BrianS
26-09-2001, 02:02 PM
I shipped in some products from the US and tried them out last weekend. Got some amazing results but still doing tests and I have an ideal car to act as Guinea Pig. The Girlfriend's 94 Astra! There were a few problems with the paintwork, namely a big ugly etch from bird-dropping which ate all the way through the paint (happened before I came along!) also lots of scratches and chip marks, with some key marks all around the lock on the drivers side. There are scratches on the roof from what looks like a manual brushing wash, and also a long scratch up the bonnet - this had to be from an drive-through Carwash.
The stuff I got in - No Names until after the test in two weeks - was a clay bar and a non-abrasive polish. The first thing I did though was give the car a "special" wash to get rid of the previous layers of wax that I had been putting on. After that, I used the clay bar to remove any dirt stuck to the surface of the paint. (Its the dirt that you can feel but not see). That gave a great finish anyway. The paint was really smooth to touch but what amazed me most was what it did to the etch on the roof. I could never get rid of that, even with hi-speed machine polishing. It always felt rough so I thought the damage was done and that was that. However, after running the clay bar over it a few times it went completely smooth. Okay, there was some paint missing and that was still obvious, but not half as obvious as before. That was pretty cool.
Next came the polish. Its an unusual product in that although its a polymer coating, its a bit more like a plastic and it fills in scratches and swirl marks, but you need to give it a few coats. I've done two coats so far and the car has never looked so good in all its life!! This stuff gives a big, glossy wet look to the paint as well so the car looks like its straight off the production line. I'm going to give it a few more coats when I get back as I can still see a scratch or two, but even the damge on the roof is far less visible. Amazing stuff.
I'll update you when I get back on the 8th of October!
Later,
Brian.
The stuff I got in - No Names until after the test in two weeks - was a clay bar and a non-abrasive polish. The first thing I did though was give the car a "special" wash to get rid of the previous layers of wax that I had been putting on. After that, I used the clay bar to remove any dirt stuck to the surface of the paint. (Its the dirt that you can feel but not see). That gave a great finish anyway. The paint was really smooth to touch but what amazed me most was what it did to the etch on the roof. I could never get rid of that, even with hi-speed machine polishing. It always felt rough so I thought the damage was done and that was that. However, after running the clay bar over it a few times it went completely smooth. Okay, there was some paint missing and that was still obvious, but not half as obvious as before. That was pretty cool.
Next came the polish. Its an unusual product in that although its a polymer coating, its a bit more like a plastic and it fills in scratches and swirl marks, but you need to give it a few coats. I've done two coats so far and the car has never looked so good in all its life!! This stuff gives a big, glossy wet look to the paint as well so the car looks like its straight off the production line. I'm going to give it a few more coats when I get back as I can still see a scratch or two, but even the damge on the roof is far less visible. Amazing stuff.
I'll update you when I get back on the 8th of October!
Later,
Brian.