Double detail

) Wax - P21S 100% carnuaba works very well, even for light colored paint. A bit expensive, but I like the deep, wet gloss it gives. I personally use it on my own white FX, as well as my customers going on shows. For dark colored cars, Pinnacle Souveran Paste wax seems to work very well also.
I'll do a post using some of these products soon. (Yes, I am slacking, BigA :laugh:!
so many better wax products than the p21s. ive heard the shine is amazing but doesnt last longer than a few weeks. send me a pm, ill suggest a few other wax products that will take your mind off the p21s. its really not all that great, i get some of the wettest & deepest reflections from some collinite products.
 
Weekend wash

Since I already had a detailing thread going, I figured I would just add to it. I posted most of this info in my blog.

It was still pretty chilly outside this weekend, but it warmed up into the upper 40s, low 50s for a while so I got out there to wash off the three weeks of holiday dirt. With all the traveling I have been doing, I just haven't had time to wash & wax more than once since I got my detail done in November. I've been parking at the airport in covered outdoor parking and there's always pollen and dust all over the place when I get back to my car after the trip.

Rinsed down the car in my driveway and then did the wash with Turtle ICE car wash. Used a leaf blower to knock off most of the water, then a chamois for final drying before wax.

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G12711

I used Meguire's NXT Tech wax 2.0 Paste and I am very happy with the results. Paint looks great - wet, full color reflections are visible and still no paint swirls since my last detail. This is only the second time I have used the paste wax, but I was REALLY happy with how easy it went on, came off, and looks now. Really one of my favorite mainstream products in terms of ease of use and results. I say mainstream because it's available at most auto-parts stores and is pretty inexpensive.

Bought a couple new products to try out:
http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.asp?T1=MEG+G7516
Mother's Back to Black - trim treatment
http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.html


After reading a bit about the Mother's back to black here on IS, I decided to give it a shot not only on my window trim, but also over ALL the plastic trim around the body. On the bottle it says, "the trim doesn't need to be black for superior results". I used it on all the gray trim and it really did work out great. Before now, I used a tire shine product on the lower trim. I didn't want that product inside the car, so I was looking for something I could use on the exterior and on the rocker panels when the doors are open. Now I think I'll stick with the Mother's, as long as I don't see any problems pop up from continued use. It's pretty easy to apply with a cotton rag and I didn't have the streaking that some people say they get on the window trim with the Bondo Restore Black product. Wish I had taken some before/after photos. The window trim really showed the biggest improvement. There was white/gray haze on most of the trim that was removed as soon as I applied it. I buffed off the product after it dried, but didn't really notice anything coming off on the rag. Hopefully the look lasts, because it's nice.

Gold Class Endurance High Gloss - tire gel
http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/produc...p?T1=MEG+G7516


The Meguire's tire gel (purple and smells like grape) was a nice surprise. It looks great and was easier to apply than the spray Black Magic I have been using for the last three years. The bottle says that it lasts for weeks rather than days. We shall see. I'm skeptical about that and I'm wanting to see what the tire looks like when the product does finally wear off. I have used a couple tire shine products in the past that make the tire look ashy or dry once it wears off. This gel is pretty wet looking and survived the 35 mile drive to work this morning looking like I just applied it. The Black Magic stuff made the tire look clean, but after a day or two it loses any shine. I used an applicator sponge and just wiped on the gel. The wheels really look great and a buddy told me he noticed them when he walked by the car in the parking garage this morning. Once again this is a mainstream product. For 8 bucks, it's worthwhile IMO.

No doubt the serious detailers will have something to say about these, but for the weekend warrior and the price, these worked out better than anything I have tried so far. Of course, time will make the final judgement.
 
I think back to black is actually more like a paint/dye rather than just a dressing, so it should last a pretty good while & when it does wear down just reapply...
 
I think back to black is actually more like a paint/dye rather than just a dressing, so it should last a pretty good while & when it does wear down just reapply...

That's what I thought too - but it's actually a cloudy white color. I think the Bondo Restore Black ///2796&highlight=trim+repair is the dye most people were tallking about here on the scene. This Mother's product advertises you can use it on all types of colors. From the site link I posted above:

"As your ride’s exterior ages, rubber, plastic and vinyl exterior hardware of all colors will dry, crack, flake and deteriorate. This oxidation can be stopped and reversed with Mothers® Back-to-Black®, our favorite auto-care concoction. This trim treatment is great for all sorts of exterior hardware in all colors — bumpers, molding, louvers, window trim, vents, seals, skirts, door handles, wiper arms — anything that’s plastic, rubber or vinyl. Apply Back-to-Black® to sun-burnt plastic, rubber and vinyl to revive the factory-new sheen, then re-treat that exterior hardware regularly."

Thought about trying a bit on the side mirror painted housing. The red is fading a bit on top, but still looks good under where the clear bra is applied.
 
Last edited:
woh, I didn't know that... maybe it's more like a low sheen clear type thing then? guess I'm thinking of something else then, I know I used one product that was like shoe polish almost & thought it was back to black... curious how it works out for the red piece of the mirror your talking about... maybe I'll pick some up & try it again, thanks:wink:
 
meguiars tire gell is my fav one to use. it smells like grapes & i just love it! during the spring & summer i always have a few bottles in the shop for the customers that want that really deep & wet tire look!
 
Well my car sat outside in covered airport parking for five days and got a wash yesterday at the dealership, but it was raining when I picked it up and was wet this morning so now I have to do it all again this weekend.

That being said, the wheels still look great! I'm a definite fan of the Meguire's tire gel. As it stands now I could just wash the body and the tires would still look good. Need to wipe off the wheels tho - brake dust. After about two weeks the tires still get a thumbs up. Good product!

All my trim still looks good too - the back to black is holding through rains and a wash.
 
I've used a few bottles of Back to Black and was never impressed. Armor-all did a much better job and lasted a lot longer. They basically do the same thing. As you pointed out it really has nothing to do with a black dye, so there's no real advantage to using it.

It looks great... for a few days, maybe a week. Armor-all typically lasted 2-3 times longer, all depending on how many times it rained.

If you have any wax residue on the black plastic trim, try peanut butter, creamy (I'm serious lol).
 
what about peanut oil?
I think it would be harder to work with and isn't as "abrasive" as peanut butter because there's no grabbing powa! I guess what I'm getting at is the peanut butter kind of acts as a sponge, the oils probably penetrate and lift the wax almost like an invasion, kicking anything else out so that there's more room for the oil to seep in, then whatever's taken out gets stuck into the peanut butter.

That's how I picture it happening in my head anyways.
 
Back
Top