The official "Ask a Detailer Thread"

Nix

Nix

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Lew-vul, KY
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It's A Fast Pig!
Give it a super wash, clay, sealant, wax, and that'll help stuff not stick. Touchless car wash if you're in a bind and it's covered in that black road salt/grime.

Best option is like a no-rinse hand wash with warm water. Just do one panel at a time. Wash, dry, wax. Optimum no-rinse works very well. I use it at my apt. complex since we have no hose and I can't make it to the parents house all the time. They have my major horde of supplies there. I keep a quick kit with me.

This is a pretty decent how-to article for winter washing and ONR in general.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/wash-and-wax-in-60-minutes-featuring-optimum-no-rinse/
 
Nix

Nix

Jötunn Moderator
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8,162
Lew-vul, KY
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It's A Fast Pig!
Hey rasky,

How hard is opti-guard/opti-coat to use? Haven't tried it before. Doing a new car prep for someone in about a week. Any other long term wheel sealant you might recommend? Im using the blackfire crystal seal on the paint.

Any comparison to the wet diamond sealant they offer?
 
RaskyR1

RaskyR1

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Nix said:
Hey rasky,

How hard is opti-guard/opti-coat to use? Haven't tried it before. Doing a new car prep for someone in about a week. Any other long term wheel sealant you might recommend? Im using the blackfire crystal seal on the paint.

Any comparison to the wet diamond sealant they offer?
Click to expand...

Opti-Coat 2.0 is easy to use and is similar to Opti-Seal or even Crystal Seal in application, except you need to level out any heavily applied areas before it sets up. Opti-Guard has to be obtained directly from Optimum and will require you to fill out a form with all your business info. The Opti-Guard is still pretty easy to use but it cures a lot faster, especially on hot days and can be fussy at times. The 2.0 has a pretty large window before it sets up but I will still test it out on a beater before applying it to a clients car. Prep is key though an make sure the surface is free of all oils, waxes ect. For wheels Opti-Coat/Guard is the way to go!

Quote from Todd Helme on the BF Crystal Seal and BFWD...thread here.

It can be used as a stand alone sealant. The benefit over Wet Diamond would be the time savings. Again we staying within the same family of polymers so the look and feel (slickness) is going to be on par with Wet Diamond. Wet Diamond will ultimately provide longer protection because (being a traditional sealant) it is going to have a higher number of active polymers in the formula.
Crystal Seal is whiplash in less time.
Click to expand...
 
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Murcethecurse

Murcethecurse

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minor scratches there but it bothers me im really ocd when it comes to my baby
rasky if you lived in cali you could do my detailing:banghead::bowdownsit::bunny::bowdownsit:
 
RaskyR1

RaskyR1

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Murcethecurse said:
yes it its on the sharp edge bumper area i got it quoted at a detailer for 125 polish wax and detailed.
Click to expand...

The whole car or just that spot? Being on the sharp edge I wouldn't attempt to remove it....quick way to rub through the clear with a quickness!

$125 is pretty low for a polish and wax, especially in Cali....I'd be careful with that place. Ask about their process, what type of tools they use (rotary or DA), What kind of pads, polishes, and wax....
 
Nix

Nix

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Lew-vul, KY
Body Style
It's A Fast Pig!
What about trying a paint cleaner wax? Something with very mild abrasives by hand. Might shine up just enough that you don't notice it any more. Something like SONAX Nano Tech Paint Cleaner? Or Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser? Just a little rubbing with the stuff on a foam applicator pad.
 
Murcethecurse

Murcethecurse

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67
18
RaskyR1 said:
The whole car or just that spot? Being on the sharp edge I wouldn't attempt to remove it....quick way to rub through the clear with a quickness!

$125 is pretty low for a polish and wax, especially in Cali....I'd be careful with that place. Ask about their process, what type of tools they use (rotary or DA), What kind of pads, polishes, and wax....
Click to expand...


yeah it seems to cheap to be true. I also found a place that does it for 265 complete detailing. This is there website :paper:http://www.apautodetail.com
 
RaskyR1

RaskyR1

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529
532
Nix said:
What about trying a paint cleaner wax? Something with very mild abrasives by hand. Might shine up just enough that you don't notice it any more. Something like SONAX Nano Tech Paint Cleaner? Or Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser? Just a little rubbing with the stuff on a foam applicator pad.
Click to expand...

Doing that can definitely clean out the scratch on a white care making it less noticeable. :thumb:



 
RaskyR1

RaskyR1

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532
Murcethecurse said:
yeah it seems to cheap to be true. I also found a place that does it for 265 complete detailing. This is there website :paper:http://www.apautodetail.com
Click to expand...

Let me know what city you are in and I should be able to refer you to a reputable detailer...Cali has lots of good one but it also has lot of hacks too! ;)

FYI - My basic (1-step) exterior polish starts at $350 and take around 5-9 hrs to complete
 
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