Just applied Ultima. I'm Ultimately confused.

D

d2mini

New member
So here's the dealio. I have a brand new A3. Just off the boat. I washed it, used the Ultima Elastrofoam on the front end and then used UPPP. The UPPP was awesome. Very easy to apply and remove. I even let it sit as I did about 1/5th of the car at a time, then went back and wiped it off before doing the next 1/5th.



But now the "problem". The UPGP I found very hard to work with because I knew I was not supposed to over apply. I primed the pad with two sprays, did half the hood, then applied another spray from then on doing one panel at a time. Took all of 10-15 minutes to do the whole car. The problem I had was that i couldn't see the product on the panel! For the first second or two I could see an oily film. But as I applied over the whole panel I couldn't see anything. I'm under flourescent lighting and looked from all angles. When I was done I even pulled it out into the sun and still nothing. The only place I see a little "smearing" is on the black glass roof. The rest of the car is bright red.



Any thoughts? Did I apply it correctly? The whole time I'm worried that I'm wiping too much and removing the product at the same time that i'm applying it.



Oh, and that sprayer is funked up. Kept dripping product down all over my hand. But i think I remember something about david working on a solution for that. Also, i wasn't fond of the pump top on the UPPP. Too akward to dispense product compared to a regular flip top.
 
Sounds like you did your application perfectly to me. :)



Seeing the oily film for just a second or two before it vanishes means you got it just right.
 
Woohoo! Really? Phew.



Ok, so how long until I can drive the car and how long until I can apply a second coat?



Should I go over the car with the Ultima Detail Spray right before the second coat?



Thanks!
 
As far as wipe on, walk away products from my experience with Z-CS and OS...The less you use, the faster the drying time is. Too much can cause haze and streaks which will need QD to wipe the excess off. Sounds about right, you prime the pad, and 1 to 2 sqritz on a panel and work it in.
 
Yeah, i read the faq and that was part of the reason I was confused.



Wipe the product in well and finish by wiping in a straight line direction (this will help you see where you have applied product). When it appears that no more product is being applied to the paint, spray one more shot of product onto the applicator.
Click to expand...



I couldn't see where I applied it and it hardly every looked like product was being applied.
 
d2mini said:
Yeah, i read the faq and that was part of the reason I was confused.







I couldn't see where I applied it and it hardly every looked like product was being applied.
Click to expand...



Unfornately, these are the typical application characteristics you will see with most WOWA type of products. Although, I do find the UPGP easier to see where it has been applied than Z-CS. There is no substitute for "hands on" experience.



It also helps if you are already used to applying sealants "whisper-thin."
 
Well, here is a pic taken yesterday. As you can see, being a brand new car, the paint is in great shape already. So not sure if I'll see much of a difference... but will post pics in a couple days once at least 2 coats have cured.



206706176-L.jpg
 
I'll agree with you that the sprayer on the Paint Guard bottle is absolute crap. I cant tell you how much product has been wasted by the stupid dripping while trying to use the product. The sample bottles were a lot better. So you pay $70 for your product to slowly drip away.
 
Yeah, I am really bummed about the sprayer too. I hope the new one is soon to be mailed to the people who bought the product for $70.
 
The sprayer issue was addressed in an email a week or so ago. IIRC they should be being replaced in the coming weeks.
 
Ok so this morning (about 20 hours later) I go out to apply the second coat.



First I go around the whole car with the Ultima Detail Spray. No issues with any streaking. Used 2 16x20 mf towels to do the entire car.



Next I grabbed the UPGP. Pulled off the blue cap, grabbed the applicator and went to work.

Today I was able to see the oily film much easier. It was still disappearing pretty quick but I could definitely see it enough to know that it was actually being applied to the paint, even though it would then disappear (for the most part) seconds later. So I go around the whole car. I get to the last panel... looked at the bottle thinking "wow, it still looks like i hardly used a drop"... that's when i saw the text on the label that read.... ULTIMA INTERIOR GUARD. :nervous2:



AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! :eek:



SONOFA........!!!!!!!!! :wall



So i grabbed the detail spray again and quickly went to work going over the whole car again. What's weird is the car looked good. The interior guard really did act just like the paint guard plus. But now I'm pissed. I'm wondering if this just screwed up the base coat of UPGP. I'm wondering if this is going to screw up the second coat of UPGP. I'm wondering if my effort so far were now all for nothing. Ugh.



So i got the whole car detail sprayed in 5 minutes, grabbed the mf applicator, turned it over to the opposite side and started applying the REAL UPGP. 15 minutes later I was done, and this time I had the same experience as yesterday. For the most part I didn't see the oily film after the first few seconds of wiping each panel.



Ok, so what do you think? David? Did the interior guard do anything to hurt the final finish?

I do have to say... the packaging could definitely have more visual cues as to what's what. That's what I do for a living... packaging design. Our clients would rip us a new one if there wasn't more "flavor" differentiation. You always have to design for the stupid people (like me). Especially with having two products in the exact same bottle with the same cap. And they even reacted extremely similiar. Makes me wonder why the sprayer on the interior guard works fine with no leaking. I'm surprised that didn't tip me off.



Oh well, I'm sure it's fine. I just have to pay more attention next time and not be such a moron. But now I'm definitely going to do a third coat just for good measure. :xyxthumbs
 
Got the third coat on but I lost the sun... dark clouds have rolled in today. :(

Have to wait to get some pics...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top