PJ S

Today was the day they got tested, and in all honesty, the Sidekick was quite poor - it now makes perfect sense to see the unit partnered with a Hog in the various images you can see on US detailing supply sites. Pity, as the ergonomics of the unit were very good, but without the concentrator nozzle in place, it was akin to an out of breath, asthmatic, blowing on the water. Even with the concentrator fitted, it was still not effective enough to warrant the expenditure - so back it goes. Great for bikes undoubtedly, but a car is too much of a tall order unfortunately. The Maxx unit was by far and away the more impressive, but........it still took longer to blow and evaporate the water away than is ideal. Mind you, to be fair to both, (more so the Maxx) the car was only treated to a foam and rinse, and is definitely in need of both a good claying, and an LSP of some sort. As a result, there was probably more water to remove than would be the case if I sheeted it, and the surface was more slippery. That said however, it's still a good test to see how the two compared, and in the outcome is that the Maxx trounced the Sidekick. One other aspect of the Maxx I thought was useful, was the warmth of the air it put out - easily 45ºC, if not 50. Nice on your back in winter, and in your hand as you hold the hose. One bit of a negative - the hose could do with being more supple, but the bulk of the money is in the motor, which is more important than hose suppleness, all things considered. Noise wise, the Sidekick is certainly quieter than the Maxx, but the Maxx was no more noisy than using a vacuum cleaner - in fact the bulk of any increase in noise came from when the nozzles were directed at the wheel nuts. So, will I be keeping the Maxx, or returning it for a refund? Hmmm......haven't quite decided yet. As much as it's a brilliant, compact, wee unit that sits nicely on your shoulder, I think it needs a better/different nozzle to be fully effective - and for around the same money, I've come across something as powerful, (if not more so) that has variable heat control (Off to 60ºC) and variable twin speeds. As was seen by the Maxx's warming of the air, this along with the increased airflow paid major dividends when it came to get shot of the standing water on the car. I'll probably hang on to it for a while yet, to play and compare with the other unit I now have in mind, as well as test on mine again (and others) where the paintwork is fully clean and LSP'd.

Retail is around the £110 mark, but may be organising a GB on DW or another forum - so we'll see what the interest is. Looking around £80-85 delivered if enough numbers are up for it.

Yes Parth - similar idea to the handheld leaf blowers, giving you the potential for a complete touchless wash regime. For me, it's possibly a better option than using a DI vessel and resin to rinse the car off with, to save rushing around getting the water off before it dries, leaving me with water spots to remove. Plus there's getting the water out from behind the door mirrors and other crevices, but that's more a bonus than an absolute necessity. Easier to use than carting about the DI vessel and switching to it from the pressure washe - plus saving on replenishing it, and the extra connector and piece of hose to hook up to it, and putting all away again. Dino - Not aware of pink ones, but other models are available in orange and purple. I'm sure you could always paint yours pink if you really felt the urge to demonstrate openly, your feminine side!

.....to assess for bestness. First up: As can be seen, a very compact unit, with both a concentrator nozzle, and a flared/fan nozzle. Single speed, with specs that read 160mph and 85 CFM (cubic feet/min). Power draw is 950 watts, weighs only 3lbs (1.3kg), and supplied with a captive mains lead of 12 feet. Next up: Similarly priced, but quite a bit more powerful, this one hangs off your shoulder. Weighing 5.9lbs (2.5kg), with a dual position switch for twin speed selection, and 5' hose with just a straight nozzle. Draws 1300w - almost half as much again as the Sidekick, but the unit is 3 HP vs 1.3 HP, so quite a difference for such a modest increase in consumption. Had hoped to get a chance to use one or both of them yesterday, but alas the opportunity never materialised - maybe today. Review on both forthcoming, so stay tuned! :D

Not myself, but recall one member of DW having done so, and ended up with a lot of additional scratches afterwards. Just stick to the bar method is my advice.

Waddaya mean special thanks to me? What I've done? What did I say? Looks well, whatever YOU did.

SRP is before the AB, since the abrasives would remove it, if done the way you've listed. So, if using the SRP for it's abrasives to knock back/remove some swirling, then the AB replaces the fillers with its own, and the EGP. No need to add anything over the AB other than a 2nd layer 30 mins or so later, with a very light touch this time. Wash, Clay*, SRP, Balm x2, job done. * If using the Auto-clay, you'll not need to re-wash the car, assuming you're using just water. If using anything other than water with it, or another brand of clay which is designed around a QD type lube, then you should re-wash.

Aside from removing any light swirling by hand with the abrasives in SRP, the fillers left behind after buffing will almost certainly be removed (and replaced?) with Carlack's. If the AIO is fillerless, then some of the deeper defects you have remaining or shallowed a bit, will still shine through. Either go with EGP over the SRP, or replace with Auto-balm, whose fillers are more in abundance than SRP's, so you'll mask more and outlast the longevity of EGP. Still use SRP for polishing, but for protection/masking AB will outperform the pair of them.

Will edit this post with a choice few who'd cover your area Looney

Looney, if you are sure, and can prove you were sold the SG as scratch protector, then go back to the dealer, and complain that it's failed to meet your expectations. This in itself is covered under the Sale Of Goods Act, and have them hire in Rob (linked thread above) or one of the other notable detailers on Detailing World to correct it. I implore you to NOT let their guys loose on it, as I'll guarantee the only polish they'll have is G3, and at a stretch, G10 to refine the finish. Soft Lexus, and most Japanese cars', clearcoat/paint does NOT need anything as aggressive as G3 applied, G6 or G10 should be more than enough depending on how deep the damage extends. Whereabouts are you? - I'll let you know who's nearby, so you can have a chat with them, etc. As above, get a good deep pile washmitt, some soft and absorbent microfiber towels, and 2 buckets - one for washing with, the other for rinsing the mitt each panel. If you already have a pressure washer, then you can opt for pre-washing with snow foam, which involves spending £45-50 on a foam lance to connect to the trigger section, and Bilt Hamber Auto-foam. www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk do a good starter's bundle for £50, leaving the lance to get from Autobrite Direct. If the foam and lance doesn't appeal, then the next best alternative is to use a pressurised garden sprayer with 5% strength Bilt Hamber Surfex HD, and spray that on the lower half 2-3mins before rinsing off. 5% should be sufficient for the wheels too, but you can use an regular spray bottle with a 10% solution for more stubborn brake dust. Rinse thoroughly, and wash starting at the top, working you way round and down - lower section is where the bulk of the grime gathers, including the grittier stuff.

Wouldn't have suggested methylated spirits, more white spirits, but washed and resealed/waxed straight away. Alternatively, and worth having as part of your detailing arsenal - IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol/Isopropanol) or Panel Wipe, but not rubbing alcohol.

Doubt the Carplan will do much. Just get the LLT or FC cleaner and protector, and that should keep the seats at their best used regularly.

Either LLT Solutions cleaner and protector, or Furniture Clinic's offerings. The LLT one came tops in Auto Express recently.

What SS - the exhaust tips? If so, then 0000 wool and Autosol/Peek/Meg's/Blackfire all do metal polishes that'll sort it out.

Only way to prevent stone chips is a clear film like VentureShield.

try ebay or autopia for the aerospace then mate Or just use The Polishing Company instead! An alternative is Einszett Cockpit Premium, but this is definitely more just for the interior, whereas the 303 Protectant will do rubber seals, wiper blades, and even tyres. Oh, and for a wash mitt, then I can highly recommend one of these - the one on the left that is!

It's alright - but it definitely won't last anywhere near as long as claimed. Use it if you've got it, but don't be surprised if you need to redo it again in 6 months max. Make sure to clay the car first to make the paintwork baby's bum smooth, and only wash with a good pH neutral shampoo - Bilt Hamber Auto-wash or Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild, not the new Sour Power.

Auto-balm is a sealant, only paste form. The general opinion on waxes, is that they imbue the paint with a warm tone, whereas sealants (typically clear liquid) are a bit more sterile/matter of fact. From this you get the main reason people use a sealant under a wax layer - better durability typically, and to tone down the sterility. This is fine on darker paints, and perhaps more pronounced/noticeable but on silver and white, you're wasting you time as the pigment doesn't seem to change, so a sealant makes the flake pop that bit more, generally. Auto-balm is wax-like in its appearance characteristics regarding warmth/wetness, but doesn't bead water like a carnauba wax does, and some other sealants, but that's purely a cosmetic aspect, and can be a detractor since dirt in the air/minerals dissolved in the water gets left behind when it evaporates, leaving the hideous looking water spots. AB tends to sheet the water, or pools it, depending on the slope of the surface, which reduces the unsightliness of the spotting. On a silver/white car, the only benefit of AB will be the durability and glossiness, along with swirl reduction through its fillers, like AG SRP, and others.

Which Dodo wax would you suggest? - my car is the silver one in the banner. Any of the hard ones - the colour charging is a bit more marketing than substance, so don't fret over which one to get. Just get a hard one as it'll be easier to apply a thin layer each time. That said, I really do urge you to consider a sealant instead, but if you must use a wax, then do so in conjunction with a pre-wax cleanser/glaze such as Dodo Lime Prime Lite or Clearkote Vanilla Moose Glaze. Dodo Diamond White would be the considered choice for silver/white paint, but like I said, it really doesn't make any perceptible difference which one you decide on.

Chip is contracted to recommend it by Mothers! Surely to goodness you can see the marketing strategy behind that one? Yes "surely to goodness" I can but Chip Foose is not going to put his reputation behind a crap product! Surely to goodness you can see that. Trust me when I say Mothers is merely alright, and yes, people will think it's the best thing since sliced bread, because Chip recommends it. Those same "trusting" people are ones who'd use Armour All and Meguiar's, and probably Turtle Wax - all very average products in the grand scheme of things, but will make the car look nice and shiny for a while, as well as easy to apply and get off. Horses for courses as the adage goes.

gib - whilst Collinite is a decent wax, I wouldn't buy on the notion that it lasts a long time. Like all carnauba waxes, they degrade and age over the course of 12-16 weeks, when it's recommended to strip any that remains, and reapply from scratch once again. To that end, I'd recommend any of the Dodo hard waxes. That said, have you considered the sealant route with the likes of Optimum OptiSeal or Zaino? Assuming that's your car in the signature banner, then silver and sealants are the best pairing. Even my own favourite sealant - Bilt Hamber Auto-balm, would struggle to make the colour stand out.

Chip is contracted to recommend it by Mothers! Surely to goodness you can see the marketing strategy behind that one?

Same thing, but wash them in the sink/bucket first to remove as much debris and excess polish as possible. Use Fairy liquid or whatever is handiest - APC/Surfex HD/etc - then bung them in on 40ºC with some liquid detergent, rather than powdered. No conditioner either!

You've that the wrong way round - wax goes on last, unless you're using the likes of Zaino Z-8 or Dodo Juice Red Mist. AG UGP, will be unlikely to bond to the wax layer, and may even strip it somewhat. SRP most definitely will due to the abrasives in its make up. Procedure is: Wash, clay (whilst wet), then dry. After that, you can use a glaze like Meg's #7 or Dodo Lime Prime Lite, before the wax is applied. Throw on the Z-8 or Red Mist after an hour or two's curing of the buffed off wax layer(s), if you fancy. If going for a sealant first, then forget the glaze, and apply it to the dry paintwork, or after a further cleanse with IPA (Isopropanol/Isopropyl Alcohol). Leave for up to 24 hours to cure, depending on which sealant is used, then apply the wax layer or two.

Yep, Rob's spot on - 303 Aerospace Protectant is very good, and does a number of other functions too - tyres, wiper blades, door rubbers. http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/303productrange.html