makdaddy626
10-03-2007, 04:51 PM
I'm out of town for work so can't take any pics - just finished this little "project" up last night and didn't have time then either, but wanted to share my thoughts on some of the great (and not exactly great) products I used...
BACKGROUND: This was all done on my wife's daily driven 1999 Jeep Cherokee (White) which has been my test bed since starting to learn detailing. I liked the results I was getting so decided to go on and see how well I could clean it up - it's pretty much been neglected most if not all of it's life.
PROCESS:
Washed with PB SSS: I like this soap, lots of bubbles (I know there is an ongoing debate about whether suds make a real difference - if they do, this soap has it covered, if they don't, this soap is still good because if feels very slick IMO and cleans well.
Clayed with Megs Clay kit purchased locally: It came with a QD for lube and MF towell so I tried it. Not bad, the MF towel will be relegated to tires or door jambs (It's not exactly Cobra quality) but the clay seemed to do it's job.
Paint: Started with XMT 3 and an orange pad - took about 4 passes but I didn't have anything stronger - it still wasn't perfect (did I mention this vehicle has been neglected?) - I like the XMT polishes although they dust a bit. They flash really quickly, maybe if the working times were longer it wouldn't have taken 4 passes to get to where I stopped. It did leave some micro marring as well but maybe somewhere with more advanced skills could avoid this.
Next I moved on to Menz 106 and this stuff is every bit as good as everyone says. It removed all of the micro marring from the previous step and really left an amazing gloss. It was very easy to work with, I used a white LC pad on the PC. Dusting was minor especially compared to the XMT 3.
I then re-washed with PB SSS, dried with a leaf blower and guzzler.
After re-washing I decided to try the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer - this is suppose to be an abrasive free paintwork cleanser that leaves a great surface for WG DGPS to bond to. I was pretty much underwelmed by this product. Maybe it was due to the fact that at this point there wasn't much "cleaning" to be done and if it did leave a better surface for bonding I couldn't tell how. I'm not saying it's a bad product just that out of all the steps this one gave the least amoung of "bang" - after applying the paint looked and felt the same to me. It did go on and off easily so that's points in it's favor. Also, it claims to hide minor swirls and scratches, perhaps owing to the fact that all "minor" defects had already been removed by polishing, I didn't see any improvements.
Protection:
I added two coats of WG DGPS 24 hours apart. I've used this before on my truck and think it's extremely easy to use but am kind of disappointed in the finished look which seems to me less "shiny" than other sealants but not really up to the standards of a good wax in the warmth and depth department. I have to trust that the protection is good, it certainly beads well, but I don't really know how to test the level of protection provided. Maybe I should pour acid on it and light it on fire like in the infomercials :p
Well, since I was exactly thrilled with the look of the WG DGPS, I decided to top it with a coat of DP MaxWax 24 hours later (and after another wash with PB SSS). This did add some depth and shine and as I've come to expect was easy to apply and remove. I still think I prefer the look of LS on the white though.
Tires: Cleaned with ARO - this did a really good job of cleaning the tires which are pretty new - was really suprised how much dirt came off.
Applied 303 after cleaning and drying - I like 303 on my dash but don't think it has enough shine for the tires, haven't really found anything I like on tires yet need more experimentation!Im the MAN
Wheels were cleaned with P21S gel - This stuff is great and makes cleaning wheels easy and I feel like it's safe no more often than I use it (about once a month). I also applied 2 coats of DGPS to the wheels just for kicks.
Glass: was cleaned with Stoner's IG - I love this stuff, I've never had a problem with streaking and it think it's cleaning power is very good. I've heard good things about the Surf City cleaner though and might give it try when I run out of Stoner's
Wheel wells were done with AA tire foam - it's cheap and does a good enough job for wheel wells IMO.
All in all I thought the project turned out really well as the Jeep looks years younger. Best of all I got to try new products and new combonations. hopefully someone will find the information helpful.
BACKGROUND: This was all done on my wife's daily driven 1999 Jeep Cherokee (White) which has been my test bed since starting to learn detailing. I liked the results I was getting so decided to go on and see how well I could clean it up - it's pretty much been neglected most if not all of it's life.
PROCESS:
Washed with PB SSS: I like this soap, lots of bubbles (I know there is an ongoing debate about whether suds make a real difference - if they do, this soap has it covered, if they don't, this soap is still good because if feels very slick IMO and cleans well.
Clayed with Megs Clay kit purchased locally: It came with a QD for lube and MF towell so I tried it. Not bad, the MF towel will be relegated to tires or door jambs (It's not exactly Cobra quality) but the clay seemed to do it's job.
Paint: Started with XMT 3 and an orange pad - took about 4 passes but I didn't have anything stronger - it still wasn't perfect (did I mention this vehicle has been neglected?) - I like the XMT polishes although they dust a bit. They flash really quickly, maybe if the working times were longer it wouldn't have taken 4 passes to get to where I stopped. It did leave some micro marring as well but maybe somewhere with more advanced skills could avoid this.
Next I moved on to Menz 106 and this stuff is every bit as good as everyone says. It removed all of the micro marring from the previous step and really left an amazing gloss. It was very easy to work with, I used a white LC pad on the PC. Dusting was minor especially compared to the XMT 3.
I then re-washed with PB SSS, dried with a leaf blower and guzzler.
After re-washing I decided to try the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer - this is suppose to be an abrasive free paintwork cleanser that leaves a great surface for WG DGPS to bond to. I was pretty much underwelmed by this product. Maybe it was due to the fact that at this point there wasn't much "cleaning" to be done and if it did leave a better surface for bonding I couldn't tell how. I'm not saying it's a bad product just that out of all the steps this one gave the least amoung of "bang" - after applying the paint looked and felt the same to me. It did go on and off easily so that's points in it's favor. Also, it claims to hide minor swirls and scratches, perhaps owing to the fact that all "minor" defects had already been removed by polishing, I didn't see any improvements.
Protection:
I added two coats of WG DGPS 24 hours apart. I've used this before on my truck and think it's extremely easy to use but am kind of disappointed in the finished look which seems to me less "shiny" than other sealants but not really up to the standards of a good wax in the warmth and depth department. I have to trust that the protection is good, it certainly beads well, but I don't really know how to test the level of protection provided. Maybe I should pour acid on it and light it on fire like in the infomercials :p
Well, since I was exactly thrilled with the look of the WG DGPS, I decided to top it with a coat of DP MaxWax 24 hours later (and after another wash with PB SSS). This did add some depth and shine and as I've come to expect was easy to apply and remove. I still think I prefer the look of LS on the white though.
Tires: Cleaned with ARO - this did a really good job of cleaning the tires which are pretty new - was really suprised how much dirt came off.
Applied 303 after cleaning and drying - I like 303 on my dash but don't think it has enough shine for the tires, haven't really found anything I like on tires yet need more experimentation!Im the MAN
Wheels were cleaned with P21S gel - This stuff is great and makes cleaning wheels easy and I feel like it's safe no more often than I use it (about once a month). I also applied 2 coats of DGPS to the wheels just for kicks.
Glass: was cleaned with Stoner's IG - I love this stuff, I've never had a problem with streaking and it think it's cleaning power is very good. I've heard good things about the Surf City cleaner though and might give it try when I run out of Stoner's
Wheel wells were done with AA tire foam - it's cheap and does a good enough job for wheel wells IMO.
All in all I thought the project turned out really well as the Jeep looks years younger. Best of all I got to try new products and new combonations. hopefully someone will find the information helpful.