DP Wheel Coating

In continuing with the DP Coatings, here is their wheel coating.  I took some time to get the BRZ up on some jack stands and do an oil change and while rotating the tires decided to do a full wheels off detail.  

First up the rims and tires, for the tires Optimum Power Clean (OPC) was used as well as for the rims.  Following this just to be safe each wheel and interior of the rim got  a double IPA wipedown.

For the wheel wells OPC was used again with assorted brushes followed by two coats of Meguiar's Hyper Dressing diluted 1:1 5-10 minutes apart.  1:1 can leave a pretty shiny finish but diluting it anymore leads to a very liquid product that tends to drip off and make a bit of a mess.

The tires got a double coat of AMMO Mud.  I picked up a couple of these new Carrand tire applicators in trying to find one that works well.

Each tire got two coats of a small bead.  It was evenly dabbed on the tire before spread.

In spreading it I used two coats clockwise, then swiped a third time counterclockwise to avoid smear marks and ensure even coverage throughout the tire.  This helps avoid high spots or missing areas of dressing.

Unfortunately I didn't catch any pictures of the wheel coating in use but I used a basic foam applicator and went over each wheel evenly.  After a bit of a drying period this is the product we are left with.

The shine on the wheels is fantastic.  I was genuinely impressed, but the durability and ease of cleaning is just as important as the appearance.  The coating spread evenly and I didn't notice any high spots in use.  I did lightly buff the interior of the rim after coating it but that was just too difficult between the spokes.

Thanks for reading!

Short Review: DP Glass Coating

This is a quick synopsis of a glass coating I just applied on the BRZ.  I recently picked up the DP Prep Polish, Glass Coating, Wheel Coating, and Paint Coating and figured no better time than now to use the glass coating.  While rain is rarely an issue here in Vegas, that makes having a semi-permanent coating that much better as it won't get that much abuse and should hopefully last a few years.

And these are the items we'll be using today.  The coating, clay alternative, and a suede applicator block with associated cloth.

Here's the glass after a quick cleaning with GTechniq Panel Wipe to ensure a clean surface for the coating to adhere to.  Claying was done initially but the marring was so much of a hassle I skipped it. There was barely any grit to the glass that could be felt.

So directions for the glass coating are a cool surface and to let sit 2 minutes.  Here in the garage it's somewhat cool.  For the beginnings of summer at least.

In comparison to the concrete in the sun, quite a bit of difference.

Applicator block all setup and buffing towel, a CarPro Boa.

Rudimentary timer, I used just around 1:30 from spray on to lightly buff since the temperature was a bit more optimal.

And sprayed on.

After spraying the block was used to uniformly distribute the coating and avoid and lingering highspots.  I was quite impressed on the leveling of the coating.  There were only a few spots remaining after a simple cross-hatch and upon completion I did a walk-around in the sun with the towel to see if I had missed anywhere.  I think at most I found 2 spots that came right off roughly 8-10 minutes after application.  It may take a while until it actually sees some rain so that's why although this is not a performance review I did want to post my thoughts.

Previously, I have used Opti-Coat on windows, which worked well but not specifically formulated for glass.  From my understanding this mainly lies on the windshield where the coating is less likely to stand up to the abrasiveness of windshield wipers, I'm sure this thought process could easily be applied to the simple rolling up and down of windows.  I'll make sure to post back with my thoughts when and if it does see rain, if not on the next wash.

Update:  After a few rainstorms I can say DP Glass coating works well, it starts making rain drops fly off right around the 40mph mark.  This is pretty standard for most glass water repellants, but where it succeeds over others is that using the windshield wipers doesn't spell the end for it.  It's been on there for two months and in the couple of rain showers I've ran into it's worked great.

Take care and post up any questions you may have.

Shine on...

Just a bit of shameless plug after spending a few days on the car...

Garage Update and Why Working In The Shade Is Important

Alright! I was able to add some fancy organization to the garage and safe to say the new tool chest is already full. Picked this up from a friend and filled it up the same night. While it doesn't have any full length drawers this works out perfectly as I could split the left half for tools and the right half as dedicated detailing equipment. Enough talking more pictures.

Overall it's a 14-drawer Craftsman Griplock chest.  The drawers have a clever drawer design where the handle must be lifted up to be released to prevent it from opening accidentally. Works as advertised.

Going through drawer by drawer for the detailing side.  Top one is smaller pads, applicators, clay, and tape.  The little items overall that need some height.

Next is the brushes, this has since been slightly re-arranged to a row of paint safe brushes, followed by non-paint safe brushes.  On the left hand side is various backing plates.

Next is the flashlights and infrared thermometer I recently picked up.  More on that in a few paragraphs.

Now on to the good stuff, pads, and more pads.  With more being shipped as well...

And finally towels.  Only non-paint safe towels in here.  All the drawers have new liners in them but I just didn't feel comfortable putting paint safe towels in a drawer, so they remain in a plastic tote.

Now back a few I picked up an infrared thermometer.  It was on sale from Amazon for around $12 and I figured why not.  I could shoot the laser at a few things and see what happened.  Well I've found quite a few uses.  This is Satin White Pearl in the shade (the hood) compared to the sun (the roof).  These measurements were taken seconds apart and the car was parked in the driveway.

Quite a bit of difference from even just a few minutes.  Ambient temperature was around 85-90 degrees and little humidity.  

Thanks for reading! Post any comments or questions.

Decibel Readings of Various Polishers

As I was getting interested in a new polisher I had kept researching decibel readings as I often try to work at night and in the garage and prefer to avoid annoying neighbors to the best of my ability. Polishing at night is beyond a rare occurrence but I was still intrigued. So when I got the Flex I knew I wanted to make this information known. I can't speak for the accuracy of this test but for reference OSHA recommends a maximum of 85 decibels constant for an 8 hour day. This adjusts for less time as decibels increase. Above that rating long term hearing may be affected. A 10 decibel change is registered as roughly twice or half as loud depending on the rating. So small changes and differences in readings can show noticeable change. This test was done using an iPhone 6 3 ft away from a polisher facing upward with no pad on it. Each polisher was turned on and tested multiple times via a locally sourced app. Here is a photo.

And the data in decibels for each polisher and backing plate combo. There was no difference in sound on the Porter Cable with a 3" backing plate or a 6 " backing plate.

Device	Speed	Decibels
PC 3"	1	81
	2	82
	3	82
	4	84
	5	87
	6	89
Griot's 5"	1	86
	2	86
	3	87
	4	88
	5	91
	6	91
Flex 5.5"	1	85
	2	86
	3	86
	4	86
	5	88
	6	89

And a final photo of the equipment.

Recent Haul

After being out and about earning extra work and money I decided to put some of it towards some detailing gear and a few tools.

In here:

• Metric/SAE Gearwrench Flare Nut Wrenches
• 3/8" Torque Wrench
• Blackstone Oil Testing Kit
• Flex 3401
• Lake Country Interchangeable Backing Plate Kit
• Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant
• Wolfgang Spritz Sealant (Sample)
• Blackfire Wet Diamond Polymer Sealant
• Sonax Full Effect
• The Rag Company Assortment
• Dry Me a River
• Edgeless Blue's
• Metal Polishing Towels
• Interior Towels
• On Order still
• Assorted 5" Hybrid Pads
• Ultima Interior Guard
• CarPro CeriGlass
• SONAX Upholstery and Alcantara Cleaner

Should be some fun times up ahead.  Just initial thoughts on the Flex are the ergonomics are much greater than the Griot's and Porter Cable.

Blog Update

After being gone for a few months bouncing around the country for work, earning extra money, the detailing addiction is still as strong as ever.  Expect many new reviews incoming as well as a new polisher.  Some new products, some old ones, and overall just in time for some warmer weather.

Thanks for reading!

Foam Cannon and Iron X Snow Soap Review

I finally jumped the ship from foam gun to foam cannon from CarPro.  Here's a stock picture of what you can expect if you order one.

It attaches to a pressure washer replacing the lance portion.  You must know the correct connection or fitting to your specific pressure washer.  I have a Simpson Pressure Washer and used the Bosch fitting. It is nearly a perfect fit but the tabs are slightly too large but it works just not a perfect fit.

Here's a quick overall picture.  Those samples to the right may or may not be an upcoming sampler giveaway pack...

It's just a standard bottle and a sample of Iron X Snow Soap.  I figured it couldn't hurt to use that first.

Here's the foam that came out of just under 2 oz of soap diluted into the water bottle.

And another picture of the foam.

The foam cannon offers quite a bit more cling to the foam.  This helps because allowing the soap to dwell on the paint surface helps loosen surfactants, dirt and grime sitting on the surface.  It also assists in removing the light pieces of dirt which can be removed by spraying water.  This all helps in reducing swirls and scratches by helping you touch the paint less.

As for Iron X Snow Soap, 2 oz diluted just isn't enough for a foam cannon/gun I believe.  3-5oz is much more effective.  I didn't see anywhere near the iron deposits as compared to when using Iron X straight or the color change.  Iron X Snow soap is ph-balanced at a level of 7 and is safe for coatings and sealants.  It is much more cost effective than Iron X straight which can consume quite a bit of product per vehicle even when the method of spraying and spreading with a wet sponge is used.

Pros

• Price
• More efficient
• Easier to Use
• Smell is much, much more tolerable compared to Iron X
• Will not strip Wax/Sealants

Cons

• Effectiveness
• Still has a sulfuric smell that may irritate some

Overall using this in combination with Iron X straight would remove the most fallout and iron deposits on vehicles.  But for a maintenance upkeep shampoo it does work effectively.  As a dedicated iron deposit remover I standby traditional Iron X.  If you are someone who can't stand the smell of Iron X this is a viable alternative, it works, it's cost effective as well.

As for the foam cannon it's great, the higher pressure assists in knocking off dirt and grime much better than the foam gun.  While the foam gun is good for those without a pressure washer or wanting soap that moves quickly I believe clinging foam that breaks down dirt is more effective.  It is a premium type option, but it looks awesome and does assist in avoiding swirls.  In addition, detailing should be a fun hobby not work, and a foam cannon is just plain fun.

Finally, a couple shots of the finished product.

Thanks for reading!

Best Cloth Seat Cleaning Tricks

Courtesy of Larry at AMMO NYC

Polishing Your Exhaust Tips with P21S

Today we'll tackle exhaust tip polishing.  We will be using P21S Polishing Soap and going after the BRZ's exhaust tips.  P21S Polishing Soap is a clay based polish first designed for silversmiths actually and has been designed for use on chrome, polished surfaces, and many other metal surfaces.  As with any product try it out in an inconspicuous spot first.

So here we are.  We'll start off by cleaning the tips and surrounding areas with Chemical Guys V07, I use this product because it is a hybrid of detail spray while also having some sealant properties.

Here's what we've picked up, quite a bit of dirt but nothing too tragic.  Driving through the rain (yes here in Vegas we occasionally get rain) bounced up a few splashes of water.  But now it's time for polishing.  The polishing soap comes with a sponge in the polishing container that is quite abrasive.

 First to wet it until it's damp.

Then squeeze out the extra water until it's damp.

Give it a good swipe until there's a good layer of soap on it.  Be advised a little goes a long way with this product.

Lather the sponge and go to work on the exhaust tip, working in multiple motions until it's been polished to your liking.

You can see even after cleaning embedded dirt lies within the metal and comes out when heavily worked with.

But nothing a simple rinse can't fix!

And here we are brand new and sparkling clean again!

Thanks for reading!

Does Wax Affect Gloss?

A common question many people will come and ask me is the variant of which wax do I use, which will make my paint look the best.

First off no product will make your car and paint look better than it being clean and relatively swirl free.  By polishing the paint to a swirl free surface you create a more uniform surface which allows the light to be better reflected back

Secondly though is whether products can affect gloss.  Now, it wouldn't be fair to purely look by the eye and say "Yes X wax looks better than Y sealant" because that's as reliable as saying that exhaust makes your car feel faster therefore it is putting down more power on the dyno.

I recently came across an interesting study over on the Tesla forums that uses a gloss meter which measures reflectivity of a surface.  As you can imagine, a more reflective surface has more gloss.  The forum post can be found here

The results were taken after eight weeks starting at initial application.  Here is a cutout of the spreadsheet and the products tested.

I found these results interesting but I will not make any conclusions on them.  Post below what you think and your take on it!

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