The Kevin Brown Method (and a few other things) Explained!

[O.C.Detailing]

Okay, so I can't claim to know all of the Kevin Brown Method, but I did use it today on a 1999 VW Passat and I must say...this method is NOT hype. I used less than half of the M105 I would normally use and it cleaned the defects out of the paint as well as any other technique I've used to this day. Not sure it saved me much time, but the savings in product alone make it COMPLETELY worth it.

So here's what I've learned. If you have more to add, please use this post to get the word out so others can benefit from it as well without having to resort to a Google search:

THIS TUTORIAL IS FOR M105 USING THE KEVIN BROWN METHOD. Not sure how it will work with other products.

1. Prime your pad properly before use
- Use quite a bit of which ever product you're using and squirt it on the face of your pad of choice making sure to cover the ENTIRE pad. The product should NOT be in a thick layer. It should just color the face of the pad a bit without actually clogging up the pores of the pad. Make sure you add more product to any areas that are not actually primed with product until the entire face of the pad is primed.

2. Use 3 slightly-smaller-than-pea-size drops on the pad and dab it on a 1' x 1' area to be polished out. Polish with a LOT of pressure until the product is starting to dust up then stop.

3. Spray the area you just polished with a MISTING of pure water
- The goal isn't to make the panel soaking wet, but just to get a nice, even, misty coat of water on the panel. Put your sprayer on it's tightest setting and get the finest mist you can get out of it before you spray the panel.

4. WITHOUT adding more product to your pad, buff the SAME area you just polished out and misted with a LOT of pressure doing about 3-section-passes then lighten the pressure just a bit until the product is either dusting again or gone. What you'll notice is that the water actually RE-ACTIVATES the product that is still in your pad and allows you to do 2-full passes on a section without having to add more product. This in and of itself is MORE than enough reason to use this method. I found I was using a LOT less product. Less heat was generated because the pad wasn't spinning as fast due to the pressure I was using and i was getting a VERY nice correction with just 1 pass of product.

5. Wipe the area and inspect. If you see more RIDS or swirls, rinse and repeat until the area is clear to your satisfaction.

Some pointers I've learned and applied:

A. CLEAN YOUR PAD OFTEN. Every 3rd 1' x 1' section, I used a low-quality MF towel and on-the-fly cleaned my pad by rubbing the towel on the face of my pad until I had removed product and waste so that the face of the pad was once again visible. Make sure you keep rubbing until all caked on material is removed. Once the pores of the pad get clogged with product and removed material, the pad stops cutting and the method is MUCH less effective. Change to a fresh pad if necessary.

B. Adjust your lighting so that the area you are polishing CLEARLY shows the reflected light so that you can inspect and correct as quickly as possible.

C. DO NOT use too much water when misting. 1-2 quick mistings from about 1-1.5 ft. away is sufficient to re-activate the product that is still in the pad.

D. Worry about where you're working NOW and not where you've already worked. A lot of times I used to get lost in the PATTERN of polishing instead of polishing according to what was necessary to get the results I was looking for. Some areas will only need 2-3 passes to be fully corrected where others will need 5-6 passes. Don't get caught up in doing 5-6 passes ALL of the time regardless of whether the section you're doing needs it or not. Only work an area until it's fixed, after that, move on to the next section. Buffing just to follow on-line instructions on HOW to buff without actually paying attention to whether an area actually needs 5-6 passes or more is just a HUGE waste of time, energy and product if all it needs it 2-3 passes to achieve the results you're looking for.

E. HAVE FUN...detailing is a job for people who really are a bit sick in the head. I can spend all day polishing out a car...back, shoulders wrists and hands hurting like crazy, but all I feel like I've done is played around all day instead of actually having worked. I enjoy the people around me (John, J.D. and Jonathan) and we joke and have a great time. I feel more like I'm spending time with my buddies than making money and breaking my back.

If anyone has more to add to this, please do. These are just some things I've picked up on-line and through real-world experience. These things work for me and may not for you, so your mileage may vary, but try to find the way that makes it work for you...in your own way. Nothing ever invented was invented because someone TOLD someone else how to invent it...it was invented because people took the initiative to create an item or technique ON THEIR OWN that helped many others. The true genius' of this world have always been the ones blazing trails and not following in the footsteps of others step-for-step. Don't just read and regurgitate what you learn on an internet forum as ultimate fact...go out, read and learn, apply what you CAN apply and modify where necessary to achieve the results YOU'RE looking for and what make you happy.

Anyway, hope that helps some of you out there. Long post, I know, but I feel better for having written it.

Adam

[Lasthope05]

To add more here is a link where Kevin Brown explains, in depth, the background of a DA's motion and his process.

Kevin Brown Method - Detailing World

[bmw5541]

Great post Adam.

Very informative! I will absolutely use this information to real world detailing.

[O.C.Detailing]

To add more here is a link where Kevin Brown explains, in depth, the background of a DA's motion and his process.

Kevin Brown Method - Detailing World

Now THAT is EXACTLY what I'm looking for! That's a TON of reading though. lol Gotta do it!! Thank you so much!

Great post Adam.

Very informative! I will absolutely use this information to real world detailing.

Anytime! Like I said, it's not the whole process and explanation, but it definately gives folks a better idea of how to get started. There is a LOT of science in the method that needs to be simplified for the masses so that they can use it me thinks. Thanks for your kind words.

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Adam for sharing your results...

One thing for sure, Kevin is very smart and passionate when it comes to the craft of polishing paint... he's also very pleasant to work with and professional in his conduct both online and offline...


On the topic of re-activation...
Keep in mind that the unique thing about SMAT products as compared to DAT product is the abrasives don't break down like diminishing abrasives so re-wetting the residue can re-activate the product to give you more life out of it.

At the same time do keep in mind that anytime you're abrading the paint this means you're removing paint and this removed paint will mix with the product on the pad so at least to some level, the more you work the product, the more paint you're removing and as this mixes with the original product you started out with and accumulates on the pad there is a diluting-effect taking place and at some point you'll need to stop and clean both the paint and the pad.

I remember when this first came out meeting with Mike Pennington, my former Manager and the Director of Training for Meguiar's; I asked him how this new abrasive product worked, keep in mind that proprietary information is only released on a need-to-know basis and like a lot of companies, they just don't release a lot of information about their products.

He did tell me that the abrasives used are super microscopic in size and that they didn't break down like diminishing abrasives. I queried him further on the exactness of his wording because for the most part... everything breaks down given enough time...

He then said that yes, the abrasive will break down but not anything like or anywhere near the same way we are used to traditional diminishing abrasives break down. That was about as deep as our conversation went and I'm paraphrasing as this was a number of years ago.

Anyway, nice article Adam, I personally appreciate it when someone takes the time to write out an article, format it, spell check it, make it interesting and write it in a way to help others...

Nice work...

[jmp09fg2]

And why did I spend all day working? I could have just come here and learned everything! Hahaha just kidding dude. For people with PC's, I used this method on the other side of the Passat and let me tell you, it is a joy. You don't have to worry about using SO much product and the results are just phenominal! I would advise that everyone tries this at least once and if you don't like it, what did you lose? Oh and not to start anything, but the Griot's is waaaayyyyyyy more powerful than the PCXP, just sayin'.

[O.C.Detailing]

And why did I spend all day working? I could have just come here and learned everything! Hahaha just kidding dude. For people with PC's, I used this method on the other side of the Passat and let me tell you, it is a joy. You don't have to worry about using SO much product and the results are just phenominal! I would advise that everyone tries this at least once and if you don't like it, what did you lose? Oh and not to start anything, but the Griot's is waaaayyyyyyy more powerful than the PCXP, just sayin'.

LOL Jonathan, you're a trip man. Was a pleasure working with you today. Glad we both learned something new and found that it actually does work and can help many more than just ourselves. Can't wait to see if it works on the 5-series tomorrow.

[O.C.Detailing]

Thanks Adam for sharing your results...

One thing for sure, Kevin is very smart and passionate when it comes to the craft of polishing paint... he's also very pleasant to work with and professional in his conduct both online and offline...


On the topic of re-activation...
Keep in mind that the unique thing about SMAT products as compared to DAT product is the abrasives don't break down like diminishing abrasives so re-wetting the residue can re-activate the product to give you more life out of it.

At the same time do keep in mind that anytime you're abrading the paint this means you're removing paint and this removed paint will mix with the product on the pad so at least to some level, the more you work the product, the more paint you're removing and as this mixes with the original product you started out with and accumulates on the pad there is a diluting-effect taking place and at some point you'll need to stop and clean both the paint and the pad.

Thanks for adding to the quality content of this post Mike. I've learned a lot reading your posts and informative comments. Some of which I've applied and some of which didn't work for me personally, but they are still helpful to others. The whole hydro-tech pad issue got me into the habit of actually cleaning my pads on the fly all the time now. I've always got a MF towel near me to wipe the face of my pads off. The other methods just aren't for me unfortunately. Let's keep the info rolling in. This is good stuff.

[jmp09fg2]

LOL Jonathan, you're a trip man. Was a pleasure working with you today. Glad we both learned something new and found that it actually does work and can help many more than just ourselves. Can't wait to see if it works on the 5-series tomorrow.

In order: Thank you, I'm what they call "breaking out of my shell." Right back at yah. And yes, I will be using this on EVERY car from now on. And as far as the 5 goes......yeah. (Can we get an XP version for this smiley?)

[Shane731]

Great thread! I bookmarked it for future reference.