CanuckG35

CanuckG35,

 

What do you suggest for hot weather care? The paint on my Mediterranean Blue SEL is deep and bright. She is garage kept but does spend some time sitting in the sun where temperatures can easily hit 110-degrees. I want the paint to sparkle look deep for many years to come. What do you suggest?

 

Also, what keeps the plastic chrome plated wheels shiny? Is there anything safe for use to remove water spots without marring. I guess the same product can be used for the grille?

 

Lastly, will Lexol rubbed into the steering wheel keep the leather soft?

 

Thanks!

Robert

Every detailer has their own preferences as to what products they use. Having said that, my personal preference is Menzerna's Synthetic Polymer lock sealant. Durability with any product will be effected by environmental conditions and also your washing habits. I get approximately 6 months durability with Power Lock and just love the look it provides.

As for your chrome plated wheels, I would use P21S wheel cleaner and Poorboys Wheel Sealant. PB's wheal sealant protects your wheels, makes them easier to clean, and cuts down on brake dust. For safely removing water spots, you can use a waterless wash product like Poorboy's Spray & Wipe or Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer.

Hi CanuckG35,

 

I have been trying to find a reputable professional detailer to perform this magic on my new 2011 Platinum White Edge Limited and I have noticed that most of them does all the work in ONE day (generally 6-8 hours). That said, you have said that the order of detailing should be 1) WASH, 2) DRY, 3) CLAY, 4) POLISH and 5) SEAL. however some of the detailers I have been looking at does it like this" 1) Clay, 2) Compound (if needed), 3) Polish, 4) Glaze, 5) Paint Sealant, 6) Carnuba wax.

 

What is the compound & glaze part of the job entail? Also, if I recollect properly, you recommend that the car be allowed to sit for 24 hours before the final procedure is done. How will skipping that part and doing it all in one day effect the final finish?

 

Lastly, what is a fair price range to detail a vehicle like our Edge?

 

Thanks so much for your invaluable information!

Sac AZN

Sorry for being MIA lately, it's been a very busy summer.

Now to answer your questions. Basically a compound and a polish are basically the same. An aggressive polish can be considered a compound and a mild compound can be considered a polish. If your paint is severely damaged you might require an aggressive compound (say 800-1200 grit). When using an aggressive compound like this, you would then need to follow it up with a light or fine cut polish to remove the marring and hazing left by the heavy compound.

As for a glaze, their main job try and "fill in" paint imperfections. If your professional detailer is doing the job right, they really won't need to apply a glaze. One benefit about a glaze though is that is does provide a great shine before applying your LSP and restores original brilliance and clarity.

If you are using a sealant/carnuba combo as your LSP, definitely allow the sealant to cure for 24 hours before applying the carnuba over top of it.

Any other questions, just let me know.

I've been doing auto detailing semi-professionally for years, and I have found that there is nothing that compares to the warmth and shine as canauba, but it only lasts for six to eight weeks. I've found that applying a coat of carbauba, THEN applying your synthetic polish or seal with give you the shine you get from carnauba, and the last protection from a synthetic polish. Remember to clay the car first, then wash to remove any clay residue, then apply your wax and polish. If you have a darker color, you may need to have it buffed professionally to remove any swirls or light scratches before starting the process. I do this to my wife's 07 Edge every six months or so, and the black paint is as new as the day we bought it. Good luck!

The sealant needs to be applied first before you apply your carnuba. Sealants will not bond to a carnuba.

Canuck, I too am waiting on a White Platinum Edge that is actually being constructed today (Hurray!) cannot wait to get it to my driveway.

I am an automatic car wash guy (I can hear the groans sorry all).

What do you recommend to keep the 18" chrome clad wheels shiny and protected? Do you recommend a good tire shine as well?

 

I see you using the MF abbreviation= micro fiber towel? Do you use these for all applications? Glass, wax removal etc.....

 

Another question I see a lot of people asking is sealant, I should have someone seal it as soon as I receive it? I had never done that with any other vehicles.

 

 

Thanks from a newbie

Mark T

Chicago

Mark, congrats on the purchase of your upcoming Edge!

If you can, try and stay away from the automatic car washes.....even the touchless ones. The ones that touch your vehicle are obviously death to your paint. The touchless car washes use very harsh detergents to clean your vehicle will will drastically reduce the durability of any paint protection you have on your vehicle.

To answer your question about keeping your wheels protected, I would recommend using a wheel sealant like Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Wheel Wax. For wheel cleaner, I like using P21S the best. Also like dr.edge I use Poorboys Bold N Bright as my tire dressing for all customer details. It's a fantastic water based dressing that doesn't sling whatsoever.

Yes, MF = microfiber. Other than using a foam applicator to apply my sealants and waxes I use MF towels for virtually everything else. There is varying qualities of MF towels so try and stay away from the cheaper ones.

Sealing your paint is just another alternative to a carnuba wax and will provide protection to your paint from the elements. Sealants last much longer than waxes which is why a large number of people and detailers use them. Unless you opted for some type of paint protection package from your dealership (which I never recommend), your Edge will not come with any type of paint protection applied. It's always recommended to apply protection to your paint to guard against UV rays, acid rain, bird bombs, etc.

Since you are in the US, a great place to pick up some detailing supplies is www.detailedimage.com. They are extremely knowledgable and their service is top notch. I hope this helps however let me know if you have any other questions.

i've been following this.... we have the Earth Metallic.... ... i want to clay bar........

 

so if i'm right..

 

wash....dry..... clay....polish ...seal??.....5 step?...

 

looking at the CQuartz website now!

Yep, you are correct.

Scott, I haven't tried that particular tire dressing yet, but I am glad to see you switch from a silicone based tire dressing to a water based tire dressing. Not only are most silicone tire dressings extremely messy with sling back, they are harmful to your tires.

A synthetic polymer sealant provides durability for up to 6 months or so, sounds like it would fit the bill for you.

One thing I can guarantee you is that there are a LOT more ways than nine to ruin your paint. Thankfully, it's what keeps us detailers in business.

Bump.

For anyone that is looking to do a spring detail of their Edge (or any other vehicle for that matter) feel free to post up your questions here.

Akirby, would you mind moving this thread to the detailing section? Thanks.

Wow...maybe a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? http://www.mrclean.c...and%2BAwareness

Definitely DO NOT use a magic eraser on your leather! The magic eraser can/will also remove the dye from the leather. There are many tips out there for removing denim from leather, however be very careful as you don't want to ruin your leather. I've removed denim safely in the past buy spraying a small amount of hair spray on the spot. I then proceeded to use my normal leather cleaner. Follow up with a leather conditioner as well.

It's located in "Display Mode", which is the first menu choice in your left LCD screen.

You can restart system by pulling Fuse 29. Located in the driver side kick panel.

Are you sure that's where it's located Scott???? It's not like you've had any experience pulling fuse 29 before or anything!

I am a new Edge Owner, and I have some specific questions I did not see addressed in other threads.

 

1) Leather Steering Wheel on my Ford Edge. What is best way to protect that from dirt, grime, and keeping the current "new" condition?

 

2) Front Chrome-Like Grill. I assume is chrome covered plastic. How do I get the bugs & grime off, and how to do protect it from future bugs & grime?

 

3) The leather seats. It seems like Leatherique Rejuvenator & Prestine Clean are for keeping leather soft & supple. My problem is my 6 year old that drops gummi bears, or otherwise gets the leather sticky. Is there preferred cleaner, for sticky "kid" residue before I use the Leatherique?

 

4) How do I clean dirt from inside my wheel wells? I assume it's the same car wash Mitt I use for the wheels & tires?

 

Thanks for the help. I am learning a lot on here.

1. The absorption of oils into leather from your skin can cause cracking. If you use a water based protectant like 303 Aerospace, it will act as a scotchguard and prevent the naturals oils to absorb into the leather.

2. I use Poorboys World Bug Squash to help remove all of the bugs from the front of mine and customer vehicles. It works great. Having your paint protected with a wax or a sealant at all times will make it easier to remove the bugs as well.

3. You could take a hairdryer and warm up the residue a little then wipe off with a damp cloth. Follow up with a leather cleaner of your choice.

4. I use a wheel well brush along with P21S diluted down to 3:1. It will degrease just about anything in your wheel wells. If you choose to use a mitt instead of a wheel well brush, have a dedicated mitt for ONLY the wheel wells. You can even apply your favourite tire dressing to the wheel wells after if you choose. The wheel wells on the Edge are extremely easy to clean compared to some other vehicles.

I hope this helps.

I am wondering if you give the same detailed care to your new Lease car as opposed to purchased car?

 

I have a new 2011 Edge Limited AWD, but it's a 2 Year lease. So I am pondering how crazy I want to get with the continious waxes and polishing.

Obviously it's your choice how much time and effort you want to spend on keeping a leased vehicle in top condition. If you are considering buying out the lease at the end of the two years, I would certainly spend the time, effort, and money needed to take care of it properly. If you know for sure that you are will turning it back in after the two years, there is really no necessity to spend the money on polishing and waxing/sealing constantly. Again, it's totally up to you how much time and effort you want to spend. My Edge is leased as well as a business write off, however I still detail it like I own it. Personally, I enjoy detailing, love having a vehicle that always looks like it came from the showroom, and it's also a form of advertising for my business.

^ Yep, they sure have been Ed. Since the APIM replacement, all MFT/SYNC features are working fine.

How is yours working?

Add me to the list of members that are having this issue. Annoying to say the least. I much prefer Infiniti's intelligent key system over Ford's so far.

So April/May time? like me?

Ugh, spring can't come quick enough Carrie. Looking very forward to all of the snow being gone and going for the first top down drive in the roadster.

Since I have it on hand in the medicine cabinent, I tried a little IPA (ie rubbing alcohol), diluted it 50:50 ratio and tried it on my rims. Seemed to do a good job. I haven't made it to the hardware store yet to get the goo gone, but I'll post an update later this weekend after I wash the car. I wanted to at least get the rims cleaned up so I could put on the poor boys wheel sealant (before I eat it all straight out of the jar -- it smells like candy).

Hahaha, I know what you mean. You should smell the Nattys Blue, it's got a great bubble gum smell that makes you just want get a spoon and eat it!!

Good job on the 50/50 mix. It's a also great way to remove any oils, residue, etc from your paint before detailing.

Second Q of the day....how does everyone wash their towels and mitts etc? My neighbor actually takes his to a local laundromat, his better half doesn't want those chemicals in their washer/dryer?

 

I'm not sure I want to spend an hour and half washing towels, any recs? Do people toss out old towels used for detailing spray etc?

 

I was debating washing them in a bucket once prior to washing them in the washer dryer...thoughts? Advice?

 

H

For all of my MF towels and MF mitts, I use Chemical Guys MF Wash Cleaning Detergent. Using an actual MF cleaning detergent will greatly prolong the life of your MF towels as it removes was and other residues much better than a regular detergent. I would highly recommend picking up one to prolong the life of your MF products.

Goo gone is perfect for just about any sticky residue on your paint. I use it quite frequently on customer vehicles, especially when removing dealership stickers.

^ Looks great!!! :shades:

I got the APIM replaced yesterday at the dealership. All is well.........so far. :hyper:

^ Keep me posted Carrie, good luck with everything.

Getting my APIM replaced on Friday.......really hoping that things go smoothly.

Thank you, unfortunately that's a couple hours + away. Might be worth it though based on the reviews.. wow.

Yeah, you can trust any detailer on George's website, that's for sure. I used to be on there myself but his map is US only now.