I`m not new, but I`m back.

T

TGates

Active member
I joined Autopia back in 2003 or 2004, I don`t remember exactly. My original screen name was BlackSunshine, which I saw floating around on here when I would peek my head in from time to time and it was definitely not me. Anyways, when I joined I was a college student and had just bought a new black car that I wanted to care for. I jumped in head first and learned from the best at the time -- Accumulator (who I know is still here), Sean, Scott, Zane, Pat, TOGWT, et al. I even tested a few products out for David Bynon when Sonus was still in its infancy. I never got out of detailing, but I did step away from the forum as it was just costing me too much money.

Fast forward to today and I`m still using some of the original products from 13-14 years ago but obviously I have a lot of new stuff, too. I`m currently using a mixture of Adam`s, Griot`s, Ammo, and CarPro with few oldies thrown in such as Collinite 845 for good measure. What brought me back here was a curiosity in Garry Dean`s products so I went looking for reviews on here and saw several favorable reviews from people I trust so I bought some of his products and will be giving them a shot. That`s not really what this thread is about, though, so let`s not get sidetracked.

Anyways, Accumulator, if you read this-- do you have any EFCP left these days?? :D
 
TGates said:
..Anyways, Accumulator, if you read this-- do you have any EFCP left these days?? :D
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Hey, good to see you posting here again! Hope all is well.

And yeah...I *do* still have one more, uhm...?liter?..of the EFCP left! I`ll probably end up using it on the undercarriage/etc. of the `93 Audi, which is wearing 845. Now that I`m a fan-boy for IUDJ I hardly ever touch any of my regular QDs, have to keep them in mind or I`ll never use `em all up.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, you`re gonna have me thinking that White Zombie song all the time now...

Anyhoo..I`ll be interested to hear what you think of Garry`s stuff.
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I remember you asking me if that was the meaning behind the name back in the day :) I suppose it was a combination of that and the fact that my new (at the time) Infiniti G35 Coupe in Obsidian Black brought me here. I had no idea what I was doing. I distinctly remember throwing everything I could at a hazed up rear bumper... my PC 7424 with EDGE adapter and hilariously thick pads, 1Z Paint Polish and the Klasse Twins. I didn`t know what I was doing wrong but I could not get that haze out. Looking back now, I`m sure it was a combination of that fickle Nissan paint and my absolute lack of knowledge/experience.

As for the GD products, I`m really liking them, a lot. A little back story... up until recently, my wife and I had been a three car family. Two DDs and a "toy". Went from a Grand Cherokee SRT to a Roush Mustang to a Camaro ZL1 to a Corvette Stingray in recent years. I always had a boutique brand that I would use on the "toy" which recently has been Ammo. I would use something cheaper on the DDs, even though that may seem counter intuitive when you`re thinking about protection for the car that sits out the most. Anyways, 9 months ago we were blessed with our first baby and as I`m sure you know, a two seat sports car just does not work with a baby. It was always either just me going for a quick ride or the car sat and collected dust. No bueno.

So, I traded my DD and the Stingray in for a Sierra Denali Ultimate. It`s a lot of real estate to detail but I love the truck and want to keep it looking its best while keeping it protected and minimizing the time needed to accomplish these tasks. Through all these years I never got OUT of detailing but I somehow missed the whole GDWM movement. I had been using a two bucket method with my Kranzle 1122, MTM foam cannon, Adam`s wash mitts, a ph neutral soap and a drying aid of some sort... usually Ammo Hydrate but also Adam`s Detail Spray or Meg`s D156. There was/is nothing WRONG with that method, but man is it ever time consuming and with a baby at home now, priorities change. I stumbled across Garry`s YouTube channel, liked what I saw in terms of his wash method and products and jumped in head-first after texting him a couple of times. I ordered the IUDJ, Infinite Purpose Cleaner, Juice Boost, Vitality Shield, Evo Shampoo, Transform Dressing, Ghost, Stripper Juice, and recently his sample pack that is en route.

After my first wash using just one gallon of water, a quarter ounce of IUDJ with Juice Boost and 7 microfiber towels in the comfort of my garage, I was sold. The presoak with IUDJ made me feel a lot better about the process. I`ll obviously still break out the Kranzle when the truck is more dirty than I feel comfortable tackling with a rinseless, but I`ll still use the GDWM to save time and water. I know you`re not a rinseless guy but for me, it makes perfect sense and I couldn`t be happier with the results and ease.
 
TGates- Thanks for bringing me up-to-date (both on the GD products/regimen and your life in general). All that makes perfect sense, and I bet you won`t miss the boutique products much. I too have basically shifted to treating every vehicle pretty much the same and I sure hear you on prioritizing Life`s more important stuff.

Garry is one stand-up guy and IMO you could`ve done a lot worse than going that route.

EDIT: It`s gonna take me a while to get used to that new user-name :D

And yeah, the "nice car that just sits.." thing is getting to me too.
 
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