Niece`s Kia

My wife, sister in law and niece went to Virginia Friday to visit their 100 y/o grandmother, and left the niece`s Kia Soul at our house {Insert Evil Laugh}.

So with no adult supervision, I decided to experiment on the car a little. 303 brags that their Graphene Spray Coating can be used on ANY surface...prepped, unprepped, waxed, coated etc. SO I decided to test that theory. I know that it works really well on MY car, which is a prepped, "waxed" surface (It had 2 coats of TW Flex Graphene Spray Coating on it when I used the 303 on it). Now let`s see how it does on an UN-prepared surface.

The Kia did get a thorough wash and some minor tar removal. I have to say, for a person who just puts gas in it and goes, the car was in remarkable shape. Apparently she DOES wash it regularly (there is a sticker in the windshield for a car wash place with a bar-code on it) which tells me she is a regular customer of whatever place that is. BUT...it must either be a touch-less or hand car wash, because there is NO swirling in the paint at all. The only defects were some water spotting and a place on the hood, where I believe she sat her purse down and slid it off, that`s it. Since it was in such good shape, I only felt a little (OK, a Lot) guilty about not polishing it out first.

Since the car was not polished and smooth, the first coat of 303 went on just a touch grabby and removal was just a tad more difficult, but using new, fresh microfibers made a HUGE difference. I used a new towel per coat and a third towel after the 2nd coat as a `final buff.` I waited an hour or so between coats, although the roof only got 1 coat (I HATE ladder work). The 2nd coat went on insanely smooth and slick and required less product to cover the entire car, the front windshield and rear window also got two coats along with the paintwork, but the side glass only got 1 coat. My thoughts being that with the box shape of the car, the airflow at the rear sucks all the dirt etc back up against the rear of the car and it has a rear wiper, so a little extra protection won`t hurt. The windshield takes the brunt of the abuse, bugs, water and crud kicked up by the car in front during a rain etc. While in comparison, the side glass is relatively untouched.

At first, I couldn`t see much of a difference between the `before & after,` but I`m pretty sure that`s because I`d been staring at the car for a few hours, but after taking a break and looking at it an hour or so later, the improvement in gloss was obvious (I`m sure many of you experience the same thing...immediately after finishing a car, you might see some improvement, but give your eyes an hour or so to `relax` and then the difference is amazing).

Well, enough talk, here`s the final results:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...500/tn_Kia.jpg

Full sun picture (I need a better camera)


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...sunlight_2.jpg

Sounds and looks like a fun day! Red is popping!

Don:
You have run into the conundrum/dilemma that many Autopian detailers face: if you spot correct/polish a defect area, it stands out so much more than the surrounding area, that then you end up doing the panel. Then THAT panel looks so out-of place with the rest of the vehicle, that you might as well doing the rest of the vehicle. It takes a lot of detailing "restraint" (at least to OCD Captain Obvious!) NOT to do that and just spot correct the area as needed and let it go. That has happened with spot rinseless-washing bird droppings or bug guts; end up washing the whole vehicle to make it look the same and clean to my OCD detailing standards.

SOOO, does this 303 Graphene spray really get that much shinier/glossier as it cures?? Or is this just an "optical (dis)illusion" to the eye and mind?
Is this gloss "better" than waxes or sealants you may have in the past?

And does the 303 Graphene have a "filling effect" to hide minor defects OR does this magnify those surface imperfections and defects??
That was/is one of the bad raps on no-longer-relevant Liquid Glass sealant when it was layered multiple times on vehicle surfaces. Unless the surface beneath it was perfectly corrected first, it just seemed to magnify every surface defect.

What exact microfiber manufacturer(s) and type (s) did you use for the application and removal of 303 Graphene spray? IE, did you use a different one to apply or spread it out on surface than the one used to remove and buff it out? I ask this same question ALL THE TIME, but in my defense, good microfibers make-or-break the end results in using coatings and now these SiO2 and now graphene sprays, so I ask what microfiber(s) exactly the Autopain poster has used with any particular LSP product being reviewed.

It looks GREAT!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...sunlight_2.jpg

Let us know about longevity and hydrophobic properties.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

Don:
You have run into the conundrum/dilemma that many Autopian detailers face: if you spot correct/polish a defect area, it stands out so much more than the surrounding area, that then you end up doing the panel. Then THAT panel looks so out-of place with the rest of the vehicle, that you might as well doing the rest of the vehicle. It takes a lot of detailing "restraint" (at least to OCD Captain Obvious!) NOT to do that and just spot correct the area as needed and let it go. That has happened with spot rinseless-washing bird droppings or bug guts; end up washing the whole vehicle to make it look the same and clean to my OCD detailing standards.

SOOO, does this 303 Graphene spray really get that much shinier/glossier as it cures?? Or is this just an "optical (dis)illusion" to the eye and mind?
Is this gloss "better" than waxes or sealants you may have in the past?

And does the 303 Graphene have a "filling effect" to hide minor defects OR does this magnify those surface imperfections and defects??
That was/is one of the bad raps on no-longer-relevant Liquid Glass sealant when it was layered multiple times on vehicle surfaces. Unless the surface beneath it was perfectly corrected first, it just seemed to magnify every surface defect.

What exact microfiber manufacturer(s) and type (s) did you use for the application and removal of 303 Graphene spray? IE, did you use a different one to apply or spread it out on surface than the one used to remove and buff it out? I ask this same question ALL THE TIME, but in my defense, good microfibers make-or-break the end results in using coatings and now these SiO2 and now graphene sprays, so I ask what microfiber(s) exactly the Autopain poster has used with any particular LSP product being reviewed.

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1) IMO, yes it does. Even though 303 states `instant cure,` after using it on my Camaro and the Kia, I can say the look definitely improves over the next several hours. So far, it has the best "look" of anything I`ve tried with the least amount of work.

2) It appears to have a filling effect and hides minor imperfections, in the case of the Camaro, it DOES have some washing/drying induced marring, but after 3 coats of 303, they are barely visible and that is with looking at the car with a very OCD eye.

3) I`m using microfiber applicator pads from the auto parts store for application. I use them one time, be it one coat or three, then throw them away after use as I don`t see me being able to clean them well enough to use again. As for the microfiber removal towels, I`m using Walmart (oh the horror) towels that have always worked well in the past for me (at least until I wore out the first batch and continued to use them). In this case with the 303 Graphene they worked quite well. I also have 3 Chemical Guys Branded "Happy Ending" super plush microfibers that I used with the Turtle Wax Ceramic/Graphene Coatings on the Camaro and they were great. I think I will use those to final buff the Camaro after using the Walmart MF to remove the majority of the 303 Graphene since is is a bit more difficult to remove than the TW.

P.S. It WAS HARD not to polish out the Kia just on general principles, it really went against the grain. BUT, she was extremely happy with the car, so that`s what`s important.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlin

It looks GREAT!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...sunlight_2.jpg

Let us know about longevity and hydrophobic properties.

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So far, after a month on my car, the hydrophobics are awesome and washing bug guts off is stupid easy. The longevity definitely looks promising.

One of the reasons I used it on my niece`s car was because I know she will never wax it herself and the 303 Graphene will be put to the test. I will contact her now and again to see how it`s holding up. And I should see her once in a while so I can inspect the car myself.

Just got an IM from my sister in law on Face Book, in her words, my niece "love, love, Loved her car." High praise from a non car person.

What a great uncle! Thankfully my brother does his family’s cars. That red pops!