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McKee's 37 SiO2 Ceramic Series Hydro Blue Pro

So…The hubby is in the garage AGAIN!

His garage has grown substantially along with his business. He now has plenty of detailing space. No more “Hey, can you help me move these cars around.” Moving out to a five acre lot on a little country road allowed him to get the building that he had always dreamed about. It allowed me to get a garage of my own too. He also recently got the new car that he has been dreaming about for the last two years. Of course his allocation for his C8 Corvette came up the month after his new building was completed. Some would say “perfect timing”. I said “great, just great” because both came with hefty price tags.

Nevertheless, we picked up “our” brand new C8 last Wednesday. Of course my detailing man gave the dealership strict instructions not to wash it or put any product on it. He wanted to put his own touch on it, but he also wanted to drive it that evening. So, he brought it home and parked it in the wash bay for a quickie. Because he wanted to get a little protection on it right away, he, or more like “we”, used McKee's 37 SiO2 Ceramic Series Hydro Blue Pro on it. This product is a ceramic-infused spray on, rinse off nano-coating. When you are short on time, this product is a great way to add a glossy layer of protection without spending hours rubbing and buffing with traditional waxes and sealants. It’s safe on all exterior surfaces and is simple to spray on and rinse off.

After just a couple hours we had this new baby looking sharp so I was able to lure my man out of the garage to take a little ride!

The Detailer’s Wife

The Dupray Injection Commercial Steam Cleaner

So…The hubby is in the garage AGAIN!

He’s loving his Dupray Injection Commercial Steam Cleaner that he purchased about a year ago. He loves it because you can clean without chemicals and it sanitizes and deodorizes all at the same time. This is a great tool to clean just about any surface. This steamer will clean anything from the engine to the entire outside of the vehicle. He loves the sturdiness of the stainless steel tank and its ability to heat up quickly. The continuous fill capability is one of his favorite features. He says he hasn’t found anything about it that he doesn’t like.

Recently a customer came to him asking if he could get rid of cigarette odor in a used car he had purchased. He put the Dupray steamer to work to tackle this interior job. He used it on the door panels, the dash, the console, the leather seats, and the headliner. It made removing the dirt and film from the cracks and crevices and other hard to reach places a lot easier. He teamed it up with his extractor to work on the headliner that needed to be handled with extra care. He also uses this combination when cleaning carpets that have hardened food particles, crayons, or other stains.

Whether you’re a smoker who may be getting your car ready to sell or whether you recently bought a car that was previously owned by a smoker, it might be worth it to bring it in for a good steam cleaning. Even the customer’s four year old son said “Hey daddy your car don’t stink anymore”. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Now I am going to head to the garage to see if it’s my turn to use the steamer so I can get my housework done.

The Detailer’s Wife

Paint Protection Film Removal

So…The hubby is in the garage AGAIN!

He’s wrapping up his work on a 1991 Acura NSX. This nearly 30 year old supercar was brought to him with a paint protection film covering much of the body. The owner had started to remove the film from the hood using a steamer, but it left behind a complete covering of adhesive. There was still much work to be done! The film covered the hood, the pop-up headlights, the entire front bumper, the mirrors, the rocker panels, the door pockets, and portions of the fenders. Although my detailing man does not shy away from a challenge, this project took a lot of perseverance. It also required a gentle touch. The last thing he wanted to do was harm the paint on this exotic beauty.

He parked it in the sun hoping to get a little head start with the heat. He began removing the film with the help of a heat gun and plastic scrapers. Extra care had to be taken to not overheat the paint and potentially cause the paint to bubble. The film came off in small tiny pieces. The pieces were similar to pencil shavings and this is no exaggeration. He moved around the car for about 8 hours cautiously working on each area and finally had all of the film removed.

Then came the hard part—removing the adhesive! Everywhere the film had been was now left with an entire layer of adhesive. He worked tirelessly trying to remove the adhesive. He tried multiple products including Goo Gone, 3M Adhesive Remover, Rapid Remover, and a couple others not worth mentioning. The best results came from the 3M product. It came in a one quart can. He saturated rags with this and placed them on the car one small area at a time. He let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then he would move it over and begin scraping. Needless to say, the adhesive was so stubborn that he had to repeat the process on each area multiple times. There was no way it was just going to wipe off either. It just gummed up. So it was both tedious and messy! He had about 15 hours of fun poured into this part of the project.

Finally, the scraping was done. It was time for a good bath with Dawn dish soap. He actually had to wash the vehicle twice to cut through all of the oil left from the adhesive removers along with all of the adhesive residue.

Whew! I’m tired from just thinking about all the work that went into this! And we haven’t even gotten to the paint correction yet, but here we go…He began with one of his favorite polishers, the Flex 3401. First he used the Nanoskin Autoscrub 6” Medium Grade Foam Pad along with Optimum (NR2010Q) No Rinse Wash & Shine to clay the whole car. Round one done! Next he used a Lake Country Wool Pad with Menzerna 400 Heavy Cut Compound on the whole car. Round two done! Then he used a Lake Country Orange Hybrid Foam Pad with Menzerna 2500 Polishing Compound. Round three done! He followed that with a Lake Country White Polishing Pad with Menzerna 4500 Fine Polish. Are we done yet? No! Round four is done though. Finally, he knocked it out with a Lake Country Red Finishing Pad with Fuzion Paste Wax. Ding Ding Ding! This match is over! Hubby wins! And the owner wins too! The owner came by to get it and just stood shaking his head in disbelief. It turned out better than either of them expected!

Going to the garage to see if I can get my detailing man in for the evening. He needs a COLD drink, a HOT shower, and some serious rest and relaxation before he starts his next project!

The Detailer’s Wife

Ceramic Coatings

So…The hubby is in the garage AGAIN!

He’s working on a new white platinum pearl Ford Explorer. Since he’s always too busy to blog about the products he uses, I thought I would help him out in that department. As I type, he is perfecting the paint of the new Explorer and he will follow up the polishing phase with a ceramic coating. He LOVES ceramic coatings! He has put them on every car we own and he is a firm believer that the ceramic coating provides an extra layer of protection for the paint. He also LOVES clean cars and the ceramic coating makes it much easier to wash the car and keep it clean between washes. He says the hydrophobic properties make dirt scared to stick to your paint. One of his recent customers texted and said, “Hey I think this ceramic coating is going to make a believer out of me. The rain seems to wash off whatever dirt has collected on it. It looks clean after a rain!”

Aside from scaring the dirt away, the ceramic coating acts similar to a second layer of clear coat. He is always quick to let people know that it’s not a force field though. It does help keep the car clean longer, provides some UV resistance from the sun, and helps protect against bird droppings, bug stains, and road salt.

Whether you have a ceramic coating or not, it’s wise to avoid harsh chemicals like those used in car washes. My OCD man does not like automatic car washes for multiple reasons. That’s a topic for another day. In order to maintain the longevity of the ceramic coating, you want to avoid frequent encounters with harsh chemicals. One negative that you really can’t avoid are raindrops. The hydrophobic properties in the coating cause the raindrops to bead and if left too long, could cause water spots to develop. With that said, his personal preference at this time is the Wolfgang Uber ceramic coating. He has also used Polish Angel, Gyeon Q2 Mohs, Blackfire Paint Coating, and CarPro CQuartz. From his experience, the Wolfgang Uber doesn’t water spot as badly.

For best results when using these products you must first thoroughly wash, clay, and polish the paint to perfection! Then you must use a paint wipe to remove the oils from the paint to prepare it for the ceramic coating. After it is coated, it can’t get wet for 12 hours and no washing for one week. A lot of these products are made to provide protection for two or more years, which makes them great for daily drivers. There are plenty of advantages for use on hot rods and show cars as well. Give it a try! Better yet, give us a call!

I always like to keep an eye on the progress so I am going to head to the garage and see if I can lend a hand to my detailing man.

The Detailer’s Wife