Cardaddy, you're blowing me away man!! I can't believe after all the time you spent showing me the ropes that you would do a comprehensive write up as well! Can y'all believe this guy? I can't thank you enough! I have already ordered the Meg kit, and I will order the towels and Aquawax in short order. I have a blow dryer. I tried it once and I didn't like using it because it blew up so much dust and debris. Maybe I did it wrong since you knowledgeable guys swear by them.
At this point, I'm not sure I want to seal the paint on the Vette. As I understand it, I would get a really glossy finish by doing that. I prefer a really deep rich finish instead. If this doesn't make sense, feel free to tell me, I am new to this. I'm thinking that after I polish and wax it with the Souveran that I already have, I'll make that decision.
You'll LOVE working with the Megs correction compound and cutting pads!:xyxthumbs: Just remember how I showed you to clean them with air.
Go at least twice, spinning in each direction, going inside out, then outside in.
Cleaning them with air is something that we just can't do effectively with air and a foam pad. But the really neat part about using air as a 'cleaner' is it also COOLS them. :dblthumb2:
This is why when I was talking about using foam pads I went through how many we need to do correction, not because the pad is wearing out, or even filling up with spent product, considering we're "cleaning on the fly" after EVERY section is completed (be that 4 passes or 10). We have the fact that the pad constantly builds up heat INSIDE.
Quite a bit of that heat is generated by friction between the pad and the backing plate. You can check that by feeling the backing plate after you've done 10~12 passes with a compound. It'll be WARM. (
Remember the one I showed you? I left a guy for just a few minutes while I went inside to wee, and get another glass of tea and when I got back out there he'd melted a pad, AND done that to the backing plate.)
This is why I stressed swapping out pads so often. This is ALSO a time when you can take a bit of air and blow the backing plate to help cool it a bit. Even so... when using foam pads you still need to have quite a few, then do the FIFO (first in first out) method.
But when you swap to microfiber pads, you can easily use half as many pads just because you're cleaning AND COOLING them after every few section passes. Win win!
The pads I showed you I've been using since 2013.
Just don't use them too long, clean them often, and MAKE SURE you're not building up heat internally.
If you are wondering when to swap out your pads, pull them from the backing plate, and place the BACK of the pad against your cheek. (Or the inside of your forearm.) I find the cheek is a bit more sensitive in that respect. If the pad is more than just barely warm, it's time to swap it out. Pads (while not cheap) are indeed cheap when compared to buying a new backing plate, and ESPECIALLY when looking at possible damage to your paint from one coming apart while you're buffing.
Glad to hear you guys were able to make contact. Sounds like you guys had a really great time.
Thanks for following up Tony.
Hey... thanks for sending me the heads up Mike!
rops:
Yeah... I think it was a productive couple of hours. Not as much work as I'd like to have gotten done, lots of talking.
Although... what Tony didn't realize at the time was that I was waiting for his hood to cool before working on test spots.
Tony...
Sorry to hear about your fubar when working with the blower.... that must have REALLY ticked you off.
I'll wash, then dry and finish in two different areas. Just don't like crawling around in the wet once the wash is over.
What I usually do is BEFORE I wash I'll blow off the driveway where I intend to use the blower. That usually takes care of it.
Of course you can blow it, then rinse it if it's really bad.
Then after I've washed, BEFORE I move the car from the area that is all wet, I'll do the first blow there. Always start at the top, holding the blower over your head if need be, top, glass, hood, trunk, sides, working down, till I get to the wheels, then work them and the wheel wells.
Once it's 95% blown off I'll move it to a dry area. That helps both move the wheels, and get other areas that may tend to drip resituated, (
and hopefully get most of the water drained, or at least draining from those areas). Then I can get into the tight areas, open the hood, trunk, doors etc. and get all those done as well as the cracks and crevices like around the headlights, tail lights, trim, running lights, and attack the wheels again.
Honestly... I've never had a problem blowing dust all over. (
Must be that blowing off the driveway first thing.)
You'll really enjoy having some GOOD 360 GSM microfiber towels. If you call Ian (
at the place I told you.... that we name... and can't talk about)
to make the order tell him I sent ya'... ask him for some samples.
Sometimes it takes a few calls to get them on the phone (
instead of leaving a message) but it's worth it in the long run. Something to be said for saving $1.77 each... considering for $5.53 more you can get 24 (
instead of 12 of a VERY similar towel). The NEAT PART about calling them is you can mix and match colors!
Pick up a few black, or blue ones for that 'dirty' work, then the rest in gold or white for the top / corrected paint work.
If you plan on doing any rinseless washing, I'd highly suggest getting AT LEAST a dozen of the 530 GSM units. They're awesome towels, and even make decent drying towels. Never mind the almost $30 price savings over a dozen 'similar' towels (that I showed you).
Winner winner chicken dinner.
Full disclosure.... shipping is an issue when ordering anywhere other than Autogeek, as at least some of the time (
like on $150 orders) you get free shipping. But for the savings involved on towels it's a
serious non issue.
I
was... thinking about doing another large order from the 'other' of the two places I told you about.
Not my favorite place, but hey... change is good for the soul, right.
Maybe some 420's, perhaps some others that have a 'personality' (
in purple).
:dunno: Funny thing about those guys though... they DO NOT have a toll free number (
where Ian does).
Then when you get to looking... wholesale has shipping charges, retail doesn't, saving a whopping $5 on a $138 order, having a $100 minimum, paying shipping, and going wholesale isn't
exactly an incentive.
I understand what you're saying about wax vs a coating. That however is NOT to say that a coating on that black C6 wouldn't look absolutely STUNNING. The protection is fantastic, and *some* of them you can top with a hybrid wax (
which 98% of them are these days).
I certainly wouldn't think that you couldn't put Meguiar's #26 on top of a coating. Considering the DOI rating is off the charts it'd 'pop' for sure.
Another idea that just came to mind.... I'm willing to bet you'd really like 3D's HD Nitro Seal. It's been around for quite a while, and from the reviews is outstanding. The only drawback is because of how the product is made, and being a two-part system, that once the bottle(s) is/are opened you have to use it all within 30 days or so. They are so concerned with oxygen that they fill the bottles with nitrogen. As for the product going bad (getting hard in the bottle)... there are coatings that do the same thing FWIW.
I've read that the kit can do anywhere from 3 to 10 vehicles, but considering the protection of up to a year, (*
much longer on garage queens*) $59.99 for only 2 vehicles isn't the worst thing in the world.
The trick with Nitro Seal is thin, thin, THIN when applying it.
[URL="http://www.autogeek.net/3d-hd-nitro-seal-paint-sealanit.html"]http://www.autogeek.net/3d-hd-nitro-seal-paint-sealanit.html[/URL]
Thing is... for that kind of money you can get a coating, and nothing protects like it.
The look is extremely glossy, slick, and doesn't mute color at all. The only difference (
in feeling) between a coating and a pure 'wax' is one is more tactile, where the other is a bit more sterile. Then if you really like that sensual, silky feeling then todays sealants come to mind.
My Cadillac (
that you felt) has either WGDGPS (
2.0 not the newer 3.0) or Megs M21 2.0, honestly can't remember as it was done over a year ago. But you could still 'feel' how a sealant feels beneath the fingers. Of course the test spot on your RAM was MUCH more tactile being as it's the WG 3.0 version and brand new.
It'll continue to cure for a couple more weeks when it's dry outside. Curious to see how it cures in the every-friggin-day rain we've had as of late.
The one benefit of a coating that really pays you back down the road is the vehicle just doesn't tend to get dirty. Dusty... sure. But everything rinses right off. Hit it with a bit of foam from your gun or ESPECIALLY a cannon, let it dwell for a bit, then do a pressure washer rinse (
just a little electric one, not a big bad gas powered one) and the dust you get from driving around just rinses off.
Speaking of foaming... and just how easy it is to wash with a coated vehicle... this is where you'd LOVE to grab yourself one of the CarPro Merino mitts for your Vette.
Merino wool wash mitt, auto wash mitt, sheepskin wash mitt
This lil' puppy is probably THE BEST 'freebie' that Autogeek has ever sent me. :dblthumb2:
Been promised all sorts of goodies, last couple orders had bumpkis (
was supposed to be something "up to $1000) and only had a few towels.
Which I surely didn't need... as you might have noticed. :laughing:
Oh well.... enough of that.
