fwhomeboy

Man, that's 500 Bucks !!! I need a raise...

k20trick

iTrader: (3)

Wait for a sale can get it for like $350 for the kit or you just need the I-view which costs much less...

It really pays for itself after on vehicle.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

There are much cheaper alternatives for inspection lighting... if you are not making money detailing cars, then there is no need to spend $500 on a light to look at your paint.

Propulsion

Nice!

k20trick

iTrader: (3)

There probably is, but right out of the box everythings ready for immediate use and it doesn't need to be used primarily to inspect paint, I found quite a few uses for it that it makes it a necessity in my arsenal. The iview comes in handy it almost becomes a necessity for working under the car, engine bay, and interiors especially. Also, the lightning takes up minimal space I can snap it on via the magnet and/or hook and it virtually space space. Lets not forget how portable the sun match is compared to lugging around 2 stands and heavy leds and the cord free use. Id rather invest in this rather than 5 sets of polishes, 3 different polishers, 10 different lsps because its something I will always have and need.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

To each his own, but the average person can certainly find a very nice work light and portable flashlight for <$150 for general use and detailing use.

I agree that there is also no need for "5 sets of polishes, 3 different polishers, 10 different lsps" as well for the average DIYer/vehicle owner.

As I tell many people who express interest in getting into detailing, it can be as inexpensive or expensive as you want it to be. First couple years of working professionally on people's vehicles, I just used a Porter Cable 7424XP with various backing plates, M105 and M205 (mostly), polymer sealant, and some basic cleaners. Simple, inexpensive, and absolutely got the job done

k20trick

iTrader: (3)

Amazing how the most aggressive out of the line "fast correcting cream" finished out lsp ready...

Break2

Not sure what you mean?

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

That compound is not even that aggressive. I tried to like it, but it will NOT in any way replace my go to compound(s).

FIY, most compounds with an orange foam pad will finish near LSP ready on harder metallic paints. Nothing special about fast correcting cream. That stuff is so oily and the working time is so long, it actually slows down the process. M100 corrects way better and cuts much faster.

I guess if he is not doing it for money, it's okay to just stop at orange/griout correcting cream, but in a professional environment where your reputation is on the line, I would NEVER not do a finishing stage. Lots of these products have oils that make the finish look perfect until the first wash which is when you will see some micromarrring/DA haze reappear. I feel safe with Primer Polish, 85rd, Essense, and M205 (on harder metallic paints) as a finishing step with a white finishing pad. Anything more aggressive and you're playing with fire.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Griot's BOSS Fast Correcting Cream was my go-to compound... I had tested it side-by-side against M101 on a couple of occasions, and each time FCC cut as well and finished better. In my product review article, I actually used a USB IS-F as a test vehicle...





In our opinion it was, and is, an outstanding compound, but the awesome thing about detailing is that there are TONS of outstanding products for every part of the detailing process. As the saying goes, "find something you like, and use it often". There is no right answer to what products you should use, it just depends on what you feel works best for you

FWIW, my top 3 most used compounds are:
Griot's Garage FCC
Meguiar's D300
Meguiar's M100

-Zach

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

I thought I was the only one that felt that way. I tried it for the 1st time last week with LC Force pads, and it worked nicely on the 1st pass with a fresh clean pad, but it went downhill after that. If I decided to stick with it, I would of had to clean the pads after every pass or use double the amount of pads to get the best results.

I've read so many good reviews about it, so I'll be giving it another chance with a different pad combination.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

We generally only ever used it with microfiber pads. We blow the pads out after every section with the Tornador Blow Gun (standard practice when using a microfiber pad with any product).

Break2

Thats exactly what I used it with. Worked great for me, in fact, I found the less you used, the better it worked.

k20trick

iTrader: (3)

I use the pad brush and brush out the pad clean every two sections, also use a clean and cheap throwaway towel you can find at Costco and turn the machine with the pad on facing the towel and remove as much residue as possible.

In a perfect world, I would change out pads every time, but with the above method I was able to get through one car with only a few pads per car, i.e. 2-4 3" and 2-4 5".

k20trick

iTrader: (3)

Griots fast cream Griots Fast finishing pad Chemical Guys Orange Hex Pad

You said you used these products, not sure if you finished out with orange pad and fast correcting cream or you use finishing pad with fast correcting cream or maybe used the orange pad in some areas and finishing pad in others?

Not sure about the aggressiveness of 100, however using 105 on my paint it removed defects rather too quickly and needed a followup stage, at this point I felt like it was removing too much paint and gave fcc a shot. It was slower, but I felt like I was removing less paint because I wasn't obtaining 90%+ correction with a couple passes.

Regarding the first wash after each panel, I used eraser to give the compound less chance to bond and inspect the surface before moving on, prior to coating I gave it a 2nd eraser wipe to ensure the coating was bonding to a clean panel.

I hear alots of good stuff about the primer polish essence etc, but I wanted to keep the process simple by using individual products for the job i.e. one for cut, one for polish, then lsp.