mwoolfso
New member
- Jul 18, 2011
- 2,592
- 0
My daughter's 2013 Hyundai Elantra. I picked it up a few months ago with about 25 miles on the vehicle. With such low mileage the problem here wasn't so much DISO as I asked the dealership to refrain from any prep work on the vehicle.
The issue I faced was general "build-up" of contaminants "on and in" the paint. I figure the car had to be stagnating on their lot for well over a year. To date I washed the car just two times. Basically, the vehicle looked very good but when you touched it you knew something was missing.
I was considering using a coating this time but decided to go with a wax to get through the summer and since my region is getting “pollen storms” and I work outside I needed to be careful. In the fall I will consider using a coating. For now I wanted to get an initial sense of product and pad combinations in this first-ever polish of the paint.
Products Used:
- Sun Joe SPX3000 Electric Power Washer with MTM Hydo Foam Cannon
- Meguiars Gold Class and Mothers California Gold Car Wash
- Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner with Mothers Wheel Brush
- Meguiars APC+ (4:1 dilution)
- Detailers Pro Rinseless Wash & Gloss | Ultima Waterless Wash Plus
- CarPro IronX and Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller Iron Remover
- Flex 3401 DA Polisher w/ 5.5" and 4" backing plates
- Lake Country 5.5" CCS Orange Cutting Pad
- Late Country 5.5" Flat Finishing Pads
- Lake Country 5.5" HydroTech Polishing Pads
- Lake Country 4" HydroTech Polishing Pad
- Pinnacle XMT Swirl Removers 1, 2 and 3
- Poor Boys SR2.5 Medium Swirl Remover
- NoTouch Auto Glass Stripper
- Cobra Supreme 530 and Junior 600 MF towels
- Cobra Waffle Wave Wax Removal MF towels
- Home Depot Orange MF (for wheels & tires)
- Collinite Marque D'Elegance Carnauba Paste Wax #915
- Optimum Opti-bond Tire Gel
Process Used:
Wash à Foamed the car with Meguiars, APC+ and Dawn; nothing out of the ordinary
Decontaminateà I had a little bit of IronX left; used that up and then started on my Dodo Juice Iron Remover. As I expected, not much reaction occurred across the vehicle with the exception of the inner portion of the wheels. I was hoping the decontamination step would have helped the paint become a little more smoothe but that didn’t happen. At this point I was pretty sure my polishing activity was going to be a 2-step.
Clayà First time using Riccardo Clay and I was satisfied. Very little micro-marring occurred.
Polishà I tried a number of combinations with pad and product. I didn’t go with any Wolfgang or Menzerna inventory because with generally softer paint I expected the other polishing products I had would perform well. I finally settled with Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3 with CCS Orange and then followed with Pinnacle XMT Fine Swirl Remover #2 with Hydrotech Tangerine. My goals were smooth paint and swirl removal; in that order. Pinnacle XMT did a fine job. Keeping “least aggressive” approach in mind; I didn’t need XMT #3 on many vertical panels so I skipped that step when it made sense. This step took a lot longer than I expected and part of the reason was due to the fact that there are not many flat surfaces on this vehicle. My 4” pads came in handy here. Lastly, the pads picked up a lot of contaminants in it’s own right. My orange CCS pad went from Orange to 70% grey on the hood alone; and XMT #3 is yellow.
Next up was the glass… which was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. Even after car washes and window cleaners all glass panes were extremely grainy to the touch. Moving a microfiber over the glass you can hear the towel moving over coarse and embedded contaminates. After an attempt with Riccardo clay the Flex and XMT Series not making any impact I went to my NoTouch Glass Stripper. With a damp applicator and circular motions (per the directions), I could see the embedded contaminants on the glass. After some dwelling (but not drying), the situation improved greatly. Since I was constrained for time I was satisfied with >80% improvement and will consider other options for the fall detail.
Post-polish Washà Due to the pollen storms and somewhat hot weather I had some polish dust and some nooks and cranny’s that were still showing dirt that wasn’t addressed before. I decided to perform another foam wash. For this step I used Mothers California Gold. I have to say, while I will have more detail later on product conclusions and directions I will be taking….. this product just doesn’t have one bad mark on it.
Waxà Some bad weather was coming in yesterday so that knocked out Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid and Collinite 845 off the list. I didn’t want to take a chance that the curing would be interrupted. I chose Collinite 915 at this point as there is no cure time needed here. I also decided to apply it by hand. I ran into two unexpected situations on this step. A few panels I experienced streaking which never happened to me with 915 beforehand. I knew this was possible before as Collinite has this in their FAQ section. Also, even though I had clean and smoothe panels I had a hard time spreading the product with a damp, red applicator pad. This was experienced whether or not the panel was in the sun or shade. For now I am attributing both to weather as it was dry and windy. I saw some benefits by QD’ing the hood. In the next 2 weeks I will wash and apply Liquid Souveran or Optimum Car Wax and see where fate takes me. You can see streaking on the hood shot and a side panel shot. I figure many people shows perfection on their shots and I might as well be a little different and show you what I still have to work on to complete the detail.
Tire Dressingà Used Optimum Opti-Bond Gel. It does the deed very well. I like the matte finish as it contrasts very well with glossy black paint. The durability with 2 layers should be very good for a vehicle that doesn’t get a lot of mileage per week.
Product review notes and my personal direction:
1. The SPX300 is a very cool power washer. It’s output is 2030psi and what a huge difference it made compared to my 1800psi Karcher. Overall it is a better design than any Karcher or Husky I have seen or used and whatever I power-wash gets completed faster. The manufacturer, Snow Joe, came up with a good product that simply “one-upped” their competition in a number of soft and hard ways. The general design of the unit, light weight, large wheels, flexible hose all stand out for me. I can pack the SPX3000 for storage much quicker. The only ding I have on this unit is the 20” length of the pressure hose. I really need 5-10” more hose. I also reused a metal connector I had for the power hose and replaced the plastic version they had. It just made it a more stable and leak-free connection. Metal and plastic threads don’t always work.
2. I find Mothers Car Wash to be a notch better than Meguiars Gold Class in terms of foaming, scent and overall performance. This is not just based on this vehicle but rather years of moving back-and-forth between the products. I’ll finish out my Gold Class inventory and leverage Mothers in the future. I have Mother’s Wash & Wax and as I have stated through the years the scent on this product is unbelievable.
3. I am still trying to find a place for Poor Boys SR2.5 Medium Swirl Remover. I want to like and use this product. I have attempted to use it a number of times and it continuously gets 2nd or 3rd place in any test spot run I perform.
4. I was pleasantly surprised with XMT Series polishes. I never used it across an entire vehicle before this detail. It lived up to its reputation as a product that can be used in the sun or shade. It has an extremely long working time. Cleaning the pads were also easier. All I needed was some warm water and soaking time. For a couple of spots I needed Dawn.
5. I finally finished off my Detailers Pro Rinseless Wash & Gloss. From a total cost of ownership perspective this one does very well as a Rinseless. I am sticking with ONR and UWW+ and get 3 for 2.
Here are final pics….. enjoy!!!
The issue I faced was general "build-up" of contaminants "on and in" the paint. I figure the car had to be stagnating on their lot for well over a year. To date I washed the car just two times. Basically, the vehicle looked very good but when you touched it you knew something was missing.
I was considering using a coating this time but decided to go with a wax to get through the summer and since my region is getting “pollen storms” and I work outside I needed to be careful. In the fall I will consider using a coating. For now I wanted to get an initial sense of product and pad combinations in this first-ever polish of the paint.
Products Used:
- Sun Joe SPX3000 Electric Power Washer with MTM Hydo Foam Cannon
- Meguiars Gold Class and Mothers California Gold Car Wash
- Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner with Mothers Wheel Brush
- Meguiars APC+ (4:1 dilution)
- Detailers Pro Rinseless Wash & Gloss | Ultima Waterless Wash Plus
- CarPro IronX and Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller Iron Remover
- Flex 3401 DA Polisher w/ 5.5" and 4" backing plates
- Lake Country 5.5" CCS Orange Cutting Pad
- Late Country 5.5" Flat Finishing Pads
- Lake Country 5.5" HydroTech Polishing Pads
- Lake Country 4" HydroTech Polishing Pad
- Pinnacle XMT Swirl Removers 1, 2 and 3
- Poor Boys SR2.5 Medium Swirl Remover
- NoTouch Auto Glass Stripper
- Cobra Supreme 530 and Junior 600 MF towels
- Cobra Waffle Wave Wax Removal MF towels
- Home Depot Orange MF (for wheels & tires)
- Collinite Marque D'Elegance Carnauba Paste Wax #915
- Optimum Opti-bond Tire Gel
Process Used:
Wash à Foamed the car with Meguiars, APC+ and Dawn; nothing out of the ordinary
Decontaminateà I had a little bit of IronX left; used that up and then started on my Dodo Juice Iron Remover. As I expected, not much reaction occurred across the vehicle with the exception of the inner portion of the wheels. I was hoping the decontamination step would have helped the paint become a little more smoothe but that didn’t happen. At this point I was pretty sure my polishing activity was going to be a 2-step.
Clayà First time using Riccardo Clay and I was satisfied. Very little micro-marring occurred.
Polishà I tried a number of combinations with pad and product. I didn’t go with any Wolfgang or Menzerna inventory because with generally softer paint I expected the other polishing products I had would perform well. I finally settled with Pinnacle XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3 with CCS Orange and then followed with Pinnacle XMT Fine Swirl Remover #2 with Hydrotech Tangerine. My goals were smooth paint and swirl removal; in that order. Pinnacle XMT did a fine job. Keeping “least aggressive” approach in mind; I didn’t need XMT #3 on many vertical panels so I skipped that step when it made sense. This step took a lot longer than I expected and part of the reason was due to the fact that there are not many flat surfaces on this vehicle. My 4” pads came in handy here. Lastly, the pads picked up a lot of contaminants in it’s own right. My orange CCS pad went from Orange to 70% grey on the hood alone; and XMT #3 is yellow.
Next up was the glass… which was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. Even after car washes and window cleaners all glass panes were extremely grainy to the touch. Moving a microfiber over the glass you can hear the towel moving over coarse and embedded contaminates. After an attempt with Riccardo clay the Flex and XMT Series not making any impact I went to my NoTouch Glass Stripper. With a damp applicator and circular motions (per the directions), I could see the embedded contaminants on the glass. After some dwelling (but not drying), the situation improved greatly. Since I was constrained for time I was satisfied with >80% improvement and will consider other options for the fall detail.
Post-polish Washà Due to the pollen storms and somewhat hot weather I had some polish dust and some nooks and cranny’s that were still showing dirt that wasn’t addressed before. I decided to perform another foam wash. For this step I used Mothers California Gold. I have to say, while I will have more detail later on product conclusions and directions I will be taking….. this product just doesn’t have one bad mark on it.
Waxà Some bad weather was coming in yesterday so that knocked out Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid and Collinite 845 off the list. I didn’t want to take a chance that the curing would be interrupted. I chose Collinite 915 at this point as there is no cure time needed here. I also decided to apply it by hand. I ran into two unexpected situations on this step. A few panels I experienced streaking which never happened to me with 915 beforehand. I knew this was possible before as Collinite has this in their FAQ section. Also, even though I had clean and smoothe panels I had a hard time spreading the product with a damp, red applicator pad. This was experienced whether or not the panel was in the sun or shade. For now I am attributing both to weather as it was dry and windy. I saw some benefits by QD’ing the hood. In the next 2 weeks I will wash and apply Liquid Souveran or Optimum Car Wax and see where fate takes me. You can see streaking on the hood shot and a side panel shot. I figure many people shows perfection on their shots and I might as well be a little different and show you what I still have to work on to complete the detail.
Tire Dressingà Used Optimum Opti-Bond Gel. It does the deed very well. I like the matte finish as it contrasts very well with glossy black paint. The durability with 2 layers should be very good for a vehicle that doesn’t get a lot of mileage per week.
Product review notes and my personal direction:
1. The SPX300 is a very cool power washer. It’s output is 2030psi and what a huge difference it made compared to my 1800psi Karcher. Overall it is a better design than any Karcher or Husky I have seen or used and whatever I power-wash gets completed faster. The manufacturer, Snow Joe, came up with a good product that simply “one-upped” their competition in a number of soft and hard ways. The general design of the unit, light weight, large wheels, flexible hose all stand out for me. I can pack the SPX3000 for storage much quicker. The only ding I have on this unit is the 20” length of the pressure hose. I really need 5-10” more hose. I also reused a metal connector I had for the power hose and replaced the plastic version they had. It just made it a more stable and leak-free connection. Metal and plastic threads don’t always work.
2. I find Mothers Car Wash to be a notch better than Meguiars Gold Class in terms of foaming, scent and overall performance. This is not just based on this vehicle but rather years of moving back-and-forth between the products. I’ll finish out my Gold Class inventory and leverage Mothers in the future. I have Mother’s Wash & Wax and as I have stated through the years the scent on this product is unbelievable.
3. I am still trying to find a place for Poor Boys SR2.5 Medium Swirl Remover. I want to like and use this product. I have attempted to use it a number of times and it continuously gets 2nd or 3rd place in any test spot run I perform.
4. I was pleasantly surprised with XMT Series polishes. I never used it across an entire vehicle before this detail. It lived up to its reputation as a product that can be used in the sun or shade. It has an extremely long working time. Cleaning the pads were also easier. All I needed was some warm water and soaking time. For a couple of spots I needed Dawn.
5. I finally finished off my Detailers Pro Rinseless Wash & Gloss. From a total cost of ownership perspective this one does very well as a Rinseless. I am sticking with ONR and UWW+ and get 3 for 2.
Here are final pics….. enjoy!!!
