born2run74

Sweet, I'm in Ferndale, 15 mins from Lynden. I'll PM you for his contact info...

Itravelalot

How is C1? I have not tried it yet. There are many sealants out there, but which ones are the most durable? I have to worry about 300+ days of very bright, no cloud in the sky, sunshine here in AZ. All that sun and blowing dust is nice, but it can take its toll on paint. It is evident that the guy who did that job on the black mustang is very very good, but he is very far away, and I really think that the story about the aircraft is a load of bull. I think that the story is about protecting himself from competition rather than giving the truth. I really would go to him if I was in the area for three days. Either way, I can see that C1 website. It is only a matter of time before I find someone who uses it in my area. If anyone has good experiences with it, please share.

cdynaco

Well I can't speak to C1 or to this guy that did the (fantastic) job, but it is not unusual for private enterprise products to be used in military applications. I used 5 Star Shine sealant on one of my vehicles and this is their statement:

ncoonen

Well...he never done this before. My boss said I can take $100 off of that Truecoat!

Overboost

Here's a local detailer that just had a good experience with C1. It's hard to get ahold of and tough to do, but it sounds like a solid system if done right:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-det...even-pham.html

Itravelalot

I am sure that the military does indeed use many fine cleaning products, but for me the difference is in specifics and the ability to put your claims in writing. Both in law and in research, it is much better to have a specific claim in writing than one given in a very unspecific way orally when it could easily be denied later. The claim you mentioned is so specific that it has the names of the ships it is used on, along with the important ingredient and the patent number that protects the product. All that information cannot be denied as easily because it is printed and available on the web, and therefore is also much more easy to research.

As for the guy this thread is about, I think it much more likely that he has a more relatively common product or mix of products that give him those results. I do not know why that guy has not given more specifics because even with a good product like C1 or 5 star shine, it takes a good hand to get those type of results. I think that he can build just as good of a reputation based on skill and results rather than on some secret government formula. Who know, maybe it really is a secret government formula. I really do not think that is the more likely explanation though.


Oh, by the way, how is 5 star shine? Did you get the results you were looking for?

Adam

I use BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. It has the highest sealant rating on Autopia.org, and those guys are detail crazy.

cdynaco

Understood.

Yes. 5 Star gives a deep blue shine and it was fairly easy to apply. But I only applied it in October so I'm curious if the longevity lives up to the 5 year claim.

Overboost

+1 on this stuff. Two coats right after I got the car and it looked amazing. I am actually going to try some Collonite 845 in the spring, but this will be on standby if I'm not satisfied.

smitty

I didn't claim it was a secret formula. Only that I don't know the name of the product and the rest was what he told me. I get the impression there is limited amount available to him through the formulator holding the patent (who is aged). He may just be protecting his supply of product... I don't know. He was so forthcoming with detailing tips and other info while I was there that I figured if he wanted to tell me the name of this product, he would have. I'm happy. I just hope he's still around in a few years when I want it redone.

mystickeith50

wow your car does look like glass. i also have a black 5.0 and i was wondering if someone could tell me what the protocall is for this stuff. any of these paint sealants mentioned. do you polish the car first them apply the sealant? does the sealant go on like wax? i am fairly decent at polishing and waxing my own car, and I have yet to find anyone around me who does this. I reall really am interested in the process for any of these sealants mentioned. Thanks ahead for the responses.

Overboost

It's always a good idea to properly prep the car for sealant. This includes clay, polish, and paint correction as needed, so that the surface is in top condition when the sealant goes on. Same applies for those getting the clear bra installed.

You may want to find a detailer who can apply a sealant for you, as these steps usually are taken.

mystickeith50

i feel confident in applying it, i was just wondering if it was put on after a clay/polish? and should it be followed with a wax?

mcate

When I detail, I clay first, then polish (or swirl remover if necessary), then sealant, then layer on the wax. The sealant I use (Poorboy's World EX or EX-P) needs to cure for 12-24 hours before applying wax.

Adam

You can apply wax on top of sealant but I advise against it. Once you've put wax on top of it, you can't re-apply the sealant without prepping the paint surface (clay bar). Sealant will not properly bond to a waxed vehicle. Sealant gives just as much shine as wax while providing better protection for a longer period of time. Simply replace your wax with a good sealant and you're good to go. The stuff I mentioned above will make your paint look wet, it really works great. Some will argue that Carnauba gives a warmer shine than synthetic sealants. If that's the look you prefer then just remember you'll have to apply it more often and you still won't have the level of protection that the sealant provides.

I clay bar once a year and apply sealant every 3 months. When I wash my car it looks like it was freshly waxed. I rarely mention polish since most people don't have an orbital/rotary that they know how to use. Paint correction by hand is a joke. Don't forget that after you clay your car you are now back to square one. All the layers of wax/sealant you've applied are gone. That's why you should always follow the clay with some sort of paint protection - whether it's a wax or a sealant.

People at work think I spend hours every week detailing my car. Nope. It's all about having the right products and knowing how to use them. I actually spend very little time, at max probably 2 hours a month.

floridafordguy

Would you mind explaining what is paint correction? Thanks

Adam

Removing scratches from the paint surface using polishing compounds and electric buffers. You remove just enough of the clear coat to make the surface smooth and scratch-free. Look at your car up close with a LED flashlight and you'll probably see a lot of micro-marring, which will look like a bunch of hairline scratches. They mostly occur when washing your vehicle. You can reduce the occurrence of them by using high quality towels, double bucket washing method, touchless drying, etc.

Before and After correction example

mystickeith50

thanks ADAM. so you dont reccommend polishing by hand? just curious.

Adam

It's a waste of time for the most part. Polish, or polishing compounds, need to break down to become effective. This requires heat and high RPM, something you simply cannot provide by hand. There are a lot of polishing products that advertise they can be used by hand, but the results will be minimal at best and will require a lot of elbow grease. Most of them contain a filler that will fill in the scratches and temporarily make them appear less visible, but they aren't actually gone. Since you can fairly easily damage your paint with an electric buffer (rotary more so than orbital), I would suggest letting a professional provide the correction if it's needed. If you want to learn to do it yourself there are a lot of great resources out there such as the Autopia.org forum. Practice on a friend's car though

mcate

Autopia is a great resource, as are detailcity.org & autogeek.net. Great places to go if you want to get serious about detailing.