Assorted questions... kinda long, but feel free to add your own!

S

schoi

New member
Yep, a few things I was just wondering. Some of these have nothing to do with detailing, but oh, well. ;)



1) You know the DIY wash stalls? With the "high pressure soap," "high pressure rinse," and so on? How harsh is that soap on the paint? Is it necessary as compared to a rinse only instead of soap and then rinse?



2) Rain X: does a pretty good job of cleaning glass, which is why I just finished buffing it off all of my exterior glass. I've heard, though, that in the rain, it can actually wash off (in small amounts, of course) and screw over any layers of sealant/wax you may have on the surrounding paint. True? How long does it last under optimal conditions (little to no wiper use, weekly washes)?



3) Completely subjective opinion question: In layering SG, anybody have some way to describe the increase in gloss/shine, if any, he/she saw? Any improvement at all? (I use the twins, too, just curious.)



4) Does anyone have a problem with those weird streaks that look like swirls? I buffed off coat no.1 of SG last night, and I put the car in the sun this morning. Saw what looked like swirls, but they kinda... as in, halfway... moved around with QD and an MF. After awhile, they completely disappeared. Since I'm pretty sure it wasn't SG clouding, wtf was that all about...?



5) Radar detectors: anybody else use a Bel 985? Have any experience with it? Thoughts?



6) Scanners (handhelds, specifically): anybody use one in their cars? Of course, this is illegal in some states (Texas, luckily and as far as I know, is not one of them). But does anyone routinely listen to a radio scanner while driving? Your thoughts/experiences with this?



7) CB radios. Only a few scanners cover CB (26.965 MHz to 27.405 MHz); anybody use a CB radio in their car (preferably a handheld w/out external antenna), even just to listen to Ch. 19 and the "smokey reports"? :p



8) Laser jammers: I don't have one, but does anybody use the Bel or Escort laser jammer? Thoughts?



I'd appreciate any answers here... feel free to add any even somewhat related questions!
 
1) You know the DIY wash stalls? With the "high pressure soap," "high pressure rinse," and so on? How harsh is that soap on the paint? Is it necessary as compared to a rinse only instead of soap and then rinse?
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The soaps most of them use are pretty harsh. Quite a few, especially up north use heavy detergents to break down the salt and ice stuck to your car. Also, breaking down the coat of wax on your paint. If I were using one of those stalls, I would just rinse.



Rain X: does a pretty good job of cleaning glass, which is why I just finished buffing it off all of my exterior glass. I've heard, though, that in the rain, it can actually wash off (in small amounts, of course) and screw over any layers of sealant/wax you may have on the surrounding paint. True? How long does it last under optimal conditions (little to no wiper use, weekly washes)?
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Never heard this... it sounds like a myth to me, considering it does bond to your glass. I wouldnt think there would be enough on your windshield to cause any damage anyways.



Maybe someone else can comment on this. :nixweiss



Completely subjective opinion question: In layering SG, anybody have some way to describe the increase in gloss/shine, if any, he/she saw? Any improvement at all? (I use the twins, too, just curious.)
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Here's what I do... I apply AIO (a few coats) then go on to the SG, I do one coat, letting it haze for about an hour or two. I then use the 2 towel method to buff. Before the next coat (as long as the car hasnt been driven) I rinse the car one time with the hose, and dry with a MF. I find this makes the paint more slick before a next coat. I dont know if it actually does help the shine or not. (I doubt it) But it does make sure all the dust is off the paint before you start again.





Does anyone have a problem with those weird streaks that look like swirls? I buffed off coat no.1 of SG last night, and I put the car in the sun this morning. Saw what looked like swirls, but they kinda... as in, halfway... moved around with QD and an MF. After awhile, they completely disappeared. Since I'm pretty sure it wasn't SG clouding, wtf was that all about...?
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I had this kind of streaking with BFII. I applied a coat the night before and when I pulled out of the garage in the morning, the car looked like it was swirled to hell in places, and other places were fine. I decided to wash it, thinking maybe I didnt buff well enough. I dried the car, and the streaks remained. Then I gave up for the time being, and went inside... leaving the car in the sun. When I came out later that day, I busted out the BF QD and they went right away in the places where the surface was warm. I have yet to figure this out. :rolleyes:



Radar detectors: anybody else use a Bel 985? Have any experience with it? Thoughts?
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Nope, sorry. I do have a Passport 8500 though. It has saved me at least 15 times in the last 2 years, and only let me down once.



I can't answer anymore. I hope this helps though.. :wavey
 
Thanks... and the others, everyone?



Passport 8500? Yeah, that's basically the cousin to mine. I've only tried it briefly... like, a couple hours. I'd love to get one for a day or two and do a comparo.



I forgot something: would it be okay to get the first coat of SG, drive the car throughout the week, wash it that weekend, and layer SG?
 
Yeah, its alright to do that. It's considered layering until the last layer is gone. :xyxthumbs



It wont be gone in a week... Unless youre driving in fire or salt water. :nixweiss
 
1) You know the DIY wash stalls? With the "high pressure soap," "high pressure rinse," and so on? How harsh is that soap on the paint? Is it necessary as compared to a rinse only instead of soap and then rinse?



- The problem is, the soap is too harsh on your paint, it will strip whatever protectant you have on your car in 2 cycles. The rinse sprayer is too strong unless you stand a good distance away from your car and unless your car is covered in light dust then the water isn't effective at removing any dirt.



2) Rain X: does a pretty good job of cleaning glass, which is why I just finished buffing it off all of my exterior glass. I've heard, though, that in the rain, it can actually wash off (in small amounts, of course) and screw over any layers of sealant/wax you may have on the surrounding paint. True? How long does it last under optimal conditions (little to no wiper use, weekly washes)?



- I haven't ever heard this. I have found that if you use a good glass polish once in a while and clean your windows bi weekly with a good glass cleaner; a set of clean wipers work very well. It's not like they are pushing the water off the windshield, the wipers work so well that it looks like your wipers are removing the water so well that the glass seems dry after the wiper passes.



3) Completely subjective opinion question: In layering SG, anybody have some way to describe the increase in gloss/shine, if any, he/she saw? Any improvement at all? (I use the twins, too, just curious.)



- This is sort of an overall unified opinion among Autopians. After 5 layers the gloss does not get any better.



4) Does anyone have a problem with those weird streaks that look like swirls? I buffed off coat no.1 of SG last night, and I put the car in the sun this morning. Saw what looked like swirls, but they kinda... as in, halfway... moved around with QD and an MF. After awhile, they completely disappeared. Since I'm pretty sure it wasn't SG clouding, wtf was that all about...?



- It's called hazing, almost like the Glaze didn't have enough time to bond to your surface, so instead of wiping 100% of the residue off, it "smeared".



5) Radar detectors: anybody else use a Bel 985? Have any experience with it? Thoughts?



I had one that spoke to me but it didn't work as I expected, I wanted a cop detector (I live in the city), not a radar detector.



6) Scanners (handhelds, specifically): anybody use one in their cars? Of course, this is illegal in some states (Texas, luckily and as far as I know, is not one of them). But does anyone routinely listen to a radio scanner while driving? Your thoughts/experiences with this?



- I've got my tunes on or I listen for weird motor sounds.



7) CB radios. Only a few scanners cover CB (26.965 MHz to 27.405 MHz); anybody use a CB radio in their car (preferably a handheld w/out external antenna), even just to listen to Ch. 19 and the "smokey reports"?



8) Laser jammers: I don't have one, but does anybody use the Bel or Escort laser jammer? Thoughts?
 
Polaris said:
I forgot something: would it be okay to get the first coat of SG, drive the car throughout the week, wash it that weekend, and layer SG?
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Yes, it would be fine. Seems like most Klasse users would rather apply one layer per week and get the max bonding efficiency (if such a thing exists past 30 minutes but that’s another can of worms) rather than rushing multiple ineffective layers in one day. I like to apply 2-3 layers when I detail, all spread out within 1 hour of each other, I usually only do two due to time constraints. Gives me ample time to start the clean up process, tear apart my interior for cleaning, eat or whatever else I need to do in-between.
 
Thevolvoguy: I was actually asking if it'd be okay to layer like that after something like 200 miles of driving. lol, I hope it'd be there for a week! :p



Joed: well, the thing about the DIY stalls just sucks. I suppose a little rinse is better than nothing, though. And I think that I heard the Rain X thing on a forum somewhere... yeah, it seems unlikely that it would do that since it does basically bond to your glass, but I was just checking. The SG... yeah, I was thinking it was hazing, too, but it just seemed a little different from all the other times for some stupid reason. I probably should have given it more time, anyway. And yep, I've seen the "five layers" rule of thumb on here many times, but I was wondering if anyone had some firsthand experience as to whether it really, really does get better. You know, to justify the effort.



You wanted a "cop detector?" hmm... well, that'd be good. I know that Uniden makes something (the BCT12, I think) that alerts you whenever a cop within a couple miles (range depends on a lot of things, of course) uses his radio when he's away from the cruiser. Also, I suppose a scanner might be of some help here, too.
 
The DIY stalls are fine, it's either "salty car all friggin winter or remove the premium wax and sealant now to prevent corrosion and I just re-spray the wax every week". All that crud will deteriorate your protection anyway.



About the Klasse, I think the most layers I ever had on my car was 12 or 13. After 4 myself I didn't see any noticeable gloss improvements. I was bored and I thought I would have phenomenal protection if I couldn’t get anymore gloss. Less than half a month after that I stripped everything and started all over. I don't do much over the weekend.
 
joed1228 said:
I don't do much over the weekend.
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lol, me neither. It sucks. But my car loves that, I'm sure.



Respray wax? huh?



But you did see an appreciable increase in appearance w/ the SG? The most I've gotten to was three coats on a poorly prepped surface... I got tired of it and topped with P21S. I'm starting over now, obviously.



Damn, 13 or 14? That's a lot of SG. Homemade bulletproofing? :p
 
Polaris said:
lol, me neither. It sucks. But my car loves that, I'm sure.



Respray wax? huh?



But you did see an appreciable increase in appearance w/ the SG? The most I've gotten to was three coats on a poorly prepped surface... I got tired of it and topped with P21S. I'm starting over now, obviously.



Damn, 13 or 14? That's a lot of SG. Homemade bulletproofing? :p
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The spray wax is good for the winter when you have already stripped your protection. A little bit of low quality protection is better than nothing. It's not like the wax is bad for your car, is just doesn't shine too well nor does it last that long. Every little bit helps until spring time when you can go nuts on your car with the good stuff.



I did notice an appreciable increase with SG up to 4 layers. 13 or 14 is nothing compared to what some of these Zaino nut jobs layer, some of these guys are up to 100 layers before stripping everything and starting off. I would think Zaino stops get better at a specific point but I haven't used it so I can't comment.
 
Polaris- I'll go for some of the NON-detailing Q's this time.



Radar Detectors: Listen to what barryscott said: Valentine1 :bow :bow . I've used detectors since the days of Radar Sentry and the original Fuzzbuster (still have that one!). NOTHING beats the V1. Sorry Bel/Passport users, I don't mean to start a flame session, but I feel very strongly about this. I honestly can't imagine someone using a V1 and wanting to switch to something else.



Scanners: I have the radar detector-size Bearcat scanner from Uniden. We listen to it on trips and it can be interesting, but it's not really ticket-insurance. It CAN let you know about LEO activity, but the "cop detector" feature (works off their radio-repeater signals) is NOT RELIABLE for this. It tells you about some of them, but it not all (MAYBE half, if that). This is in Ohio and W VA, so other areas might be different. It sure won't beat a CB, not even close. Haven't tried a hand-held CB, though. BTW, many LEO's REALLY frown on mobile scanner use. As in the "wrong" LEO might put you through the ringer (i.e., "full processing") for having one if he/she doesn't have anything better to do. Oh, and they are illegal in KN.
 
Yep, I've read all of the Speedzones tests. And many others. I'd still like to try the V1 (as I would the 8500) against my 985, which is supposed to be quite the competition for them. Quite a few sources suggest that I'd be fine with either one of the three.



Well, yeah, I guess the spray wax is something. Just seems so... uh, I dunno. Strange, I guess. I always do everything to my car... spent all Saturday doing her over (which I'm gonna go post pics of in a second).



Yep, I thought the Bearcat's "Mobile extender alert" idea was awfully gimmicky. I'd rather go with a scanner or CB, myself. Have you tried any CB in the car at all? How'd it go? And yeah, I'm sure lots of LEO's would be less than happy with a guy having a scanner in the car. I don't blame them at all.
 
Polaris- See if you can borrow a V1 from someone for a few days (long enough to get used to it). I've lent one to friends and let's just say Valentine Research should have me on commission. I've only used CB's that were integrated into the OE stereo or hard-mounted ala Smokey and the Bandit :p . Those worked great and spared me a lot of tickets.



I too would like to hear about hand-held CB use inside the car! I've been thinking about one myself.
 
About the car wash, does Laser Wash 4000 use the same type of detergent to wash the cars as in the DIY car wash stalls?



I also had a slight problem with SG hazing. I usually leave it on for two or three hours and then wipe off using an MF towel then when I back the car out the next morning, the haze stays. Should I leave it on there longer before wiping it off?
 
barryscott said:
Only radar detector to go with is the Valentine 1.:xyxthumbs Well worth the $$ difference from the Escort. Check out http://www.speedzones.com/ then go to anual detector link at the bottom of the page.:wavey
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I am glad I kept my extra $$ in my pocket and brought the ESCORT brand again ( using ESCORTs since '88). From your own reference site, the ESCORT won.:xyxthumbs



The ability to almost triple the speed limit in 2 of the cars that I drive (LS400 and Z28) is my best protection against speeding infactions. Nothing to prove, so driving safely is more impressive.:wavey
 
Yeah, I hear that... nothing to prove. People are so stupid sometimes... they try doing things that are not in their driving ability (wayyyy too high-speed corners and such) as an attempt to show their "driving skillz." Like, I dunno if you read my post a long time ago, but I may be getting a new car as an HS grad present - possibly on the level of a 'Vette - and I guarantee you that I wouldn't be pulling stupid **** like trying WAY too hard to prove something. I know what I can and cannot do... it's something that I go by even now. It's weird... it sounds typical, but I know how I think when I drive, and it's a very pronounced cross between smoothness and safety. You know how high-end driver training pushes smoothness and not speed? Same idea. If speeding would require tailgating / rough movements / crap like that, then I'm not gonna do it. If, on the other hand, it amounts to a smooth, gradual arc through traffic at reasonable and prudent speeds and safe conditions, then that's another story. I'm sure some of you guys know what I'm saying. Pretty unusual for an 18 year old, huh?



Accumulator: lol, one of these days I'm gonna try a V1. I dunno, though... other than the arrows and possibly the bogey counter (which the 8500 also has), I'm not terribly sure why it's so great. I have no experience with it, but it's my understanding that the Bel 985, the 8500, and the V1 are considered to be the best they make. Is it worth the $100 for arrows and the chance at SLIGHTLY better range? I dunno.



But I understand why it could be, which is why I wanna try it! ;)



And Expl: I'm sure the soap used in that thing would be similarly harsh. If it's touchless, then the people making it probably do that to try to make up for the lack of physical action. Just as well, I suppose...?
 
I respect your maturity at the age of 18. I must admit that I was not that introspective of the responsibilities of driving when I was your age. Fortunately, my immaturity ( or ability to control an automoble :nixweiss ) did not have any bad consequences.:D. I scare myself sometimes recalling some of the stupid things I have done.:scared Please maintain your present outlook and of course when the opportunity arises to have a little safe fun do it ( autocrossing, track days, in the middle of the Arizona desert;) ).:wavey
 
Polaris- I'll get off my V! soapbox now :D . As blkZ28Conv said, you are one mature young guy :up :up . Might I suggest you consider attending a high-performance driving school? You're right about smooth=fast AND safe; that's what they teach you, and in a controlled environment. You'd love it! I was once in a HS grad situation similar to yours and let's just say I :rolleyes: could've benefited from REALLY knowing how to drive. My wife (talk about SMOOTHNESS behind the wheel!) and I learned more than we thought there was to know when we finally DID attend, and haven't come close to having any "incidents" since.



ExplEddieBauer- If you aren't already, try "fogging" the SG with your breath when buffing it off. If that doesn't do it, then yes, you might want to let it set up overnight if you can. And, of course, put it on so thin you can barely see it.
 
Thanks, guys. The other day I had a bunch of freshman / sophomores that I didn't even know asking me how fast I've gotten my car up to. Not really wanting to talk about it in front of the teacher and 20 people I don't even know (the answer would have been 115 on an empty, straight back road... and that was just one time), I digressed to what I'd do now... conversation went something like:



(Me) "You know how tires are speed rated?"

(Them) "Yeah."

(Me) "You know how once a tire is punctured and repaired, it usually doesn't retain its speed rating?"

(Them) [nods.]

(Me) "I dunno about you, but I'm not about to try 130 mph or whatever on tires that are far from suited for the conditions. You wanna have a triple-digit blowout?"

(Them) [more nods (yup, nobody cared about that), accompanied by stupid laughter and general lack of understanding.]



Kinda like what Z28 said. I generally keep a speed of 80, 85 or so on a lot of the trips I take. Thing is, I'm pretty conservative about everything else: following distance, passing on two-lane rural roads, and that kind of thing. Like, today, it was dark and a little drizzle was coming down. So, naturally, me and most people had their lights on. I was passing someone (this was my mistake, since there was a small downwards hill in the road that just hid a GREY CAR THAT BLENDED IN WITH THE BACKGOUND THAT DID NOT HAVE HIS LIGHTS ON ANYWAY) and I had to cut back in front of the guy I had just passed a little abruptly. That's not even a big deal in itself, but I felt sooo stupid / bad about that because it does not reflect how I think. As far as just passing goes, I don't like to do it if there's only gonna be like two or three seconds of time from the moment I get back in the right lane to the time I pass oncoming traffic. That's just a bit unnecessary. IMO, anyway.



Acc: thanks. And I'd love to take a high-performance driving class. Always wanted to do that. And I'm glad you haven't had any... "incidents". ;)



Oh, and I'm totally with Z28 on the fun idea... autoX / track (both of which I wanna try) and those blasts across appropriate roads= :xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs
 
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