Interior Exterior
Q:
Ok, the Rejex is great for this car in the areas where dirt piles up. Lower rear of the car, in front of the rear fender, along the lower sides of the car (mostly Starshield if you have it) and on the lower front. That's where I wipe my car down every night and get the gook off.
Over that area where the Rejex is applied, I use a spray bottle filled with that magical expensive product...water. It takes everything off quickly and simply.
I don't want to let that gook stick on the car more than is ever necessary.
The Lotus race car drivers like using Rejex for the same reasons in the same spots.
The rest of the car -- I put Klasse All-In-One down, followed by Maquires NXT. Nice shine....
If you put waxes over the Rejex it removes it.
Other people love other products -- but in those areas, I want the dirt to come off quickly and easily...
A:
For wheels a gentle product to clean them like Sonus, followed by the Michelin Brake dust preventative that I bought on-line. I use foam paint brushes to get in the tight parts on the wheels. The Michelin works really really well...I would not use Rejex on the wheels or windows.
I clean the wheels and the car completely once a week, usually Friday evenings or Saturday mornings in the cool shade.
A:
Remember there is very little surface area on the Elise that doesn't have Star Shield. My hardtop is a big part of that.
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Nick, you really hit a home run with your quick detailing spray, Prima Slick. It's quickly becoming my favorite QD, though I still use others for LSP specific applications.
A:
Vantage, Nick, what exactly does the detailing spray do. Is this something you spray on just as a cleaner between washes or does it put on a protective coating?
Chris
A:
i just thought I'd chime in with my $.02..
a detailing spray is used when you don't have time to do a full wash. It removes a top low level grit. It does act as a "go between." Certain quick detail sprays add to the proctective coating some don't. What's become quite popular are the actual "spray sealants"
A:
Hey Chris,
That is just my term for products like Zaino Z-6, Meguiars Quik Detailer, etc. Prima falls under this category as well. There seem to be a lot of detailing sprays with different purposes these days. Everything from waterless washes for wiping up dirt to sprayable paint sealants.
Like Z-6, Slick has some mild cleaners for smudges/fingerprints/waterspots, but also leaves some polymer behind for a boost of slickness and shine. It's your typical, well balanced quick detailer. I'm kind of a nut and only use these kinds of products after washing my car.
Nick obviously knows the ins and outs of his products, so he can rate the cleaning ability, etc. better than I can.
A:
thanks guys,
I think my car detailing closet needs to be expanded a bit with some qd stuff. Also think when the car is do for another sealant app I'll try this new sealant Nick's mentioning
Chris
A:
Vantage, Nick, what exactly does the detailing spray do. Is this something you spray on just as a cleaner between washes or does it put on a protective coating?
Chris
One other use is during drying. I don't know how it works with other products, but with Griot's Speed Shine or Meguiar's Quick Detail, you can spray it on while the vehicle is wet. The Speed Shine provides added lubrication during drying and, with a darker colored vehicle, seems to provide a deeper-looking shine. Griot's also produces a product now called "Spray-On Wax" which is formulated to be used in this way and is less smudgy than the quick detailers can be when used on a wet vehicle.
(Standard disclaimers apply - YMMV)
A:
Do you own an Elise yet?? I ask because I know how expensive they are in Canada. If you do, would you mind if I came by to check it out?
cheers
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Uhhh...forget all of these products right now. As Tumbler said, paint improvement comes from PAINT PREP!! That means...wash, clay bar, and POLISH!!! Without proper polishing, your paint's appearance will just marginally improve.
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Recently tried Four Star UPP from Detailers Paradise, nice glossy shine that brings out the sparkle in the krypton green. GREAT service from Nick. Very easy to apply, and buff/wipe with microfiber. Can I apply rejex over, on the hard to keep clean starshield areas?
A:
Interesting thread, but a couple of points:
Wheels: I read in a mag recently that the Michelin wheel treatment didn't perceptibly help.
P21S wheel cleaner works great. The gel version can be left on really dirty wheels for a while.
To tell if your wheels are clear-coated or not, clean at least a section and - trust me - lick it. If the taste is metalliic, the wheels are not clear-coated. (Note that I do this the same dark night I fertilize the lawn.)
Waxes: Everyone has an opinion. I use Blitz wax on the Lotuses and Meguiar's Medallion for the o/s car. The latter lasts a long time, which is my criterion for o/s car waxes.
Soap: More important than you think, as some remove wax and some clearly leave the car shinier. My favorite soap was discontinued and I now use P21S.
Interior: Great results from Vinylex, from same people who make Lexol leather treatments, which are also good (but a 2-step process, good for people from Texas). It doesn't last on o/s of car, tho.
Tires: Testing the new Meguiar's product; seems fine so far.
Clay: Don't use unless you have to. Can remove paint, create damage from what I hear.
Glass: I used a micro-fiber towel last night on i/s and got the cleanest w/s I ever had. Plasticizers are removed best with vinegar-based products or Stoner.
I strongly recommend this source for car care products:
Larry Reynolds, Car Care Specialties @ (877) 796-8300; www.carcaronline.com.
I am not affiliated with him, but in 15 years he's never steered me wrong, never sold me anything that didn't work exactly as promised. He does a lot with BMW CCA, Porche club, Mercedes club.
In fact, if you know which manufacturer's paint was used, he can tell you which products will work best. Often, he knows which paint was used by factory.
His catalog has many excellent hints on car care. I used his stone chip technique on the rear wing of my TT Supra. When I was done, even I couldn't find the former chips.
Get his catalog, it will help you.
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Blasphemy! Clay bars are great
Note to group: you may lick your own car but strangers raise objections when you lick theirs.
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glb,
When I read your comment on clay, I laughed out loud and thought, he must be talking to Larry. I read further, and indeed you are. Larry is a great guy, I talk to him about once a week. What you will quickly learn is that Larry is pretty old school and certain about his opinions. He thinks clay is the devil and a PC is worthless. I think there are plenty of us around who could do much more than verbally dispute this.
GRIN,
I believe REJEX has some cleaners, so it will likely remove anything it goes over.
A:
if Larry thinks a clay bar can do damage...I hope he's not using a rotary!! A clay bar can create microscratching if it is used improperly by either:
-using a dirty portion of the clay bar on paint
-by not using sufficient lubrication for the clay
-by holding the clay in your hand instead of your palm (this theory I have yet to test, but the other two were tested personally by me)
If the above three guidelines are meet, a clay bar can be your best friend. Heck, I detailed a client's car last weekend. He had left the car outside since Sepetember of last year. The surface was so heavily contaminated, that it took me more than 4 hours to clay bar his car! The results though, spoke for themselves as there was a clear, obvious difference in smoothness between the properly clay barred surface and the surface before it.