Review: P&S Play Maker All in One - 2016 Chevy Impala - Production Detailing

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Review: P&S Play Maker All in One - 2016 Chevy Impala - Production Detailing



P&S Play Maker All in One

What is it?

All-in-One cleaner, polish and sealant.


What does it do?

Removes swirls
Polishes the paint to a bright high gloss
Protects the finish.

When do I use it?

After first washing and drying paint in new condition or after first doing any claying and paint correction to older cars.


Why should I use it?

It's a fast and easy way to remove swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation, restore gloss and clarity to the paint while leaving the paint protected in one step..


From the manufacturer

P&S Play Maker All-in-One Polish & Protectant will complete an entire 3-step detailing process in just one step! The genius formula of P&S Play Maker All-in-One Polish & Protectant contains professional level micro-abrasives that give it the incredible ability to correct moderate paint imperfection and polish out to a glossy shine. Once the micro-abrasives have done their job, the rest of the formula of P&S Play Maker All-in-One Polish & Protectant will take over, leaving behind a durable layer of protection! Now your paint is polished, cleaned, and protected, all in one step thanks to P&S Play Maker All-in-One Polish & Protectant!





Test Vehicle - Daily Driver 2016 Chevy Impala

This car belongs to a co-worker and while he's really good about washing it often, the paint is in dire need of some correction work.

Here's how she looked after arriving to Autogeek's Show Car Garage.

Florida Love Bugs
The marks you see in the paint are ETCHINGS caused by Love Bugs that have slammed into the paint and then before they were removed, the corrosive acids in their little tiny bug guts have actually eaten or dissolved portions of the clearcoat paint.

DISCLAIMER

These types of Bug Etchings in most cases can never be 100% removed, not even via wetsanding. So this type of damage is beyond the ability of compounds, polishes and AIO's like I'll be using. I just want to put this out there in case anyone reading this into the future doesn't know what Love Bug damage is and the resulting damage, which is permanent. That said - even cars with Love Bug damage will still look better after the paint is restored to it's maximum potential using quality products.

Dull, lifeless paint

This is just your normal water spots and dirt from driving in the rain. But look how DULL and lifeless the paint is?

LOTS OF DEEP SCRATCHES

This car has lots of scratches throughout the finish. Some of these scratches are TOO DEEP to remove 100% - BUT - like the Love Bug damage, a thorough polishing will dramatically improve the deeper scratches while restore a clear, bright high gloss finish to the rest of the paint.

Hand Prints IN the paint?

I have know idea how this happened and neither does the owner? In the panel below as well as in other places around the car there are HAND PRINTS that have physically altered and etched into the paint. Washing did not remove them. Claying did not remove them. Wiping HARD with a microfiber towel did not remove them.

So however these hand prints and also fingerprints and other human inflicted smudges got into the paint doesn't matter - what matters is the only way to remove them at this point will be via a mechanical polishing process.

We'll find out if P&S Play Maker is up to the job!

Road Film

The glass is not only dirty but it has road film and drizzle stains on the paint and on the glass.

Rinseless Wash

First up I had to get the car clean, for this I used a popular rinseless wash and lots of microfiber towels.

Looks like 5 towels to wash the car and 2 towels to dry the car. This is fine for a PREP rinseless wash but for a MAINTENANCE wash I would normally use a lot more towels.

Mechanical Decontamination

I did the baggie test but the paint did NOT feel that bad. Still - the foundation for a high gloss finish is a smooth surface and because there was some level of contamination - I clayed all the paint plus all the glass.

Not so bad

Here's the clay after claying the entire hood. As you can see, there's NOT a lot of contaminants on the face of the clay patty. The owner says he washes the car often and that explains why the paint is not that contaminated.

Removing Hand Prints IN the paint
First thing I wanted to do was test out the P&S Play Maker to see if it could remove these hand prints in the paint. Not sure how this happened but under close inspection the paint is physically flat or dull in these areas?

For those that might not see it, here's my hand at the same angle of the hand imprint in the paint - see it?

Just to document, washing didn't remove the prints, claying didn't remove them and wiping HARD had zero effect.

Here I've placed some 3M Painter's Tape right down the middle of the hand print.

Testing P&S Play Maker All in One

I've placed an ample amount of the P&S Play Maker on the face of a clean, dry Lake Country 6.5" Force Hybrid Foam Cutting pad on a FLEX 3401.

Buff buff buff...

Wipey wipey...

Remove the tape...

AND....................................

The hand prints are GONE!

And look how clear, shiny and glossy the paint is!

Some more product and in a few passes all the hand prints and finger smudges will be obliterated.

Whatever they were and whatever caused them don't matter no more because they be gone!

After removing the hand prints I simply repeated the machine application process for the P&S Play Maker to the rest of the car and except for the Love Bug etchings, the results look freaking phenomenal.

Fir this one-step AIO I used 5 foam pads - it's important to switch pads often when doing what I call - Production Detailing.

Here's the final results...

Review

Overview
This is a really nice one-step AIO. The manufacturer claims there's no dusting and that is an accurate description. I buffed out this entire car and never had any dusting issues. It offers good correction ability and easily removed impacted road film as well as all the shallow swirls, scratches and water spots. After buffing out the entire car the only remaining defects were defects that are so deep there's no way to safely remove them without compromising the clearcoat.

Buffing cycle
This product has a long buffing cycle. This means it stays wet on the surface as long as you're working it without drying out or becoming dusty. Besides excellent correction ability - the resulting appearance is clear and glossy. And just as nice, the paint feels sick and slippery after removing the residue.

Wipe-off
There were no instructions for how long to wait before wiping the product off. I tested to approaches, I wiped the product off immediately after application and it wiped-off easy. I also allowed some time to go by before wiping off the residue and found some patches of residue wiped off a tick more sticky. My recommendation when using this product is to wipe-off immediately after buffing a section as you move around the car.

Abrasive Technology

I tested this product on one of my black demo hoods and it passed my own personal test for quality. Otherwise I would not have used it on my co-workers car. The product info says it uses micro-abrasives and they seem to work great for cutting and finishing as I didn't see any micro-marring even when using a foam cutting pad. (I found the paint to be hard on this car or normally I would have probably used foam polishing pads.


Nice product
It's important to have a great one-step AIO in your detailing arsenal. If your a fan of P&S products I think you'll really like the P&S Play Maker. If you're looking for a good one-step, then give this one a shot. At $32.99 for a quart it's a lot of correction, polishing and sealing for the money.







On Autogeek.com


P&S Play Maker All-in-One Polish & Protectant

 

[DMiglio]

As always, Mike great job on the car, review and documentation!!

P&S is one of my go to brands and I myself have some Play Maker AIO. Good stuff :xyxthumbs:

 

[PaulMys]

Nice.

P&S is becoming a real player in the detail product game IMO.

 

[Thomkirby]

I tried this out on my rental car last year up against BF One Step. I had no problems and could not tell a difference between the two products except a slight edge to BF One Step (it was really close, dark grey Hertz rental Chevrolet Malibu).

But again Professor Paint, aka. Mike Phillips, can do wonders with that BEAST and great abrasive technology!

 

[custmsprty]

Great review Mike.

And for those of you who have heard me post about Love Bugs before and how heinous they are to paint, that illustrates it very well. And that etching happens within a few days, a week left unremoved and your clear coat is toast forever.

 

[fly07sti]

Nice.

P&S is becoming a real player in the detail product game IMO.

P&S has been around for decades. They primarily catered to body and detail shops. I have been going to there brick and mortar store in Hayward since I was a teenager. Also got to work next to Bob Phillips on an episode of Competition Ready. Great guy.
Great review as well Mike!

 

[Whalen182]

The product looks like it works great and I always enjoy your reviews.

I would like to know more about the car in the background of some of the pics.

 

[Dr Oldz]

Great turn around. Thanks for taking the time to post this review. I have been wondering how this product was since AG started carrying it.

I must be honest here though.... I really think BF One Step is king of the hill when it comes to AIO products. The ability to EASILY wipe BF off after polishing a whole car is a huge selling point for me. This doesn’t seem to check that box unfortunately.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Huge before and after difference,

In the BIG PICTURE


BEFORE

AFTER

Removing all the dullness, cloudiness, shallow swirls and scratches restored clarity to the clearcoat so the color of the basecoat can be seen.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

As always, Mike great job on the car, review and documentation!!

P&S is one of my go to brands and I myself have some Play Maker AIO. Good stuff :xyxthumbs:

Thanks David.

Nice.

P&S is becoming a real player in the detail product game IMO.

Their putting some effort into growing their brand. Energy in - equals results out.

I tried this out on my rental car last year up against BF One Step. I had no problems and could not tell a difference between the two products except a slight edge to BF One Step (it was really close, dark grey Hertz rental Chevrolet Malibu).

But again Professor Paint, aka. Mike Phillips, can do wonders with that BEAST and great abrasive technology!

I'm thinking in the last year or so they've upped their game in abrasive technology.

Great review Mike.

And for those of you who have heard me post about Love Bugs before and how heinous they are to paint, that illustrates it very well. And that etching happens within a few days, a week left unremoved and your clear coat is toast forever.

Preach it brother.

People that don't take the damage Love Bugs can do usually only learn the hard way.

P&S has been around for decades. They primarily catered to body and detail shops. I have been going to there brick and mortar store in Hayward since I was a teenager.

Correct. I share their history in this segment on "My Classic Car" with Dennis Gage

Also got to work next to Bob Phillips on an episode of Competition Ready. Great guy.

Great review as well Mike!

Bob Phillips is a SUPER nice guy. He is the kind of guy you would want for a neighbor.

The product looks like it works great and I always enjoy your reviews.

Thank you. I enjoy taking a diamond in the rough and turning it into a glistening gemstone and then sharing how I did it.

I also believe in LEADING BY EXAMPLE. I would never teach detailing classes or write how-to articles/reviews if I also didn't actually DETAIL CARS.

I'm the furthest thing away from a Keyboard Detailer.

I would like to know more about the car in the background of some of the pics.

That's here for a video on how to clean Alcantara.

I'm also going to do something with the outside, just not sure what yet. Mabye IGL F4

I must be honest here though.... I really think BF One Step is king of the hill when it comes to AIO products. The ability to EASILY wipe BF off after polishing a whole car is a huge selling point for me.

This doesn’t seem to check that box unfortunately.

One of the ways I tested this product against the BF One Step was to let the product dry on the roof before wiping it off. With the BF One Step you can apply to the entire car and wipe it off the next day and it falls off the car. This product simply wipes off better if you wipe it off immediately after buffing.

My reviews are all sent to the companies that own the products I review or write how-to articles for. They are welcome and encoraged to use them on their own websites and share via their social media touch points.

I do my best to be fair and balanced. If there's a downside or area for improvement for a products, it's the companies duty to take this feedback to their R&D Department and if it's important enough then do some more research and development.


The AIO market is crowded. The primary and most important factor is not wipe-off, it's the abrasive technology. Like I explain in this article, (which is one of my personal favorites).


Abrasive Technology - THE most important factor when it comes to polishing paint

Anyone that's been to one of our classes, (car and boat), or read any of my articles concerning polishing paint, (or gel-coat), knows that I always stress the importance of using products that use great abrasive technology.

Why?

This picture tells the whole story.

In the above picture of my buddy Jeff Bell buffing on the trunk lid of a neglected 1969 Ford Thunderbird.

Here's what you see IN ORDER of what touches the paint.

1: The first thing you see "touching" the paint is the compound.

2: On top of the compound is the buffing pad.

3: Behind the buffing pad is the tool.

4: And the last factor in this process is the person behind the tool.
​

Of course skill is important but skill is not touching the paint. It is the abrasive technology or in other words, the stuff in the bottle, that is touching the paint.

So when it comes to polishing paint here is what I believe based upon my years of experience to be the most important.

1. Product
2. Pad
3. Tool
4. Person

I know a lot of guys that are detailers are also a tick on the Alpha Male side of personality characteristics, you could even say some are a tick ego-driven because for hobby or a living, they take a swirled-out car and through their hard work, they restore a show car finish.

I get it, I've taken a lot of trashed-out cars and restored them to better than factory new condition myself. There's a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes from doing this type of restoration work. Some, (including me), would even go as far as to say that,

Polishing paint is an art form


When polishing paint is taken to an extreme degree, it is the human elements of care and passion, caring about our work and a passion for perfection, that takes the normal step required to polish paint and crosses over a line to where it is now an art form. We invest a part of ourselves into every car we detail.


I've had young people, old people and people from all walks of life attend my classes that have NEVER machine polished a car before. Yet their very first time have produced professional results that rival the best among us. These people did NOT have any experience and thus they also had no real skill to draw from. What they did have going for them was the fact that I ensure in all my classes we only use products that use great abrasive technology.


After abrasive technology
Once you have a good product, the other three factors, pads, tools and technique, are just a matter of,

Pads - Matching the right pad to the product to the job. For example in most situations, if you're using a compound you would choose a cutting or compounding pad and a tool powerful enough to work the pad and product.

Tools - Most tools on the market and sold by Autogeek have enough power to do both paint correction and polishing as long as you use the correct size and thickness of pad.

Technique - When machine buffing paint the basics apply no matter what product, pad or tool you're using.


Buffing technique for most polishers

Start with a Test Spot
Make sure you can remove the defects in one small area to your satisfaction before buffing out the entire car.
How to do a Test Spot


Start at the highest point and work your way down.
This is usually the roof followed by the hood and trunk lid. Next tackle vertical panels like fenders and doors.
Knock out the roof first


Break large panels into smaller sections
After working a section, move onto a new section and overlap a little into the previous section.
How to divide larger panels into smaller sections


Overlap your passes in a crosshatch pattern
When buffing a section, use overlapping passes and work the section using a crosshatch pattern. If you're working a thin panel that is not large enough to use a crosshatch pattern then simply move the polisher back-and-forth along the length of the panel, try to overlap a little in this back-n-forth pass if possible.


Make 6 to 10 Section Passes
In most situations, especially when removing below surface defects, you will need to move the polisher over one section at least 6-8 times and sometimes more.


Don't buff to a dry buff
Always have a wet film of product on the surface right up to your last section pass. Anytime you buff until the surface goes dry you risk micro-marring the paint because you've lost lubrication.
​

All these things lead to success but it starts with the stuff that touching the paint.



I know a lot of you guys will disagree and say skill is the most important factor but I know for a fact that some products are better than others when it comes to abrasive technology. Lesser quality abrasive technology will micro-mar the surface of a clearcoat finish when working on black paint it will turn it a shade of gray. This happens because when you scratch something clear the scratch appears to our eyes as opaque. Opaque = whitish. So when you micro-mar a clear coated finish you are turning the clearcoat opaque or whitish and when it's on top of a black basecoat the effect is the paint will become a shade of grey.


This same thing happens to ALL paint it's just harder to see on lighter colored cars.

The goal when polishing clearcoat paint systems is to maximize both gloss and clarity and you do this my remove all defects, both topical and sub-surface.

The goal when polishing single stage paints is also to maximize gloss and clarity as well as bring out the full richness of color and the same techniques you use on clearcoats you use on single stage paints.




:buffing:

 

[DMiglio]

Huge before and after difference,

In the BIG PICTURE


BEFORE

AFTER

Removing all the dullness, cloudiness, shallow swirls and scratches restored clarity to the clearcoat so the color of the basecoat can be seen.

As you often say, BIG PICTURE DETAILING!

The AIO left an extremely nice finish that many a car owner would be beyond happy with. Honestly, there’s nothing more that needs to be done to a daily driver.

 

[WillSports3]

Unless you're one of us compulsive nut jobs on here that starts wetsanding paint touch ups to even it out before we argue on here about the most durable protection possible hahaha

:laughing:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

As you often say, BIG PICTURE DETAILING!

The AIO left an extremely nice finish that many a car owner would be beyond happy with.

Honestly, there’s nothing more that needs to be done to a daily driver.

Agree.


BUT - it's hard to tell from the pictures but I didn't clean the wheels and tires nor did I machine polish the side glass or the back window glass.

Why not?


A: I ran out of time the day I did this work to tackle the tires so I figured I would use them for a new/different project.

B: As for the glass? The side windows and back window have Drizzle Stains - really bad. Stay tuned for how to tackle drizzle stains.

 

[DMiglio]

Looking forward to your threads in response to A: Tires and/or wheels and B: Drizzle Stains.