with all the new toys/products that I have recently purchased at AG. Here are some thoughts on some of the products, this is not a complete review necessarily but just some observations.
I am going to post some pictures that I took with my cruddy cellphone camera but it really does not do it justice. There are some spots on the pictures that I think are from the camera lense being dusty. A neighbor came over and could not believe how good the car looked. It did take 2 days and probably 15 hours to do the inside and outside.
Speed Master Wheel Brush – this thing is great, everyone should have one!
Iron X – we must be iron deficient in SoCal, there really was very little purple gunk to be seen. This product also completely reeks. I had it stored with my other car detailing supplies, that just did not work. It smells really badly, I moved it in with the house cleaning supplies, even that might not work. It is in a zip lock bag. I will not repurchase this product when it is gone. Did I mention that this stuff really, really smells?
Riccardo Yellow Clay and Lube – ummm, I was not that impressed with this product. The car had quite a bit of contaminants and little rust spots and Riccardo’s was not up to the task. I ended up using my Meguiar’s off the shelf product with the Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik detailer and it was better at clearing the contaminants and rust. I would then follow up with Riccardo’s clay and lube. Then I would switch off and use the Riccardo’s first and follow up with the Meguiar’s. Meguiar’s performed better for me. I would not purchase this product again but I will definitely use it, perhaps it would be better on a car with fewer contaminants?
Porter Cable 7424XP – I was initially afraid I was going to destroy the car with a polisher, so was my wife. Turns out there was no need to worry at all. This thing seemed pretty idiot proof to me. I watched every video and read every article about using the PC that I could find, including the CD that came with the purchase – which was a great CD by the way – and I had no problems at all. The threads on the handle that you insert into either the left or right side were a little jacked up upon arrival, but I should be able to work around that.
Lake Country 5” Backing Plate and 5½” CSS Pads – these worked perfectly. I used the orange and white pads. I can tell I will need more pads, I only had 2 of each; I could have used more. I did clean them with the foam conditioning brush which helped.
The Klasse Twins – I really liked both of these products, they were very easy to work with and really make the car shine. With the 1st coat of the Klasse SG I let sit on the car for about 10 to 15 minutes before wiping off and the 2nd coat (the following day) I let sit at least 30 minutes. After the 2nd coat the car paint was just brilliant and deep, I highly recommend at least 2 coats. I didn’t have a problem removing it in either application. I applied it thin, thin, thin with an Ultra Autospa Microfiber Applicator – turned out great.
Sonus Acrylic Spritz – anytime there was a little spot of Klasse SG that was a challenge to remove the spritz loosened it right up, this is good stuff.
Pinnacle Leather and Vinyl Cleaner – I used the Natural Horse Hair Interior Upholstery Brush to apply this and what a difference it made. The leather had turned dark brown and had sunscreen and body oil stains and now the leather is back to being light tan and soft. Looks fantastic!
Pinnacle Leather Conditioner – maybe leather conditioners are not necessary, I don’t know but I liked the finish and the smell that the conditioner left behind. Good stuff, not sticky, or slippery just smooth and soft.
Various Cobra Microfiber Towels – they were great, but I will pick up some chinchillas when I have the funds. I have about 20 towels now for various jobs. Not sure the waffle weave glass towels are anything special, but I have them so I will keep on using them. The 16 x 24 Guzzler Gold Waffle Weave Drying Towels were a tad unwieldy, they were almost too big in my opinion.
Pinnacle Micro Rejuvenator Detergent – seems fine!
Lessons learned - I will need some sort of correction product, I am thinking the Menzerna FG 400. There were/are some light scratches in the paint, not something you can feel with your fingernail and an occasional swirl or two. I will get those next time, they are very hard to see and the light has to be just right - the wife will never see them.
Anyhow, thank you to all the folks on these forums who have shared their knowledge and expertise on these boards it has been an excellent learning tool.
I am going to post some pictures that I took with my cruddy cellphone camera but it really does not do it justice. There are some spots on the pictures that I think are from the camera lense being dusty. A neighbor came over and could not believe how good the car looked. It did take 2 days and probably 15 hours to do the inside and outside.
Speed Master Wheel Brush – this thing is great, everyone should have one!
Iron X – we must be iron deficient in SoCal, there really was very little purple gunk to be seen. This product also completely reeks. I had it stored with my other car detailing supplies, that just did not work. It smells really badly, I moved it in with the house cleaning supplies, even that might not work. It is in a zip lock bag. I will not repurchase this product when it is gone. Did I mention that this stuff really, really smells?
Riccardo Yellow Clay and Lube – ummm, I was not that impressed with this product. The car had quite a bit of contaminants and little rust spots and Riccardo’s was not up to the task. I ended up using my Meguiar’s off the shelf product with the Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik detailer and it was better at clearing the contaminants and rust. I would then follow up with Riccardo’s clay and lube. Then I would switch off and use the Riccardo’s first and follow up with the Meguiar’s. Meguiar’s performed better for me. I would not purchase this product again but I will definitely use it, perhaps it would be better on a car with fewer contaminants?
Porter Cable 7424XP – I was initially afraid I was going to destroy the car with a polisher, so was my wife. Turns out there was no need to worry at all. This thing seemed pretty idiot proof to me. I watched every video and read every article about using the PC that I could find, including the CD that came with the purchase – which was a great CD by the way – and I had no problems at all. The threads on the handle that you insert into either the left or right side were a little jacked up upon arrival, but I should be able to work around that.
Lake Country 5” Backing Plate and 5½” CSS Pads – these worked perfectly. I used the orange and white pads. I can tell I will need more pads, I only had 2 of each; I could have used more. I did clean them with the foam conditioning brush which helped.
The Klasse Twins – I really liked both of these products, they were very easy to work with and really make the car shine. With the 1st coat of the Klasse SG I let sit on the car for about 10 to 15 minutes before wiping off and the 2nd coat (the following day) I let sit at least 30 minutes. After the 2nd coat the car paint was just brilliant and deep, I highly recommend at least 2 coats. I didn’t have a problem removing it in either application. I applied it thin, thin, thin with an Ultra Autospa Microfiber Applicator – turned out great.
Sonus Acrylic Spritz – anytime there was a little spot of Klasse SG that was a challenge to remove the spritz loosened it right up, this is good stuff.
Pinnacle Leather and Vinyl Cleaner – I used the Natural Horse Hair Interior Upholstery Brush to apply this and what a difference it made. The leather had turned dark brown and had sunscreen and body oil stains and now the leather is back to being light tan and soft. Looks fantastic!
Pinnacle Leather Conditioner – maybe leather conditioners are not necessary, I don’t know but I liked the finish and the smell that the conditioner left behind. Good stuff, not sticky, or slippery just smooth and soft.
Various Cobra Microfiber Towels – they were great, but I will pick up some chinchillas when I have the funds. I have about 20 towels now for various jobs. Not sure the waffle weave glass towels are anything special, but I have them so I will keep on using them. The 16 x 24 Guzzler Gold Waffle Weave Drying Towels were a tad unwieldy, they were almost too big in my opinion.
Pinnacle Micro Rejuvenator Detergent – seems fine!
Lessons learned - I will need some sort of correction product, I am thinking the Menzerna FG 400. There were/are some light scratches in the paint, not something you can feel with your fingernail and an occasional swirl or two. I will get those next time, they are very hard to see and the light has to be just right - the wife will never see them.
Anyhow, thank you to all the folks on these forums who have shared their knowledge and expertise on these boards it has been an excellent learning tool.