richy
New member
This car was booked to get whatever coating I thought the customer would like. It was going to need some heavy correction, so I went with my entry level coating: Gloss Coat, albeit with a double coat to save him some $$. Here it is as it arrived:
It was extremely hot out and I wanted to get it washed and inside the garage so I could get the air going as soon as possible.
First up was the wheels. I used the Bam wheel cleaner on the barrels and Zep Citrus on the faces. Zep 505 was used on the tires and LATA on the well. The barrels were then shot with Aqua Bead (a Hydro copy) to help keep them clean afterward.
The car was then washed with Megs HW followed by a decontamination wash of IronX paste. It was brought inside and clayed with a clay towel. Now it was time to inspect the paint and take note of all the chips:
Even a tail light lens was scratched:
I think you get the idea. I had my work cut out for me.
Time to fire up a cigar and play with some paint! I ended up going with Shine Supply Chop Top again (it is now my go-to for bad paint) and a black TB wool pad + 3401. That was followed by M205 + yellow B/S pad + 3401. I did a third step using Essence. I have had more bad luck with Essence than good. I find it hard to remove with a normal polishing time (gets smeary) and if worked too long, it gets pig tails and needs M205 or something as a fixer (pun intended). As an aside, when I`m removing a coating, I use a short nap mf followed by the Car Pro suede mf`s. (I don`t just use the suede). I call the suede my "insurance wipe". PM me for a crass, but true, metaphor for the insurance wipe. Anyway, I was using a Microfiber Madness blue Summit 800 towel to remove the Essence. It was doing a good job, but I was still getting a bit of smearing. So, I doubled up two suede mf`s (I always do) and went over the area again doing my "insurance wipe". That did it! It removed all trace of it and produced a smooth, glossy finish. Finally Essence as it should be! And such a simple solution. I have repeated it with the next vehicle that I am currently working on too, so it`s not a fluke.
I was so grateful to have my a/c unit going! Here was my garage after it running on low all night:
Here`s how that tail light came out after the 3 step process:
After the whole vehicle got all three steps, it was double coated with Gloss Coat which was applied to the wheels, side and rear glass and the head and tail lights as well as the paint. I was thrilled at how it came out. The Optimum product played beautifully with Essence (again I have repeated the combo) and produced a winner in my books.
Here it is:
A big paint chip repair:
Sorry for so many pics, but I was delighted with the outcome for this car. Comments as always are appreciated.
It was extremely hot out and I wanted to get it washed and inside the garage so I could get the air going as soon as possible.
First up was the wheels. I used the Bam wheel cleaner on the barrels and Zep Citrus on the faces. Zep 505 was used on the tires and LATA on the well. The barrels were then shot with Aqua Bead (a Hydro copy) to help keep them clean afterward.
The car was then washed with Megs HW followed by a decontamination wash of IronX paste. It was brought inside and clayed with a clay towel. Now it was time to inspect the paint and take note of all the chips:
Even a tail light lens was scratched:
I think you get the idea. I had my work cut out for me.
Time to fire up a cigar and play with some paint! I ended up going with Shine Supply Chop Top again (it is now my go-to for bad paint) and a black TB wool pad + 3401. That was followed by M205 + yellow B/S pad + 3401. I did a third step using Essence. I have had more bad luck with Essence than good. I find it hard to remove with a normal polishing time (gets smeary) and if worked too long, it gets pig tails and needs M205 or something as a fixer (pun intended). As an aside, when I`m removing a coating, I use a short nap mf followed by the Car Pro suede mf`s. (I don`t just use the suede). I call the suede my "insurance wipe". PM me for a crass, but true, metaphor for the insurance wipe. Anyway, I was using a Microfiber Madness blue Summit 800 towel to remove the Essence. It was doing a good job, but I was still getting a bit of smearing. So, I doubled up two suede mf`s (I always do) and went over the area again doing my "insurance wipe". That did it! It removed all trace of it and produced a smooth, glossy finish. Finally Essence as it should be! And such a simple solution. I have repeated it with the next vehicle that I am currently working on too, so it`s not a fluke.
I was so grateful to have my a/c unit going! Here was my garage after it running on low all night:
Here`s how that tail light came out after the 3 step process:
After the whole vehicle got all three steps, it was double coated with Gloss Coat which was applied to the wheels, side and rear glass and the head and tail lights as well as the paint. I was thrilled at how it came out. The Optimum product played beautifully with Essence (again I have repeated the combo) and produced a winner in my books.
Here it is:
A big paint chip repair:
Sorry for so many pics, but I was delighted with the outcome for this car. Comments as always are appreciated.
