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  1. #11
    Super Member mc2hill's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Another 'tool' for the in between areas is a Popsicle (or craft) stick. It is rigid, but the wood is soft enough to 'dent' too. Wrap it around a MF towel, apply some of the product to the MF, and clean away.

  2. #12
    Super Member rlmccarty2000's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Not sold here but check Amazon for different sizes of Q-tip type items. There is a wide variety of swab shapes and sizes for detailing. I bought several of the different sizes and one of them is a pointed swab that is perfect for getting around emblems and trim. They came in handy on a vehicle that had been waxed with the old type of wax that would harden and turn white. Nothing would remove this white crap except these pointed swabs.

    Yes I am a little OCD.

  3. #13
    Super Member Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Nothing wrong with wanting your emblems white residue free. Being OCD might be constantly polishing them.
    Treat it like it's the only one in the world.

  4. #14
    Super Member Eldorado2k's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    IME it’s all about getting the right combination of tool and cleaner in order to be able to get it done.

    Just the other day I decided to take a shot at the heavily caked on emblems on my cars trunk. This is what I was dealing with...





    So I figured this would be the perfect time to try out my new bottle of Blackfire Wax Remover.



    Foamed up real nice... I thought for sure this would be a done deal.



    But to my surprise, it didn’t make a dent in it.



    So I figured lets try a more aggressive cleaner perhaps?



    Still no dice.Getting Into the Little Areas



    Time to modify the brush for more punching power.Getting Into the Little Areas





    Now that’s more like it.Getting Into the Little Areas





    Is it 100% perfect in those pics? No, but I was short on time and I wasn’t going for full perfection in that moment, but it’s a whole lot better than before + that wax residue must’ve been on there for a very long time.

    Trim your detailing brush to be able to handle those tougher jobs.

    The right chemical is also key.. I’ve found the McKee’s Road Kill Bug Remover to work best for me. IME it blows away every other bug & tar remover... I should’ve used that on the emblems to begin with.



    As far as those tight cracks around your windows & trim.. Get some detailing swabs similar to these.



    Spray the right cleaner on them and get those tight spots clean! Nothing gets AC vents cleaner than using those swabs. Nothing.

    Just the other day I mixed some IPA into my bottle of Megs D114 and sprayed those swabs in order to clean up some overspray around the trim of a vehicle after using Plasti Dip. Those swabs are a great tool.

    Good luck.Getting Into the Little Areas

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  6. #15
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    Sometimes just typing on-the-fly while multi-tasking... I saw your post while typing out e-mails and did my best to chime in.







    Here's the full size image





    What I normally do is machine buff every vehicle I work on. I only work by hand if I have to. What this means is via the machine buffing process I end up with whatever I'm using, (compound/polish/AIO), in these areas, that is enough splatter or reside gets into these area that there's enough to "work".

    Then I take a thin, microfiber towel, scrunch it into the tight area and rub the splatter residue out.

    Whatever I get - I get.

    Whatever I don't get - I usually move on.

    I don't major on the minors. I major on the majors. By this I mean, if I were to buff out your FJ, when you stand back about 5-10 feet and look at it in full sun, the panels are going to look GREAT.

    I call this Big Picture Detailing.

    I would go nuts trying to do what I call Perfectionist Detailing. I'll leave that for the AR guys and there are plenty of them.


    Hope I don't disappoint you but I'm a realist and pragmatist, not the OCD type that others are afflicted with.



    Lmao, Yes I'm one of these guys. All the tiny little chips and pits on the paint drive me mad. Just can't do anything about it until I can afford a car with a better paint job. Even then I'm sure it will look sandblasted "under a microscope" just for the simple fact that driving basically is sandblasting the paint.

    Lord knows I do strive for perfection though, no matter how painful it is.

  7. #16
    Super Member Me Time's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Quote Originally Posted by rlmccarty2000 View Post
    Not sold here but check Amazon for different sizes of Q-tip type items. There is a wide variety of swab shapes and sizes for detailing. I bought several of the different sizes and one of them is a pointed swab that is perfect for getting around emblems and trim. They came in handy on a vehicle that had been waxed with the old type of wax that would harden and turn white. Nothing would remove this white crap except these pointed swabs.

    Yes I am a little OCD.

    If you have a Meijers near you, you might check around the car care aisle. I came across a bag of about 100 Q-tips (about 5 different sizes). I think it was about $7.

  8. #17
    Super Member Me Time's Avatar
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    Re: Getting Into the Little Areas

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    Sometimes just typing on-the-fly while multi-tasking... I saw your post while typing out e-mails and did my best to chime in.







    Here's the full size image





    What I normally do is machine buff every vehicle I work on. I only work by hand if I have to. What this means is via the machine buffing process I end up with whatever I'm using, (compound/polish/AIO), in these areas, that is enough splatter or reside gets into these area that there's enough to "work".

    Then I take a thin, microfiber towel, scrunch it into the tight area and rub the splatter residue out.

    Whatever I get - I get.

    Whatever I don't get - I usually move on.

    I don't major on the minors. I major on the majors. By this I mean, if I were to buff out your FJ, when you stand back about 5-10 feet and look at it in full sun, the panels are going to look GREAT.

    I call this Big Picture Detailing.

    I would go nuts trying to do what I call Perfectionist Detailing. I'll leave that for the AR guys and there are plenty of them.


    Hope I don't disappoint you but I'm a realist and pragmatist, not the OCD type that others are afflicted with.





    Mike,

    What about the big dollar cars you do? Or maybe one your doing for a Concour's. I figured not the everyday driver, but these I would think it would get done.

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