Short Review of Various Products

[rohnramirez]

This will be both a show n shine and some product reviews. I don't believe that a daily driver cannot be maintained to be scratch-free, i believe with proper maintenance and technique, it is attainable. And just make sure nobody else touches it, then you're all good...and that includes the parking lots. Sorry i don't have before pictures, i just can't get any defects to show clearly even under direct sunlight. And i need a better lens to zoom further without losing focus. Here's what i had done, tools/products used and some brief comments:


Washing: July 8, 2010

Cobra Blue Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt
Cobra Blue Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt: Microfiber Wash Mitt, car wash, shampoo mitt
This worked great, perfect size for my hands too. Soaks up a lot of the wash solution. I still prefer the natural mitts i usually use though.



ONR
Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine: clay lubricant, optimum rinseless wash, no rinse car wash, optimum detailing products
I added some to my wash solution, and i immediately felt an improvement on its lubricity.



ARO
Amazing Roll-Off Spray it on and watch the dirt roll off!
One word - AMAZING!!!

Mother's Tire,Wheel and Wheel-well Brushes
Mothers Tire, Wheel & Well Brush Kit
I just love how the tire brush has convex shaped bristles which makes it easier to clean tires. The wheel and wheel-well brushes are soft, and very much safe on chrome and painted wheels.



Before


Spoke brush


Wheelwell Brush


Tire Brush


Aftershot: After drying and a coat of WGDGPS 3.0



Mother's Waffle-Weaved Microfiber Towel
I found this towel superior in quality, performance and durability to the cobra towels i have. Sucks up water really well. This towel is about 1/4"-1/3" thick too.

In comparison to a regularly sized drying towel.



Paint Correction: July 9, 2010

Makita 9227c Asian Version
m16x2 Spindle (230v)
I love this machine, very powerful rotary.

9" Superbuff III (05703) with 3M 05710 Adaptor
Since the adaptor's female side has a 5/8 thread, i had it rethreaded at a machine shop to fit my Makita's m16x2 spindle. This wool pad is exceptional, it is huge compared to the 7" Superbuff III 2+2 pad (05704) i've been used to - this is available locally. I noticed this pad cut and finished better and the jump in size did not make a difference in ease of use.
I just compounded the hood with this, the other panels were just polished with a tang pad.

6" W66 BP Solo system pad
Meguiars Solo Easy Buff W66 Rotary Backing Plate 6 Inch
This BP is a work of art! It has an inch of soft foam between the urethane base and the H&L velcro. The foam compresses when pressure is applied and makes polishing on curved panels a breeze.

HT Pads
Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Foam Pads, water-based polish pads, foam buffing pads, hydro tech pads
The foam itself is different than the other LC pads. Feels more gritty and tight. I just can't seem to put into words how awesome these pads work! I was planning to use some 85rd afterwards, but it left an LSP-ready finish with no micro-marring! I used one Tangerine pad to do the whole car, i just cleaned it with a towel after every panel. I already used the same pad twice on different occasions, and i do not see any trace of deterioration in both structure and performance. My guess is, these pads just don't like the erratic behavior of DAs.



Compounds & Polishes - NonAG
Just drop me a pm if you're interested to find out.


Protecting: July 9 & 10, 2010
Note - I have no comments for durability since i do not let anything sit on my paint for over 2 months. My priorities are looks and quality of protection.

WGDGPS 3.0 (July 9)
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant delivers a deep, wet, liquid shimmer unlike anything you can imagine.
Very easy to use, application and removal is a breeze. Leaves a better finish than 4*UPP in my opinion which is slicker, reflective and has more depth in the paint color, but 4* UPP is more shiny. It has been raining the entire last week, and when i washed it yesterday, not much caked dust, road dirt and mud has stuck to the paint..i was shocked! So aside from looking better, in my experience it protects better than 4* UPP.

PB Natty's Blue (July 10)
32 oz. Poorboy's World Natty's Paste Wax- BLUE, Poorboys Nattys Blue Wax, car wax
Another easy wax to use. Smells like bubblegum. My paint is both mildly dark and light, depends on the lighting conditions. So i decided to try Natty's Blue and see how it would look. I felt this wax was inferior to DP Maxwax in terms of looks on my paint, i would have to test it on black to confirm this though. And it stained my foam applicator, i guess its the fillers in the wax. Overall, it is a wax i see purchasing again once i run out of it. I'm planning to paint my car again...i'm thinking more black.

Pinnacle Foam Applicators
Package of 6 Pinnacle Foam Wax Applicators
This foam applicator is better than the ones i'm used to using. It's thinner which makes it absorb less product, and i noticed that the foam's cell structure spacing has been the same even after washing.

DP Final Gloss QD
DP Final Gloss™ Quick Detailer is a car detail spray to clean and shine your car between washes. Refresh car wax and paint sealants with this high
I was hoping to try FK425, but i still haven't purchased a 1oz spray bottle to transfer it to. The gallon is still left unopened.



Off to the after pictures. These pictures were taken yesterday, 1 week after the application, i just QD'd it after washing. I was practicing with the camera, so i thought of sharing the photos and doing a write up. Hope you guys like it! All the shots are directly under the sun.

Let's start with some sunshots to show the flakes. Sorry the sun won't go where i want it to, so most of the sun shots are at the higher parts of the car and mostly on the hood.

[rohnramirez]

Now for the Reflection Shots





















Some Ranged and Side shots








Yeah i got a little carried away. lol.

I would like to thank the rotary guru, Dana, for recommending the Megs BP and the 3m wool pad. Now it's "period."

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Thanks for the reviews. Nice job!

[rohnramirez]

Thanks, Mark. I'm glad you liked it.

[Dubbin1]

Awesome job on the car!!!

[Bears07]

It looks great!

[DARK HORSE]

Great job Rohn, your car looks awesome!

[ICEMAN]

that car is sik!! haha. i wanna see more pics of the vehicle!!!

[CEE DOG]

Paint looks great! Thanks for sharing

[rohnramirez]

Awesome job on the car!!!

Thanks, Dwayne! Appreciate it.

It looks great!

Thank you, buddy!

Great job Rohn, your car looks awesome!

From a guy with killer skills, that means a lot. Thanks, Tad.

that car is sik!! haha. i wanna see more pics of the vehicle!!!

Thanks for the kind words! I'll try to do a more in-depth write-up of another product when i have time and have lots of pics. Will soon be doing a trashed Blue Mazda.

Paint looks great! Thanks for sharing

I have yet to learn on how to properly document a review. Thanks, Corey.