Oops, I made a mistake How you can learn from me

[allenk4]

I thought about this for quite a while and received some guidance from Mike Phillips on the idea of a thread where we can post our mistakes, so that other Forum Members can learn from them

We rarely hear and almost never see any Oops moments

I encourage anyone who has had a learning experience, especially if you have photos and can give guidance to post in this kind an nurturing thread

I am going to start out small, but I promise there will be burned the paint pictures from me

The oops:

I damaged the coating on my leather steering wheel

I followed the technique I had seen numerous times on the interweb for cleaning steering wheels

-Spray w APC
-Scrub with MF towels, while grasping the wheel

Pretty basic stuff, except that you can rapidly generate heat and a lot if friction by scrubbing in big swathes

When using this technique it is also difficult to focus on the working area

To avoid this:

I suggest using the same basic method, but break the wheel up into smaller sections and watch the seams



Please add your "Oops". Photos encouraged


Burned paint soon to come

Kyle

 

[FUNX650]

I, for one, appreciate your thread-starter subject matter...
As well as the below "oops-documentation"!

The oops:

I damaged the coating on my leather steering wheel

I followed the technique I had seen numerous times on the interweb for cleaning steering wheels

-Spray w APC
-Scrub with MF towels, while grasping the wheel

Pretty basic stuff, except that you can rapidly generate heat and a lot if friction by scrubbing in big swathes

When using this technique it is also difficult to focus on the working area

Speaking of documentation:
-What was the APC, and it's dilution ratio (if any)?
-Of what material(s) is this particular steering wheel comprised?

Also:
I didn't realize there was also to be included a suggested method to avoid further "steering wheel cleaner oops"...such as you list below.

Again...Speaking of documentation:
-Have you already tried this different method/process of cleaning a steering wheel...made from the same materials?
-If so: icture: please.
-If not: When are you going to administer your own medicine?

TIA.

To avoid this:

I suggest using the same basic method, but break the wheel up into smaller sections and watch the seams

**********************************************

Bob

 

[215Detailing]

I thought about this for quite a while and received some guidance from Mike Phillips on the idea of a thread where we can post our mistakes, so that other Forum Members can learn from them

We rarely hear and almost never see any Oops moments

I encourage anyone who has had a learning experience, especially if you have photos and can give guidance to post in this kind an nurturing thread

I am going to start out small, but I promise there will be burned the paint pictures from me

The oops:

I damaged the coating on my leather steering wheel

I followed the technique I had seen numerous times on the interweb for cleaning steering wheels

-Spray w APC
-Scrub with MF towels, while grasping the wheel

Pretty basic stuff, except that you can rapidly generate heat and a lot if friction by scrubbing in big swathes

When using this technique it is also difficult to focus on the working area

To avoid this:

I suggest using the same basic method, but break the wheel up into smaller sections and watch the seams



Please add your "Oops". Photos encouraged


Burned paint soon to come

Kyle

Good idea better to learn from a mishap of someone else whom is willing to show tell and or suggest a caution or correction

 

[swanicyouth]

I've screwed up enough stuff in my time - believe me. I had a bucket fall on my car (fixed by PDR), burned paint with a PC, and have lowered the garage door on my bumper.

But, I'd like to offer: this is the reason I NEVER use APC on leather. Use products designed for leather. Most APCs are in the pH 11+ range, which is too aggressive for leather IMHO.

 

[allenk4]

I should have included more details and will on the next one

The vehicle is a 2009 GMC Yukon Denali with 88k miles

The steering wheel is listed by the manufactures as leather and seems to be leather. I cannot confirm if the leather is coated, but after cleaning; no color comes off on a MF when the surface is agitated

Products used were Optimum Power Clean (10:1) and a Costco Microfiber

I thing the damage was 100% technique related, as I have cleaned the same wheel 4-5 times since with less aggressive scrubbing and being mindful of the seams

 

[FrankS]

I removed the pinstripes off my Mom's car with an eraser wheel attached to a cordless drill because it was looking old and worn out. The pinstripes came off pretty good on most of the car but there were some areas that were more stubborn to get completely off, like this area right here:

As you can see here, I got a little too carried away and burned through some of the paint. (excuse the quality of the picture, taken with my cell phone).

Lesson learned: don't get carried away because sometimes the pinstripes won't be removed completely especially with a 14 year old car.

The car actually looks better without the pinstripes overall and she's happy with it like it is, but I'm not satisfied with the areas where you can still see remnants of the old pinstripe (or ghosting). So I plan on placing new pinstripes to cover up the area that was burned through and remnants of the old pinstripe.

I'm just glad it wasn't a clients car!

 

[allenk4]

As promised Clear Coat Burn thru

As a Bonus....Base Coat Removal

The Oops:

The raised line on the fender bit me

The truck had been compounded twice by me and then a year later, I addressed the Orange Peel using the CarPro Denim 5.3" pads with my Flex and M100. Not much downward pressure, because you are "chopping the peaks", speed 5

I was very careful in the beginning, taping off every bodyline with 3M 1/8" vinyl tape, trim with 3M 233+

Things were going so well and I was so pleased with the results that I let my guard down on the last panel and didn't tape this body line, but that is not where the burn became apparent. But, I had laid the foundation for the "Oops"

Everything still looked fine after the Denim Stage so I proceeded to compounding with my confidence high. This is where the final damage was done.

Using M100, Flex, LC Orange 5 1/2", speed 4.5-5. Medium downward pressure....I blew right thru, exposing the grey primer

Sick to stomach, immediately inspecting the rest of the vehicle for.any other mistakes

In the end a smart repair will cost $178. This includes blending the BC and re-clearing the entire fender. The vendor was recommended by Quinn the Eskimo, who is a respected touch-up king in the area

I got off lightly, it was my own car and won't be too expensive to repair

To Avoid This:
Clear Coat is Thin

Keep your guard up the entire time

During aggressive polishing use the right sized pad. Avoid the temptation to hang part of the pad over an edge or body line

Tape is your friend

This is how I tape now when removing Orange Peel

 

[allenk4]

I removed the pinstripes off my Mom's car with an eraser wheel attached to a cordless drill because it was looking old and worn out. The pinstripes came off pretty good on most of the car but there were some areas that were more stubborn to get completely off, like this area right here:

As you can see here, I got a little too carried away and burned through some of the paint. (excuse the quality of the picture, taken with my cell phone).

Lesson learned: don't get carried away because sometimes the pinstripes won't be removed completely especially with a 14 year old car.

The car actually looks better without the pinstripes overall and she's happy with it like it is, but I'm not satisfied with the areas where you can still see remnants of the old pinstripe (or ghosting). So I plan on placing new pinstripes to cover up the area that was burned through and remnants of the old pinstripe.

I'm just glad it wasn't a clients car!

Ballsy post Frank

I have never used the pinstripe remover before

If I ever do, it will be used more carefully than what I have seen on YouTube, thanks to your post


If you do decide to reapply the pinstripe:

3M Scotchcal Elite Striping Tape
70505 Silver Metallic $9.26 + $7.99 shipping
70520 Silver Starfire
50' $10.13
150' $19.23

 

[FrankS]

Ballsy post Frank

I have never used the pinstripe remover before

If I ever do, it will be used more carefully than what I have seen on YouTube, thanks to your post


If you do decide to reapply the pinstripe:

3M Scotchcal Elite Striping Tape
70505 Silver Metallic $9.26 + $7.99 shipping
70520 Silver Starfire
50' $10.13
150' $19.23

Thanks for the info Kyle but I already bought it at AZ for less than $7 for 40', which should be plenty, and it matches the pinstripe that was there before almost exactly.

 

[SameGuy]

Wow, Kyle, thank you so much for this thread... And for the CP Denim post!

I'm envious of those of you in the sun belt with local access to such amazing hands-on resources and learning opportunities: AG and others in the east, Meg's and the many car crazy folks in the Southland.

 

[allenk4]

Wow, Kyle, thank you so much for this thread... And for the CP Denim post!

I'm envious of those of you in the sun belt with local access to such amazing hands-on resources and learning opportunities: AG and others in the east, Meg's and the many car crazy folks in the Southland.

I have learned a lot down at Meguiar's.

Not only from the Meguiar's Staff, but also the solid group of Pro Detailers and Enthusiast Detailers who regularly attend the Thursday Night Open Garage

Pulling your own car into the Meguiar's Garage is a bit intimidating, but no one ever has a bad word to say, just great suggestions on how it can be improved

 

[Sicoupe]

Hey Kyle, I wish we had something here that I could attend to on a weekly basis, it would be nice to learn from great detailers and professionals like meguairs does

 

[KMdef9]

When I first used my brush attachment for my drill, to clean carpets, I was lightly scrubbing the whole interior of the wifes car. I got to the last section, passenger rear floor. I was tired and thrilled to be almost done and let my guard down too. The side of the brush tool touched the horizontal part of the floor while I was cleaning the vertical part right under the seats. In less than a second it melted a small line into the carpet. I got lucky in that it was covered up by the mats, but in the blink of an eye, the friction generated between the surfaces was really hot!

From then on;

I use it a lower RPM (no need for full RPM),
utilize the handle attachment for extra control (when possible),
stay focused 100% of the time and
treat each machine application like I was using it on paint.



2 questions Allenk4,

1. Steering wheel:
No luck with leather cleaners? I've been using that over APCs on MFs with good luck on steering wheels. Works good on my wifes Cadillac, which is probably the same leather that's in your Denali.

2. Paint burn:
Is the thin blue tape pictured for your orange peel setup used for pinstriping? Where did you get it? That would be great for those high spots!

 

[allenk4]

2 questions Allenk4,

1. Steering wheel:
No luck with leather cleaners? I've been using that over APCs on MFs with good luck on steering wheels. Works good on my wifes Cadillac, which is probably the same leather that's in your Denali.

2. Paint burn:
Is the thin blue tape pictured for your orange peel setup used for pinstriping? Where did you get it? That would be great for those high spots!

I now clean the steering wheel with plain water on a MF. I clean it enough now that I have determined, I don't actually need any chemicals

The blue tape is the 3M Vinyl tape that is sold on AGO

They carry two widths.

The one in the picture is 1/8" and is great for taping off body lines. It sticks so well that you can buff right over it...tuff stuff, very good for tighter corners, worth the money

Regarding pin striping; I think it is easier to use 233+. I place the tape even with the top edge of the pinstripe and then buff the area above the pinstripe. Then I use the same piece of tape to mask off the bottom of the PS and compound the area below it. Trying to lay 1/8" tape over a pinstripe would be too time consuming

 

[jarred767]

Great thread idea; it always helps to learn from making mistakes and why not learn from other people's mistakes all in one place.

So, my learning experience:
Last summer I was working on a new customer's brand new car (Tesla Model S). He had owned it for about a month and wanted it polished back up and coated with Opti-Coat 2.0. I had worked on a about a dozen of these but got a quick learning experience on this one. I was polishing the the roof (it had a full pano roof, so only needed to polish the strip down the side). I was using my Rupes and going over one of the little flaps where you would install a roof rack to the car. These things:

Well, they're not in there all that securely, and the vibration from the machine must have hit it just right and it popped it up. In a matter of a split second it had popped up and then hit by the polisher (I was moving to buff over it) and snapped in two. I barely realized what happened it went so fast.

Needless to say, I am now even more careful when going over these little flaps, especially on Tesla's. Everyone that reads this should be too :xyxthumbs:

BTW, the part actually only put me back $18 (installed and everything) and I took an additional $40 or $50 off his bill for the hassle of having to drive it over to the dealership to replace the part. Luckily, the customer was very understanding.

 

[builthatch]

Great thread idea; it always helps to learn from making mistakes and why not learn from other people's mistakes all in one place.

So, my learning experience:
Last summer I was working on a new customer's brand new car (Tesla Model S). He had owned it for about a month and wanted it polished back up and coated with Opti-Coat 2.0. I had worked on a about a dozen of these but got a quick learning experience on this one. I was polishing the the roof (it had a full pano roof, so only needed to polish the strip down the side). I was using my Rupes and going over one of the little flaps where you would install a roof rack to the car. These things:

Well, they're not in there all that securely, and the vibration from the machine must have hit it just right and it popped it up. In a matter of a split second it had popped up and then hit by the polisher (I was moving to buff over it) and snapped in two. I barely realized what happened it went so fast.

Needless to say, I am now even more careful when going over these little flaps, especially on Tesla's. Everyone that reads this should be too :xyxthumbs:

BTW, the part actually only put me back $18 (installed and everything) and I took an additional $40 or $50 off his bill for the hassle of having to drive it over to the dealership to replace the part. Luckily, the customer was very understanding.

good tip. those can pop out by accident on many cars. damn gloss trim!

 

[jarred767]

good tip. those can pop out by accident on many cars. damn gloss trim!

They can, but super easily on the Tesla. I'm extra careful now when buffing around them on any car that has them.

 

[allenk4]

I used my revised steering wheel cleaning technique yesterday

Using steam really helped

I would have sworn that this was all black until I started cleaning

 

[HeffJamm]

I used my revised steering wheel cleaning technique yesterday

Using steam really helped

I would have sworn that this was all black until I started cleaning

That wheel turned out great. What type of steamer do you use for this and/or carpet?

 

[allenk4]

That wheel turned out great. What type of steamer do you use for this and/or carpet?

I have a Mytee Firebird

Love it

I use it on anything...anywhere. Carpet, Headliner, Upholstry, Dash, Vents...

On just about everything, the steamer gets it 20% cleaner than a MF and APC. On most cars, I still use APC and a MF or scrub brush 1st, but then I hit it with steam and additional dirt always comes off

The wetness of the steam is adjustable, without decreasing the pressure that it comes out at. That feature is a bonus when cleaning delicate electronics


But, my favorite tool for interiors is still the Cyclo Brush on a DA

I cleaned this with Leather Cleaner and the Cyclo Blue Brush followed by steam and a MF