Tip: Frequent car care equals fast and easy car care...

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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Tip: Frequent car care equals fast and easy car care...http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...quent-car-care-equals-fast-easy-car-care.html
(In this case a truck)

The last time I detailed Behemoth was the end of April, so for easy math we'll say May, it's December 22nd today and I washed, clayed and waxed Behemoth yesterday, so it's roughly been over 7 months since this truck has seen any kind of maintenance outside of normal washing.

Cleaning, claying and re-sealing the paint was fast and easy after 7 months of outside exposure to the elements, it would be even faster, and even easier if this second detailing session would have been performed a month or two earlier.

The Poli-Coat appears to be holding up well so we're sticking with it and re-applying it as our LSP.

The key point is that putting your car, or your customer's car, on a regular maintenance program makes cleaning and maintaining the exterior faster and easier than waiting so long that the finish degrades to the point where you need to use aggressive products like a compound to remove oxidation, swirls and scratches.


2004 Custom Kodiak Truck
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This truck sits outside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as such it's exposed to the harsh, Florida weather year around... lots of rain, lots of humidity and lots of sun...
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This truck has a clear coat finish but topical staining still takes place...
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Instead of washing this truck we wiped it down using the new DP Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate, it easily cleaned the truck up for the next step, claying...
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The sides were still smooth so we only had to clay the horizontal surfaces...
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Then I applied DP Poli-Coat Paint Sealant using a 6.5" Crimson Hydro-Tech Pad on the Porter Cable 7424XP on speed 5.0
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A few hours later... finished...
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The application of Poli-Coat did a great job of keeping the paint protected but nothing lasts forever, so replacing the sealant that's worn off with a fresh coat of Poli-Coat will help keep this truck looking bright and shiny and make the next wash and wax just as fast and easy.

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On the Autogeek Store...
DP Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
DP Universal Clay Lubricant
DP Poli-Coat
Porter Cable 7424XP
6.5" Lake Country Hydro-Tech Crimson Finishing Pad
Cobra Indigo Microfiber Polishing Cloth 6 Pack
Cobra Supreme 530 Microfiber Towel


So put your car or your customer's car on a regular maintenance plan and you'll spend less time working on your car and more time driving and enjoying your car...


:)
 
Great post, Mike! I love how quickly cars clean up when the wax or sealant is still on the paint. The water just beads right off, making short work of the drying stage.

The same can be said for interiors. If you wait a couple of months between cleanings, you're breaking out all the brushes and heavier chemicals, where if you make it a habit to clean it up once a week, you need only a clean MF towel and maybe a few sprits of an interior detail spray.

Mark
 
Y2KSVT said:
stage.

The same can be said for interiors. If you wait a couple of months between cleanings, you're breaking out all the brushes and heavier chemicals, where if you make it a habit to clean it up once a week, you need only a clean MF towel and maybe a few sprits of an interior detail spray.

Mark
Click to expand...

Great point... even cleaning your interior once a month goes a long ways towards keeping it new versus months and months and months... the accumulative effect of wear-n-tear, plus whatever else spills, stains, smears etc. makes for more work and more time...

I'll ask Dave how often he washes Behemoth and when he does wash it how he washes it but chances are good he just blasts it with a pressure washer...

He'll be here today to pick it up and I'll post back what I find out...


Not only does Dave move Yachts around at American Custom Yachts Incorporated where he works, but he also takes his buddies Monster Trucks to all the big Mud Truck events around South Florida, next time he goes to the Triple Canopy Ranch event I'll try to get some pictures of his truck and trailer and the trucks on the trailer.


:)
 
does autogeek do detailing? if someone came in and wanted there ride done is this possible ?just wondering..
 
trhland said:
does autogeek do detailing? if someone came in and wanted there ride done is this possible ?just wondering..
Click to expand...

No. Matt, who works in Tech Support & Customer Service is perfectionist detailer that offers detailing services but as a company we don't offer detailing services to the public.

Good question though...


:xyxthumbs:
 
Dave just picked up Behemoth... I asked him how often he washes it and he says about once a month unless it gets muddy towing hauling trucks to the Mud Fest events then it get washed after the event.

I took a quick iPhone video of Dave leaving the studio, it's kind of jittery, that's me walking backwards... :D


Behemoth​
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg2j7Kux4Ao]YouTube - Detailing Behemoth[/video]



:xyxthumbs:
 
So if I understand correctly Mike, you didn't remove the previous layer of sealant (other than what might have been removed during the claying process)? You just "reapplied" the sealant as you stated, correct?
 
indianaryan said:
So if I understand correctly Mike, you didn't remove the previous layer of sealant (other than what might have been removed during the claying process)? You just "reapplied" the sealant as you stated, correct?
Click to expand...

I wiped the car clean, clayed the horizontal panels and applied a fresh coat of Poli-Coat.

That's the process I used and it worked pretty good, simple yet effective. Any Poli-Coat still left on the surface after 7 months and after repeated washings, being wiped clean and then clayed is welcome to continue on with the journey.


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I wiped the car clean, clayed the horizontal panels and applied a fresh coat of Poli-Coat.

That's the process I used and it worked pretty good, simple yet effective. Any Poli-Coat still left on the surface after 7 months and after repeated washings, being wiped clean and then clayed is welcome to continue on with the journey.


:)
Click to expand...

This is where I get confused...even after reading your article on the benefits of using a paint cleaner.

When is a product like Wolfgang PPE or some other paint cleaner needed? From what I read, if the surface needs clayed, then it probably needs to be cleaned with a paint cleaner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your judgement. I just need a little clarification, that's all. And maybe this is getting a little off-topic, so let me know if I need to start a new thread.
 
indianaryan said:
This is where I get confused...even after reading your article on the benefits of using a paint cleaner.

When is a product like Wolfgang PPE or some other paint cleaner needed? From what I read, if the surface needs clayed, then it probably needs to be cleaned with a paint cleaner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your judgement. I just need a little clarification, that's all. And maybe this is getting a little off-topic, so let me know if I need to start a new thread.
Click to expand...

I'm not Mike, but I play him on the internet.

From the Opti-Coat product page...
...DP Poli-Coat Paint Sealant is formulated to outlast and outperform other sealants with a revolutionary self-prepping formula....

...With most paint sealants, it is recommended that you use a pre-wax cleaner first to prep the paint for the sealant. This step promotes bonding and improves the clarity of the shine. But what if you could achieve the same high bonding and clarity without a second step? That’s what you get with DP Poli-Coat Paint Sealant.

​
DP Poli-Coat Paint Sealant, polymer paint sealant, auto paint sealant, DP Policoat paint sealant, paint sealer
 
indianaryan said:
This is where I get confused...even after reading your article on the benefits of using a paint cleaner.

When is a product like Wolfgang PPE or some other paint cleaner needed? From what I read, if the surface needs clayed, then it probably needs to be cleaned with a paint cleaner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your judgment. I just need a little clarification, that's all. And maybe this is getting a little off-topic, so let me know if I need to start a new thread.
Click to expand...

Good questions...

If a person wanted to... they could definitely use a paint cleaner or a light polish and either hand or machine apply it.

I didn't want to.


Would it have made a difference? Probably, but to be honest the paint was still very bright and shiny, that's just a testimony to the Poli-Coat and to washing on a regular basis. Had this been a garage-parked car that was cool or special interest I probably would have done more, but since this is a "Work Truck", parked outside all the time and it's not a "Show" truck, I opted for doing just the basics and that was to wipe clean, clay where needed and then machine apply the previously used product as it appears to be working just fine.

I could have used a cleaner/wax but my judgment was the paint was still in excellent condition, so I stuck to a KISS Detail, Keep it Simple and get it done.

Everyone has to make a judgment as to how many steps they're going to do to whatever the "Project" is in their garage and you can do as many steps or as few as you like.


indianaryan said:
From what I read, if the surface needs clayed, then it probably needs to be cleaned with a paint cleaner.
Click to expand...

The above is true, usually if a vehicle needs to be clayed, then it needs to have the paint cleaned also but that's in the context of someone either neglecting their car for years, or someone buying a car that the paint has been neglected for years. This has a brand new paint job, I clayed the entire finish the first time to remove overspray paint and this time around only the horizontal surfaces felt rough.

Had this been a single stage paint the staining would have penetrated into the paint itself and it would have taken a cleaner/wax to really get the paint clean again, but this truck has a brand new basecoat/clearcoat finish, it's never been sanded nor buffed with a compound so the outer surface is still very solid, as in impermeable thus the staining is just topical and it cleans up really well.

Even if I didn't have anything else to do, (and I do), I still wouldn't do a show car detail on this truck, it's not that kind of truck or paint job.

If the paint were in worse condition then I still wouldn't have used a dedicated paint cleaner or polish, I would have used a one-step cleaner/wax to save time, like this...


Like this,
KISS Detail - Extreme Makeover - Toyota Highlander

Or this,
Dodge Neon Extreme Makeover with Dodo Juice


Great questions... thank you for asking them, I'm sure others may have had the same questions on their mind.


:)
 
That truck is huge. How do you reach the tops of the doors and the roof? I can't even reach the roof of my tundra 
 
Mike,

How many towels did you go through while using the DP waterless wash?

That truck is awesome.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I sent Dave a text message, I'll let you know what he says... I'm kind of curious too...

My guess is less than 10 mpg...

:)
Click to expand...
Wow that's good. I only got 9.8mpg on mine...lol

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I think I'll drive my new and much smaller jeep down there and make you prove to that you didn't fake that detail job by doing mine....Im the MAN:laughing:
I wasn't in to "self detailing" when I had my truck. It would have killed me! Dave
BTW I'm only 5'-10" lol
 
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