Steve P

iTrader: (6)

First of all I would like to thank all the Goatfest attendees for allowing us the opportunity to participate in this year's event. A special thanks goes to Alex for the use of his car in order to demonstrate the techniques used in addressing up the surface. I also would like to recognize all the hands who assisted during this day's treatment:

Tropi-Care Chris
Trent from Black Glass Detailing of Austin
Michael C. and Clayton from Dust to Glory Detailing of Temple/Belton

Read all of Alex's account details and supporting pictures here:

http://ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232258

Start with a through rinsing and soaping of the surface with the Gilmour foam gun to soften the remaining dirt, we used the "Ulti-Mit" to swab all the panels and rinsed completely. The baggy test confirmed the need for clay bar use. We used several varieties all with different removal results. The mild composition gray clay from Clay Magic provided the best cleaning results overall for today's treatment.

After completion with the clay, we foamed a second time and rinsed to remove all soap/clay residue. To test a number of product combinations, we sectioned the hood off into 3 sections. We split the passenger half into two and did the following combinations:

Forward half-Menzerna Super Intensive Polish(SIP), Orange 5.5" foam pad and Flex buffer by Michael C.
Rear half-Menzerna Intensive Polish(IP), Orange 6.5" foam pad and UDM buffer by Steve P.

Assessment: Both sections showed marked improvement after treatment. The Flex machine and SIP showed quicker results as the machine has considerable more power as well as the SIP is a stronger abrasive than the IP. My combination showed great improvement by just taking slightly longer working time than Michael. Once we completed this exercise, we started working on the rest of the car.

The rear deck lid showed some signs of previous sanding marks and paint work. To address this, we brought some new soft foam blocks and self-adhesive sanding paper in 2000, 2500, and 3000 grit for testing and evaluation. Contact me here for more information and pricing of this product. Chris B. used the 3000 on the deck lid to smooth out some existing surface scratches and the sanding lines. This left the surface with a very uniform fine cloudiness after sanding. The 3000 does not remove the orange peel. After Chris and I buffed the surface with the UDM and Flex machine using SIP, the surface was near flawless. Even though the sky was overcast, we used a Brinkmann spotlight which gave us natural light source very similar to sunny conditions.

We worked on the rest of the surface for another hour before a short rain delay slowed us down in the afternoon. After the rain, the surface was lightly wiped and cleaned before an application of the TC-3 Sealant xP was applied by Chris and Trent with blue foam buffing pads. To complete the tire/wheels were dressed and cleaned.

The exterior glass showed significant staining especially around the perimeters. Normally #0000 steel wool knocks this out but not here. We had to step up and used the Menzerna Power Gloss compound by hand and a damp towel for removal.

In closing, we made great strides in cleaning up the surface of Alex's car today. As with any vehicle, this is all part of a continued process of maintenance. The remnants of the water spot perimeters can be removed once located with improved lighting conditions.

Questions and comments are welcome. We will be offering all 3 Menzerna products used through Tropi Care starting this week. Look for them at www.tropi-care.com soon. For more information about reaching any of the detailing team, you may PM me here or contact me at steve@tropi-care.com