Ask the Detailer

With all of the water spot posts lately I thought I'd link this youtube vid that was released today from Apex Detail.

https://youtu.be/WzkSIZ__zMY

 

Possible your window gaskets are wearing out. Luckily that’s a cheap and easy fix if the other method doesn’t work.

 

I think this is the best place to ask this question.
If not, I apologize.

What is the method to either clean or lubricate the seatbelts so they retract better?


I saw somewhere before that it was something easy.
I can’t seem to find it now.

 

The Carpro Ceriglass and rayon pads do wonders... Still a hellauva lot of work... Here's my share... About 6 hours on the roof glass of a customers Kia... It was with a DA, didn't have my rotary at that time

 

How can I remove a streak on a door panel that was left from someone putting chewing gum on the door. I pulled the gum off but there is still about a 1/2" streak that doesn't come off with washing. Thanks

 

can u post any pics?

 

I took a close up pic and looked at the residue more closely. I'm embarrassed to say that I removed it all with my thumbnail. Duh!
Thanks

 

FYI 95% of hard water etching and spots can be removed with a wheel acid. I use Meg's wheel brightener. Spray into a microfiber sponge, carefully spread on the glass (keep it off the seals), and I use a circular overlapping motion to scrub the etchings. Once it dries (it flashes and you'll notice), quickly spray with an alcohol based window cleaner (Ex. Stoners or 3D window) and wipe until all the residue is off. Spray again to make sure all residual is gone and wipe then apply your final glass cleaner (Ex. Rain-X). Should only be done in the shade on cool windows. Getting the "flash" time down is just practice. You won't hurt anything by wiping too soon while you're learning. I did this 4Runner's glass and mirrors (11 sections total) in about 30 minutes. They were all spotted as bad as this sunroof.

 

THANK YOU!!! I've been trying to find an easier solution being here in Hawaii... I will definitely give that a shot, I have a good personal vehicle test subject!!

 

No problem. Harder spots give it a second round. It won't always get all of them (some need to be Rayon polished with Ceriglass), but this works the majority of the time.

 

So after having a myriad of issues with IGL Coatings and their formula swaps causing application issues, I'm planning on dropping them altogether. I did some research and got connected with a new company: Owner's Pride. Long story short, some of the original members of the Opticoat team branched out and developed their own product with their own chemists. One of the original founders of Opticoat is heading the company.

To get access to their interior and exterior coatings, you have to be an installer. But, they offer a bunch of other products for retail purchase. I recently became accredited as an installer for them and as a result purchased their startup kit with a bottle of their exterior coating and a slew of other products (tire shine, rinseless wash, soaps, ceramic detailer, sealant spray, etc). From my research, their retail products are getting really good reviews all over the internet so I'll be testing what I have coming in the mail and leaving reviews here for folks that are interested.

For the exterior coating, it is a single layer 7 year (optionable to purchase a warranty or not) ceramic coating. They're going to a double layer here shortly to up the hardness rating (I believe was the reasoning if I remember correctly) and releasing a 3 and 5 year coating next year. The 7 year coating gets registered with your VIN and goes on your Carfax which is kind of neat to me. It is transferable should a vehicle be sold as well. I'm not too sure of the specifics of the warranty aspect and Carfax stuff, but I'm more interested in the coating's performance. A 60ml bottle is being sent and is enough to do two large vehicles, so I'll be starting with my personal truck since I've been using it to test different products all over and it's time to just coat it and be done. I've spoken to quite a few large shops across the country through a detail network I'm apart of and many folks that do very high end work have switched almost entirely to OP's coating and product line with good results so something has to be good about them (whether it's the "oh look a new coating company" phenomenon or what, I'm not sure but I'm excited to give it a shot).

They offer an interior coating (7 year, optionable warranty) that apparently they have worked something out with their insurance where it will cover the normal staining, UV bleaching, etc. issues. My understanding of it is if you have your interior coated and purchase the warranty, the client submits a claim through OP and OP in turn pays the installer XXX amount to remedy the issue should there be one through insurance claims. The big thing I found fascinating is they actually warranty small rips in seats/carpet (1 inch or less) and knicks in body panels on the interior as well. So if you have the warrantied interior coating and someone sticks a pencil through your leather seat, a claim gets submitted and OP contracts the work out to a network of upholstery/repair folks they have set in place. It's a unique take on detail/protection work that I need to learn about but am extremely interested in.

The only downside to this from an installer perspective I can see is for someone like me who is part-time and if there's warranty work to be completed, whether interior or exterior, scheduling will become a nightmare with my already hectic life. But then again, I can forego the option to even offer a warranty and let folks know this is what it is (not required by OP to offer the warranty at all). I'm not here to sell anyone on OP products by any means, just letting y'all know the information and training I've been going through the past couple weeks on how the company works and operates.

I'll keep folks posted here on my reviews of these products if there's any interest from the community!

Edit: also forgot to mention their coating is applicable to all exterior surfaces (trim, rubber, wheels, glass, etc). The single layer, multisurface application intrigues me. The 7 year claim only applies to the paint but once I learn more about its application and durability rating to other surfaces, I will update here.

 

Decided to coat the tires in optimum tire coating. Prepped with Shine Supply wise guy. Let it dwell for about 40 seconds to a minute then took my drill and drill brush to it. It seemed to get it all, but went behind it with optimum power clean (4:1 ratio) and did same process but used a tire brush to scrub it. Foamed up white and no browning in the foaming. Let sit in sun after drying off with blower and towel. Mounted back up and applied a coat. Came back an hour later and applied one more coat. Happy with results like I was before on previous vehicles. 2nd coat was to ensure even coverage, but to also give a slight bit more gloss to it.

 

Beautiful. Any idea what kind of durability you can expect?

 

Whazzup pros! I recently acquired a Kaarcher pressure washer and Trinova foam cannon. I used Watermelon Chemical Guys Snow Foam, and noticed a significant difference in the gloss in the finish from using my normal Meguiars Wash & Wax. The Meguiars leaves a much deeper gloss behind. My question is what soap do you folks use in your foam cannons for darker color vehicles?

 

Last time on my wife's van it lasted about 6-9 months. When I did the truck it seemed closer to 5 or 6 months. We'll see how this one does

 

Great stuff. I’ve gotten away from it due to laziness, but I need to do some deep tire cleaning soon.

 

Ive seen similar durability.

 

I looked at the clock in my garage when i started and it was 1:10. When I finished all 4 tires and went inside it was about 2:45. all I did was dismount the wheels and tires and cleaned them. the vehicle is still dirty

 

I won’t be taking them off to do it, that’s for sure.

 

only reason i did was to get better access to barrels of wheel to clean them. 18s are a bit harder to get to. usually i just do it while rotating them...but wanted to be a bit bougie about it

 

Need some help. Washed the truck the other day and used some Trim Shine for the first time on the front and rear bumpers. Well of course it rained the next day and now it’s streaky on my bumpers. Is this because of the rain or did I apply this wrong?

 

Super basic detailer question probably already in this monster thread:

What's a good bang for the buck product to remove bugs from the front of the Tundra. Think lots of bugs and the pressure washer doesn't take them off.

My ideal state is something super easy and foamy that I can spray on a few minutes before pressure washing the truck.

 

I've learned most trim stuff doesn't do well in rain so I've quit using it and switched to Cerakote. Lasts longer, restores look, and looks great.

 

You don’t mention what product you used, but I’m assuming it was low quality. Unless you just put it on without washing it first, I can’t think of anything you’d have done wrong.
Good products to use are:

Solution Finish: Restores very well (better than anything), but it’s really just ink. It doesn’t really provide any protection from heat / sun, etc.

Shine Suppy Trim Shield: Restores as well or better than most (not as well as Solution Finish), but provides great protection and outlasts most comparable products by a good bit.

Cerakote: As @Fotnot said, it’s an outstanding product. Restores well, protects great, and lasts a hell of a lot longer than anything else. Easiest to apply as long as you follow instructions perfectly. If you screw it up, you’ll be staring at your mistake for at least a year.

 

You can’t get a better bang for your buck than Bounce sheets and water. Get a spray bottle of water, wet the area, rub the Bounce sheets on it, follow up with some detail spray. Make sure you don’t let it dry or sit on your paint long. It sounds crazy, but it works.
Best dedicated product I know of for this is Shine Supply Bug Off.

 

Bounce Dryer Sheets? Seriously? That is awesome. I have to try that. Thanks!

 

Sounds nuts....but yes

 

https://youtu.be/P2AGzJjJViI

 

Gave this a shot tonight. Not too bad.