Mobile-Image : Horror Honda

[Carn]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments

Siya I will try to answer your questions as best as I can.

Starvekos Wrote:Menzerna paint cleaners
Again I am reading a post about Menzerna polishes being finicky. What do you guys attribute these issues to (pad preparation? detailing outdoors? incompatible pad and polish selection?)

Thinking about this I can attribute the issues to one of or a combination of the following :

1. Process
2. Pads
3. Paint

1. Process

We started by priming a dry pad with IP to do a test section on the bonnet. Previously we used an ever so slightly damp pad and the temperatures were also slightly lower as well. The bonnet was however seriously hot from being in the sun and the polish seemed to dry almost immediately. This is something we should have forseen especially with the car being out in the sun for a while when we were taking pics with the engine running.

Seeing as the IP wasn't working to well we tried the FA. FA previously has been a godsend of a polish, it just works beautifully however it gave us very much the same issues the IP did which at the time left us scratching our heads.

Later on after switching to a clean LC pad (more on the pads shortly) the FA worked like a charm, I didn't however try the IP again.

2. The pads

On our initial run I used the blue Flex pad. This is a cutting pad and was starting to look a little worse for wear and becoming flaky. I tried the white Flex pad but this one seemed to have lost all of its velco grip and kept flying off the machine so I packed it away. After switching to the white LC pad (lighter cut and better quality) we had no issues.

We are waiting for some LC CCS pads from the US, these seem to be the pad of choice with the guys over in the US using Menz polishes. Judging by the flawless performance of the FA on the white LC pad I am guessing they could be correct.

3. Paint

Honda's are known to have paints on the softer side, this particular one seemed to have a very dry almost sticky paint in some areas. Both the Flex and the rotary were unhappy in certain sections (mainly the front) and perfect elsewhere. The Flex later with the blue pad and Presta was actually putting very mild holograms into the paint, so I think the paint was also funky to put it that way.

With hindsight I realise some of the errors we made but I also know from reading various posts, etc that there is somewhat of a learning curve in getting the Menz products to work flawlessly. FA is still beautifull, it is only the slightly less oily IP that is catching us out here and there. I am confident with some more experience and the new pads, etc we will get it working just as well as the FA, we just need to learn what causes it to act up and how to avoid it

Starvekos Wrote:Cloths
What waffle weave drying tows are you guys using? What are your views on the CG microfiber cloths?

I was using my 2 Meguiars WW cloths, TBH I think they have seen better days and the one Rusty was using worked far better. Not sure what his is but I am sure he will let us know soon

The Detailer Domain towels we have coming (there are 2 for you if I recall) have gotten good reviews so we will be able to try them out shortly.

Starvekos Wrote:LSP
Let’s talk about the CG Extreme Top Coat Sealant/Wax. What are you views? What does the product add to the finish? Clarity or slickness? i.e, does it behave like a carnauba wax or more of a sealant?

What qualities did the CG XXX Paste Wax add?

I will let Rustbucket comment on the Extreme Top Coat as he applied it. I helped buff some sections and think it needs to be spread really finely otherwise it has sections that are difficult to buff off. Overall I think it added a nice crispness to the paint (we only looked at the bonnet in the sunlight between the sealant and wax step) as well as bringing out the flake and adding some gloss.

The XXX paste wax went on nicely, smells fantastic (I even tasted it ) and buffed off alright again if spread evenly and not to thick. The wax didn't mute the metallic flakes at all and overall I think it added a nice extra wetness to the paint.

To try and illustrate it best take a look at the following 3 pictures :

After polishing


After LSP's


And in the sun


Both stellar products IMHO, we just used sealant topped with wax to try and provide a slightly longer protective window between treatments.

Hope that helps clear things up a bit for you, I am sure Rusty will provide his own thoughts and opinions as soon as he reads this thread again