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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Canuck,

 

I went through the thread and never found an answer as to the type of clearcoat on the 2011 Edge. I need to know this before I start diving in to detail the exterior.

 

I know you asked Canuck, but seeing as he hasn't answered yet, I'll throw in my opinion for what it's worth. I detail cars every weekend for about 8 months of the year, so I have a tiny bit of experience. You should purchase a range of pads and a versatile compound/polish combo to attack your situation. I use and recommend Meguiars 105 and 205. I use Buff and Shine pads that I also highly recommend. You can get both at Autoality.com. Eric is an extremely fair guy and great to deal with. What polisher do you have? What is your budget for one? Eric can help you there too. Pick up some soft mf's while you're at it. Not all Edges will correct the same. No colour corrects the same. Pretty much every car is different. You just need to try a few different pads to see what will work best for your particular situation.

Hope that helps.

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richy:

 

I actually own 4 polishers (two rotary, two random orbital). Two of them (PC 7336 and Harbor Freight Rotary) are in Chicago. The ones down here with me are a Porter Cable 7428 rotary and an Ultimate Detailing Machine Random Orbital (Has the same feel as a PC 7336). Microfibers? I have a LOT of them in both places. In fact, I just picked up some Blackfire Microfiber cleaner and conditioner today. Will give my feedback on how it works. Pads? I have Meguiar's and Sonus Foam pads down to 4" pads that I use for buffing the glass.

 

Detailing products: I personally have items by P21S, Klasse, Autoglym, Sonus, Einszett, Pinnacle, S100, Meguiar's, 303, Menzerna, Poorboys, Rain-X (Just picked up some of their bug and tar remover)....to name a few.

 

I realize that no car corrects the same, regardless of make. However, I wanted to know the clearcoat type so that I can correct the finish properly. I don't want to attack this with something as potent as Menzerna Power Gloss when I may not have to.

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Prinzll: were you wondering how thick the clearcoat is or how soft it is when correcting? To find out how it handles correction work, it's usually best to start with a polish and work your way up to correcting compounds. I haven't done any major correcting to my Edge because it doesn't really need it, but I have polished it with meguiars m205 and a rotary. My impression is that it's a medium grade clearcoat but then again I was using a rotary.

 

If anyone is interested, here is the paint thickness measurements I took a while ago and resulted in 110 microns of clear coat (estimate):

 

 

 

Measured on door jam with no clear coat (estimate)

photo1jx.jpg

 

 

 

 

Measured on top portion of hood

photo2jd.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Measured after clear bra install

photoyn.jpg

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I just went through the pages of this post and got some great information and product suggestions for ALL of my vehicles, not just the Edge. Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions.

 

I did not see any mention of one problem I am having, and have read about also on other forums I belong to. Our 2 cars, the Edge and an MDX both have leather. I am seeing the leather picking up blue stains or discoloration from blue jeans. Our previous Traverse also had leather and did the same thing. Seems to be a problem with many owner's regardless of what brand of vehicle or what quality of leather is used.

 

What is a good product which will clean the seats. Have any of the professional detailers here seen or heard of the problem?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Z06: Thanks for the info. I am actually looking for answers to both. You stated it was a medium clearcoat and it responded to Meguiars M205 with a rotary. What RPM did you have the rotary at? Which pad did you use?

 

I used a Lake Country 6.5in white pad @ about 1500 rpm's in the beginning, then slowed down to about 900 rpm's during the last couple of passes. It took out a good amount of light swirls. If you're using a random orbital, I would recommend 4.5in white pads at the very least. The paint is hard enough to give random orbitals a hard time in my opinion so don't be afraid of being to harsh on the paint.

 

Since you have a white Edge, a white pad, a random orbital, and m205(or equivalent) should suffice. Any other swirls that remain would be hard to find with that color vehicle.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just went through the pages of this post and got some great information and product suggestions for ALL of my vehicles, not just the Edge. Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions.

 

I did not see any mention of one problem I am having, and have read about also on other forums I belong to. Our 2 cars, the Edge and an MDX both have leather. I am seeing the leather picking up blue stains or discoloration from blue jeans. Our previous Traverse also had leather and did the same thing. Seems to be a problem with many owner's regardless of what brand of vehicle or what quality of leather is used.

 

What is a good product which will clean the seats. Have any of the professional detailers here seen or heard of the problem?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

So any suggestions as to which products to use to remove blue jean denim dye transfer to the seats? Anything I can use to help prevent it from happening or to make it easier to remove?

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Canuck,

Thanks for sharing your expertise, I am a clean freak when it comes to my car. I have a 2013 edge limited with cream colored seats, I have yet to find a real good cleaner for the seats, I am looking for something that is easy and quick, I have used Lexol and a few of the meguiars products, just not real happy with the results, It may be my process as well. Any suggestions would be very much apprecieated.

 

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

Wow, this forum is exactly what I was looking for. I have a one week old 2013 Tuxedo Black Edge and I desperately need advice on protecting the exterior. And horrors of horrors....pine sap dripped on my door. Do I have to read through all twenty some pages of this thread to gather the best info? I have never heard of some of the products I read of in the last page. Is there a condensed collection of the products and procedures I need? Sorry to sound desperate but I am. Not lazy just don't have the time to research for an hour as the deadline I am trying to meet at work has me there 7 days a week.

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Here are a few "detailed" threads on how to properly protect your Edge's exterior (from my own reading favs):

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/12590-fully-detailed-the-13-ruby-red-edge/
http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/12336-confessions-observations-from-a-virgin-machine-detailer-huh/
http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/11359-getting-the-sport-ready-for-winter/

 

as far as the pine sap, if it is also relatively recent, then maybe GooGone will work? Tar-X would be a stronger weapon of choice to remove any and all organic matter stuck to the vehicle.

Edited by WWWPerfA_ZN0W
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  • 9 months later...

I have a 2012 Edge and between the top of the doors to the roof there is a glossy plastic piece. Someone in my family tried to remove the snow with a scraper and it left several scratches on each side post. Being glossy and plastic is there a way to try and remove these scratch? Any advice is welcome.

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How deep are these scratches? I'm no expert but:

 

  • If they are light, PlastX should do the job. If deeper, you will have to break out the polisher.
  • A finishing polish like Meguiar's 205 may be enough. If after one pass, it's not working, step up to something with more cut, like 105.

 

I am sure Richy or one of the other detailing gurus will chime in soon.

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