Oh....and while browsing the old pics. I found this one. Here's how I store my clays.



The white ones are Megs and I think they must have been around 10ys old by now.
Blue is also Megs and the yellow one is Riccardo. The pinkish liquid stuffs that you see inside is M34, to keep the clay moist in storage so that they don't dry up. So far this method worked well for me

For the Megs fan out there, here's a couple of loving couples....

.....and my first ever rotary.....which was immediately sold off in less then three months....

Not just 'makita-like', the outside look it's *almost* identical....







But, believe me, the performance is NOWHERE close to one. But well, for something that cost less than RM200, it figures......

Not narrower...it's actually exactly the same size. I took that picture at an angle and not straight from above so the Makita was actually closer to the lens.

Some of the UQD bottle are re-used and contains other stuffs. I like them for spray waxes or QDs since it atomises into very fine spray mist. The gallons there are in two rows. The front row actually contain the pre-diluted and the row behind are in their original concentrated form. Osren sprayer with CR (chemical resistant) sprayer i think cost RM12 or RM15 (can't remember exactly). The foamer sprayer cost a few more RM.

If you mean this one then yes I have. What do you want to know?



But, in general, don't like the gun...bought it for RM60 & sold it off soon afterwrds. Uses too much shampoo and put out too little sud/foam.

Yeah....the one above is pretty much useless if you're looking for thick foam that really clings. But I think Karcher had came out with some new ones with adjustable dials and so on. Don't know if they're better.....

As far as I know Hyperwash don't contain any wax or anything...just a straight forward chemical shampoo/cleaner. I think you should be able to use D115 as...sort of....a QD-like product to further clean down the surface and shine it up a little more since it got wax in it. Foaming, rinsing (especially using a pressure washer) then using D115 is a good idea. Removing the heavier and loose grit (by pressure washer or normal wash) then only wiping down (with a QD, etc.) is always good as compared to straight away wiping with a 'no rinse'....my personal opinion la...

This is my setup. I bought the foam lance attachment online from Autobrite quite a few years back (plastic bottle included but not attached in the pic taken).

Can't remember...too long of a time ago....

In our hot and humid weather and dirty environment (especially here in KL), I would think only a degreaser can do that. Sorry bro, my experience tells me if I want to touch the paint afterwards (e.g. wiping, drying, polishing, etc.) I need to do a proper wash. You might be able to wash away loose grit/dirt with Hyperwash, but driving around in KL would also exposed the paint to traffic film, oily exhaust fumes, etc. These 'oily' film would make the dirt/grit stick to the paint surface......

Bro, unfortunately I think you're asking for the impossible. You should be looking for something that would be able to protect the paint surface and made washing off those dust/dirt easier....like our Mr Q said...

A good analogy would be when you're using glue. Glue something on a dirty surface, it'll peel off in no time. If you wipe the surface clean, it'll stick better and last longer. If you wash the surface or clean it with alcohol or make sure the surface is 'squeaky' clean, only the glue's grade & properties would dictate how strong it'll stick and how long it'll hold. Best bond can be achieve when the surface is perfectly clean, free from anything that could impede the bonding. It's in the nature of a polish to contain a certain amount of polymer or 'oil' either as a carrier or a lubricant. Cleaning down the surface with IPA or solvent after polishing would remove these oil and promote better bonding of the wax/sealant applied. That is the concept of wiping down the surface clean before applying an LSP.

Try it. You'd see/feel the difference. Other than lasting longer, the Wax/sealant would also go on smoother, would take lesser time to dry/flash off and would be much easier to buff off. Couple that with 'baking' under the sun after applying and buffing off (to better 'cure' the wax/sealant - like baking the car in the oven after painting), it'll make the wax/sealant perform at it's best.

It's not ESSENTIAL that you do so, but it's worth doing it if you got the time. But since you're using products from the same brand, you should be alright if you decide not to do so cuz, normally, they would make products that are compatible with each other, minimizing any of these issues.

I think there's somebody here in the Trade section selling some good quality IPA.

Yup, UP & UC is the consumer version (with a little tweak) of M205 & M105.

Errr...don't know about hand carry IPA (or any kind of solvent) in a plane. I don't think you can. As baggage (check-in) also I don't know....sorry.

Normally we would dilute the IPA with distilled water. Dilution ratio would vary but normally around 20% - 25% strength (1:4)...some even diluted it at 1:1. Yup, you use it like a QD but just let it dwell for a little longer for it to work before wiping off, and also spray a little bit more liberally than QD.

What I meant was baking under the sun after you've applied and buff the wax off. Instead of letting it cure under shade, pull the car out under the sun instead. I don't know whether it cures better or faster, but I would always get better overall performance if I do this.

Detailing related...yes. For others, like TamiyaOne said.....

TREMENDOUSLY GREAT effort there....and very nice result. How long did it take?

The steps you took were spot on. But a few notes:

There are a few grades of clays. Maybe next time around you should use a more aggressive grade...works faster.

For Ultimate Polish, did you leave it on for a while before buffing off? If you did then that's not right. Its a polish and you're suppose to WORK it and straight away buff off, or better still, work untill the polish turns clear or *almost* dry up then straight away buff....don't wait.

Again, that was a tremendous efford and working by hand some more.....KUDOS....

Rotary is still the King of all-round. Major limitation with either machines is limited backing plates & pad size, especially small sizes/spot pads.

Google for Ultramate...DAS-6 Pro equivalent. Available at Osren and local Duragloss online shop. Half the price of Megs G220 but equal, if not better, quality & performance. Good after sale support and plenty of choices of backing plates and buffing pads.

'Maintenance' as in commercial or private?

If commercial (1 stepper package) I think you better go for the Flex...better cut, worked a little quicker and can still finish quite decently (considering many out there doesn't really understand or care about the difference). For private use, since you already got a rotary, a DA would be more suitable since you won't be doing any much 'cutting' and solely doing light cleaning/polishing and waxing.

This is just my personal feeling la...and this is solely a non-pro opinion based on borrowed machines on fewer than two cars just to get the feel of the machines before purchasing. The Flex is twice as expensive but it doesn't have twice the capabilities or performance of the DA. To me, it's not worth the money since I already got a rotary. Oh...the biggest let-off with both is the vibration la...my arm and elbow just couldn't take much of it. That's why I've been putting off getting either one until the Bigfoot came into the market.

Which RO buffer? If B&D or Bosch, then the DA has far greater vibration. The vibration is far greater than an RB.

It's a polish - contains abrasive that would remove defects and some fine polishing oils to amp up the gloss. Doesn't contain any protection so you'd need to apply a layer of protection (either wax or sealant) after using it.

If you're looking for versatility between the three (Bigfoot, Flex & Ultramate) I would suggest the Ultramate simply because there are plenty of backing plates and pads sizes available so it's very much possible you can tackle the whole car (including all the curves, hard-to-reach areas, intricate surfaces, etc), that is if you can handle it's vibration. Bigfoot & Flex has limitation on some of those areas and I sometime still need to bring out my rotary with the spot pads. The main reason I went for the Bigfoot is simply because the vibration it created is not that much different from an RB....much much more tolerable for me.

So, if one machine, I would say Ultramate. But if you don't mind bringing out your rotary and also can afford the price tag, I would say the Bigfoot.

Anyway, best way is to try yourself la....and see what suit you best. Go visit Osren, I think they got all three machine for you to try .....