Detailed: 2005 Ford Explorer (Project "X")

justin_murphy

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Last Friday I placed an AutoGeek order and I recieved it on Tuesday. When I opened the box, I found a 4oz. bottle with "One Step Polish/Sealant" handwritten on the side. I called Meghan and all she could tell was to try it and tell her what I thought. We would all know soon enough who was making it and what it was. This was awesome. I could finally give a review with smoke from who the manufacturer was. No hype. NOTHING! Just honest results and review. Being impressed by Optimum's Poli-Seal, this stuff was going to have to be good to even compete. I had the test subject. A slightly new 2005 Ford Explorer. The customer only wanted a mini-detail aka no major polishing or claying. The paint was metallic so this was good for the "flake-pop" review. It was also cold. About 45* at the high of the day. There was also sun. Just a variety of extremes for a good old test.

Let's get to it.....

Washed with Meguiar's NXT Car Wash
(Used EDGE ShMitt and also the Wheel ShMitt on wheels and tires with left over wash water)

Project "X" One Step Cleaner/Sealant
(Used EDGE2K Green Wave Light Cutting Pad at a #5 PC setting)
This chemical actually smelled good. A little fruity. I felt it with my fingers. More abrasives than Poli-Seal in my opinion. I applied two, dime sized amounts on the left and right sides of the pad and sprayed with XMT's Pad Conditioner. With the machine off, I smeared the product over half of the hood. There were some light swirls but nothing major. I worked the product in at a #5 setting with slower overlapping motions. Took about 4-5 minutes for it to go clear. There was no dusting at all. I felt my pad and I could still feel the sealant which was oily to the touch. One major thing though.....my pad was very dirty! Looked like it removed alot of contaminents. I let it sit for abou 10 minutes and removed. Came off very, very easy. It left a slick, non-carnauba waxed slick surface. Oh yeah, ALL swirls were gone! I finished the paint up. Highly impressed with this new product. I can't wait to see who is making it and what it is. I also called back asking for the remainder of the samples!

Start time:
10:30AM/40*
Finish time:
1:00PM/45*
Payment:
175.00

Other Products used:
Meguiar's APC 10:1
(Interior panels and leather seats)
Meguiar's Leather Cleaner/Conditioner
(Applied with MF towel. Allow to dry then applied a final coat)
Meguiar's Hyper-Dressing 1:1
(Interior panels, dash, and moldings)
DuraGloss Absorb-It! Deodorizer
(Sprayed Directly onto carpet. Awesome stuff. They could sell this stuff for more if they wanted to!)
Armor All Tire Foam and Gel
(Foam as a pre-cleaner and base for the Gel. Also used foam in wheel wells and running boards)
Cobra MF Guzzler Drying Towel
(This thing is huge and dries everything in it's path. How did I not already have one?!?!)

****A special thanks to AutoGeek and Meghan for their unrivaled customer support and prices. Thanks for allowing me to test run a brand new product.****

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And now some sun to show the absence of swirls....
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Some flaking....
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A cool, wet shot or two...
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Flash shot....
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Reflections....
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Here's some dirty pad shots showing the cleaning ability......

Both sides after a full detail....
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Wow!! Nice gloss on that Explorer!! I can't wait to hear more about this product when it becomes available! Awesome job Justin!! You da man! :applause:
 
Awesome--sounds easy to use--GREAT results--Now waiting--WHAT WAS THE PRODUCT?? Thanks for the review
 
Over the years Jason has allowed me to test several products, some known some unknown, and it is fun to say the least. To truly evaluate a product you need to post its weaknesses as well as its benefits. You see, all products have them, and the end-user will benefit from its true evaluation.

Justin, any apparent weaknesses in the product ??
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
Over the years Jason has allowed me to test several products, some known some unknown, and it is fun to say the least. To truly evaluate a product you need to post its weaknesses as well as its benefits. You see, all products have them, and the end-user will benefit from its true evaluation.

Justin, any apparent weaknesses in the product ??
Well, I cannot comment on the durability. I truly could not find one. I know you and others may not believe this. It actually cut and cleaned better than I thought it would. It did not stain trim.....I tried to get it too. I cleaned glass well too.

Maybe some will not like the fruity smell. LOL!

There just ALOT of good products out there. Most bad experiences come from miss use. It has alot to with expectations and what the products limitations are as well.
 
justin30513 said:
There just ALOT of good products out there. Most bad experiences come from miss use. It has alot to with expectations and what the products limitations are as well.
:iagree:
 
Justin, very cool that you got to test and review this "mystery product", what fun. Thanks for the review of the MP and the rest of your work. Hey I just added another acronym! :awesome:
I'm going to hold my breath until Meghan spills with the product name. OK maybe not...but I certainly am curious.
 
AL417 said:
Justin, very cool that you got to test and review this "mystery product", what fun. Thanks for the review of the MP and the rest of your work. Hey I just added another acronym! :awesome:
I'm going to hold my breath until Meghan spills with the product name. OK maybe not...but I certainly am curious.

Thanks and I love that new acronym as well!!!

WWJD? He'd use an MP that was sent from AG by UPS ASAP!

Dear Lord. I'm sorry.
 
justin30513 said:
Thanks and I love that new acronym as well!!!

WWJD? He'd use an MP that was sent from AG by UPS ASAP!

Dear Lord. I'm sorry.
I'm so glad I didn't have any drink of choice in my mouth when I read this. There could have been wine, beer, or a martini spewing across my greatroom. The good news is I'd have a lot of advice on how to get the stains out. Thanks for making me laugh.
 
Damn Justin, NICE!!! That is a tough color to make stand out and you did a great job as usual. The hood shots are phenomenal!!!

PS: looks like you didn't charge that much looking at the hours worked!
 
very nice.... you know, one product line ive always associated with fruity smells is xmt/pinnacle

hey im just saying....but, that line is more carnauba...damn, thought i had it figured out!

anyways very nice review, if the name is revealed i might seriously consider this
 
ooh ooh wait.... i think i know who makes it! did a little recon on another site hehe
 
There's a popular product manufacturer that is soon to release its final version of a new 1 step. I should have some relatively soon.
 
P1et said:
Damn Justin, NICE!!! That is a tough color to make stand out and you did a great job as usual. The hood shots are phenomenal!!!

PS: looks like you didn't charge that much looking at the hours worked!

I tend to charge for the steps used instead of the hours. Hourly is not fair to the customer. It was cold outside and this slowed me down. Wasn't the condition of the vehicle. This customer has also sent me tons of business and is my wife's boss. I ended up washing their Z3 hatch while I was there too and gave it a coat of Max Wax. Charged 75.00 for that. To me, 300.00 isnt' a bad days work for 5-6 hours!
 
Excellent write up on this new products. I'm always like wow on the the work you do. Yes I always look at a car and says WWJD!:D
 
z3 hatch? was it just a standard z3 coupe or the ///M coupe?
 
Kelso said:
z3 hatch? was it just a standard z3 coupe or the ///M coupe?

Just a Z3 Hatch.....It did have an ///M steering though.
I posted it back in Sept.

Here it is...
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