Oops, mamamia, I think we got slightly :offtopic: in our last couple posts. Hope the KGB doesn't track us down!

As for the touchless washes, did you search for any in "the region" - munster, crown point, hammond, dyer, etc.? I'll bet there are probably some up there.

And another thing - I wouldn't say that they're all inferior as to how well they clean - I've been very happy with the one I use. I will admit, however, that before I came up with that one I'd gone to one that I wasn't too pleased with - just used it primarily to clean the main layers of grit and grime off the car. Bottom line is that you might have to shop around a bit but I'm sure you can find one that will work - provided that you can find one at all, right?

:grin:

This post has been edited by mc229: Apr 3 2006, 06:07 PM

I wish...

But I own a townhouse with assigned parking.
Good that it's at the sidewalk in front of my house, bad news large oak tree in front too.

Suzanna

I think washing by hand works best. Here's some detailed instructions.
http://www.autoeducation.com/carcare/wash.htm

Then go with a good wax at least twice a year. This spray wax is real handy.
http://www.meguiars.com/?spray-car-waxes/N...ation-Spray-Wax
Just follow the directions on the bottle.

CE

washing instructions:

http://www.autoeducation.com/carcare/wash.htm


great wax:

http://www.meguiars.com/?spray-car-waxes/N...ation-Spray-Wax

Hi Suzana,
So how did the car come out?
And did you like the Poorboys?

"J"

Hi J,

The car is an education in progress!

Since it is a holiday, thought I ought to go visit Mom, so only worked a bit on the outside.
Did the black trim with TR. Looked nice, so I let my husband use it.
Used the Meguiar (sp) wheel and wash stuff, which seemed to work ok.
The California squeegee thing and a microfiber waffle fabric dried it fast.
Then used PwC on the hood, roof, trunk and around the gas cap and my door handle.
It was hard to see if I was putting anything on.
It did haze a bit and I was able to wipe it off.
Not sure if I did it totally correct.
Wish someone could show me for sure or at least watch someone who knows what they are doing.

I think it looks alright.
I have more questions, are you surprised?

Suzanna

Glad to hear that it's coming along for you.

You are fortunate enough to be working with a new car so there really isn't any paint correction to deal with (hopefully). You can probably get away with using PwC as a WOWO product. Then you can top with EX, I generally wait 24 hrs for it to fully cure and then put on a second layer.

As a side note: please be careful when using the water blade I have heard from too many people that they have scratched their car while using one.

I am waiting for some of the DC pads to come in so that I can try them out, and I will be doing a write up on them. I'll be sure to get a couple of shots of how much product to apply.
DC member blkyukon has done a real nice video on polishing breakdown stages.
Here's the link polishing breakdown stages the link to the video is listed as portr cable demo.

As for questions... ask away, at one time everyone was a noob.

Good luck and don't forget the pics
"J"

I read that the waterblade doesn't scratch.
I've got one that says waterblade and another that says gell (or something like that.)

So what do you do to dry (quickly)?

Thanks,
Suzanna

J,

Watched the videos. I saw a light being shined on the paint, presumably to test the appearance of the shine. What type of light, and what do you look for? Are you looking for micro scratches, or the nature of the reflection?

Also, how do you remove the "micro orange peel" found on new paint without damaging or thinning the clearcoat excessively? Is it normally just in the clearcoat, or in the underlying color coat too? Sounds like a job for the power buffer, or does it?

I appreciate your expertise here. Sorry to bombard you with all the questions. :)

As for the WB, many people use it W/O a problem, but all it takes it 1 piece of grit or use it at the wrong angle and you'll be spending more time repairing than what you have been saving. JMHO

To cut back on my drying time, I do a "flood" rinse. Basically you just remove the nozzle from the hose and let the water stream out. It will cause the water to sheet off the car rather than bead up on the surface, then a WW to finish off.

"J"

They are halogen lights, you use them to check for imperfections. Sunlight is the best to check, but the halogens work well.

As for the orange peel, it seems that that is the new fashion trend, even more expensive cars are coming out of the factory with it, it's sad but true. As for fixing it, you have to know whether it is in the base coat or the clear. If it's in the base there is nothing you can do with it, if it's in the clear you would have to wetsand to try and level it...and you will be removing the clear. Many people won't try to wetsand factory clear, it's one of those things that we will have to get used to :(

And don't worry about the questions, we're all here to help one another :grin:

"J"

what exactly is 'orange peel'? i've heard the term used quite a bit but have never actually seen an example of such a paint job.

Here is an example of orange peel from a Elantra that a detailcity member saw on his housekeepers car
(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/letsmotor/hyundai%20elantra/000_1263.jpg)

Here is an example of finish free of orange peel. This beautiful finish is on an 01' Bently Arnage Red Label that was detailed by Detailcity member 1 Clean WS6
(IMG:http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/1CleanWS6/01Bentley6a.jpg)
Here's another from the Bently
(IMG:http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/1CleanWS6/01Bentley3a.jpg)

"J"

wow. thats pretty stunning (the mirror finish that is).

so how good is the RoDip paint process on the Sonata?

The best way to truly get it clean is to wash by hand. And you should wax it at least twice a year. Maguire's makes a great wax called NXT and the spray bottle works great. Follow the directions on the bottle.

This post has been edited by Crazy Eye: Apr 18 2006, 10:23 AM