6yrs...never polished/waxed...

**imported_doctordon** · 12-26-2006, 11:24 AM

I`m not bragging, nor pleading for mercy in front of this firing squad, just presenting a fact. I like a clean car. I won`t go for a drive that lasts 2hrs without washing the car first. ...but I bought this Ford Escape in November 2000 - which has 123,000mi on it - has never seen the inside of my garage ... and never seen more than a wash - ever.

I mfg. accessories for planes and some of the covers I make out of Sunbrella marine canvas get pretty nasty stitting outside all year long. In a search for a cleaning solution, I found Iosso Mold & Mildew Stain Remover. It`s a simple soap powder that just seemed to work magic on my truck. `Magic`, loosely meaning; it made this trucklet a helluva lot cleaner than any "Car Wash" I bought at the auto parts store. (I have two at the moment: Krystal Klear and Westley`s)

It does one real odd thing: it makes your hands slippery as hell after using it. Even if dry...once re-wetted you think they are greased?! I found out why: The pH is 10+. Which means it is strongly alkaline. A pH over 12 is damaging to skin and eyes ...but it sure cleans like hell!

It`s not like I lack the tools ...both air and electric, or foam and wood pads, or product ...shee`it ...TOO much product. It just seem that the paint was nothing special to begin with.. and it always looks clean and shiny ..as Ford ever expected it would get anyway. So, I simply washed it.

I bought it from Iosso directly in bulk, but I`ve seen it in Walmart. I`m not sure it would be helpful to any of you detailers ...I`m not sure it would do anything to glaze or Caranuba, all I know it that it cleans like nothing I`ve used before. (I calculate that I`ve washed it between 50-60 times with this, and wool mitt, with no visible negative effects on the paint)

I also don`t use as much as the directions instruct: maybe 2oz per gallon - hot water. You need to rinse soon and in volume; it will dry and streak. Anyway, that`s my share. Cheers.

J i m

....I just took some pH paper and tested Krystal Klear: 6 - "Mildly Acid".

**mikebai1990** · 12-26-2006, 12:43 PM

Wait, I`m confused. First you say your Escape has never been polished/waxed/washed. Then you say you do wash it with your mold&mildew remover? Could you clarify?

To be absolutely frank, I don`t think that the product you are using is suitable to use on a car. Like you said, it`s a basic (as in oppose of acid, base) product! It`s used for more like heavy duty degreasing, or as it`s designed to be, a mold and mildew stain remover. Why would you ever use that on a delicate car surface?! Also, I would not get that stuff onto bare hands. Bases are caustic (and slippery, as you have found it) and if strong enough (10 is pretty strong...) will damage tissue.

With no protection whatsoever on your car, you are probably slowly stripping the paint off of your car. Even if you don`t care about shine, you MUST use a wax to protect the surface from the elements. If you compare a 15 year old car with wax and without wax, it will be painfully obvious that the one without wax will have failing paint and to say the very least, dull paint. With your use of a basic product, I have a feeling that the paint condition will be even worse than that of a car that isn`t waxed/washed/touched or cared for at all.

BTW, just a little chemistry: I don`t think all bases are alkali metals, thus it wouldn`t be correct to say that anything with a pH of 10 is alkaline. It`s basic.

**Dan** · 12-26-2006, 02:10 PM

While the paint doesn`t look BAD in the picture, its hard to say without seeing it in person. Also the picture is not in full sun.

**imported_doctordon** · 12-26-2006, 03:41 PM

Mike: You`re right. The use of this conflicts with common logic. But, I`m here to tell you that; 1) not only does it clean like hell ...2) it does not appear to have any negative effects. (my fingers are back to non-skid in short order ...just don`t try to hold a phone and wash the car at the same time) I think I`ll find someone with a meter to judge the thickness of the paint. So far, these 50/60 washes don`t seem to have done anything negative. ...and `wash` with this stuff is all I did: ..no buffing, no glaze or waxes.

Yakky: Ya, it was cloudy..just about to rain. The factory paint looks like a mass of mild orange peel without clearcoat, compared to my other cars, but it`s a beater..dog hauler..kitesurf truck, not a show car.

Sunday afternoon...spotted this picture when I was buffing the plexi on the Boxster`s headlamp. We do appreciate shine.

Ji m

**JRock10** · 12-27-2006, 06:19 AM

When i worked in the car wash industry, we used alkaline as a second step of the wash process....it was used to neutralize the acid first step on the car; cars often looked horrible when something was amiss in the process....like it stripped the oils from the paint. even well maintained cars would lose some of their luster.

Even if this is just a beater, I`m not sure that I`d continue use of the M/M remover on it. Pretty soon I would guess you`ll be looking at the yellow primer ford uses, instead of the yellow paint that was on it!

**imported_doctordon** · 12-27-2006, 09:03 AM

Actually JRock - they use ole` Gray primer. You peel back a bit of mouse-fur carpeting and you`d swear they used 20 guys shoulder-to-shoulder with shake-n-paint cans painting the truck...that robot get`s stingy as hell with Yellow where you cannot see it - and not too liberal where you can. See ya.

Jim

**Ben Kenobi** · 12-27-2006, 10:39 AM

I think you need to be using something a little better than this solution to wash your Escape. Krystal Kleer has got to be one of the worst soaps around, I even hesitate using it for wheels. You aren`t using this on your Boxter are you? As for Westley`s if it`s anything like their tire cleaner I`d run far away from it. I was shaking my head in disbelief when I read you haven`t waxed your Escape in six years. You`d better not let the Escape owners on here find out about it or you`ll likely be shot!

Just go and buy some NXT or Gold Glass on sale and we`ll all be able to sleep at night!

**imported_themightytimmah** · 12-27-2006, 04:41 PM

Sounds like a good product for use on boats - I wouldn`t use it at every wash on my car, but occasional use shouldn`t hurt anything.

**Scottwax** · 12-27-2006, 11:50 PM

I bet you`d be suprised at how much the finish has actually degraded over the years if you properly polished it out and waxed it.

The Porsche`s paint looks amazing!

**LeadingEdgeDetail** · 12-28-2006, 02:15 AM

As has already been said, 10 years of no wax will lead to a repaint.

10 years of wax will glow like the day you bought it.

Take your pick.

**JRock10** · 12-28-2006, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by Wetstuff

Actually JRock - they use ole` Gray primer. You peel back a bit of mouse-fur carpeting and you`d swear they used 20 guys shoulder-to-shoulder with shake-n-paint cans painting the truck...that robot get`s stingy as hell with Yellow where you cannot see it - and not too liberal where you can. See ya.

Jim

:werd: guess i`m thinking back to the old days when paint would chip and peel off the bumpers of mustangs and tbirds. black car with yellow sopts....looked like a sick leopard or something.

**DirtySouth** · 02-14-2007, 01:49 PM

Why exactly have you not waxed or polished your car in 6 years? Just because its "clean" doesn`t mean that the paint is protected.

**Junebug** · 02-15-2007, 07:54 AM

I think ya`ll are missing the point, he`s had the car for going on 7 years and all he did was wash it regularly and it looks good. Now I realize this and the fact that he used something that ya`ll are terrified of goes right in the face of all known wisdom and knowledge. But, he says he`s had the paint tested and it`s not thinner. So, if it works for him, that`s fine. I`d bet the farm that none of you would try it and frankly neither would I cause I like the way DG 105 looks on my SUV. But, what the deal is with ya`ll is the fact that anybody that doesn`t spend hours, have a shelf full of products, and apply coat after coat of wonder goo on their paint CAN`T possibly be right. Unless of course he`s pulling our chain - but April 1 is weeks away.

**DirtySouth** · 02-15-2007, 12:34 PM

It just seems odd to me that he is going on & on about how CLEAN it is. A clean car doesn`t necessarily mean it will look good and it certainly doesn`t mean the paint is protected. I`m just saying that the occasional waxing at the very least will make it look a whole lot better.

Just my .02

**LeadingEdgeDetail** · 02-15-2007, 02:14 PM

As long as you have good washing methods, it shouldn`t get bad without waxing or polishing. It looks good, and thats fine.

But thinking about the longterm, that paint is not going to last half as long as a car that was waxed even every 2 years, let alone yearly or more.

Sunlight can do a lot of damage in 20 years!