Grouse's Beta exp

[Grouse]

I too like the idea of an individual thread. I have two cars for this. My 2001 metalic blue tahoe. And an older b5 audi. I will start on the audi the weekend of the 28th and 29th. I will start on the tahoe during week nights this week.


It will be intresting to see what comes of this.

[Grouse]

My rdf testing exp. It started when I received a 96 1.8t a4. I was soon to discover from the owner. He went on to show me some of his concerns and wishes. Along with some very prominent holograms, heavy swirling, scrapes and bumps it had several areas repainted 2 different times. No pictures of the interior, but it was done also. Leather masters 3 step on the seats and leather, 5 step carpet cleaning on the carpet and fabric. 3 step on all other surfaces.

Anywho, before pics.





After the wash pics, you really start to see the mild holograming and heavy swirling

[Grouse]

[Grouse]

I did my best to out line the holograming in these few shots. First however here is a shot of the clay from the lower panels.

[Grouse]

These shots are after compounding and polishing. Because of the odd way this car was resprayed It was challenging to buff out the random holograms. I did my best it turned out well I think.

[Grouse]

This is after the first layer of RDF paint sealant and T.T. Sealant. The amount of gloss was pretty amazing. It dropped the car visually at least a shade or two, most importantly it dropped the shade without dulling the metal flake.

[Grouse]

A few swirl, and hologram test shots, after the second layer of RDF paint sealant.

[Grouse]

[img http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/69375361.jpg[/img]

[Grouse]

DAY 1 JUDGING

1. How easy was the product to apply?
b. Goes on easy, but does not spread well


2. How easy is the product to buff off?
b. Buffs off easy


3. Does product leave white residue on trim?
c. No

4. What is the clarity of the finish after initial application?
b. Mostly clear & masks some imperfections


5. How does the finish look after initial application?
a. Dark, wet and very glossy


6. How does the finish feel after initial application?
a. Silky smooth and very slippery



DAY 2 JUDGING

Prior to day 2 judging, please lightly spritz and lightly buff the paint using the RDF Detail Spray provided.

1. What is the clarity of the finish?
a. Perfectly clear & masks fine imperfections (swirls)


2. How does the finish look?
a. Dark, wet and very glossy


3. How does the finish feel?
b. Silky smooth and some slickness

[Grouse]

Allow 24-48 hours prior to washing. Wash vehicle as normal, using a quality car wash.

Please note:

DAY 1 JUDGING
spary sealant
1. How easy was the product to apply?
With the micro mister it went on well temps were in the 60's in my garage. I did not have issues with streaking

2. How easy is the product to buff off?,
very easy, Actually i prefer it to cg's speed wipe and spray gloss.

3. Does product leave residue ?
No residue that i noticed

4. What is the clarity of the finish after initial application?
very clear, very wet,

5. How does the finish look after initial application?
Very wet, and very deep.
6. How does the finish feel after initial application?
Very slick

DAY 2 JUDGING

Prior to day 2 judging, please lightly buff the paint with a microfiber buffing towel prior to judging.

1. What is the clarity of the finish?
Clear, and deep

2. How does the finish look?
Deep. after the first couple of hours i don't belive there was a difference in the color dropping a shade like there was witht he gel paint sealant

3. How does the finish feel?

Very good, but to be honest i don't belive it is as slick as FMJ or cg's 5050 wax

Testing

Wash vehicle as normal, using a quality car wash. You should see the parts coated with RDF Tire & Trim Sealant Gel bead water in the same way freshly waxed paint beads water. When these surfaces stop beading water, the protection is gone. Color and finish richness will gradually fade.

Please note:

1. How easy/difficult is RDF Tire & Trim Sealant Gel to apply?

With a normal applicator 4" pad i think it went on ok. But i like poorboys Trimrestorer that goes on much easier. Another thing i did not like is how it has a tint to it. When applied on cars with Grey trim versus black you will change the color. Also when applied to areas that a person is likely to touch with their clothes there is color transfer even a few hours later. IE the door sills, ruber door trim on the ext. I try not to put anything on that will transfer to clothes. Having a wife that spends alot of money on dry cleaning as it is i do not want to incur the cost of stain removal also.

2. How do your tires/trim look with RDF Tire & Trim Sealant Gel compared to you favorite product?
I like poorboys tire bright, 2x lightly buffed off between the two. It seems to give me the look i like with about 2-3 months normal wear. RDF looks very similar, but i am hoping for a longer duration than tire bright. My only issue is how difficult it was to evenly coat the tire in the little tiny groves. I felt i used way to much per tire, it was difficult to work it in after the tires groving had adsorbed most of the gel.


3. Color and richness of tires/trim after each wash. How much did the color/richness fade?

tires gloss faded overnight, into a nice satin finish. The trim was still a little wonky. when you touched it even after i had buffed it dry twice the night before you left little finger prints. This was annoying as i found my self constantly touching up or rebuffing. It was worse when i was workign with latex gloves on. I prefer to work with gloves that way i don't end up with polish, sealants, gels, conditioners on my hands and cross contaminating the car. The trim sealant seems to turn to a goo when it puls the latex powder off the gloves.

4. If car is exposed to the elements, how many weeks did Tire & Trim Sealant last (keep trim looking good)?

I will update this as time comes.

5. What would you like to see changed to make RDF Tire & Trim Sealant Gel better?
Clear, better drying and curing. Possibly a little thinner, that way i can spread it evenly over the tires and trim.

I will fill this out and the above later thismorning.