Review of 2013 Experiences
Hello Folks,
Introduction
Well, all too soon, it's that time of year when I get round to writing a resumé
of the previous year's work, and the changes to my routines along the way.
It has been a busy year with some very interesting cars encountered, one
of them quite unexpected! However, this year has also seen a massive leap
in available technology, which helps a person with gammy hands no end!
A Very Rare Breed
Probably the biggest joy was being invited to "advise about detailing" by the
owner of a car that celebrates its 50th birthday in 2014. Enigmatically
described as "my GT" by the owner, it turned out to be a rather beautifully
kept 1964 Gordon Keeble.
The biggest joy came from watching him clay his car, accompanied by the
occasional remark about how enjoyable the process was, and how smooth
the paint was becoming. From feedback received, the end result of our efforts
was much appreciated by show visitors :thumb:

This is the Gordon Keeble wearing its final wax coating.
In case you missed it,
full detail thread is here...
Then Another Rare Barge
There was more satisfaction gained later in the year when I finally convinced
a friend of mine that giving his "granny" a good detail would be worthwhile.
The car in question being a 2.8 Ghia X of the species, in all its 1985 finery!
From this...
To this...
In case you missed this one too, f
ull detail thread is here...
There were a few products that I'd not tried before, but probably the most
effective was the wheel cleaner. Despite being quite a vicious form of cleaner,
definitely observe the label warnings(!), the A-Chem Alloy Brite did for the
many years build-up of baked-on brake dust, and the dreadul tyre coating.
The owner had never seen those turbine pattern wheels look so clean!
So, What's New This Year?
Well, to do that, I guess I need to revisit what was in vogue in my armoury
last year and see what the changes have been.
Lowiepete said:
Revisiting The Core Products List
Of course, with 3 Finish Kare products in my existing core list, and finding
that Alex from Serious Performance was a distributor of FK, there was room
to explore their range further. I'm guessing there'll be little surprise that I've
added 3 more of their products (all new to my experience) to the list...
- Cleaner / Shampoo - ONR for bodywork, HFE for wheels / FK#146 Finish Restorer for glass and clay
- Polish - gTechniq P1
- Pre-Wax Cleaner - OPS / SP Paint Cleaner
- QD - FK#425 / SP Show Detailer
- Sealant - FK#1000p / Hybrid of SP Sealant and Wet Glaze 2
- Paste Wax - Harlys / FK#2685 Pink Wax
- Liquid Wax - SP Spray Wax / OCW / CG Blacklight
- Tyres / Trim - FK#350 / FK#108AS
- Glass - gTechniq G3
Additions to the list are shown in green. It's quite surprising to me that there
are 7 in total.
There is one major addition, and one equally major removal, with the latter it's
not just products, but a complete detailing stage! For me this is probably the
most significant step that has been made in years.
Obviously, the entering of ONR into my regime was a complete game changer,
simply because it allowed me to continue with this hobby. However, despite
my early and severe reservations, the ADS clay cloth just takes everything
to a level that I could only have dreamed about this time last year.
Being able to cut out the pre-wax cleaning stage isn't a small step! Although
it always produced good results, so I never skimped on it and the products
were excellent, the toll on my hands made it a step that my hands didn't
much appreciate. On a big car, like the granny, I certainly paid for it in
discomfort later!
So to this year's Core Products List...
- Cleaner / Shampoo - ONR for bodywork, HFE for wheels
- Polish - [strike]gTechniq P1[/strike] Liquid Shine Zero Swirl
- [strike]Pre-Wax Cleaner - OPS / SP Paint Cleaner[/strike]
- Clay - Redundant too, replaced by ADS Clay Cloth
- QD - SP Show Detailer
- Sealant - FK#1000p / Hybrid of SP Sealant and Wet Glaze 2 / FK #2180 sealant
- Paste Wax - Harlys / FK#2685 Pink Wax / ADS Obsidian Wax
- Liquid Wax - Serious Performance Spray Wax / CG Blacklight
- Tyres / Trim - FK#350 / FK#108AS
- Glass - [strike]gTechniq G3[/strike] ADS ArtDeGlass
As ever, additions are highlighted in green.
About Those List Additions...
The Liquid Shine Zero Swirl polish, available from Alex at Serious Performance,
was another good find. Nowhere near as expensive as the P1, it works well by
my hand and by Stevesuds' machine. He reported back that it could be
worked for much longer without the pad drying out and there was less sling.
I'll come back to the clay cloth, so the next addition was the FK #2180
sealant. For anyone who doesn't get on with a paste wax, this product is
another jewel that's in danger of falling under the radar. The instructions on
the side of the bottle read like the script of a detailer's dream, and it will
produce results to match!
Through most of the year, my staple waxes have proved their worth. The
Pink Wax looked amazing on the Gordon Keeble, although some panels
ended up with Bouncer's strawberry+cream wax. However, there is a new
kid on the block. For the the ADS ArtDeKotsos Obsidian Wax, I sat down
and wrote an Extended Review and Guide. What other wax ever featured
on DW has had that kind of accolade afforded to it?
Why a specific guide? Well, the secret to this wax is in how thinly you can
apply it. Unlike most paste waxes, it's actually very soft and it's way too easy
to overload your pad. At a recent East Anglian meet, we had a go at waxing
Alexjb's mini - both car and owner ended up much brighter
The final change came with applying some ArtDeGlass. To begin with I wasn't
very impressed. However, that probably came down to how I had applied it.
These fancy potions from Singapore do need very clean substrates too!
This coating is still under close observation, and I'm still in two minds over
whether or not the beads are just too tiny. Oh, if you like tiny beads, then
the entire ADS range will fulfil any fantasy you may have in that direction!
You'll probably have noticed that I've dropped a few products from my
staples list. Nothing must be read into that beyond the fact that I'm trying
or have explored new products. The FK #146 for example, I had run out of
and Alex had no stock when I came to re-order.
As for the G3, I could very well go back to that after the ArtDeGlass, such
is my split decision over the very tiny beads. All the products that were
previously listed haven't suddenly become useless, far from it, and I'll still
happily recommend them in replies where they are relevant!
The ADS Clay Cloth
I've already written several column inches about this product from a general
user's point of view. What about my approach to it as a disabled guy? When
the invite came from Matt, I did wonder what it was that he was seeing in
how it could make detailing more accessible.
Let's get past the cost hurdle first. The idea of paying out 40 quid for a
rubberised microfibre cloth seems at first sight like extortion. Certainly, once
I had looked at the ADS price list and realised its cost, I was not much looking
forward to receiving this cloth, even on loan! Why has my head been turned?
Because I now see this as the biggest step forward in car detailing that there
has been for a very long time!
Here's my evidence. The wing has had one coat of BWW, but on the bonnet is 9
year old paint that has not been machined, but is as it was after the clay cloth
clean. I even sent Matt @ ADS an email asking if my eyes were deceiving me.
When you consider that the only thing you need to be able to do is to very
lightly push or pull the cloth from side to side at whatever pace you fancy,
with absolutely no additional pressure, how simple can it be? Not only that,
the finish that you get on the paint is enough to totally eradicate one of
the most difficult stages of any detail. That changes it from a very expensive
cloth to an indispensible tool!
If the choice for you falls between an expensive wax and this tool, it's very
obvious which direction I'll point you toward. Oh, and don't be beguiled by
pale imitations. When it comes to tools, would you compromise the finish
that you're proud of by going cheap?
Was 2013 All Good News?
I hesitate, but there were products that I didn't welcome with much
enthusiasm. Quite why OPT needed to introduce ONR Wash and Wax I
find really baffling. I guess it's marketing men having their way. Waterless
wash products and rinseless wash products don't need the addition of
wax! Especially when the technique requires a final buffing wipe. That's
purely my opinion, driven by the fact that without the wax additive they
can be so much more versatile, and very much safer too!
I was quite impressed with the way that the Duragloss #931 did its
cleaning, but that evaporated because of its final wipe requirement.
If I have to get the ONR Wash & Shine out in order to carry that out,
then I might as well use it for the whole washing process. Whatever
you do, don't be going at that final wipe with a _dry_ microfibre cloth!
The Most Surreal Moments of 2013?
That accolade goes to when I applied Bouncer's Valentine Wax to both
my own car and to the granny. People were stopped in their tracks by
that wonderful strawberries and cream smell. Delicious!
Saving the Best Until Last
You know when you go out your way to give someone a treat, like a
real treat that they won't forget in a hurry, have you ever wondered
what it is like to be on the receiving end of such kindness? Early in
November I got to find out!
To say that I left a trip I made to Oldham with a bit of a lump in my
throat simply qualifies me as the master of describing understatement.
I had already been taken aback by the generosity of ADS Alfred, who
sent me the very first Octagon Formula box to arrive in the UK. Mark
you that this was ahead of his UK and EU distributor, Matt (stangalang)!
Was Matt phased by this? Not a bit of it. As I was clearly out of my
depth in understanding these coatings, he was very happy to not only
explain them, but also to apply them to my Coupé. This meant making
a 220 mile journey, but boy was I rewarded!
Not only was Matt there, I got a "reception committee" that made me
feel so welcome, I ended up quite overwhelmed. I'm normally the right
gobby one, all full of himself; not on this trip out! It was a long day and
I then had an 80 mile journey up to Cumbria for my overnight stay.
The next morning, after 3 degrees of frost, I found this on my car...
See if you can pick out the area above from this picture...
You can read about what transpired on that day, though I do admit,
I was well and truly out of my depth! It's very rare I go quiet!
Conclusions & Thanks
Last year I was agonising about the frequency of my detailing clean back
sessions; whether to stick with two, or just cut back to one. All of that
was based upon using products and potions that have followed a similar
path for a very long while. Certainly, the biggest change for me when I
joined DW back in March 2009 was being introduced to ONR.
While previous years have seen small changes, 2013 probably heralds the
biggest change ever in my own detailing. I almost feel like I'm a turncoat,
with me previously eschewing the new fangled coatings in favour of the
time-honoured wax, simply because I thoroughly enjoy the therapy of
waxing the lovely lines of my car.
All of that is about to change! Hitherto, I've avoided that route because
it did seem to outlaw the waxing. Nano coatings and wax are not happy
bedfellows. However, these coatings from the ADS stable are a complete
exception to this rule.
I can still feel how roundly I was admonished for wondering if they would
make wax redundant. Not only that, the way that they repel water just
has to be seen to be believed. The water behaviour behind an ONR mitt
showed that this is the way forward. Though you can, if you wish, still
apply a wax and yes, any wax you like, over the top. How good is that?
So, my biggest thanks go to Alfred and Matt, along with several others
who frequent the ADS section here. It's always a pleasure to put faces
to names, and it'll be good to renew acquaintances once again in 2014.
I'll be coming a bit better prepared for that visit...
On the subject of meeting people face to face, I do hope that we can
overcome the strange insularity that we find in East Anglia. The latest,
very successful detailing meet really proved how valuable a real world
experience can be. So, thanks to Mark, Peter and Alex for your efforts!
In closing, I hope that my many writing forays have given people as
much pleasure as I've had in composing them. I'm looking forward to
20-14 with great anticipation! My best wishes for a peaceful Yuletide
and a prosperous New Year!
Regards,
Steve