BlackjackM

Did you let it dry long enough? The directions say to let it dry at least an hour depending on the conditions....in MA on Sunday it was close to 100 degrees so the hour or so it sat in the sun after I washed it was long enough! I didn't notice any haze, in fact it seemed to give my AMG wheels a nice glossy shine. After all was dry I noticed a few small spots where it looks like maybe it pooled a little bit in the lug nut wells. But other than that it looks great.

Also, as far as tire shine sling- if you're getting that then you're using too much. Try wiping it down with a cloth or piece of foam after application.

Not sure what you use, I use OPT (Optimum) Rubber dressing. I spray it on a foam applicator then wipe it on the tires....never a drop of sling

Azn_C300

Remove all 4 wheels when I clean em. Also helps me clean the wheel well and calipers. For my wheel regimine, without getting into equipment...

P21S TAW scrub down for tires
P21S Gel for wheels
Seal with Poorboy's Wheel Sealant
Spray a light layer of DG Aquawax as a topper
Dress tires with Optimum Opti-bond

I've tried Sonax wheel cleaners, but P21S still outperforms that bloody show. Swissvax wheel sealant was ok, but performed about the same as Poorboy's, although I've started to seal it with Optimum Opti-seal more as my Poorboy's is running out. Once my supply of all that runs out, plan on switching to Collinite 845 for it's durability with Opti-Seal for shows.

omgitselaine

I don't want to hijack Ron's thread soo I PMed you !! Also Ron don't fret about the neighbor ....... he is the one who is ummmmm " weird " cause to even make a comment out loud like that shows how "classless" he is You're ride is looking greatt !

I am Jeff

Ron...I get the same BS from my neighbors, and I'm not even waxing it. I hear them jibbering in the background about how I'm hand washing the exterior and the barrel of the rims. They keep telling me how it's sooo much easier using those rim cleaner products. My response to them is...You have your way and I have my way. I also tell them, do you know which way is cleaner? lol

Derspeed

Ha. I actually did wax my tires last night. Well, kind of waxed them. I was throwing away some old stuff and ran across some Ice quick detailer. You can use it on rubber and plastic. I sprayed the wheels and tires for a quick job to see what would happen and, voila, it worked. I usually use a dedicated wheel wax, but man, this saved a ton of time.

He would go nuts watching me detail cars and motorcycles. Like Mike, I remove the wheels and do the fender wells and calipers.

Anyway, don't let your neighbor see you polishing your exhaust tips.

Peabody

I polish my tips every time I wash my car!

omgitselaine

Ummm ........... doesnt everyone do this ??? I think it's more "abnormal" not to !! Having a nice clean ride and then dirty exhaust tips is juust wrong !!!

Azn_C300

It's funny when I prepare to start detailing my car. That's a process in itself. Set up the pressure washer, set up the CR spotless, fill up my buckets, then start mixing solutions like a chem lab. Neighbors probably think I'm making drugs or something lol. I had a neighbor who happened to be outside ask me before why I rinse off the car again after I already washed and dried it like it was the strangest thing he's ever seen. Not to mention my IPA wipedown made him do a double take.

Ron Jr

Now that is a waste of beer if you ask me. LOL

E92-Lighting

dont mind your neighbor, he is just jealous

451/443=EW

You polish your own tips??

Sorry, I couldnt resist.

451/443=EW

Ron, your doing a great job with your ride. With the time, money and effort you put into Darth. I would expect nothing less to protect her. I have never waxed my rims and door jams. But im gona start. Sounds like a great way to keep the dust off the rims. Thanks for the tip!

kevintran2009

what kind of wax do you use?

RLE

There was a time when Armorall and a few Meguiars products were all that was available. The original Armorall was sort of a watered-down milk-like liquid that they wanted you to use on the whole interior which made it so slippery and shiny that when you sat down in the driver's seat you might slide out the other door onto the ground.

Using it on the tires blackened them up until the sun hit them whereupon they turned brown.

These days there are so many products on the market that it's impossible to know which produces the best results with the least work. I have noticed that there are regional favorites that aren't even sold in other parts of the country.

I'm beginning to think that Griot's is becoming the market leader and that's what I use although I use two Menzerna products, one for polishing nano-particle clear coat plus their paint sealer. When I use them up I will likely switch to the comparable Griot's product.

Fact is, Griot's seems to be taking over anyway. Even though they are located in Tacoma WA, most of their business is in the eastern US through their online, 800 number and catalog sales. Anybody who isn't receiving their free catalog (they call it a handbook) should sign up on the website. They send out a huge number of them (two million, I think) every month.

They just opened their new corporate offices in Tacoma where they spent four million dollars remodeling an old Coke bottling plant and the place is fabulous. All of the parking spots are extra wide to prevent door dings and the wheel stops are low so that spoilers won't be damaged. Everything about the place was designed without regard to cost and outside there is no asphalt but rather the entire parking area is smooth concrete.

The '56 Porsche Speedster owned by a friend which we spent five years restoring is on semi-permanent loan and is displayed on the sales floor on top of one of the offices.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/griots/...n/photostream/

Click on Historic cars and then on Slideshow.

The whole place can be seen at www.griots.com

BlackjackM

Griots stuff is pretty good. I don't like the polishes though, I'd stick with the Menz polishes you have. I've used both, and the Griots polish is much tougher to remove than the Menzerna (SIP and PO85rd are my two favorites). My favorite Griots items are the Leather Treatment, Speed Shine, and Car Wash.

If you want to try out new polishes try the Meguiar's "twins"- M105 (high cut) and M205 (finish polish). They're what a lot of people on autopia.org are using now.

Ron Jr

I used the last of my DoDo Juice Purple Haze that day. I've been thinking of giving Griots a try I get their catalog all the time.

Azn_C300

Griots is ok. Definitely not the end-all-be-all though. I've used a few of their stuff and it's quality and a cut above OTC.

RLE

I've been using Menzerna PO 106 with my Porter-Cable random orbital with an orange foam pad, doing small sections at a time and I wouldn't say it is easy to remove. Immediately after polishing a section, I put a small microfiber cloth over the pad and remove most of it that way which makes removing the rest fairly easy. I then use Speed Shine (Griot's detailing spray) to finish before applying Menzerna FMJ and then either their Concours wax or Spray wax depending on how much energy I have left.

All this is preceded by claying where needed, of course.

JimPap

You guys using multiple layers of waxes.

After the first layer, don't you have a problem getting a second layer to stick? After all, it's pretty slick.

BlackjackM

If it's tough to remove, my guess is you may be using a bit too much (I use about 3 dime sized dots of polish per panel once the pad is "primed" with polish). The polish should break down after about 2 minutes of buffing on the panel, and you should be able to easily wipe the resulting light film off with a microfiber by hand. I then use Menzerna Top Inspection to ensure that all the polishing agents are taken off the panel to see the true condition of it.

The microfibers get loaded with polish residue quickly so I'd swap out the MF every 2 panels or so with a clean one.