Have you ever coated air vents? ($10,000 detail in Chicago)

I don`t coat them, or much of anything else, and/but I dunno if coating them would make a diff as I`ve never had them deteriorate and they have to at least get dusted with something at every wash. If I`m doing something like that every time anyhow, why bother coating it? Not being snarky, I really do wonder what I might be missing.

That was indeed a nice detail, but I`d expect that level of work if I were paying a Pro (it`s the kind of Detail I do to any new-to-me vehicle) and I wouldn`t pay that much for it. Honestly, that`s the level of detail I`d expect most Autopians to do if working on a car that matters that was in such nice Before Condition, at least if working in such a well-equipped shop. I will say that those guys got finished in a tiny fraction of the time it`d take me, and I absolutely don`t want to come across as critical of their work in any way.

Q: What do the Pros here say...is that what they`d do for a "get this thing as nice as it oughta be and don`t worry about the cost" type of job? Would you people do more/less/same on that particular car if the owner wanted it really nice? Would it cost $10K to do that?

Q: If you coat the wells/etc. with a spraygun, how do you prep them for a redo? I know I ask about this "redoing coatings" thing a lot :o
 
Accumulator said:
I don`t coat them, or much of anything else, and/but I dunno if coating them would make a diff as I`ve never had them deteriorate and they have to at least get dusted with something at every wash. If I`m doing something like that every time anyhow, why bother coating it? Not being snarky, I really do wonder what I might be missing.

That was indeed a nice detail, but I`d expect that level of work if I were paying a Pro (it`s the kind of Detail I do to any new-to-me vehicle) and I wouldn`t pay that much for it. Honestly, that`s the level of detail I`d expect most Autopians to do if working on a car that matters that was in such nice Before Condition, at least if working in such a well-equipped shop. I will say that those guys got finished in a tiny fraction of the time it`d take me, and I absolutely don`t want to come across as critical of their work in any way.

Q: What do the Pros here say...is that what they`d do for a "get this thing as nice as it oughta be and don`t worry about the cost" type of job? Would you people do more/less/same on that particular car if the owner wanted it really nice? Would it cost $10K to do that?

Q: If you coat the wells/etc. with a spraygun, how do you prep them for a redo? I know I ask about this "redoing coatings" thing a lot :o
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I’d assume like a leather cleans as best aggressive as possible without doing damage and respray



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Killer video and amazing attention to detail. I can definitely appreciate the amount of work that went into it and don`t think I`d have the patience for it.

I`m not sure I understand the reason for coating the vents or even a lot of the surfaces since it will be a trailer queen, but I guess it can`t hurt. My only concern, at least if it enters any concours events, is that some of the undercarriage work may have went too far, like polishing of some of the metal bits that may not have had a shine to them originally. My understanding is that you can lose points if it looks too good or better then when it rolled off the assembly line. Either way it was an amazing job, one they should be very proud of.
 
Nice video. I don’t coat my vents but I can see doing it to block any UV rays. 303 AP does the same thing although it certainly does not last as long as a coating. $10k sounds a little high to me, but if the customer will pay it good for the detailer. I would have to sit down and do some math to figure out if it’s a good or bad deal.

I was glad to see they used Megs microfiber pads to cut that “medium hard” paint (no test spot). I was a little surprised to see him use a black (Meguires?) foam pad to finish with. I would have gone with a Rupes yellow and maybe followed that up with a Rupes white or the black Meguires pad (hey it’s $10k right?).

I want to know where that extension for the Nano came from. I really want one of those, they would come in very handy. I’ve thought about making one from a rotary extension. Any help here?

The underbody stuff was nice if you never drive it again. I would have steamed and pressure washed the underside first and saved some time and labor.

Not sure about his application method for his coating. Those microfiber application pads will suck up a ton of product. I’m sure Modesta is not cheap. The spray method of coating application makes sense, especially in the wheel wells. I wonder if a small misting bottle would work almost as well? I’m not going to invest in a spray gun.

I don’t know why he applied Letherique before he coated the seats. The Leatherique add oils back to the leather but may interfere with the coating bonding to the leather. The leather is plastic coated most of the time anyway. Possibly not in this BMW but you want your surface clean of any oils before applying any coating.

What did I miss that you would do better for $10k? Maybe not use q-tips but foam tips?
 
I got a kick out of watching him put a respirator on with a full beard/mustache. Lol. I know its better than nothing but you get ```` for a seal with that beard buddy.

The car looked great when they got done and specially the interior painted surfaces.
And there is no way Id drive that car after spending $10k+ to get it that level of clean underneath!!
 
Can someone tell what the air tool is they are cleaning the interior with. Looks like a 1-2” pad. That would be nice at times
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Nice video. I don’t coat my vents but I can see doing it to block any UV rays. 303 AP does the same thing although it certainly does not last as long as a coating. $10k sounds a little high to me, but if the customer will pay it good for the detailer. I would have to sit down and do some math to figure out if it’s a good or bad deal.

I was glad to see they used Megs microfiber pads to cut that “medium hard” paint (no test spot). I was a little surprised to see him use a black (Meguires?) foam pad to finish with. I would have gone with a Rupes yellow and maybe followed that up with a Rupes white or the black Meguires pad (hey it’s $10k right?).

I want to know where that extension for the Nano came from. I really want one of those, they would come in very handy. I’ve thought about making one from a rotary extension. Any help here?

The underbody stuff was nice if you never drive it again. I would have steamed and pressure washed the underside first and saved some time and labor.

Not sure about his application method for his coating. Those microfiber application pads will suck up a ton of product. I’m sure Modesta is not cheap. The spray method of coating application makes sense, especially in the wheel wells. I wonder if a small misting bottle would work almost as well? I’m not going to invest in a spray gun.

I don’t know why he applied Letherique before he coated the seats. The Leatherique add oils back to the leather but may interfere with the coating bonding to the leather. The leather is plastic coated most of the time anyway. Possibly not in this BMW but you want your surface clean of any oils before applying any coating.

What did I miss that you would do better for $10k? Maybe not use q-tips but foam tips?
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Hey rlmccarty - I think the extensions you are referring to may be the ones that Kevin Brown makes and sells through his website, Buff Daddy.
I think you can email him and discuss length and what you are looking for/ which tool and he will make recommendations on which or do a custom one for you.
 
RaydiantDetail said:
Hey rlmccarty - I think the extensions you are referring to may be the ones that Kevin Brown makes and sells through his website, Buff Daddy.
I think you can email him and discuss length and what you are looking for/ which tool and he will make recommendations on which or do a custom one for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks. After I posted I started to search(google is your friend) and found them on KBs site. I had forgotten that Buff Daddy was still around. He always has stuff no one else has. I’m going to pick up the long extension for getting around side mirrors and interior pieces. The long extensions run about $30 for those that are interested. He also sells extensions for rotary polishers too.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
What did I miss that you would do better for $10k?
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Eh, different people value different things.

I wouldn`t bother with some of what they did (e.g., polishing metals to better-than-OE and maybe some of the interior work) but always spend countless hours on things they apparently didn`t do (again, I`m NOT slamming them as that job was well beyond any criticism).

dcjredline said:
... there is no way Id drive that car after spending $10k+ to get it that level of clean underneath!!
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-AND-

rlmccarty2000 said:
The underbody stuff was nice if you never drive it again.
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Once you get used to the underneath being nice it`s hard to regress.

Even if it won`t stay perfect, getting even a regular driver`s underneath nice like that makes it a lot easier to *keep* it decently detailed. Twenty years later, a vehicle that`s had its undercarriage kept nice is very different from one that hasn`t been treated to that, even with the inevitable wear and tear.

I was a bit envious that they got to demonstrate such work on a car is such nice shape...reminded me of my when I spend over a month on my then-new S8. Doing the undercarriage of a very used vehicle OTOH, can be nasty work, but IMO those are the ones that really need it.
 
Finally saw this video. Props to the time and dedication they put into it.

I guess I know what to do with excess DLUX.


rlmccarty2000 said:
Not sure about his application method for his coating. Those microfiber application pads will suck up a ton of product. I’m sure Modesta is not cheap.
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The microfiber applicators don’t absorb that much. They also spread out product better than a suede block. Give the Autofiber microfiber saver applicators a try. They are legit and save product.
 
The microfiber applicators do not soak up any more than the suede cloth and give a more even application. The first coating was Modesta BC06 which must be sprayed on. We use an airbrush to do wheels. He then followed with Modesta BC04.
 
Mike lambert said:
The microfiber applicators do not soak up any more than the suede cloth and give a more even application. The first coating was Modesta BC06 which must be sprayed on. We use an airbrush to do wheels. He then followed with Modesta BC04.
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Do you use as many drops of Modesta as he did? It was really pouring out of that bottle. I’ve never used Modesta, but it would be a lot for other coatings.
 
The Guz said:
Finally saw this video. Props to the time and dedication they put into it.

I guess I know what to do with excess DLUX.




The microfiber applicators don’t absorb that much. They also spread out product better than a suede block. Give the Autofiber microfiber saver applicators a try. They are legit and save product.
Click to expand...

I want to try the Autofiber applicators. I keep meaning to pick up,some. They are different from the microfiber applicators he was using in the video. I use that type to apply dressings or sealants rather than the round yellow applicators. I never tried them for coatings as I thought they would absorb more liquid. Good to know!
 
Just a thought on coating applicators. I’ve been buying coatings from Japan and the come with a block type applicator, no suede microfiber. I haven’t tried them yet, just thought it was strange. Asia has been in the coating game longer than the US. Modesta is a Japanese coating.
 
Well that is some video. Can’t see how the owner thinks it’s worth 10k but some people have so much
Money they don’t know what to do with it I guess.

Paul Dalton I think you have some competition in Chicago.
 
If somebody wants it done and can`t DIY it I can see it being worth the $10K. I do wonder about how nice the owner will keep it though...I`d be interested to see it in a few years after it has some miles of use on it.
 
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