My camera only works when I remember to put a memory card in it, so I'm dependent on my friend Lou for pictures. So far, this is the only one he's posted. Check out this awesome Tahoe...
Today, 4/25, the Lehigh Valley Miata Owner's Club held a Detail Day, with Meguiar's Rod Kraft, the Area Sales Rep Mid-Atlantic Region, giving a "car care" seminar to about 36 members and guests. Rod spent about 4 1/2 hours covering the basics of detailing, starting with "remove all your jewelry", through washing, claying& cleaning, polishing, protecting, maintaining, then covering leather care, tire dressings, wheel care, convertible top care, engine bay, and anything else he was asked, including basic rotary useage (Mosca raises his hand).
Unfortunately it was cold and raining, so we didn't get a chance to detail a lot of cars, but Rod presented the information is a way that made it easy to take back and use at one's leisure. Overheard, wife to husband: "Well, we've been doing this all wrong right from the start." Husband: "Yeah, so we'd better pay attention."
Interesting high points; "how much product to use", boar's hair brushes with leather cleaner, using #85 with a rotary (it's not abrasive, but chemical), demonstrating clay with cellophane, why some tire dressings "sling" (improper application) and how to prevent it, "what is quick detailer, really?", get those belt clips to keep your PC power cord off the car.... there were TONS of them, really. There was LOTS of information that is useful to rooks and pros alike.
Unlikely star of the show? Get ready, 'cause you're not going to believe it...
ColorX.
We used Curt's car, a '96 Miata in midnight blue mica clearcoat, as the test car. Curt's car was pretty average, not beat up like the Bronco II in Mike's initial ColorX demo, but not an Autopian car, either, with some acid rain etchings, some nicks and chips, and swirls and spider webbing. When the presentation part was over, and we started into the "hands on", I asked Rod to analyze the paint and make a recommendation. He suggested we claybar, then use ColorX.
WOW. That brought up a beautiful, deep, radiant glow on the car, where it took on the different colors it had when new, deep blue in direct light, and dark, almost black blue in indirect light, with tons of metalflake! What impressed me the most was the depth it gave, as if there was nothing on the paint, but the paint looked very deep.
It wasn't just the ColorX alone, btw. Claybarring first gave the car a silky smooth finish to start on. One very important point Rod made was about proper use of products, and products working together, and how misunderstanding a product and its place can lead to dissatisfaction. Rod made the point that if you don't clean the paint first, you are waxing not just the paint, but paint AND contaminants. This leads not only to poor appearance, but poor durability as well, as the wax doesn't stick to contaminants the way it does to the paint. So, sometimes "This wax doesn't look good and doesn't last!" is because the paint wasn't properly prepared!
I'll be getting pictures and posting them either later today, or early tomorrow. But, a splendid time was had by all.
Thanks, Rod, and Mike for helping arrange it!
Tom
Today, 4/25, the Lehigh Valley Miata Owner's Club held a Detail Day, with Meguiar's Rod Kraft, the Area Sales Rep Mid-Atlantic Region, giving a "car care" seminar to about 36 members and guests. Rod spent about 4 1/2 hours covering the basics of detailing, starting with "remove all your jewelry", through washing, claying& cleaning, polishing, protecting, maintaining, then covering leather care, tire dressings, wheel care, convertible top care, engine bay, and anything else he was asked, including basic rotary useage (Mosca raises his hand).
Unfortunately it was cold and raining, so we didn't get a chance to detail a lot of cars, but Rod presented the information is a way that made it easy to take back and use at one's leisure. Overheard, wife to husband: "Well, we've been doing this all wrong right from the start." Husband: "Yeah, so we'd better pay attention."
Interesting high points; "how much product to use", boar's hair brushes with leather cleaner, using #85 with a rotary (it's not abrasive, but chemical), demonstrating clay with cellophane, why some tire dressings "sling" (improper application) and how to prevent it, "what is quick detailer, really?", get those belt clips to keep your PC power cord off the car.... there were TONS of them, really. There was LOTS of information that is useful to rooks and pros alike.
Unlikely star of the show? Get ready, 'cause you're not going to believe it...
ColorX.
We used Curt's car, a '96 Miata in midnight blue mica clearcoat, as the test car. Curt's car was pretty average, not beat up like the Bronco II in Mike's initial ColorX demo, but not an Autopian car, either, with some acid rain etchings, some nicks and chips, and swirls and spider webbing. When the presentation part was over, and we started into the "hands on", I asked Rod to analyze the paint and make a recommendation. He suggested we claybar, then use ColorX.
WOW. That brought up a beautiful, deep, radiant glow on the car, where it took on the different colors it had when new, deep blue in direct light, and dark, almost black blue in indirect light, with tons of metalflake! What impressed me the most was the depth it gave, as if there was nothing on the paint, but the paint looked very deep.
It wasn't just the ColorX alone, btw. Claybarring first gave the car a silky smooth finish to start on. One very important point Rod made was about proper use of products, and products working together, and how misunderstanding a product and its place can lead to dissatisfaction. Rod made the point that if you don't clean the paint first, you are waxing not just the paint, but paint AND contaminants. This leads not only to poor appearance, but poor durability as well, as the wax doesn't stick to contaminants the way it does to the paint. So, sometimes "This wax doesn't look good and doesn't last!" is because the paint wasn't properly prepared!
I'll be getting pictures and posting them either later today, or early tomorrow. But, a splendid time was had by all.
Thanks, Rod, and Mike for helping arrange it!
Tom