Question about applying IronX

[ralphwiens]

Good morning all, I am going to use IronX for the first time and have a few questions: First, how much product is normally used on a vehicle, it seems like spraying it on the vehicle for 100% coverage would take quite a bit.. second: the few videos I've seen have shown it just being sprayed on for coverage but the directions say spray and spread with a damp applicator, what is the correct way to apply to paint and if using a damp applicator is it dampened with the product or water? Thanks

[quantim0]

I have used IronX by just spraying it on and also by spreading it. It definitely gets better coverage when it's spread out. I just used yellow applicator dampened with water.

I want to say I used about 1/4 of the bottle for my car which is a 4 door hatch.

[silvermesa]

Hello!

I just did a crew cab long bed dually truck and believe I used about 20oz. For the average size car you would probably use half that amount or a bit less.

I spray all over the vehicle except for glass and then use a small sponge to agitate after about 5 minutes. Extra tough areas may need a second application or slightly longer dwell time.

This is one of those products that just kicks butt. It is very effective and one of the most useful products I have purchased since I started detailing. It is really effective on my white truck.
Plastic disposable gloves are probably a good thing.

[Mike Phillips]

You need enough product on the surface to keep the surface wet with product. It's best to treat a cool surface in the shade.

Don't try to do the entire car at one time as this will waste product. (see point above).


In my classes, I show washing the car and rinsing it first to remove any normal loose dirt and road grime to get this junk out of the way so your Iron X can go right to work on just the paint. I've seen guys argue over this topic and don't care to argue over opinions you can can decide what's best for you. Some say to spray it on the car while the car is still dirty and dry and that will work too.

Here's a picture from my June, 2006 Detailing Boot Camp Class when I had a neglected white Corvette for a demo vehicle... note the bleeding effect on the hood. This is after washing and rinsing the car and then spraying Iron X on the hood after most of the rinse water was removed so the rinse water wouldn't simply "dilute" the Iron X.

Also not that the parking lot in front of our studio doesn't get shade till about 3:00pm and we do the car washing portion in the morning, so that's why you see us working in full sun. We have a huge canopy and I might start using this in the future.


Pictures from Detailing Boot Camp Day 1

[Mike Phillips]

I also explain the three different approaches to using Iron X in this article and give credit to BobbyG for his technique which I have adopted also...

How to wash your car KISS style!






Again, there were a few people that liked to argue over their opinion, so you can read what I wrote about the three different approaches and decide which approach works for you and your time and budget.

[Johnnyboy]

Since I find that the rear end of the vehicles tend to gather and hold on to most of the contamination, I start by spraying the rear end First. I give it a few minutes and then I use a big foam applicator (which came with the liquid clay bar from Turtle Wax when I got it ages ago) dampened with water and soap from the wash bucket. I don't re-administer the foam applicator to the bucket after it has been used to spread the Iron X. While I let that sit longer, I get started claying on the front end of the vehicle. If I see that the clay doesnt work, then I do the same with the Iron-X to the front end of the car but usually, I don't have to.

I find that by using this method, I don't waste product and it is very effective.

[silvermesa]

The information provided by the other posters is excellent!

This got me to thinking a bit more closely about my process. Usually if I am using Iron X, I also use a tar removal product prior. I will rinse the tar removal product off the vehicle. I typically will spray iron x on no more than 25% of the vehicle at a time while the car is still wet. You can lightly take your sponge and spread the product over the paint for even distribution. Then after about 5 minutes if certain areas are bleeding a lot, I might lightly wipe the area with a sponge again.

The instructions on the bottle state to not let the product dry on the vehicle. If your detailing day is sunny, you could do this in the morning when it is cooler or when your vehicle might be shaded from your home or building.

I used Iron X on my truck for it's December 2012 detail. At that time the truck had two coats of sealant applied and every other week had a topping coat of spray sealant applied after washing.
The above photos show how much rust is coming off of this truck just after going thru the 4 months of winter. The application photos above were taken April 2013.

Best of luck. This product makes a real difference.

[quantim0]

The back bumper of my Focus hatchback attracts so much iron based contamination it's insane. A month ago I used the normal IronX and the paste for some spots that survived the initial treatment. I checked when I washed last night and the back is covered again. Probably 2-3 spots per square inch.

I think I need to Opti-Coat this thing to avoid having to use IronX on a monthly basis.

[KillaCam]

Seems like I used way too much product on my vehicle and almost used the entire bottle. Spraying it then spreading it out with something seems to save a lot of product.