Hello from Alaska

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akumatu

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Hi,

I am brand new to the forum. I just bought the "winners circle" kit from GLARE pro polish and I am getting ready to do my first detail on the exterior of one of my cars. I came here to wrap my head around the process, learn from others and do research on getting the right kind of buffer (if I need one). I already committed to the GLARE products, I had a Scion xb pro detailed with the GLARE when passing through Hot Springs, Arkansas and I loved the end result. I just bought a 2016 chevy spark with a manual transmission for a low price and low miles (still wish I got something different, but I'm all in at this point) and I want to detail the spark this summer to help counteract potential rust before winter. The car lived in Hawaii for the first part of its life, so I want to keep it rust free as long as I can and I love the look of a mirror-like finish on the outside. I'm so excited and nervous to detail my own little car! I just got two microfiber cloths and a bucket, not sure if I will need more tools.

Also, I might be selling my 1987 Acura Legend (manual transmission) that only has 82,000 miles on the engine and does have some rust issues. I thought it would be great to also detail the Legend before selling, or maybe I will fall in love with the car all over again and keep her. I am worried about the detailing job with the Legend, as there are some rusty chunks out of the body and a dent and the car hasn't ever been detailed, so I imagine there are scratches and other issues.

I also have a super beat up 1994 toyota pickup that has never been pro detailed. It is a beast, low miles and manual transmission, ugly as it could possibly get but so reliable. I'm keeping the truck, I bought it for 800 bucks and it can haul quite a bit, starts everytime.

I also have a 2005 scion xb with a very dead engine that I am going to sell without fixing. The body is beautiful with one little dent and the GLARE polish was done about three years ago and is still holding up. I think I got a lemon car, or maybe it was the time I drove the car through an Arkansas river in the crystalline hills near Hot Springs.

I love manual transmission vehicles, especially from the 80's. I am not a mechanic, so I am trying to wean myself from the habit, but it is a hard one to break. If it was up to me, I would probably have 20 different older vehicles.

I am a 46 year old woman that has a Plott Hound doggie and lives in Alaska. I'm excited to learn about putting on my pro polish and dealing with rust problems and hopefully will get some advice about my little fleet that I currently have. Thanks!
 
Hi akumatu,


Mike here, we e-mailed last night after I approved your pending account.

First - thank you for joining.

Second - thank you for typing in a "normal" manner. I can't believe how many people type in one HUGE CHUNK of text. Simply ridiculous. I never understand why anyone would type in one huge chunk of text.

My guess is they don't understand basic writing skills and worse - they don't understand that the human eye cannot track from one sentence to the next sentence after about 3-4 sentences. Typing in one huge chunk of text simply makes it too hard for anyone to read your text so - they don't.

That defeats the entire purpose of creating a thread asking for help. :laughing:



:)
 
akumatu said:
Hi,

I am brand new to the forum. I just bought the "winners circle" kit from GLARE pro polish and I am getting ready to do my first detail on the exterior of one of my cars.

I came here to wrap my head around the process, learn from others and do research on getting the right kind of buffer (if I need one).

I already committed to the GLARE products, I had a Scion xb pro detailed with the GLARE when passing through Hot Springs, Arkansas and I loved the end result.
Click to expand...


I've never used Glare products before but in the past 20 years or so I've been asked about them a LOT.


I have a meeting to go to this morning but afterwards I'll take a look at what you have and do my best to make a recommendation.


That was very well written introduction post that also outlined all your cars, your passion for manual transmissions and your desire to be pro-active and maintain their condition. This is why this forum exists.


I'm hoping others will chime in also with their recommendations.


I know we have a number of manual transmission fans on this forum.



:)
 
Also....

We recently had a long-time employee retire from Autogeek. She was one of the longest working members of our family here at Autogeek. Here name was Anna.

She also had recently purchased a Chevy Spark, of which I used for a number of different detailing articles so I'm somewhat familiar with the car.


Water Beading from SONAX Polymer Net Shield


PNS_031.JPG




And for what it's worth, while I wrote the article I'm not into water beading, I wrote it for the masses that are into water beading.


:laughing:
 
akumatu said:
I just bought the "winners circle" kit from GLARE pro polish and I am getting ready to do my first detail on the exterior of one of my cars.
Click to expand...


I looked at their website, found the product you bought and added my comments in blue bold text.

This kit includes one of each:


GLARE,Micro-Finish - Fine Cut Polish
GLARE Spider - Medium Cut Polish
GLARE Knock-Out Compound - Heavy Cut Compound
GLARE+ - I'm guessing this is some form of cleaner/sealant also called an AIO


I've never used GLARE products but I've been asked about them for years in the online world. Their marketing approach, copy (words) and pictures is cheesy at best. I cannot judge if their products are any good because I've never used them before but this I know and I talk about it all the time on this forum and in my detailing classes.

The MOST important factor when it comes to polishing paint is the abrasive technology. It either works or it doesn't. There is no

Kind of works


The abrasive technology used in any product either has the ability to remove defects without instilling defects at the same time or it's simply low quality. I test everyone on black paint. I have a number of tests I do to determine if the abrasive technology is good or junk.

So here's where your at - the product you bought either work or they don't. The only real way to know is to apply them to black paint and then inspect the results. Usually this will include chemically stripping the paint after application to see the true and accurate results. If a product can make black paint look great it can make any paint look great. If it cannot make black paint look great it cannot make any paint look great. It's that simple.

People disagree with me on this point and say their "opinion" is that the most important factor is technique, or tool or pad, and while these things are important, if the stuff touching the pant isn't any good then nothing else is going to make it good.

So do some testing on your car and then do some inspection of the results. Maybe find a black car no one cares about and do your testing on it and once you see great results, then use the products on your car.


Also - in most cases you would test the least aggressive product first and see if they are able to remove the defects to your satisfaction. If not, you can always test a more aggressive product next.

If the GLARE+ is in fact some form of all-in-one type product you could start out by just using it. On their website it says,

Micro scratches, swirls, and oxidation are all removed permanently.



Using simple common sense, the words removed permanently in context, means the product is abrading the paint or chemically dissolving the paint as a way of leveling the surface with the lowest depths of the defects it is permanently removing.

If it's not removing paint to level the surface then it is somehow FILLING in the defects permanently.



As a writer, their statement is very definitive. This is okay if the product actually works but the word permanently is a very definitive word.





akumatu said:
I came here to wrap my head around the process, learn from others and do research on getting the right kind of buffer (if I need one).
Click to expand...


I have never met anyone that actually possess the skill, ability and physical strength to completely hand-rub an entire car when the words HAND RUB mean to abrade the surface to level it and thus remove swirls and scratches.


I always say it requires more skill, knowledge and muscle to remove swirls out of modern clearcoats by hand than it does to so by machine.


In order to be effective, you are gong to want and need a machine polisher. The simplest and easiest tool to learn how to use and master is a simple 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher. Below is my recommendation and my article that has more information on the topic of a simple 8mm free spinning polisher plus the backing plates and pads to use with this type of tool than you can find in any other single page on the entire world wide web.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips


Griots_Polisher.jpg



Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord



Here's the backing plate to get

Lake Country 5" Backing Plate



Here's the pads to get

6 inch Buff and Shine Uro-Cell Pads

Get the yellow pads to start with. These are "polishing" pads. If you have the budget, then add some maroon cutting pads and a few of the white finishing pads. The "polishing" pads are the most commonly used pads especially with one-step cleaner/waxes.



And if you want to make machine polishing your car 100% absolute Bubba-Proof, get a quart of this for all your cars.


BLACKFIRE One Step


See my review here and look at the before and after pictures - all from one product.

Review: BLACKFIRE One-Step Cleaner/Wax by Mike Phillips



Play with the GLARE products but my guess is, they are mediocre at best. Maybe donate them to someone.





Hope that helps...


:)
 
Hello! Welcome to AGO! Love the Manual Transmission! Save the Manuals! You will learn quite a bit from this site and everything that Mike Phillips posted is something you should consider! He is the Oracle of Detailing!

KEEP ON ROCKING!
 
Welcome!

Lottza GREAT (and good) information Mike shared with ya.

Curious, what part of Alaska are you from?

Bill
 
Mike Phillips said:
I looked at their website, found the product you bought and added my comments in blue bold text.

This kit includes one of each:


GLARE,Micro-Finish - Fine Cut Polish
GLARE Spider - Medium Cut Polish
GLARE Knock-Out Compound - Heavy Cut Compound
GLARE+ - I'm guessing this is some form of cleaner/sealant also called an AIO


I've never used GLARE products but I've been asked about them for years in the online world. Their marketing approach, copy (words) and pictures is cheesy at best. I cannot judge if their products are any good because I've never used them before but this I know and I talk about it all the time on this forum and in my detailing classes.

The MOST important factor when it comes to polishing paint is the abrasive technology. It either works or it doesn't. There is no

Kind of works


The abrasive technology used in any product either has the ability to remove defects without instilling defects at the same time or it's simply low quality. I test everyone on black paint. I have a number of tests I do to determine if the abrasive technology is good or junk.

So here's where your at - the product you bought either work or they don't. The only real way to know is to apply them to black paint and then inspect the results. Usually this will include chemically stripping the paint after application to see the true and accurate results. If a product can make black paint look great it can make any paint look great. If it cannot make black paint look great it cannot make any paint look great. It's that simple.

People disagree with me on this point and say their "opinion" is that the most important factor is technique, or tool or pad, and while these things are important, if the stuff touching the pant isn't any good then nothing else is going to make it good.

So do some testing on your car and then do some inspection of the results. Maybe find a black car no one cares about and do your testing on it and once you see great results, then use the products on your car.


Also - in most cases you would test the least aggressive product first and see if they are able to remove the defects to your satisfaction. If not, you can always test a more aggressive product next.

If the GLARE+ is in fact some form of all-in-one type product you could start out by just using it. On their website it says,

Micro scratches, swirls, and oxidation are all removed permanently.



Using simple common sense, the words removed permanently in context, means the product is abrading the paint or chemically dissolving the paint as a way of leveling the surface with the lowest depths of the defects it is permanently removing.

If it's not removing paint to level the surface then it is somehow FILLING in the defects permanently.



As a writer, their statement is very definitive. This is okay if the product actually works but the word permanently is a very definitive word.








I have never met anyone that actually possess the skill, ability and physical strength to completely hand-rub an entire car when the words HAND RUB mean to abrade the surface to level it and thus remove swirls and scratches.


I always say it requires more skill, knowledge and muscle to remove swirls out of modern clearcoats by hand than it does to so by machine.


In order to be effective, you are gong to want and need a machine polisher. The simplest and easiest tool to learn how to use and master is a simple 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher. Below is my recommendation and my article that has more information on the topic of a simple 8mm free spinning polisher plus the backing plates and pads to use with this type of tool than you can find in any other single page on the entire world wide web.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips


Griots_Polisher.jpg



Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord



Here's the backing plate to get

Lake Country 5" Backing Plate



Here's the pads to get

6 inch Buff and Shine Uro-Cell Pads

Get the yellow pads to start with. These are "polishing" pads. If you have the budget, then add some maroon cutting pads and a few of the white finishing pads. The "polishing" pads are the most commonly used pads especially with one-step cleaner/waxes.



And if you want to make machine polishing your car 100% absolute Bubba-Proof, get a quart of this for all your cars.


BLACKFIRE One Step


See my review here and look at the before and after pictures - all from one product.

Review: BLACKFIRE One-Step Cleaner/Wax by Mike Phillips



Play with the GLARE products but my guess is, they are mediocre at best. Maybe donate them to someone.





Hope that helps...


:)
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your thorough response to my post. Especially thankful for the recommendation for the spinning random orbital polisher by Griot. I am brand-new to detailing my cars and I am excited to learn as much as I can. I wish you could bring your class to Alaska!

I agree the GLARE website is very cheesy and not user friendly at all, very hard to navigate and it feels like a throwback to the 90's. I am surprised you haven't given their products a try yet. The only reason I went with GLARE is because I had my 2005 scion xb professionally detailed at a shop in Hot Springs, Arkansas and the detailer used GLARE and swore by them. The results on my Scion were surreal, outstanding, life-changing, amazing, mind-blowing and three years later (with the scion sitting in an outside lot for 2.5 of the three years, with a dead engine) the Scion still looks like it came fresh off the detailing lot, it is still in fantastic shape. As a point of reference, I have never had any of my vehicles professionally detailed by ANY product, so I don't have a frame of reference from which to compare.

From my limited understanding of the product, there is a chemical in the GLARE that forms a cohesive chemical bond with the paint. I don't know, but according to the cheesy-painful website, the lifespan of one detail job is 5 years. I would love to see a professional like yourself try it out and share your professional opinion with the rest of us, with all due respect. I will go into it with low expectations, yet it is hard for me to forget my direct personal experience of GLARE on my Scion xb. I'll see if I can recreate the magic and I will share the results here.

Perhaps even the process is different, yet I am wary of hand polishing an entire car, much less two. So, I think a random orbital polishing tool (I apologize if I am getting the name wrong) would be a smart bet for me. On a side note, I just realized my neighbor has been detailing a car outside our apartment building and has been using a tool to grind and polish and he even did a coat of paint out there, which is crazy. (not in that order)

I am so impressed by this forum, by your depth of knowledge and willingness to share your knowledge and expertise. Thank you so much for your generosity and for allowing me to be in this forum space. I really appreciate it, as I am so brand spanking new to this entire world and I am going to be depending on this forum to get my bearings and make it through my very first detailing job. I'm so excited.
 
Mike Phillips said:
Also....

We recently had a long-time employee retire from Autogeek. She was one of the longest working members of our family here at Autogeek. Here name was Anna.

She also had recently purchased a Chevy Spark, of which I used for a number of different detailing articles so I'm somewhat familiar with the car.


Water Beading from SONAX Polymer Net Shield


PNS_031.JPG




And for what it's worth, while I wrote the article I'm not into water beading, I wrote it for the masses that are into water beading.


:laughing:
Click to expand...

This is awesome! I have so much to learn. I have a Spark that looks just like this, but light blue. Thanks again!
 
Thank you so much for all of this, I am pretty overwhelmed by all the support and guidance. Very humbling. Thanks.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the welcome. I hope that after I get my three cars detailed I will have skills to offer my detailing to family, friends and possibly as a side business (if I like the whole process and experience). I grew up in Fairbanks and live in Anchorage, Alaska. I think the main reason I want to detail my car is because of all the problems we have with rust up here, I am hoping to circumvent that.
 
akumatu said:
Hi Mike,

Thanks for your thorough response to my post. Especially thankful for the recommendation for the spinning random orbital polisher by Griot. I am brand-new to detailing my cars and I am excited to learn as much as I can.
Click to expand...


This forum and my work on it are an extension of our customer care department. I'd say most people don't see it that way but if you think about it - it's kind of the same thing.

We have people that call our 1-800 phone number and ask our customer care staff detailing and product questions and they get great help and some people choose to join our forum and do the same thing. Typed-out answers tend to endure over time and are seen by tens of thousands of people for decades while phone calls are a tick more limited but both methods get the job done.


akumatu said:
I wish you could bring your class to Alaska!
Click to expand...


Now that would be great. Hawaii too....



:)
 
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