Subaru Forester Maintenance (w/ 227 Day PBL Coating Update and multiple product Rayviews)

[RaysWay]

Time for another update on my favorite clients 2014 Subaru Forester. It`s been 227 days since PBL Diamond Surface Paint Coating was originally applied. This is her daily driver and I`ve been told I`m the only person who has touched the car. She hasn`t had it washed or detailed anywhere else, including at home. I think this makes for a great example of what a surface coating is able to do in terms of protection, especially with our extreme UV ratings recently in Florida.

To recap, here are my last updates in chronological order:

Original Detail (12/7/2014): 2014 Subaru Forester Detail (multiple Rayviews)
Day 55 Update: Day 55 Update: Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Coating (w/ video)
Day 99 Update: CarPro Spotless Review (w/ 99 Day PBL Coating Update)

After going through the previous updates, that means this Subaru hasn`t been washed in 227 days !

I started by rinsing the entire Forester to help it cool down. The paint was still glossy and looked great. Although the wheels and tires needed a thorough cleaning badly.



The wheels were coated 227 days ago. They were actually not too bad considering this is a daily driver and the wheels haven`t been cleaned since the original detail. This shot was taken after the wheels were rinsed, so all of the loose dirt is off.





I used Iron X Lemon Scent to decon/clean the wheels and Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner on the tires.



For the wash, I wanted to try out CarPro Reset. I used the two bucket wash method with a Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt (Lavender Color if you`re wondering).





If there`s one type of product I really enjoy reviewing, it would be shampoos. This particular shampoo worked great. I was impressed. I really liked to read on their website that Reset is derived almost entirely from natural, organic and biodegradable ingredients. It contains ZERO harsh sodium and lauryl sulfate derivatives, which some other shampoo`s can`t say. No gloss enhancers, No polymers and no wax inside. For the price, I think CarPro hit another homerun.



To dry the Subaru, I didn`t want to take any change of marring the paint by dragging a towel on the paint. So I decided to use a Metro Master Blaster. It`s also the most fun you can have while drying a car



227 days and no swirls







I pulled the Subaru into the shop and applied Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Booster to the wheels for added protection. Pictures don`t do justice to the amount of gloss the booster added to the wheels.



I also applied 2 coats of Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel.



The client specifically showed me the trim on the rear bumper. It was in pretty bad shape.





I cleaned all of the exterior trim with DP Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner by hand with a microfiber towel. To ensure all oils were removed, I came back and wiped all the trim with a 12.5% IPA dilution.



I decided to try Black Wow Pro. Since it was released, I`ve heard nothing but great things about this trim restorer.



I worked in small sections to make sure Black Wow Pro was completely absorbed by the trim. Here`s one small drop massaged thoroughly into the trim.



Black Wow Pro worked great.





Now I was really excited, this was the moment I`ve been waiting for...



I applied Synergy this time with a Griots Garage 3 inch polisher. If I was going to do it again, I would do it by hand. It was hard to judge how much I was removing from the jar and I wouldn`t want to waste any amount of this wax. It was great being able to experience first hand what I`ve heard others say about this wax. It buffed off easily and I`ve got to hand it to Swanicyouth for hitting the nail on the head on how the finish felt "silky smooth" as opposed to slick after wiping it off.









All finished.



While I was rinsing the car, I was a little worried about the lack of beading on the horizontal panels. The vertical panels looked great, water just sheeted right off. But the hood especially didn`t look too promising. It wasn`t until I removed the film of dirt that the beading was restored. On the Day 99 update, I did apply PBL Diamond Coating Booster after using CarPro Spotless on the drivers side door and hood but not to the entire vehicle.

Thanks for reading!

Products used:
Iron X Lemon Scent
TUF SHINE Tire Brush
TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner
Speedmaster Wheel Brush
CarPro Reset Intensive Car Shampoo
Super Plush Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt
Detailer`s Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner
Black Wow Professional Trim Restorer
Metro MasterBlaster 8hp
Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing
Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Booster
Pinnacle Black Label Synergy

[admin]

Looking good Vega! I know one happy lady with a green car now!

[Pats300zx]

Great stuff Vega. Pretty impressive results for Black Label. I love the reflection shots

[The Guz]

Nice update.

You said you were concerned about the lack of beading on the horizontal panels. Could you elaborate a little more. 227 days with PBL sounds good so I`m just wondering if the lack of beading meant it has lost a lot of life.

How was the sheeting on those panels?

[wdmaccord]

Nice update.

You said you were concerned about the lack of beading on the horizontal panels. Could you elaborate a little more. 227 days with PBL sounds good so I`m just wondering if the lack of beading meant it has lost a lot of life.

How was the sheeting on those panels?

As he mentioned, the beading came back once the hood was washed. Pretty typical when you get 6 months of road grime buildup on top of the coating (or sealant). A good washing removes the road grime and the beading returns since the water is now sitting on the coating and not the grime.

[512detail]

Very nice there. I agree with the PBL coating booster on wheels. Ironically I was thinking that just this afternoon when I washed my truck. I applied the coating booster to the wheels and they really increased in gloss.

That`s pretty impressive for the coating, over 200 days with no cleaning and everything came right off.

It`s said most customers just don`t realize that coating is the way to go, especially if they don`t like messing with their vehicles.

[RaysWay]

Nice update.

You said you were concerned about the lack of beading on the horizontal panels. Could you elaborate a little more. 227 days with PBL sounds good so I`m just wondering if the lack of beading meant it has lost a lot of life.

How was the sheeting on those panels?

Yep exactly what wdmaccord said. I think I made it a little confusing because I mentioned the lack of beading in the last paragraph, but after the film of dirt was removed with CarPro Reset; the beading was restored.

[RaysWay]

Very nice there. I agree with the PBL coating booster on wheels. Ironically I was thinking that just this afternoon when I washed my truck. I applied the coating booster to the wheels and they really increased in gloss.

That`s pretty impressive for the coating, over 200 days with no cleaning and everything came right off.

It`s said most customers just don`t realize that coating is the way to go, especially if they don`t like messing with their vehicles.

I completely agree. I`m still admittedly more of a "carnauba guy" because I enjoy regular waxes with headphones on, but surface coatings seem like a no-brainer for most people. In the near future if I pull the trigger on a new car/motorcycle, the first thing I`ll do is apply a coating.

[Swanicyouth]

Looks good. Thanks for the follow up. It shows what this stuff can do. This is the longest dedicated follow up to PBL I`ve seen.

I`m wondering how the coating would hold up to salty snowy road sludge for us NE guys? Road salt and snow seem to be the toughest stuff for LSPs.

[512detail]

I completely agree. I`m still admittedly more of a "carnauba guy" because I enjoy regular waxes with headphones on, but surface coatings seem like a no-brainer for most people. In the near future if I pull the trigger on a new car/motorcycle, the first thing I`ll do is apply a coating.

You can always layer synergy its got `nuba in it.
I`m sure ill put more on my srt tomorrow as I have the day off.

[The Guz]

Yep exactly what wdmaccord said. I think I made it a little confusing because I mentioned the lack of beading in the last paragraph, but after the film of dirt was removed with CarPro Reset; the beading was restored.

Yeah I guess I should not have been reading this thread at work when I should be working . This is a good update on how durable PBL is.

[RaysWay]

Check out the pics this client texted me this morning.

[TroyScherer]

Thanks for the followup and continued testing Ray. For me this is what separates a "review" with a good/great review.

And that beading from Synergy is sweet. Now I want to try it... Can you send me your tin?!?!?

[Angus]

I pulled the Subaru into the shop and applied Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Booster to the wheels for added protection. Pictures don`t do justice to the amount of gloss the booster added to the wheels.

Nice! I`m totally impressed at the amount of gloss you created on these rims, Vega. I can`t imagine how glosses they look like in person.

I cleaned all of the exterior trim with DP Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner by hand with a microfiber towel. To ensure all oils were removed, I came back and wiped all the trim with a 12.5% IPA dilution.

Question - are you removing the oils left by DP Cleanse-All or residual oils DP missed?

I`ve been playing around with a sample of DP Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner on a few different areas (vinyl surface prep and bug/tar remover) and so far love it. I`m surprised this product doesn`t have a greater following.

Great RayView, Vega!

[RaysWay]

Thanks for the followup and continued testing Ray. For me this is what separates a "review" with a good/great review.

And that beading from Synergy is sweet. Now I want to try it... Can you send me your tin?!?!?

No problem! Thanks for reading. I would highly recommend trying it someday. I`d send you a tin if I had one lol. My review tin was immediately confiscated after I used it. I think I`ve "lost" too many things in the past.

Nice! I`m totally impressed at the amount of gloss you created on these rims, Vega. I can`t imagine how glosses they look like in person.


Question - are you removing the oils left by DP Cleanse-All or residual oils DP missed?

I`ve been playing around with a sample of DP Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner on a few different areas (vinyl surface prep and bug/tar remover) and so far love it. I`m surprised this product doesn`t have a greater following.

Great RayView, Vega!

Thanks Angus! DP Cleanse-All shouldn`t leave behind any oils, I was just being extra safe. The client made it clear she wanted the trim to be high priority, so I wanted to be extra safe.