Todd@RUPES
Just a regular guy
Much of the new and revamped BLACKFIRE was tested (and continues to be tested) in the real world by testers of all skill levles from around the world. The detail I performed on this Mercedes Benz was no exception. I personally enjoy pushing the limits of these products to see what can be expected. For example the paint correction was carried out using enthusiast tools (the excellent Flex DA) and only BLACKFIRE SCR Finishing Polish.
Getting stated...
The first step in any detail for me is to wash the paint and exterior thoroughly. When using a two bucket method I prefer to start with the wheels. They can be extremely time consuming. Once the paint is wet you are in a race against time to prevent water spots.
I started by applying BLACKFIRE's All N One All Purpose Cleaner (non-diluted) to the face of the wheels, the tires, the wheel arches, and the barrels.
The five spoke wheels on the Mercedes have the tiny holes (which are inevitably contaminated with stubborn and old brake dust).
BLACKIRE APC has no problem releasing the caked on grime; a q-tip and a little agitation...
The face of the front wheels had a lot of stubborn "German" brake dust.
An ultra soft, non scratching Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush (incombination with BLACKFIRE All N One APC) made quick work of it. The Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush uses slightly older (more mature) hair which results in a stiffer, more effective bristle. However the ends are feathered, which makes this the softest wheel brush I have ever used.
A Wheel Woolie was used to clean the barrels behind the spokes.
The tires were fairly clean and a light cleaning with a Cobra Tire Scrubber took care of the minimal amount of brake dust. The wheel wells where washed with the Wheel Woolie and then the wheels were rinsed. I should note that I worked one wheel at a time to prevent BLACKFIRE All N One APC from drying.
Normally I would move onto washing the exterior of the automobile, but I wanted to give the engine a quick clean up. It's best to clean the engine first (if you are doing this) so that any spray or cleaner is washes away when you wash the paint afterwards. The last thing you want to is cover your freshly washed paint in engine grease and cleaner splatter. While its hard to see in this photo, the engine was fairly dusty and some oil and grease had accumulated in the some cracks and crevices.
With the engine cool to the touch I sprayed a liberal amount of BLACKFIRE ALL N One APC over the entire engine bay.
After allowing the APC to dwell for about 1 minute I began to clean the difficult to access areas with various sized Wheel Woolies.
The Montana Boar's Hair Brush once again served duty by cleaning the top sides with out scratching. I keep a bucket of fresh water near by to constantly rinse out the Boar's Hair brush and washed it very carefully after cleaning the wheels.
Finally I carefully rinsed the grease and solution from the engine by spraying around the perimeter, then over the engine. Caution was taken to avoid direct spray into or onto sensitive electronics.
Finally I armed my versatile Metro Vac N' Blow with a venturi and made work off any standing water.
Any remaining water spray was absorbed using an old Big Blue Microfiber Drying Towel. This particular towel has long been regulated to wheel, engine, and door jamb duty. You don't want to use the same towel you use on your paint in case you missed any spots.
After pictures of the engine will follow at the end of the thread. I closed the hood and started the V8. It is a good idea to allow the engine to idle to near operating temperature in order to burn off any water that is below.
With the wheels and engine taken care of it was time to wash the paint.
I mixed about 2 ounces of BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo into a BLACKFIRE Wash Bucket and used a firm jet of water to activate the suds. I then added 1/2 an ounce of BLACKFIRE All N One APC to help strip the paint of any existing wax, sealant, or oil glaze.
Tar and bug remains were treated to a couple blasts of All N One APC.
The Mercedes was washed, a section at a time, using the two bucket method. BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo will not produce the huge volume of suds other shampoo's may. This because the concentrate is so packed with Wet Diamond polymers. It is similar to a rinseless wash in how it lays on the paint, yet dirt and grease floats away with the ease of a traditional soap.
After washing and rinsing the exterior I cleaned all the cracks, seems, door shuts, and trunk shut and rinsed them thoroughly. I removed the nozzle and 'flooded' the paint to sheet away any water droplets, then used a Cobra Jumbo Guzzler to make quick work any remaining water.
After washing the next step is to clay the finish and remove any bonded contaminates that reduce reflected gloss or could interfere with the paint correction (polishing) process. BLACKFIRE PolyClay II was used in conjunction with BLACKFIRE Clay Lubricant. The paint was fairly clean, with only the back of the roof, trunk, and rear bumper showing any real contamination. The hood and side panels felt gritty but quickly came clean.
As I was drying the Mercedes I noticed that the wheels were stained with calcium and water spots. I figured this would be a great opportunity to give the new BLACKFIRE Total Polish & Seal a work out by hand. Total Polish & Seal is BLACKFIRE's all-in-one cleaner/polish/and sealant. This formula took a considerable amount of time to formulate as the Wet Diamond polymers make formulating a product with abrasives 'tricky'.
With just a little "passion" behind the foam applicator, Total Polish & Seal made quick work of the water spotting and painted wheels looking great. To get the best result from BLACKFIRE Total Polish & Seal use a small amount and work into the surface until it has nearly disappeared. Remove any remaining residue with a soft microfiber towel.
The weather outside was perfect (it was a little chilly in the morning, which is why I had the black hat on in the wash pictures), a typical Florida winter day. The temperature was 75 with a light breeze.
Getting stated...
The first step in any detail for me is to wash the paint and exterior thoroughly. When using a two bucket method I prefer to start with the wheels. They can be extremely time consuming. Once the paint is wet you are in a race against time to prevent water spots.
I started by applying BLACKFIRE's All N One All Purpose Cleaner (non-diluted) to the face of the wheels, the tires, the wheel arches, and the barrels.
The five spoke wheels on the Mercedes have the tiny holes (which are inevitably contaminated with stubborn and old brake dust).
BLACKIRE APC has no problem releasing the caked on grime; a q-tip and a little agitation...
The face of the front wheels had a lot of stubborn "German" brake dust.
An ultra soft, non scratching Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush (incombination with BLACKFIRE All N One APC) made quick work of it. The Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush uses slightly older (more mature) hair which results in a stiffer, more effective bristle. However the ends are feathered, which makes this the softest wheel brush I have ever used.
A Wheel Woolie was used to clean the barrels behind the spokes.
The tires were fairly clean and a light cleaning with a Cobra Tire Scrubber took care of the minimal amount of brake dust. The wheel wells where washed with the Wheel Woolie and then the wheels were rinsed. I should note that I worked one wheel at a time to prevent BLACKFIRE All N One APC from drying.
Normally I would move onto washing the exterior of the automobile, but I wanted to give the engine a quick clean up. It's best to clean the engine first (if you are doing this) so that any spray or cleaner is washes away when you wash the paint afterwards. The last thing you want to is cover your freshly washed paint in engine grease and cleaner splatter. While its hard to see in this photo, the engine was fairly dusty and some oil and grease had accumulated in the some cracks and crevices.
With the engine cool to the touch I sprayed a liberal amount of BLACKFIRE ALL N One APC over the entire engine bay.
After allowing the APC to dwell for about 1 minute I began to clean the difficult to access areas with various sized Wheel Woolies.
The Montana Boar's Hair Brush once again served duty by cleaning the top sides with out scratching. I keep a bucket of fresh water near by to constantly rinse out the Boar's Hair brush and washed it very carefully after cleaning the wheels.
Finally I carefully rinsed the grease and solution from the engine by spraying around the perimeter, then over the engine. Caution was taken to avoid direct spray into or onto sensitive electronics.
Finally I armed my versatile Metro Vac N' Blow with a venturi and made work off any standing water.
Any remaining water spray was absorbed using an old Big Blue Microfiber Drying Towel. This particular towel has long been regulated to wheel, engine, and door jamb duty. You don't want to use the same towel you use on your paint in case you missed any spots.
After pictures of the engine will follow at the end of the thread. I closed the hood and started the V8. It is a good idea to allow the engine to idle to near operating temperature in order to burn off any water that is below.
With the wheels and engine taken care of it was time to wash the paint.
I mixed about 2 ounces of BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo into a BLACKFIRE Wash Bucket and used a firm jet of water to activate the suds. I then added 1/2 an ounce of BLACKFIRE All N One APC to help strip the paint of any existing wax, sealant, or oil glaze.
Tar and bug remains were treated to a couple blasts of All N One APC.
The Mercedes was washed, a section at a time, using the two bucket method. BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo will not produce the huge volume of suds other shampoo's may. This because the concentrate is so packed with Wet Diamond polymers. It is similar to a rinseless wash in how it lays on the paint, yet dirt and grease floats away with the ease of a traditional soap.
After washing and rinsing the exterior I cleaned all the cracks, seems, door shuts, and trunk shut and rinsed them thoroughly. I removed the nozzle and 'flooded' the paint to sheet away any water droplets, then used a Cobra Jumbo Guzzler to make quick work any remaining water.
After washing the next step is to clay the finish and remove any bonded contaminates that reduce reflected gloss or could interfere with the paint correction (polishing) process. BLACKFIRE PolyClay II was used in conjunction with BLACKFIRE Clay Lubricant. The paint was fairly clean, with only the back of the roof, trunk, and rear bumper showing any real contamination. The hood and side panels felt gritty but quickly came clean.
As I was drying the Mercedes I noticed that the wheels were stained with calcium and water spots. I figured this would be a great opportunity to give the new BLACKFIRE Total Polish & Seal a work out by hand. Total Polish & Seal is BLACKFIRE's all-in-one cleaner/polish/and sealant. This formula took a considerable amount of time to formulate as the Wet Diamond polymers make formulating a product with abrasives 'tricky'.
With just a little "passion" behind the foam applicator, Total Polish & Seal made quick work of the water spotting and painted wheels looking great. To get the best result from BLACKFIRE Total Polish & Seal use a small amount and work into the surface until it has nearly disappeared. Remove any remaining residue with a soft microfiber towel.
The weather outside was perfect (it was a little chilly in the morning, which is why I had the black hat on in the wash pictures), a typical Florida winter day. The temperature was 75 with a light breeze.
