Quick thoughts on some products after use - DP, BF, Griots, etc
Mike Phillips was kind enough to send me some products after participating in a "Find my post about..." thread. Got a chance to use them a while back but haven't had time to put thoughts on screen.
Mystery clay (it was white and came in a fancy clear storage container) and Four Star clay lube: Worked great! Used when doing my Wife's Mom's black Volvo V60 - decontaminated well and didn't leave any noticeable marring (full confession: I was planning on using BF One Step, so I wasn't eagle eye-ing the paint - it was already plenty swirled from drive through car washes. BUT: I didn't see any marring left following the pattern I used the clay in).
DP Wheel and Tire Cleaner: This was a let down for me. Used on her dirty but not hammered wheels, no appreciable reduction of brake dust/grime build up off the wheels. Also tried on my DD's wheels (which are due for a reboot, so to speak) with no change. I'm guessing it'd be fine for maintenance washes, but from what I experienced I'm not sure it's much better than normal soap. I'll try it again on a maintenance wash in the future and update if my thoughts change.
Blackfire One Step: Used this for the Volvo - This one (here's a shocker...) I was really happy with. Really easy to work with, did a great job knocking out all the previous carwash marring. Followed it with Sonax Poly Net Sealant (Bought with my $$). She was thrilled with the results. Definitely recommend, will likely purchase a bottle to use on friend/coworker cars where you just want something easy.
Sonus Vision Glass and Plastic Cleaner: Used this to knock out some "Dog nose art" from the insides of her (and my) windows. Mine are tinted, hers not. Easy to use, turned out great. Would recommend.
Products I Bought: (not that I'd change my opinion whether I paid for it or not, just being open)
Griot's Iron and Fallout Remover VS Iron X: Did some wheel clean up on my Daily Driver. I put on a ton of miles, and with German brakes I get a lot of dust. With my main focus being on family, my wheels have been on the back burner priority wise (and look it). Thought it would be fun to do a little back to back comparo - I used the Griot's on one front wheel, and the Iron X on the other. I also tried the Griot's HD Wheel Cleaner on one back wheel, Griot's Foaming Surface Prep at 10:1 on the other. My personal preference falls to the Griot's each time I compare it with Iron X. It's a little thicker so it seems to cling better, and for me it just seems to clean better as well. The foaming surface prep actually worked really well, honestly maybe even better than the HD Wheel cleaner. My wheel cleaner bottle's about empty; I don't see myself repurchasing that one. Between having a gallon of the Surface Prep and Iron and Fallout Remover, I've got my wheel cleaning covered.
Griot's Ceramic 3 in 1: I really dig this stuff. I applied it back in February after a basic decontamination wash (no clay or paint correction). You could still tell it was doing it's thing 4 months later when I washed my car prior to getting it a full correction. Later I'll attach some pictures of it after the wash. I used this on my car as my final LSP. Didn't get a chance to do a second coat; I'll probably apply another coat before winter.
Griot's BOSS Fast Correcting and Correcting Cream: Used Fast Correcting on my car for a one step correction prior to the 3 in 1. Really nice to work with. Was originally planning on chasing with Perfecting Cream, but I was running out of time. That, and I was really happy with how it was finishing down. Used mainly on Griot's Orange pads and the Orange BOSS Correcting Pads. Some touch up work with microfiber Fast Finishing pads and microfiber BOSS pads, finished with the Orange pads. Used the Correcting Cream on the hood of the Volvo to touch up a big scratch left by someone dragging something off it.
Big thanks again to Autogeek and Mike Phillips for the samples to try.
Hopefully this post was coherent - typed it out as fast as I could on lunch break so I'd stop putting it off! Actually had machine on paint back in July, this is just the first I've been able to get it written down on a real keyboard.
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