I posted a thread in the main detailing forum about a QD I found at an import performance shop (well-more like a rice boy body kit, altezza tail lights and spoiler shop) while I was inquiring about new struts and springs for my Accord (I want a 1" drop and that's it) and I noticed a small display of waxes and QD's from a company called ClearKote. I was nearly out of
Meguiars #34 so I figured I would pick the QD called Quik Shine. 32 oz for $11 seemed like a pretty good deal and if it wasn't very good, hey, it was only $11.
Anyway, I tried it on my car-dusted it and then applied the Quik Shine. It did an excellent job! Really slick and it fills in minor streaks (like when drying a panel that is nearly dry with a dry towel). By slick, I mean like the way the paint feels after using
Pinnacle PG. Seriously! I also tried it on a black Expidition that hadn't been waxed in about 2 months and when I was finished, the paint looked great-almost like I had just waxed it. It says it has color enhancers in it and it must-the Expidition looked blacker than when I started and all the minor streaks were gone.
The only drawback I have noticed is that it seems almost too slick to use with clay-almost like the clay doesn't grab as well as with a regular QD. Not really a problem-I usually clay while washing a car anyway-the soapy water works as well as a QD and is cheaper.
CleanDean found the website and I checked out the rest of the product line and noticed they had a wax that "Contains no silicones, Teflon, alcohol or abrasives." and is said to be "An excellent cleaner/wax used to remove oxidation from all paint, chrome, plastic, gelcoat and fiberglass surfaces." I would assume with no abrasives, it uses a mild chemical cleaner to remove light oxidation.
In any event, I noticed they want $20 for a 16 oz bottle, but I remembered it being cheaper at the ricer shop, so I went by today between details and picked up a bottle for $14. A bit more than the average 16 oz bottle of cleaner wax, but not too pricey. I need to have a good cleaner/wax for customers who only want a 1 step exterior detail but still want a good shine and reasonable durability.
I had a couple vehicles to clean this afternoon-just basic washes. One of the guys at the office has 1997 Suburban that he is trading in at the end of June, and doesn't want to wax it until then. I asked him if he would mind if I waxed the hood with a new product I was trying out to see if he likes it and so I could see how long it lasts, and he told me it was fine with him.
I used a foam hand applicator and found that a little goes a long way-some cleaner waxes use more products per panel than a straight wax because they are doing two jobs instead of one. It hazes pretty quickly-the bottle says you can wipe off immediately, but it comes off easiest when you let it haze for 2-3 minutes, then it wipes off. No white residue and it had a nice, wet carnuba like shine. So far so good. Only thing I noticed was the smell-seemed similar to Autoglym Super Resin (based on a 6-7 year old memory). Not horribly unpleasant, but not intoxicatingly incredible like Pinnacle PG.
I tried it on my car as well-it had been about 6 weeks since I had polished with
Meguiars Hand Polish and waxed with Pinnacle PG. I applied it to about 1/3 the car at a time, then buffed off the excess. Again, a great shine and easy to use. It also worked great on my black plastic mirrors and window moldings and again, no residue-of course, my car is debadged!
My first impressions of the wax are outstanding. Very easy to use, nice wet shine and very little dusting (I used a bit too much on one side of my car-the other side was pretty much dust free) even though this afternoons humidity was about 20%-very dry today! It is very convienent for me to get this product also, since it is sold locally. I believe on their website that shipping is included in the price of the products, because I didn't see any shipping charges on the price page or order page and that may be why it costs less at the store than for them to ship directly.
I will be trying it on a variety of vehicles, including more than likely, a black Ford F-250 tomorrow-he likes me to use Pinnacle PG on his CL 500, but he really doesn't care what I use on his truck as long as it shines. I will also monitor the hood on the Suburban-I wash it about every two weeks.
Anyway, the website is:
http://www.clearkote.com/index.html
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