Winter is slowly coming to an end. For some of us, it can't get here soon enough. This would be a good time to evaluate all of your detailing supplies. Maybe this is the year that one will hope to get a Porter Cable or UDM buffer to achieve that next level of paint surface appeal. For others, it may be a need for more buffing pads, detail brushes, microfibers or interior/exterior surface treatment products. We invite you to come check out the new Tropi Care website at www.tropi-care.com. After 2 months of behind the scenes development, the renovated site features a number of new offerings. Feel free to contact us with any questions at [email protected] or contact us toll-free at (866)341-0050.
What would you recommend for my Black 08 CSRT4? The car gets beat up by dirt daily and it clings on to the body way to easy. I would like to make this car look better than when I first got it! Thanks Gabriel
i will def be buying a porter this year from you steve. i just detailed my car by hand the other weekend and absolutely died after my 4th coat of zaino.
Any dark color vehicle can be a challenge to maintain to a high level but when its clean, it is also the most rewarding. Just ask Justin with his black Jeep. It is important to establish a process to treat the surfaces on a regular basis which will make them easier to clean and restore to the levels you desire. To begin with any process after washing/rinsing to remove the loose dirt, it is recommended to use a clay bar as directed to remove any surface contamination that is not removed by conventional wash methods. These may include brake dust, tree sap, paint over spray, bug residue, tar, grease and industrial fallout. The clay bar will give you an excellent base for all final finish products resulting in longer lasting protection. Once completed with the clay bar and cleaner wax for sub-surface cleaning, you can now address the removal of surface scratches and blemishes. You can attempt to try removal by hand but it may futile and time consuming. Machine removal is your best bet. Whether it is PC, UDM or Flex, these are all user friendly for both beginners and novices. Using a machine for restoration is a trial and evaluation process for the beginner or novice group. Buffing pad and chemical combinations(such as TC-8 Swirl Cutter/white or orange foam pad) will yield a whole range of surface treatments. However you will not burn the clear coat with any of them. Once you have defined your process in your initial detailing, you will have established a course of regular maintenance from the wash/dry process through last step protection products. It is important to learn to use the product correctly and use them regularly to keep the surfaces to your high standards. Feel free to contact me direct for more product info specific to your detail situation.
We'll take care of your product/machine needs when you're ready. When you start using a machine for all your surface treatments, you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
Since this is in the detailing section, I will put my input, not to mention I've owned a dozen or so black vehicles. If you are very picky about your car like I am and maintain it on a weekly basis weather permitting, I highly recommend cycling between a machine glaze every couple months and a wax every couple weeks. The nice thing about this is that you always have a nice surface to work with and the maintenance is a lot easier each week or two than say every month or two since the car is wearing a nice coat of wax. With anything you need a nice base to start, and being that your car is new, I would do like the previous poster said, give it a good wash, while you are washing it, soaping it to be more exact, go over it with bare hands and find the rough spots. If you are finding them, imperfections, road grime, asphalt, glass, bugs, etc, address those places with a clay bar and some quick detailer. Once the paint is nice and smooth, I hit it with a buffer on a very low speed and a nice glaze product, I like the 3m Perfect-it line like this http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=GS75JDPH37beGS8V45YN4Pgl . I've tried a few different versions and all seem more about the technique to get good results than which actual one you get. The glaze will smooth out your drying scratches, any scratches the clay bar put in the paint and get it super smooth and glass-like and ready for wax. I am a believer in carnuba waxes and using the best carnuba wax you can afford. I'm poor, so I generally Meguiars Deep Crystal carnuba wax, though I've used http://www.autoanything.com/car-care/69A1524A0A0.aspx on the m3 and SRT and can't say enough good about the product, the finish you get is simply amazing. From there, I recommend just Keeping up the waxes and washes until you start noticing the pesky drying scratches showing up again, then it's time for a re-assessment of the surface, if it needs the clay bay, hit it, if it just needs a quick glaze, get that, and wax it again. I was actually planning on doing a little writeup on the Xterra, it hasn't been touched since probably july of last year, and has seen all of winter, the lake and quite a bit of 4 wheeling. It's going to me a great vehicle to show some techniques.
Steve are you in FT.WORTH / DALLAS? IF so would you do an on site assessment of my Jeep if I were to buy some products from you plus a buffer.
We are located in Allen just north of Plano off I-75. I'd be happy to look at the Jeep and answer your questions before you get started.
I know just where that is I have a buddy that works for the Frisco Rough Riders baseball team, will be talking with you soon
