Lexus IS250: MF D300 Paint correction, interior, and Opti-Coat protection.

vettefan67

New member
I tested both of these yesterday on a 2000 Maxima's wheels that were caked with brake dust inside. This will be a very short review, I am requesting some information from Eagle One and will post it when I get a response. [EDIT: Nevermind that very short part :D]

<strong class='bbc'>Test Method:[/b] These wheels are of a (5?)-spoke design. Very nice coating on them, not like regular car paint. What is it?

Anyway, I put a strip of a Charisma towel down the middle of the inside of the wheel to prevent the cleaner runoff from mixing excessively. The left and right halves of the inside of the wheels were sprayed with a different cleaner, alternating sides on different wheels.

Cleaners were allowed to dwell for approximately 30 seconds before being removed by a blast from a hose nozzle.

<strong class='bbc'>Results:[/b]
This was a complete no-brainer. Eagle One removed more gunk than EF-HI by a huge margin. It wasn't even close! I had for some reason expected EF HI to win just because of its name around here but the test was conducted impartially and the Eagle One product removed much more initial dust.

Both products left behind dust, the EF left about 2-3 times as much from this test.

<strong class='bbc'>Tire Cleaning:[/b]
Both products claimed to be safe on tires, and they both seemed to clean <em class='bbc'>about[/i] as well. The EO stuff brought a little more brown color out of the tires but I would prefer to use the EF HI on tires because it isn't as agressive.

<strong class='bbc'>Safety[/b]
I am not sure. Judging from bottle warnings the EO stuff is more agressive and has more warnings on it but the EF HI stuff isn't for distribution in retail stores so it may be exempt from these types of requirements.

I sprayed both products on a Scott Blue paper/cloth towel and on an unused latex glove (reason below).

<strong class='bbc'>Scott's Blue Paper/cloth towel:[/b]
A2Z bleached the towel somewhat, the color is now more of a light turquoise with a yellowish tint. Not an extreme bleach but certainly a color change.

EF HI didn't change the color of the towel much, but you can tell something was there.

A2Z weakened the towel somewhat at that spot, it ripped more easily. EF HI didn't seem to attack the towel much at all.

<strong class='bbc'>Latex Glove:[/b]

I wear latex gloves when sticking my hands inside of wheels and highly recommend that others do the same. You don't want wheel cleaner, rust, or brake dust in any small cuts you might have. I noted that the glove got kind of tacky and decided to test:

A2Z made the fingers of an unused glove stick together somewhat as if it had attacked the latex and mildly glued it together. The glove stretches without a problem.

EF HI made it a little tacky but otherwise OK.


<strong class='bbc'>Notes[/b]
I am requesting some safety information about the Eagle One product. If it's as safe as it is marketed to be, it's an excellent product I will most certainly use again. I'd reach for it over EF HI on wheels that need extra work.

It is not recommended that you use most, if any, wheel cleaners on chipped areas of wheels. It can work its way under the paint on the wheel and cause damage from below. Clean them well and seal 'em up soon after.

Happy Detailing,

Justin
 
Hey Justin,



Great review :up Very detailed.



One thing though, did you brush the Ef HI with a foam pad or brush (those ones you find at Home depot for cheap)?



The EO may be an acid so its a spray on spray off type of cleaner, but for the Ef HI, it needs to be brushed after some dwell time (I allow it to sit on the surface for a minute.)



Other than that, great review, I have a gallon of EF Hi coming to me, and a few spray bottles, next test Ef Hi vs. Automotive International's Omni all purpose.



Jason
 
Yes this is the NEW E1 stuff, not acid based.



Still awaiting a response, it must be the rep's day off :). No prob, Eagle One is awesome to deal with. I generally get a response to email within an hour from them.
 
I like the stuff, especially since I can get it at Wal-Mart. It cleans tires really well, and it removes brake dust with minimum scrubbing. It seems much much safer than the old A2Z, and it's basic, not acidic. Personally, I prefer it to Hi-Intensity, but unfortunately, A2Z can't be purchased by the gallon.
 
I just got in this morning and checked the board. Yesterday we had a detailing photo shoot, so I was not at my desk, sorry for the lag. I will reply to puter and the forum as soon as I get coffee and can make sense.



Joe
 
Here's the exact response I received from EO (Joseph ;)):
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

Justin,
Thanks for the e-mail. Not sure if you have seen my post, but I am in
the office once again, have my coffee, and I think I make sense now. The
new formula of A2Z contains nothing on the acidic level at all. However, it
is strong on the alkaline base. We felt that too many people were having
problems with clear coat wheels and acidic wheel cleaners (not just ours).
Some of the wheel manufacturers today, as I am sure you are aware, are
rather inexpensive (a.k.a. cheap) and the quality shows. Since we cannot
control the clear coats used on wheels, we felt we should move away from
the acid base and go with the alkaline based cleaner we have now. We have
tested it in our wheel machine and on the road, and have yet to see any
adverse effects. The reason we do the road testing is to see the results on
wheels that get hot from driving, have less than perfect finishes, etc. As
for being safe for wheels that are chipped, it should more than be safe,
however it is difficult to say what the wheel has been through. It should
not have an adverse effects on a chipped wheel, but if the clear coat is
already failing or the chip has had brake dust embedded for any extended
amount of time, it is hard to say what will happen. Alot of it may come
down to how good of a clear coat is used. In other words, factory wheels
will be fine in this state, as will any good quality aftermarket wheel. It
really is hard to say something is 100% safe as sometimes it is user error
(cleaners on hot wheels) or poor condition of the wheel. Also, I am not
sure if you are aware, but some brake pads use an adhesive in the pads that
becomes acidic when mixed with water. Imagine a wheel using these pads in
wet conditions that doesn't clean their wheels for two months. The brake
dust gets wet many times over and has damaged the clear coat, however the
wheels are so dirty that they can't see the damage. Now the same person
uses any wheel cleaner and as the brake dust is removed, damage becomes
visible. Kinda one of those things where how do you prove who was at fault.
I have seen this as someone used a pH neutral product (not one of ours) on
a heavily abused (caked on brake dust for 6 months!!!) wheel. The wheel
looked horrible, and being that I worked for a company that made these
types of products, the guy asked me my opinion. I told him that he
shouldn't bother contacting that company beacuse it was not likely at all a
pH neutral product would damage his clear coated wheel. Eh, I am rambling,
but to make it short, the cleaner should be perfectly safe, yet it is hard
to say since some people really abuse their wheels or atract chemicals off
the road that may have bad reactions when mixed with any wheel cleaners.
Used on a well cared for wheel, our new formula will not harm them.

Okay, enough of that. I am glad you liked the stuff. I just like to get
product out to people that have tried other stuff so they can give us
feedback. It's nice to know how enthusiasts rate our products next to
others. Thanks for all the info and if you ever need anything let me know.

Joseph C. Kissel
Eagle One Industries
www.eagleone.com</blockquote>
~Justin
:xyxthumbs
 
I tested it full strength and slightly diluted and didn't note enough of a difference to go back to full strength. I used about 75/25% or stronger.
 
Interesting review Puter, EF would have had my vote. While I haven't used this on my rims yet, usually GC and a MF towel gets my weekly residue off, I have used EF as a general cleaner. Cleaned up some grape juice that got into the door runner. Worked like a champ.







Nice review.
 
Lexus IS250: MF D300 Paint correction, interior, and Opti-Coat protection.


This car belongs to a great client/friend of mine. The vehicle was in for an early spring detail, Opti-Coat protection, and also to see if I could fix a little mishap where the garage door opening ran into the side of the car. ;)

Paint correction Process:
-D300 MF compound via PCXP 5" MF pads
-GTechniq P2 via rotary and LC cyan foam pad
-Wet sanding was done with 6" disks 1500/3000

Paint and exterior Protection:
-Optimum Opti-Coat (Applied to all paint, glass, trim, and wheels)


Interior Process:
-Carpets/mats cleaned with Folex and the LGM. Some areas pre-treated with 303 fabric cleaner
-Vinyl and dash cleaned with OPC and/or Einszitt Cockpit Premium
-Leather cleaned with OCP and Leather Masters

Note: Several of the interior panels had deep scuffs on them. After discussing with the owner we decided against trying diminish their appearance with a dressing, as we both prefer the natural look and feel.



Before pics:


Yea MN winters!!!
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Here is the damage the garage left behind...
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Don't drive with the windows down right after getting a hair cut...
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After the car was washed, clayed, and paint transfer was removed, this is the damage that remained.
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Good amount of clear to work with....forgot to take after pic reading though. :(
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Taping of clear film edges with 3M Fineline tape
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Swirls and RIDS....these were hard to capture in pics, possibly from the metallic in the paint.
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50/50 with only the D300, which finished down very nicely!
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Jeweling down the paint with GTechniq P2 really brought out some gloss, though it's hard to see in pics.
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Applying the Opti-Coat
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Looks great Chad.

Couple of quick questions...

1. Were the leather seats perforated and if so, how did you like your choice for treating the Leather? Were you able to diminsh any cracking or signs of aging?

2. Was the new Megs combo better than the tradition M105/M205 duet?

3. It looked like there was a decent amount of salt buildup underneath the mats, did the LGM really clean them up???
 
Great turnaround Chad!!
You really did a great job of bringing back the beauty of that car. Looks like the new DA System really is all that it is cracked up to be.:thumbup:
 
Thanks guys!


Looks great Chad.

Couple of quick questions...

1. Were the leather seats perforated and if so, how did you like your choice for treating the Leather? Were you able to diminsh any cracking or signs of aging?

2. Was the new Megs combo better than the tradition M105/M205 duet?

3. It looked like there was a decent amount of salt buildup underneath the mats, did the LGM really clean them up???

1. Yes, they were perforated. I always reach for LTT or Leather Masters now...though I'm out of LTT cleaner. I didn't notice any diminishing of cracking, but it restored the original look and feel to the seats IMO....and I LOVE these seats! They are SO soft and just make you feel so snug, which I'm sure you already knew. ;)

2. I'm not going to say better, but I like using the D300/MF combo more than M105. I don't like all the dust and D300 is just so easy to use. M205 is great and I have no complaints about it. I'll use whatever combo is best for the job, but D300/MF will be my go to compound for most cars. :)

3. Yep. The LGM combined with a carpet brush and 303/Folex took it right out. :thumbup:



Rasky
 
Chad,

Stunning paint after your correction ! Interior looks like brand new again !

Absolutely perfect work, Chad ! I had a new IS350 for about 2 years, and the paint on these cars is really nice when taken to the "just out of the paintbooth and still wet" look you did to this poor girl. Another example of run hard, and put away wet, saved from the glue-factory ! :):):)

Need to learn more about Gtechniq P2 product........

Thanks for sharing another beautiful example of what professional care can accomplish !
Dan F
 
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