That`ll about do it for 2020, some new products, some old and 2 years with PPF

Unfortunately it`s that time of year here in NE Ohio...clean up the fun stuff and put it away until next Spring.


Washed her C7 and the Cayman one last time, then into the garage, hook up the battery tenders and take a break from it all for a few months.

https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37531&stc=1

https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37532&stc=1


Looking back on keeping her car clean, maintained and looking good this Summer, I`ve really come to quite enjoy the benefits of PPF. This was our first PPF`d car so it`s taken me 2 seasons (albeit only 6500 miles) to become comfortable with its abilities to keep the car protected from not only rock chips and other impact-related incidents but also from the onslaught of my daily use; bird bombs, road grime, environmental contamination, mosquito-fogger trucks, clouds of sodium bicarb, wet leaves, tree sap mist...it did very well with it all, never failing to clean up with minimal effort. It was always kinda ‘wait and see’ as I felt the film might be more porous and prone to staining than a coating (even buried under a PPF-specific coating and maintenance products) but this proved to be an unfounded concern.


I drove this car more than usual this year, a chance to subject it some `rougher` stuff than it normally sees as wife`s Summer daily driver. She has a 5 minute, local-roads-only commute to work whereas my journey to work involves 4 freeways, multiple construction zones, lotsa traffic and far more gruel than local roads can offer; one of my daily commutes likely equals about 2 weeks of hers. I knew I had `mentally arrived` with PPF when it became the preferred vehicle for some longer day trips specifically because it had the protection of PPF going for it.


Since it turned out to be a Polish Angel-centric Summer, her car was primarily maintained with Polish Angel High Gloss Spritz after washing and that was about it the majority of the time. There was a brief foray into PA Black Wulfenite early in the season but for the most part, the HG Spritz did a great job. A burgeoning addiction to PA Glasscoat Shampoo began towards the end of the Summer and will likely continue next season. To me, it leaves a bit of that `Polish Angel` look and luster post-wash, to the point that I would skip the HG Spritz application after some washes. Cleaning up the Cayman, the setting sun had a nice effect on the post-Glasscoat Shampoo final rinse; I’m sure the neighbors have a somewhat puzzled look if they watch me ‘simulate’ rain by spraying the hose (w/ the nozzle set on ‘Rain’) straight up in the air so it falls nicely on the car…and myself and anything in the near vicinity for that matter.

https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37533&stc=1


The one unsettling thing about the Glasscoat Shampoo is that I just can`t put my finger on the scent; it`s pleasant, somehow familiar but I just cant place it. Functionally irrelevant but still that minor aspect taunts me each time I use it.


I also started using PA Bellaclean for the interior dash on the Corvette; some other leather-friendly stuff I have tried always left the dash a bit splotchy in certain lighting, notably the somewhat expansive area on the passenger side above the glovebox. Worked well on the seats too where I usually use Sonax Leather Foam.


Gyeon Tire kept the did great on the Vette with minimal effort (applied maybe 3 times this Summer) and PA SuperSport kept the coated chrome Z51 wheels sparkling.


A few new things, a few old favorites but all-in-all, a nice, easy Season keeping her black Vette looking nice and the Cayman was fun and easy to deal with w/ the base coatings from 2019 (Miyabi + Zipang) and the PA High Gloss Paste Wax + Spritz. The metallic gray paint coupled with the body style (no really large flat back end to accumulate residual dirt) made this a real maintenance pleasure this year; even after daily driving in rain some weeks, it never really ‘demanded’ a wash like a black car w/ a big flat butt (I’m looking at you, C7 Corvette)


The overall advantages of PPF and my comfort with its abilities and characteristics gained through the experiences with her car make it a no-brainer for use on the Cayman. I put about 9k miles on the Cayman this Summer and to a somewhat OCD-ish person like me, the usage took a bit of a toll on it. Barring any unforeseen calamities, it’s heading out this Winter to get the front half resprayed and full PPF application. For the way we use our cars, it really makes a difference and in some ways, easier to maintain than a coated car that may tempt you to throw a lot of stuff at it, be it for fun or function.


A few of the chips inflicted on the Cayman during regular use this Summer:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37534&stc=1https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37535&stc=1https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37536&stc=1


Perhaps next year we`ll give the color-charged Cosmic a go in conjunction w the Glasscoat Shampoo on the PPF`d cars; sounds simple enough for an inherently lazy guy like me.


For the next few months, access to the snowblower supersedes access to the Corvette:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37537&stc=1


Have 4 new vans at work coming in soon, gotta pick some new coatings to try. Wanna give the new Quartz SiC a go and also wanna use ISM 2.0 on one because it’s one of those PITA coatings to apply; used on my daily driver and it went reasonably well until I started to think I was ‘smarter than the instructions’ when doing the hood…oops! Hopefully the Cquartz SiC is compatible with Essence as I’d like to use that again too, it was enjoyable.

Great post.

I recall you have the entire C7 wrapped, correct?

And for the Caymen you would consider entire front end which I assume the hood and front rockers as well?

I would consider a front end wrap on a next vehicle if it’s a nice one. I think my front rockers are ok on my 3 cars, maybe a few dings on the old Acura, but the fronts and hoods are accumulating white chips on black paint. Seems PPF could prevent some/most/all of these. My wife drives 20miles on the highway each way to work and I expect her to be traveling to work 4 days a week next year.

Anyways, back to you, your experiences are part of what makes detailing so fun for me. You really know how to find what you like and make it leisurely. Thanks for sharing, Budget.

That time is just about here in PA too. Just putting off moving the chemicals into the heated area of the basement.

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Originally Posted by acuRAS82

Great post.

I recall you have the entire C7 wrapped, correct?

And for the Caymen you would consider entire front end which I assume the hood and front rockers as well?

I would consider a front end wrap on a next vehicle if it’s a nice one. I think my front rockers are ok on my 3 cars, maybe a few dings on the old Acura, but the fronts and hoods are accumulating white chips on black paint. Seems PPF could prevent some/most/all of these. My wife drives 20miles on the highway each way to work and I expect her to be traveling to work 4 days a week next year.

Anyways, back to you, your experiences are part of what makes detailing so fun for me. You really know how to find what you like and make it leisurely. Thanks for sharing, Budget.

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Yep, the C7 is a complete PPF application/wrap.

The Cayman will be getting the front bumper, both front fenders and the hood resprayed. It really wasn`t as bad as I thought...went to the most expensive place in town to just get an estimate and it was around $3500 for that work, another good shop that`s more local was around $2k. It`s reasonable enough that I may have the front bumper/hood of my daily driver resprayed next Spring by the local shop...it`s gotten really trashed over the last 60k miles. In addition to the larger chips in the paint of the Cayman, there is a whole slew of small pin-prick sized chips on the hood...driving a car is definitely not good for it`s finish. When that`s complete, the Cayman will be getting a full PPF wrap as well. The guys doing the PPF install will likely take car of subbing out the paintwork as well in their area so it`ll be an easy deal for me: Ship it down to them, pick up/ship back up when complete.

The whole point of all of this for me was to keep cars looking good with the bare minimum of effort on my part...not really a fan of washing cars :rofl:lol: I think that`s why I like the Polish Angel stuff so much, just so ridiculously easy to use in addition to the great visual effects. I *know* I`m lazy and sometimes have to pay a bit more for stuff that allows me to be lazy and still get the results I want.

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Originally Posted by PA DETAILER

That time is just about here in PA too. Just putting off moving the chemicals into the heated area of the basement.

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Yep, kinda a sad time of year but at the same time, no worries about maintaining cars for a few months. The only chems I leave in the garage are Iron Removers; I don`t care how many sealed bags or containers ya put it in, if it`s in the house eventually the complaints start. The only worse smelling and more potent `stinky thing` I`ve ever run across was Ford Friction Modifier for their posi rear ends; an 8 ounce bottle double bagged and sealed inside of two containers would still somehow stink even worse than iron removers.

Was a worthwhile year and relatively easy; getting to the point of accepting that PPF was tougher than I thought was a real winner for me. I always knew it could take the impacts but was always suspect if it could take the other abuse. Not perfect and I`m going into the Cayman PPF w/ the knowledge that at some point in 3 or 4 years, the front bumper or hood may need a re-do (kinda like tear-aways on motocross helmet visors) but still easier than respraying.

Nice thread Budget. Too bad those beauties have to be put away until spring! But they are all set and will be ready to hit the pavement looking as good as they can!

B P 1 - Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours !!!

In almost 41k miles on my Black Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4, with full ppf in front and partial hood, I have zero defects in the paintwork..

Almost all those miles were done on trips that were 4k to 6k each time, in all kinds of weather, freeways, including Arizona who has the most sand that can be thrown at you if you are driving them at the wrong time..

I have Detailed a lot of vehicles with ppf applied, and never seen any damage underneath the ppf of any of them either..

Not sure why you would think you will have to re-do it, unless you really want to... If so, I would worry if you had the front end repainted first, and then had the ppf installed.. I have seen some paintwork look great, but not actually adhere very well to the panel underneath, know what I mean??

Removing ppf requires a heat gun for me, and even then, it Pulls at the paint pretty hard sometimes, but it will all come off.
The glue, however, will NOT come off completely at all with the ppf, so removing all that glue that turns into little balls, etc., takes a LOT longer..
I hear some people use certain chemicals to remove ppf, but I do not care to add more chemicals to my paintwork and the surrounding areas as it is... Some people may be ok with the chemical approach to removing the ppf.. Not sure how that approach does with all the glue that is underneath the ppf..

Good luck with all your projects ! Thanks for all the time you took to keep us apprised of what is going on in your shop, etc..
Dan F

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Originally Posted by BudgetPlan1

‘simulate’ rain by spraying the hose (w/ the nozzle set on ‘Rain’) straight up in the air so it falls nicely on the car…and myself and anything in the near vicinity for that matter.

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Another good post. And i`m glad I`m not the only one that does that! Though, I`ve gotten better about getting myself wet.

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

B P 1 - Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours !!!

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Thanks, and you and yours as well! Gonna be a low-profile affair, may just come to work and prep/coat one of this years new arrivals...should be quiet here.

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

In almost 41k miles on my Black Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4, with full ppf in front and partial hood, I have zero defects in the paintwork..

Almost all those miles were done on trips that were 4k to 6k each time, in all kinds of weather, freeways, including Arizona who has the most sand that can be thrown at you if you are driving them at the wrong time..

I have Detailed a lot of vehicles with ppf applied, and never seen any damage underneath the ppf of any of them either..

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That`s what I like to hear! I can feel some slight `roughness` around the lower wheel wells behind the tires of the Corvette but see no penetrations, just the toll small rocks have taken on the surface; the tires stick out a bit past where the wheel wells curve under the body so it`s to be expected. Still looks A LOT better than the white nicks of paint being removed so a winner there! Actually probably happened on the street we live on as it`s getting a little rough (which is why we voted out our last Mayor after his administration spent $5 million of Road Levy money and only managed to fix 15 miles of road in town)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

Not sure why you would think you will have to re-do it, unless you really want to... If so, I would worry if you had the front end repainted first, and then had the ppf installed.. I have seen some paintwork look great, but not actually adhere very well to the panel underneath, know what I mean??

Removing ppf requires a heat gun for me, and even then, it Pulls at the paint pretty hard sometimes, but it will all come off.
The glue, however, will NOT come off completely at all with the ppf, so removing all that glue that turns into little balls, etc., takes a LOT longer..
I hear some people use certain chemicals to remove ppf, but I do not care to add more chemicals to my paintwork and the surrounding areas as it is... Some people may be ok with the chemical approach to removing the ppf.. Not sure how that approach does with all the glue that is underneath the ppf..

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I dunno, I`m probably thinking "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best" as far as needing replacement...based upon your experiences I`m likely overthinking it and it won`t be necessary. The guys at Esoteric will be doing the PPF as well as arranging for the respray if things go according to plan, will rely on their overall experience w resprays and PPF so I`m not all that worried. They can have the car for 1, 2 or 3 months if it suits them, kinda like `free winter storage` as part of the deal if it takes that long :lol: If it sits out back of their shop for a month or 2, I got no issues with that.

Quote:

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Good luck with all your projects ! Thanks for all the time you took to keep us apprised of what is going on in your shop, etc..
Dan F

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I`ve got 4 vehicles to try some coatings on, one that got the front end ripped off mid-summer and I never got around to doing the replacement with anything more than CanCoat & Moonlight, and 3 brand-new will be showing up soon. Gonna give the new CarPro SiC coating a try and the mid-summer replacement is getting Kami ISM 2.0. The ISM 2.0 is one of those quick-flashing, apply and remove immediately in 18-24" sections coatings and while I used it on my daily driver last Summer, wanna give it a go again *because* it is a bit more cantankerous than your average coating....practice makes perfect! It went very well on my daily driver until I got to the last panel (the hood for some unknown reason, dunno what I was thinking) where, well..."Pride cometh before a fall". It had gone well enough on the rest of the car so I figured "Eh, I got this so ignoring the instructions I applied to entire hood at once, cross-hatched the application and paid the price; came out a streaky, splotchy mess :lol: I usually get myself in trouble when I start thinking I`m smarter than I actually turn out to be!

Also ran into one of those weird situations on the trunk where there was a quarter-sized stain that I *knew* I had compounded off prior to coating cuz it took compound/polish to remove it and I looked at it with every Scangrip light I had. It *was* gone but after coating it, letting it cure inside the garage it (the stain) reappeared 2 days later after sitting outside in the 90 degree Summer sun. Puzzling but such is life.

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Originally Posted by JustJesus

Another good post. And i`m glad I`m not the only one that does that! Though, I`ve gotten better about getting myself wet.

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It really gets outta hand when you`re holding a cell phone camera in one hand to `capture` the simulated rain on video: https://youtu.be/pDtCh8fF3jw?t=10

Eh, if I can entertain the neighbors via my ridiculous antics, why not? They`re quite used to it. As are the folks at work who see me wandering around the parking lot in the rain to see how water is doing on the hoods of all the coated vehicles around here. Bonus points for when I lean close to the surface and blow on it to see how the beads move...and come back into the office soaked from head to toe. It`s an odd but entertaining life!

I got a pot of PA HGPW off your recommendation and look forward to putting it on my S3 this weekend, will go over CSL/EXO, keeping it topped off with PA HGS through the winter.

Will be interested to see how it goes! Looking forward to pics. [emoji41] I probably won`t see any clean, shiny paint in my World for a few months aside from in the garage. No water flying off of hoods in the rain, no sun reflecting off of clean paint [emoji853]

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Originally Posted by BudgetPlan1

Will be interested to see how it goes! Looking forward to pics. [emoji41] I probably won`t see any clean, shiny paint in my World for a few months aside from in the garage. No water flying off of hoods in the rain, no sun reflecting off of clean paint [emoji853]

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Applied it this afternoon and was simple on and off. Will say that the creamy consistency does make it hard to get just a little on the applicator at times as it digs in due to applicator size. But look forward to seeing how it looks after 24 hrs but so far gloss and slick as can be!

Attachment 37540

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Originally Posted by agpatel

Applied it this afternoon and was simple on and off. Will say that the creamy consistency does make it hard to get just a little on the applicator at times as it digs in due to applicator size. But look forward to seeing how it looks after 24 hrs but so far gloss and slick as can be!

Attachment 37540

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I love a nice blue, looks good! [emoji41]

What brand of PPF do you have on the car? I`m also hooked on Polish Angel products and I`m thinking about giving the Glasscoat shampoo a try. There are very few reviews on it but after reading yours I think I will try it.

What product are you using on the windshield? I`m using Cosmic Spritz on all of the exterior glass except the windshield but I`m thinking about giving it a try after my next wash.

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Originally Posted by Fskof

What brand of PPF do you have on the car? I`m also hooked on Polish Angel products and I`m thinking about giving the Glasscoat shampoo a try. There are very few reviews on it but after reading yours I think I will try it.

What product are you using on the windshield? I`m using Cosmic Spritz on all of the exterior glass except the windshield but I`m thinking about giving it a try after my next wash.

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Car is done w STEK Dynoshield.

I really don`t use anything on glass. Windshield was done w Gyeon View 6k miles ago and aside from that, it just never occurs to me to use anything on glass. I don`t drive the car much so I guess I don`t think about the glass. Maybe I should next year, car does see rain but rarely when I`m driving it. Oops!