First time Reset, Tar-x, Iron- x and Reload

[Clarkgriswald]

Well today was the day I wanted to really clean my paint up after doing the baggy test and was totally shocked how much crap was on the paint. Went okay (ran into some issues) for my first time.

I started off by rinsing my truck (Black Ram) with water. Followed by washing with Reset. That part went fine.

I wasn't sure if I should dry after washing of just go right into Tar-x. I dried my truck fairly good, I then realized that I was going to run out drying towels. I usually just do a UWWP which didn't involve too much water.

After my truck was dry I started using Tar-x and I was doing a section at a time, spray on, agitate, and then rinse. I don't know if that was the best way to do it or not.

Water was everywhere on my truck now and I knew I didn't have enough drying towels so I just used Tar-x on the rest of the truck even though it was wet.

After the Tax-x I dried my truck again and thought this time I was just going to Iron-x the whole thing at once and then agitate and rinse. That was a pain for me because I was rushing to not leave it on to long because I didn't know what would happen if it dried.

I had the wife wash it down while I was agitating the Iron-x all over. After that rinse down I decided I was going to spray the truck down with spotless while the truck was wet. Don't know if that was a good idea or not. That dried really fast, too fast for me to do the whole truck I think.

Then I washed it again with Reset and dried it really good and then did the baggy test again. I was hoping to feel a fairly smooth paint. I was disappointed. The paint felt better but not what I was hoping for and being on a black color it was hard to see if any tar or iron was melting away.

I just got two bars of ultra fine clay to try just in case and I decided I was going to try it and see if it made a difference. It sure did! Amazing actually. I was worried to use clay because I don't own a polisher if something went wrong. I got a couple marring marks but you could only see them if you had a super bright light on them.

After claying the whole truck and wiping it down with Eraser as I was going, it was time to use Reload. This was the part I was worried about most before I started because I've read a lot of stories of how it was oily or hazy or too heavy. Maybe I didn't put enough on but it was SUPER easy to use and wipe off. I just did a couple squirts and some on my MF and wiped on and buffed off. Turned out really really nice I think.

My question is to all of you who have done this a lot more than me is, what did I do right and wrong? How would you have done it. Doing a full size truck is a lot of work.

I have some streaks/water spots/ who knows what, on my windows that I can not get off no matter what I put on it. You can't really see it until you wipe the window and then they pop. Its all over the windows. I tried more spotless and I tried eraser and neither worked. You can feel it with your fingers it almost feels like ridges. Is that form not rising the other stuff off fast enough? Is the only way to fix it by polishing it?

It was a long day, took about 9 hours for me to do the outside and inside. Anyone who thinks detailing a car is not a job that requires any skill or a learning curve is sadly mistaken IMO.

Thanks for the help and I appreciate any feedback.

Josh

[Dellinger]

Hi, Josh. (Love your handle!) Fully understand the realities you explained with a black truck (assume a Ram 1500.)

Anyway, your process doesn't seem totally out of line but some small improvements could be made for your sanity's sake and overall efficiency. 9 hrs. is nothing to scoff at and sounds like you did a fine job.

Let's address your process in the order as you described above...

TarX- I typically use this after the initial pressure rinse and 2 bucket hand wash. (My method assuming it will be correction type detail.) After the hand wash, I will dry the vehicle with forced air... usually combination of a leaf blower and compressed air. There is usually still some residual water left on all panels so I proceed to remove bonded tar on the lower rockers. Main application of TarX is behind the front and rear wheels. So I will apply the product on the front fenders and passenger/ driver front doors below the door handle.

My method is to pre-spray the panel(s) and prime a grout sponge. After the product has been applied for 2- 3 minutes, I massage the sponge onto the dwelling product into the surfaces of the paint, with minimal pressure, to keep the product wet and working. Wait another 2 minutes... massage again. Then I neutralize with Reset in my left over wash solution.

Roads in my market are saturated with tar from seasonal road maintenance... so, it is typical for *some* road tar to remain. (That's what clay is for.)

I would have followed TarX with Iron X. After neutralizing the TarX with Reset, again, I would have blown dry... it wouldn't have to be perfectly dry... just reasonably dry.

I would have applied and massaged in Iron X just like Tar X. (TriX could be your new friend as this product could save you time and energy!)

Now, the big quetion is- Why did you use Spotless? Assume you have/ had hard water spots in/on the paint? If so, mitigating or eliminating the water quality issues is paramount. Deionized water or a rinseless/ waterless wash with UWW+ will be the past path forward. In any event, when you use Spotless... you need to work in small sections, like polishing.. 2'x2', massage in, neutralize & rinse well, immediately! It is a very aggresive product and any remaining water spots will need a more aggressive approach such as polishing or even sanding. Feel free to follow up my comments with your questions/ concerns about Spotless.

To your disappointment after the heavy decontamination steps you performed... I believe it is absolutely normal that a clay bar was still needed. That's a tough pill to swallow, I know, but in my professional opinion- that is why a clay product is so valuable. TarX, IronX, TriX, etc... can only do so much. After all, I have no idea about the maintenance history of your truck but still having to use clay is not surprising in the least and am actually glad you devoted more time with this step because it is necesarry in 95% of scenarios. (I do it on every job.) Conversely, if you didn't use the previous checmicals/ steps... I am absolutely sure you would have induced quite a bit more marring with just the clay bar by its lonesome. So, you did the right thing and even more so with a black truck!

Going forward, I don't think you will need to douse the whole truck in TarX (IE- exempt the horizontal panels- hood, top, etc... unless you see bonded tar after the initial wash) or Spotless... but I am 'not there' to see what you see either.

Glad the Reload phase went well... a truly great product that performs spectacularly for the price point.

Hope it helps!

Best regards,
-Gabe

[Clarkgriswald]

Hi, Josh. (Love your handle!) Fully understand the realities you explained with a black truck (assume a Ram 1500.)

Anyway, your process doesn't seem totally out of line but some small improvements could be made for your sanity's sake and overall efficiency. 9 hrs. is nothing to scoff at and sounds like you did a fine job.

Let's address your process in the order as you described above...

TarX- I typically use this after the initial pressure rinse and 2 bucket hand wash. (My method assuming it will be correction type detail.) After the hand wash, I will dry the vehicle with forced air... usually combination of a leaf blower and compressed air. There is usually still some residual water left on all panels so I proceed to remove bonded tar on the lower rockers. Main application of TarX is behind the front and rear wheels. So I will apply the product on the front fenders and passenger/ driver front doors below the door handle.

My method is to pre-spray the panel(s) and prime a grout sponge. After the product has been applied for 2- 3 minutes, I massage the sponge onto the dwelling product into the surfaces of the paint, with minimal pressure, to keep the product wet and working. Wait another 2 minutes... massage again. Then I neutralize with Reset in my left over wash solution.

Roads in my market are saturated with tar from seasonal road maintenance... so, it is typical for *some* road tar to remain. (That's what clay is for.)

I would have followed TarX with Iron X. After neutralizing the TarX with Reset, again, I would have blown dry... it wouldn't have to be perfectly dry... just reasonably dry.

I would have applied and massaged in Iron X just like Tar X. (TriX could be your new friend as this product could save you time and energy!)

Now, the big quetion is- Why did you use Spotless? Assume you have/ had hard water spots in/on the paint? If so, mitigating or eliminating the water quality issues is paramount. Deionized water or a rinseless/ waterless wash with UWW+ will be the past path forward. In any event, when you use Spotless... you need to work in small sections, like polishing.. 2'x2', massage in, neutralize & rinse well, immediately! It is a very aggresive product and any remaining water spots will need a more aggressive approach such as polishing or even sanding. Feel free to follow up my comments with your questions/ concerns about Spotless.

To your disappointment after the heavy decontamination steps you performed... I believe it is absolutely normal that a clay bar was still needed. That's a tough pill to swallow, I know, but in my professional opinion- that is why a clay product is so valuable. TarX, IronX, TriX, etc... can only do so much. After all, I have no idea about the maintenance history of your truck but still having to use clay is not surprising in the least and am actually glad you devoted more time with this step because it is necesarry in 95% of scenarios. (I do it on every job.) Conversely, if you didn't use the previous checmicals/ steps... I am absolutely sure you would have induced quite a bit more marring with just the clay bar by its lonesome. So, you did the right thing and even more so with a black truck!

Going forward, I don't think you will need to douse the whole truck in TarX (IE- exempt the horizontal panels- hood, top, etc... unless you see bonded tar after the initial wash) or Spotless... but I am 'not there' to see what you see either.

Glad the Reload phase went well... a truly great product that performs spectacularly for the price point.

Hope it helps!

Best regards,
-Gabe

Hi Gabe! Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.

Being a newb I just figured what the hell I might as well put Tar-x on the whole truck (yes its a 1500 crew cab) because here in Wisconsin we have construction constantly. Makes sense though to only use it like you said.

Would you use Iron-x in the same places as you used Tar-x or would you have done the whole truck?

I used Spotless because I had some water spots especially by the hood/grill area. That was a stupid mistake to do the whole truck but now I know. I think thats why my windows are screwed up now. Would you use Reset to neutralize or whatever soap you were using at that time? My house has well water for the outside (which is what I used to wash my truck) and city water for the inside.

The kind of maintenance I do on my truck is usually just car washes in winter time and then when it gets warmer I like to do it myself. Always with UWW+.

I'm glad I clayed my truck but not happy about marring the paint. I would have probably cried if I didn't do the other steps first and went just to clay. I didn't pull out a single piece out of the clay. I think thats pretty good. I was expecting to see lots in the clay.

For a newb, how hard is it to polish and I always thought that if you use a polisher you can burn through the paint really easily if you don't know what your doing.

Can you use a wash like UWW+ and then use Reload after? How much Reload would you spray on a truck like mine. I hope I got enough on it.

Josh

[Dellinger]

Hi Josh, sorry for the delay in replying... Independence Day weekend and my birthday and 1 month old baby had my time pretty well wrapped up! Anyway to you questions...

I would have used IronX on the entire truck. TarX for the areas I listed in the prior message... unless, of course, you found some bonded tar elsewhere. However, being a truck and the ride height being higher than a car... I wouldn't worry to much about horizontal panels.

For the Spotless... assume the grill is chrome? Really shooting from the hip here... Rams can come with body color 'sport' grills also... assume it is not one of those? Anyway, for chrome... any sort of polish with abrasive will work... in fact, I tend to reach for an AIO (if it is not a coating detail) on OEM chrome that is in relatively good shape.

For your windows... do you have 'streaks'? If so... try a finishing polish by hand and a foam applicator or 3- 4" pad...to remove the streaks... if that doesn't do it... I would say you may need Ceriglass. But before you buy the product try a polish by hand or machine and check back with the results. Don't purchase or use Ceriglass before you update us here.

I would get your well water tested. In my area, water treatment companies will test your ground water for free (in hopes to sell you a softener... so that could very well be the case in your area also with water quality companies. Worth a shot.) See how much TDS you have and report back.

Machine polishing can be accomplished to a satisfactory degree by ALMOST anyone... but a solid black base color is going to be more challenging than any other color jut because it tends to show any error in technique or poor pad choice or poor product choice. A D/A is very forgiving but you can still damage paint with excessive heat/ pressure.

Honestly, if you see yourself polishing your truck and another one that you own... investing in quality equipment from CarPro US could be a good move... but if it's just the truck you are really worried about... you might want to check your local area for a Finest approved detailer to correct the flaws in the truck.

If you go the DIY route... A Rupes Duetto, 5- 10 CarPro 5.5" polishing pads, and a 500ml of Reflect along with 10- 20 BOA towels will get you started. That's some good pocket change to drop but if you are willing they are available. The products I recommended are not real aggressive so they are probably not going to eliminate every defect BUT they are very easy to work with and I would say- 'first time out friendly.'

On your UWW+ question... I am not exactly sure of the context? Are you saying after polishing? Are you saying after decon? Either way... Eraser would be the best product to use prior to Reload. That being said, Eraser is not absolutely necessary and if you used UWW+ the only detriment could possibly be a shorter life span for Reload (to what degree, I am not 100% sure.)

With Reload, work smaller sections... 3' x 3' or in that realm. Prime your towel initially with 4- 6 trigger pulls (less trigger pulls after the first section), massage in, and remove with a second dry towel. Flip you 2nd towel regularly and change it out when common sense dictates. 500ml of Reload should serve you and the truck well for quite a while.

Hope it helps!
-Gabe

EDIT- Yes, Reset or your wash soap should neutralize IronX, TarX, Spotless, etc... rinse thoroughly though!

[Clarkgriswald]

Hi Josh, sorry for the delay in replying... Independence Day weekend and my birthday and 1 month old baby had my time pretty well wrapped up! Anyway to you questions...

I would have used IronX on the entire truck. TarX for the areas I listed in the prior message... unless, of course, you found some bonded tar elsewhere. However, being a truck and the ride height being higher than a car... I wouldn't worry to much about horizontal panels.

For the Spotless... assume the grill is chrome? Really shooting from the hip here... Rams can come with body color 'sport' grills also... assume it is not one of those? Anyway, for chrome... any sort of polish with abrasive will work... in fact, I tend to reach for an AIO (if it is not a coating detail) on OEM chrome that is in relatively good shape.

For your windows... do you have 'streaks'? If so... try a finishing polish by hand and a foam applicator or 3- 4" pad...to remove the streaks... if that doesn't do it... I would say you may need Ceriglass. But before you buy the product try a polish by hand or machine and check back with the results. Don't purchase or use Ceriglass before you update us here.

I would get your well water tested. In my area, water treatment companies will test your ground water for free (in hopes to sell you a softener... so that could very well be the case in your area also with water quality companies. Worth a shot.) See how much TDS you have and report back.

Machine polishing can be accomplished to a satisfactory degree by ALMOST anyone... but a solid black base color is going to be more challenging than any other color jut because it tends to show any error in technique or poor pad choice or poor product choice. A D/A is very forgiving but you can still damage paint with excessive heat/ pressure.

Honestly, if you see yourself polishing your truck and another one that you own... investing in quality equipment from CarPro US could be a good move... but if it's just the truck you are really worried about... you might want to check your local area for a Finest approved detailer to correct the flaws in the truck.

If you go the DIY route... A Rupes Duetto, 5- 10 CarPro 5.5" polishing pads, and a 500ml of Reflect along with 10- 20 BOA towels will get you started. That's some good pocket change to drop but if you are willing they are available. The products I recommended are not real aggressive so they are probably not going to eliminate every defect BUT they are very easy to work with and I would say- 'first time out friendly.'

On your UWW+ question... I am not exactly sure of the context? Are you saying after polishing? Are you saying after decon? Either way... Eraser would be the best product to use prior to Reload. That being said, Eraser is not absolutely necessary and if you used UWW+ the only detriment could possibly be a shorter life span for Reload (to what degree, I am not 100% sure.)

With Reload, work smaller sections... 3' x 3' or in that realm. Prime your towel initially with 4- 6 trigger pulls (less trigger pulls after the first section), massage in, and remove with a second dry towel. Flip you 2nd towel regularly and change it out when common sense dictates. 500ml of Reload should serve you and the truck well for quite a while.

Hope it helps!
-Gabe

EDIT- Yes, Reset or your wash soap should neutralize IronX, TarX, Spotless, etc... rinse thoroughly though!

Hi Gabe. Happy Birthday! I can't believe that 4th of July is already come and gone. The only good thing about that is that its almost football season.

I drove to work this morning and it was still dark out and could really see the streaks on the windshield. What kind of finishing polish should I use. Do I have to tape off the rubber molding on the outside of the windshield?

One thing I always wondered about the DA polishers was how do you get in all the ins and outs of a car/truck. I have the sport hood on my truck so it has a hood scoop on it with plastic inserts. How easy would it be to burn the paint trying to get in those areas?

I would like to polish my truck and my wife's jeep and who knows maybe some other family and friends cars its just a matter of practicing how to do it I think.

Where did you learn how to detail/polish?

Thanks again,
Josh

[Dellinger]

Josh,

Ok for the windows with Spotless 'streaking'... any polish/ compound is worth a try. I guess you have none on hand? So, if you are going to order additional products from Corey, I would add a small bottle of compound (CarPro Fixer or something else... best to talk with Corey on which would be best... I use mostly Meg's compounds and polishes so, I am not as well versed in the Scholls Concepts/ Shine Supply lines of products. However, if you want to try something that isn't mail order, you might pick up a bottle of Meg's Ultimate Compound... should be available at any Wal Mart or auto parts. That's a pretty aggressive product for over the counter.)

And yes, it is best to always tape any rubber seals or textured plastic.

Ah yes, the 'ins & the outs'... haha! To really polish every square inch of a vehicle... you need lots and lots of polishers (electric and pneumatic), lots and lots of different size pads, and various backing plates... with numerous other accessories. I try to always match the contours of whatever panel I am working on with the 'right' size pad... and so I always have 2- 3 polishers on my cart ready to go because cars and trucks these days are anything but 'flat.'

It has been a long time since I have used just one machine or one size pad to polish a vehicle... and that's why I said that you may want to consult with a local Finest installer. They have all the machines/ pads/ products/ towels/ etc... to not only do the job correctly but do it efficiently. Again, having all the machines/ different size pads/ various different colors of pads in the various diameters/ and various polishes could easily cost $2k - $3k.

So, the sport hood... what year is your Ram? Just so I know what specific scoop you are talking about... I know there is the older SRT hood with scoop and the quasi-fake one that came on a Rumble Bee. Or the recent edition that I believe has 2 'scoops'. Once I know the model year I can tell you how I would do it...

Burning paint with a D/A requires quite a bit of pressure isolated in a small area for decent amount of time. If you are concerned about heat being generated... simply turn the polisher off and check the temp of the panel with back of your hand. I will do that from time to time when compounding with a MF pad.

I got my start detailing back in 1997... my dad and I worked on my 67 Chevelle. We did the body work, painted it Guard's Red base/ clear, wet-sanded and then polished it out. I would detail (non professionally) on a semi frequent basis after that up until 2005 when my father was restoring a lot of muscle cars. I started professionally 4 years ago. Training can be had at various places... you would probably have to travel though. Otherwise, a local Finest installer could be an option to reach out to for basic polishing lessons for a fee... but I can't guarantee that.

Final word on Spotless... don't ever apply the product directly to the substrate... be it glass, paint, coating. And never work in the sunlight. Always apply to an applicator or sponge and work in, neutralize, followed by an immediate thorough rinse.

Let me know if you have any more question.
-Gabe

[Clarkgriswald]

Josh,

Ok for the windows with Spotless 'streaking'... any polish/ compound is worth a try. I guess you have none on hand? So, if you are going to order additional products from Corey, I would add a small bottle of compound (CarPro Fixer or something else... best to talk with Corey on which would be best... I use mostly Meg's compounds and polishes so, I am not as well versed in the Scholls Concepts/ Shine Supply lines of products. However, if you want to try something that isn't mail order, you might pick up a bottle of Meg's Ultimate Compound... should be available at any Wal Mart or auto parts. That's a pretty aggressive product for over the counter.)

And yes, it is best to always tape any rubber seals or textured plastic.

Ah yes, the 'ins & the outs'... haha! To really polish every square inch of a vehicle... you need lots and lots of polishers (electric and pneumatic), lots and lots of different size pads, and various backing plates... with numerous other accessories. I try to always match the contours of whatever panel I am working on with the 'right' size pad... and so I always have 2- 3 polishers on my cart ready to go because cars and trucks these days are anything but 'flat.'

It has been a long time since I have used just one machine or one size pad to polish a vehicle... and that's why I said that you may want to consult with a local Finest installer. They have all the machines/ pads/ products/ towels/ etc... to not only do the job correctly but do it efficiently. Again, having all the machines/ different size pads/ various different colors of pads in the various diameters/ and various polishes could easily cost $2k - $3k.

So, the sport hood... what year is your Ram? Just so I know what specific scoop you are talking about... I know there is the older SRT hood with scoop and the quasi-fake one that came on a Rumble Bee. Or the recent edition that I believe has 2 'scoops'. Once I know the model year I can tell you how I would do it...

Burning paint with a D/A requires quite a bit of pressure isolated in a small area for decent amount of time. If you are concerned about heat being generated... simply turn the polisher off and check the temp of the panel with back of your hand. I will do that from time to time when compounding with a MF pad.

I got my start detailing back in 1997... my dad and I worked on my 67 Chevelle. We did the body work, painted it Guard's Red base/ clear, wet-sanded and then polished it out. I would detail (non professionally) on a semi frequent basis after that up until 2005 when my father was restoring a lot of muscle cars. I started professionally 4 years ago. Training can be had at various places... you would probably have to travel though. Otherwise, a local Finest installer could be an option to reach out to for basic polishing lessons for a fee... but I can't guarantee that.

Final word on Spotless... don't ever apply the product directly to the substrate... be it glass, paint, coating. And never work in the sunlight. Always apply to an applicator or sponge and work in, neutralize, followed by an immediate thorough rinse.

Let me know if you have any more question.
-Gabe

I will defiantly contact Corey.

I knew that if I wanted to get into fully detailing my wife's Jeep and my truck (its a 2013 so it does have the little hood scoops on each side) that it was going to be expensive. I'm the type of person that will pay more for the right tool rather than just trying to make something work.

I'm going to contact the guy who detailed my truck to see if he would be interested in having a shadow for a day.

Thanks for all the tips on spotless. Thats probably whats on my windows. Never again. :)

How many cars do you detail a year Gabe?

[Dellinger]

So, for the hood. That angled body line that includes the 'scoops'; I would probably attack with a 2" pad on a Flex PE8, Rupes ibrid, or a small pneumatic d/a polisher with a 2" backing plate... make sure you tape off the actual black insert in the scoop. You could probably get away with a 3- 4" pad but watch the actual top edge of that angled sheet metal and the bottom transition to the 'flatter' portions of the hood on the driver/ passenger side... any pad 'overhang' (where the pad moves over the edge) will tend to leave micro marring. So, you have to adjust your technique a little to mitigate the micro marring.

Yeah, reaching out to your current detailer would be a good call.

Cars per year... hard to say actually. Really depends on the overall economy... in a way. Right now, averaging 2- 3 per week. It's typically a healthy mix of basic maintenance services, correction type details, and interior work.

Take care,
-Gabe

[Clarkgriswald]

So, for the hood. That angled body line that includes the 'scoops'; I would probably attack with a 2" pad on a Flex PE8, Rupes ibrid, or a small pneumatic d/a polisher with a 2" backing plate... make sure you tape off the actual black insert in the scoop. You could probably get away with a 3- 4" pad but watch the actual top edge of that angled sheet metal and the bottom transition to the 'flatter' portions of the hood on the driver/ passenger side... any pad 'overhang' (where the pad moves over the edge) will tend to leave micro marring. So, you have to adjust your technique a little to mitigate the micro marring.

Yeah, reaching out to your current detailer would be a good call.

Cars per year... hard to say actually. Really depends on the overall economy... in a way. Right now, averaging 2- 3 per week. It's typically a healthy mix of basic maintenance services, correction type details, and interior work.

Take care,
-Gabe

You are right, it sounds like you need multiple machines but for sure lots of different pads and plates.

Where I live there aren't really any detailers around here which is surprising. I had my truck detailed in Madison which is about an hour west of me. I've contacted him but he is super busy right now. Just going to have to watch a lot of YouTube videos!