Dr_Pain
Certified Finest Installer
Please read the whole post to understand the reason for this Show 'N Shine
Now this Show and Shine is probably one of the most unusual you will find on a car detailing forum, but you will understand its reason for being later in the post.
SUBJECT: 2014 Exmark Pioneer S w/ the new Kohler VT710HD engine .....WHAT!?!?!?!, You did read that right
CARE: The purpose of the detail was enhance and protect
PRODUCTS: CQuartz DLUX and CQuartz Fabric and Leather
So where should we start??? Here are a few pictures of the state of this BRAND NEW mower. She was selected right off the showroom floor with ZERO hours on the clock!!
As you can see, a little dusty and a little dull. Inspection in the sun revealed the following
Quite a few scuffs, scratches and swirls. Some directly from the manufacturer, some from the retailer and a lot from people getting on and off the mower on the showroom floor
The first step in beautifying this mower was to give it a bath
We then dried the mower using a variety of towels and forced air. Then came a secondary inspection using my Flex light
We obviously did some test spot and got the following results:
The WHOLE mower was coated and the following 2 products were used in the process
All plastic were enhanced and protected with CQuartz DLUX whereas the seat was protected using CQuartz Fabric and Leather. We are experimenting with CQ F&L because we felt that DLUX would only stiffen the vinyl. We did want something to improve stain protection and to protect against UV deterioration.
The process started with a good secondary cleaning using CarPro Eraser to remove any oils or remaining soap surfactants (which would prevent proper bonding). We then did a test to show the enhancement processs
All of the "paint" (which is powder coating) was protected as well using CarPro CQuartz DLUX. As you can see (below the applicator), there is definitely a darkening effect and a small improvement in gloss.
Now on to the beauty shots!! All surfaces, pulleys, idler arms etc... (anything that could be reached without being disassembled was coated). This included the rims, gas cap, engine and exhaust shrouds etc...
SO WHY ON EARTH!!!
The answer may or may not surprise you, but here it is. First off, this is my personal lawnmower, so enhancing and protecting it should not come as a surprise to you, HOWEVER the real reason I am creating this S&S is to answer a couple of questions that were posed of me recently. The question related to "How should we enhance and protect "powder coated wheels"!?! The answer is still a complex one but in essence powder coating is "similar" to paint, and CAN be treated somewhat the same. I will offer a note of caution to all you guys reading by saying that the gloss of powder coating is NOT (and does not behave) the same as regular paint. Once you polish on powder coating you may run a real chance of dull in the finish. Powder coating in general is much harder than regular paint, so it does require a little more effort to correct. I used a CarPro Flash Pad and Menzerna products to correct the areas I wanted to correct. Before you ask, "NO" the whole lawnmower was not corrected!!...just a few key areas. We all know how much abuse this thing will go through over the next few months (steel toes full of dirt and "stuff"), so there is no need in thinning down the powder coating to show how well I can correct the mower. So why correct it in the first place? To show that it is possible! Please note that powder coating is a pigment electrostatically bonded to the metal part which is then baked to cure and harden it. As such, correcting it will leave a pigmented residue on your pad, the same as a single stage paint.
In the other thread, someone asked what I would use on the rims to protect them UK or DLUX!?. Either product is a good option but I personally like DLUX. The product is not formulated to work best on paint, but will enhance and protect like any other products. My experience lead me to use DLUX on rims because I find that it has a better longevity. DLUX does not have "great" gloss enhancement but this did not detract me from using it on the whole lawnmower since the gloss factor was not my primary purpose. UK and Finest would definitely ENHANCE the paint better but DLUX makes up for that in the longevity department. DLUX is a little tricky to get right on paint as it tends to smear but with the proper application you can achieve wonderful result. Unlike other coatings, DLUX does crystalizes very quickly on the applicator so use PLENTY suede MF squares (unless you don't mind those crystals creating micro-scratches)
Do I see the enhancement and protection of lawnmowers to be an untapped market?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I spent the greater part of 5 hrs prepping and coating (and taking pictures), and would need to charge $450-$500 to make it worth my while (I HATED all the nooks and crannies). Not only that, who in their right mind would spend $500 on something that will be "abused" the first time it mows!?!?! So did I just spend all that time and and money on products on a quest for "fool's gold"??. Absolutely not! As detailers we are often depending on other people's test and reviews to evaluate the prep and installation, and to put the product through its pace. What better "torture" test than to put these products on a lawnmower. We shall see about stain resistance (dye transfer from my jeans) from CQ F&L and the ability for DLUX in cutting down on my post-cut clean up time!?! Will my lawnmower look this good in a year from now???? Only if I don't use it LOL!
Now this Show and Shine is probably one of the most unusual you will find on a car detailing forum, but you will understand its reason for being later in the post.
SUBJECT: 2014 Exmark Pioneer S w/ the new Kohler VT710HD engine .....WHAT!?!?!?!, You did read that right
CARE: The purpose of the detail was enhance and protect
PRODUCTS: CQuartz DLUX and CQuartz Fabric and Leather
So where should we start??? Here are a few pictures of the state of this BRAND NEW mower. She was selected right off the showroom floor with ZERO hours on the clock!!
As you can see, a little dusty and a little dull. Inspection in the sun revealed the following
Quite a few scuffs, scratches and swirls. Some directly from the manufacturer, some from the retailer and a lot from people getting on and off the mower on the showroom floor
The first step in beautifying this mower was to give it a bath
We then dried the mower using a variety of towels and forced air. Then came a secondary inspection using my Flex light
We obviously did some test spot and got the following results:
The WHOLE mower was coated and the following 2 products were used in the process
All plastic were enhanced and protected with CQuartz DLUX whereas the seat was protected using CQuartz Fabric and Leather. We are experimenting with CQ F&L because we felt that DLUX would only stiffen the vinyl. We did want something to improve stain protection and to protect against UV deterioration.
The process started with a good secondary cleaning using CarPro Eraser to remove any oils or remaining soap surfactants (which would prevent proper bonding). We then did a test to show the enhancement processs
All of the "paint" (which is powder coating) was protected as well using CarPro CQuartz DLUX. As you can see (below the applicator), there is definitely a darkening effect and a small improvement in gloss.
Now on to the beauty shots!! All surfaces, pulleys, idler arms etc... (anything that could be reached without being disassembled was coated). This included the rims, gas cap, engine and exhaust shrouds etc...
SO WHY ON EARTH!!!
The answer may or may not surprise you, but here it is. First off, this is my personal lawnmower, so enhancing and protecting it should not come as a surprise to you, HOWEVER the real reason I am creating this S&S is to answer a couple of questions that were posed of me recently. The question related to "How should we enhance and protect "powder coated wheels"!?! The answer is still a complex one but in essence powder coating is "similar" to paint, and CAN be treated somewhat the same. I will offer a note of caution to all you guys reading by saying that the gloss of powder coating is NOT (and does not behave) the same as regular paint. Once you polish on powder coating you may run a real chance of dull in the finish. Powder coating in general is much harder than regular paint, so it does require a little more effort to correct. I used a CarPro Flash Pad and Menzerna products to correct the areas I wanted to correct. Before you ask, "NO" the whole lawnmower was not corrected!!...just a few key areas. We all know how much abuse this thing will go through over the next few months (steel toes full of dirt and "stuff"), so there is no need in thinning down the powder coating to show how well I can correct the mower. So why correct it in the first place? To show that it is possible! Please note that powder coating is a pigment electrostatically bonded to the metal part which is then baked to cure and harden it. As such, correcting it will leave a pigmented residue on your pad, the same as a single stage paint.
In the other thread, someone asked what I would use on the rims to protect them UK or DLUX!?. Either product is a good option but I personally like DLUX. The product is not formulated to work best on paint, but will enhance and protect like any other products. My experience lead me to use DLUX on rims because I find that it has a better longevity. DLUX does not have "great" gloss enhancement but this did not detract me from using it on the whole lawnmower since the gloss factor was not my primary purpose. UK and Finest would definitely ENHANCE the paint better but DLUX makes up for that in the longevity department. DLUX is a little tricky to get right on paint as it tends to smear but with the proper application you can achieve wonderful result. Unlike other coatings, DLUX does crystalizes very quickly on the applicator so use PLENTY suede MF squares (unless you don't mind those crystals creating micro-scratches)
Do I see the enhancement and protection of lawnmowers to be an untapped market?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I spent the greater part of 5 hrs prepping and coating (and taking pictures), and would need to charge $450-$500 to make it worth my while (I HATED all the nooks and crannies). Not only that, who in their right mind would spend $500 on something that will be "abused" the first time it mows!?!?! So did I just spend all that time and and money on products on a quest for "fool's gold"??. Absolutely not! As detailers we are often depending on other people's test and reviews to evaluate the prep and installation, and to put the product through its pace. What better "torture" test than to put these products on a lawnmower. We shall see about stain resistance (dye transfer from my jeans) from CQ F&L and the ability for DLUX in cutting down on my post-cut clean up time!?! Will my lawnmower look this good in a year from now???? Only if I don't use it LOL!
