A GREAT product !

[jess]

I just wanted to let anyone know, who has a problem with oxidation, that the product named Flitz is just the greatest thing since homemade bread. A while back I started to notice some white behind the front and rear wheels on my black 2002 ss. I just could not get it off. After doing a search here I found out what the trouble was and then found the solutiuon. Maybe this isn't the only solution but I just can't believe anything would work as quick or as good. You just apply it with a clean-dry rag and then while still wet just rub it off and BANG - not more oxidation. Its that quick !
And another thing, this product is made right here in the USA, in southern Wisconsin. I checked out their web-site and then called them to talk to a human (which I like to do) after hearing about my problem they suggested that I buy what they call their TV offer, whiuch includes a polish ball that you put on a cordless drill, but I like the special polish cloth that comes with the kit as it works just great. The kit has a handful of small packages in it as well as a large tube of the product Flitz. There are also coupons in the kit for future use. Imagine that, a product this good made right here in the good old USA. It would be nice to see a turn-around here in this country, instead of buying everything from china........... Well time I get off my soap-box
All the best.

jess

__________________________________________________ ________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[djvaly]

or cheaper fix: use baking soda and water, cleaned the oxidated battery cables, it will do the same trick just about anywhere there's oxidation.

[jess]

Hey djvaly
Thanks for the info. I was beside myself wondering what to do for my problem, until I found the Klitz. I will definately take your advice in the future, as no one wants to spend money when a simple household item will do the job. Have you ever used baking soda and water on your car ?
By the way I have to ask, how do you like that 402 ls2 in your TA ?
All the best.

jess


__________________________________________________ ______

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[djvaly]

yeah, I clean the oxydation stuff where i see it... the 402 ls2 is great... I know off topic but here's a video of it in action in my signature... later

[jess]

Thats a great video! I can only imagine what your TA is like driving around town. I've got the TA girdle on my stock rear end with Royal Purple lube, but I still wonder how long my rear end will last. Thanks


jess

__________________________________________________ ________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[widget]

Gotta try that flitz someday......in the meantime, Maas is also good stuff.

[jess]

Hey mrm1149

Thanks for the input about Maas, I don't believe I know about that product. I'll tell you, it sure is nice to get rid of the oxidation that was on my Camaro. How has your Corvette treated you ? You have an auto or
a six speed ? All the best.


jess

__________________________________________________ __________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

I'm not sure I understand where the oxidation was, was it on a wheel as in a rim? or on the paint of the body itself and if so where?

Flitz is mostly famous for their metal polishes, are you saying you used a metal polish on your paint?

[Smkn_TA]

Flitz eh? I will have to buy some. I got some oxidated plastic that is 22 years old. I used buffing wheel and pledge, made it tone down. Will try this flitz.

[jess]

Hey {FzS}BlacKMagicK

It was located on the painted body, behind the front
left tire and behind the rear left tire. The Flitz product that I used says it is for use on plastic surfaces as well as other kinds. I made sure of the correct
usage of their product. I called and spoke to a human at Flitz's home office in Wisconsin before buying and using their product on my Camaro. But I now wonder about the oxidation and if it will come back and why ? I appreciate your input as well as anyone else's who has had to deal with this problem.
Smkn_TA - ya Flitz worked for me. It is interesting to read your post because when I was trying to find Flitz at auto parts stores
this one guy told me that oxidation can not happen on plastic, I just said O yes it can. I am not trying to say that Flitz is the only thing out there that can work, it is just that I was happy to find a solution to my problem.

All the best ........
jess

__________________________________________________ ___________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

Would it be possible for you to post a pic of the area?

I'm having a hard time picturing any plastic area behind the wheel, are you talking about the lip that varies about an inch to three or so into the wheel well from the body, yet is still painted? If so, though this may be plastic, fiberglass or some form of rubber, it is painted with a base body color, then a clear coat, and what should be used to remove oxidation is a polish that is made to remove oxidation from clear coat, like Menzerna, preferably with a machine, though good results can be had by hand even.


To be sure any product has removed the oxidation completely, the product itself must be removed completely. There are products that will hide it easily due to the oils and or waxes they may contain.

To remove the product after using, spray a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and distilled water, then view the area. Prepsol would be ideal, but it's expensive and you have to buy a lot of it at once. Oxidation forms, mostly from a lack of protection from the elements. But I must say, in that area, it is due to abrasion from sand, rocks etc. constantly hitting the area and marring it, a good polish will go a long way to restoring it, but you should be using one made for clear coat, and if you don't have a machine, then preferably one made for use by hand. Sealant and wax, will prevent oxidation, as well as keeping the car clean and out of the the rain, sleet and snow, even the sun, if possible.

To sum up, your not treating what the underlying area is made out of, your treating the surface of the area. It could be made out of metal, wood, fiberglass, rubber, plastic, it doesn't matter, if it's been painted and topped with clear coat, what your looking to use is a polish made to polish clear coat. The only time you would use a product made to polish plastic, is on bare plastic and that is all.

[jess]

{FzS}BlacKMagicK
Let me tell you a short story, as I believe that I am responsible for the oxidation problem on my car. I bought my car from a dealer in Milwaukee in the middle of January. Now I live in the northern part of lower Michigan, and we had dry roards at the time with out having any snow for about ten days or so. This window opened up for me to buy this car and get it home possibly without having to drive through any salty-snow covered roads. Well we went to Milwaukee and I bought my Camaro, it had everything on it that i wanted, leather, etc. We got there on a Thursday night and I had set it up with the dealer to make the deal early on Friday morning and then make a quick trip home through the U.P. of Michigan, as there was a front coming through western Minnesota headed our way. I could not beat the front and ran into about seven inches of salty-snow covered roads through most of the U.P. When I finally got home late on Friday night I washed my car and put it in my pole barn until good weather, as I would never drive my car in condtions like that, anyway after a couple of months went by I started to notice this white over a portion of the areas I have already talked of in my other posts. Yes the inside of the fender well has some, but the most annoying was the white on the OUTSIDE of the body facing you as you stand and look straight at it. Now I maybe you can tell me, what is the body of your WS6 made of ? I'm not a auto body expert, although I have polished and waxed a few GM muscle cars in my time, but my car in this area is not metal. I'll tell you one thing I do appreciate, is you giving advice about how to take care of this area. I don't know how to fix this problem myself and that is irritating to me. You see as I have already stated in another post I am worried about what caused this problem, and if it will return. Maybe it isn't even gone yet. I knew at the time I bought my car that I didn't want to get her in those kinds of bad road conditions, but I was unable to achieve it, so I take for granted it was my fault. Now that I have bored everyone with my story............... I have not tried to post any
pictures but maybe I'll just have to try it some time. Thanks again for your help {FzS}BlacKMagicK .
All the best.......

jess

__________________________________________________ ____________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

Your welcome,

I believe our cars are some type of fiberglass, or plastic composite of some sort, but remember, it doesn't matter what the body is made out of, your treating the paint on top of the body, not the body itself, I can't stress that enough. Any flaw you see in your paint right now, is in the clear coat, unless it has gone through the clear coat, through the black base coat and into the primer, that would be a deep scratch, and the only way ya fix that is by repainting it. If I had to guess what happened to your car, it's probably salt damage, which would be a form of oxidation. This can be fixed. You may have done it already. Even though you used a plastic polish on it, it may have been enough, if it were very superficial. The abrasives in plastic polishes are extremely gentle, so you probably did no harm, as long as the medium the abrasive particles are suspended in are paint safe.

What you should do is wash the car again, then get yourself a clay kit, Mother's or Meguiar's both make 'em and they can be found in any auto parts store, follow the directions and take your time, and go over every inch of the car becoming familiar with all of the paint's trouble spots. Then take a good look at her in different lighting, daylight and at night under either mercury lights, the kind in a parking lot or if you have a halogen or fluorescent work light, look over every inch.

You will of course now be able to see if your problem is still present as well as identifying all other flaws.

Now, you have a black car, the hardest to keep looking good.
At this point you have to decide what kind of person you are. Are you someone that can live with swirls and the imperfections? Or are you the flawless or nuthin type. Maybe your somewhere in the middle.

Regardless of what type you are, I'm sure you want her to look decent.
Well, here's the thing, the better you want her to look, the more money and time it will cost you, not a helluva lot of either, but there will be some of each.

There is an old saying,

"There must be a degree of descension to maintain the posession."

And so it is true every posession we have, must be maintained.
And, when it comes to cars, a black car's finish takes the most maintenence, because every tiny flaw shows up glaringly. You get away with nothing.

I got a black car for several reasons, first, I love the way the WS.6 looks in black, always have. A black car "fits" me if you will, I feel the most comfortable and at home in a black car, and I have no problem whatsoever in pouring hours and money into the way I want her to finish.

It would be an extremely good idea for you to invest in a Porter Cable 7424 dual action polisher, it is idiot proof, anyone can use it, it is top quality and you would have an extremely hard time causing any damage whatsoever to your paint's finish, unlike what happens when people run out and get a single action rotary, clueless to what their about to do to their paint. DO NOT DO THAT.

Polishing, all polishing, no matter what your polishing, is the use of certain abrasives applied to the object desired to be polished and motion.

That motion can come from your hand or a machine, a machine is preferable when the size of the polishing job before you is large, and the desired result is either high gloss, exceptional smoothness, or a mirror like finish if doing metal. Trying to polish a car by hand can be exhausting and yield very dissapointing results, while a machine makes it a helluva lot easier and gives vastly superior results.
The machine though, will not be able to get into every spot, in spots where the machine won't fit, you have to do it by hand.

Now, the PC7424, requires a backing plate, go with a 5" backing plate.

If you do decide to get a PC, let me know, and I can save you hours and hours of research, frustration and money regarding pad choices and polish choices.

[jess]

{FzS}BlacKMagicK

Thanks for all the info. As a matter of fact I never knew that Porter Cable made a tool like the PC 7424. I own a Porter Cable 12v Cordless drill driver and it is the best cordless that I have ever owned. It is the sure grip model and it seems to have almost as much power as some of
the other brands 14v models. I believe I will purchase the PC 7424 and I see there are some good deals to be had on the net for this model along with items that make it work. If you could let me know about pad and polish choices I would be greatful. My first black car was a 1971 Chevelle with a 1969 L-72 427 Big Block, (11-1 pistons), I used blue airplane fuel with lead additive. Those metal cars were certainly much easier to wax and keep looking good. I do like to keep my car looking great, but I don't think anyone would call me a fanatic about it. After reading your posts I think spending the money for this polishing tool from Porter cable is the way to go for me. To be able to do the job of keeping my car polished, and do it right, is important.
I see some places want $179.95 for the PC 7424. What do you think of that price ? I have no experience using a clay kit, but am willing to learn if that is what it takes. I also bought a new black 1999 Z-71 Silverado with the 5.3
and G-80. This black truck has always been easy to take car of.
Again thanks............

jess

__________________________________________________ ___________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[jess]

Updated info .........
I just found the PC 7424 for $129.95 from a couple of different places.
I just needed to look around some.

jess

__________________________________________________ _______

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

Ok, very easy to clay, you get the clay kit, you take out the bar of clay and you cut it in half, reason is, if you drop it...it is done, you absolutely do not want to touch your car with it again, once it has been dropped to the ground, it is toast, you may as well get out some sandpaper and take that to your car as well. So you cut it in half, you save one half, just in case, and begin to use the other half. With the kit will come a lubricant, you simply spray the lubricant sparingly in a given area, and begin to rub the clay on the car, wherever the lubricant spray is, nice even strokes. What you are doing is literally pulling out micro fine particles right out of the clear coat. Particles that cannot and will not be taken out with regular washing alone. I don't care if you used a pressure washer, or the latest greatest washing gizmo, those contaminants are stuck in the paint.

If someone doesn't believe it, and your willing to put in the effort, wash your car three times, until you believe the car is sterile, now spray and clay an area, turn over your clay bar and look at it. You'll be amazed. Now the reason, this critical step should never be overlooked before polishing is, the machine, foam pad and polish in conjunction...WILL begin to remove those contaminants stuck in the paint, but since they are contaminants and not polish abrasives, you will reintroduce swirls all over again into your paint. So it is critical to clay first. I wouldn't dream of polishing a car without claying it first.

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

Now, as far as the PC7424, that price is too high, it must be some sort of kit with useless accessories most of which you probably don't need.

Go here http://www.autogeek.net/poca746varap.html and get it there, I seriously doubt you'll find it cheaper anywhere than 129.99, but there's another reason to get it from there. You will need more things other than the machine itself, a backing plate, pads, brushes to clean built up residue from the pads, polish and microfiber cloths. Now, if you join their forum, you will receive in an email a coupon code for I believe 10% off, now I'm not sure if they will apply that to the machine, but I know they will apply it to all else.
They also are the only place I know of that carries the HD Plus version of the machine which comes with a 25ft. 16 gauge cord, that's the one I got, and I'm glad, haven't had to use an extension cord and no worries about it coming out of the extension cord while in use or dragging the part where it would connect to the ext. cord against my car.

Now, the machine does not come with a foam pad velcro backing plate, you will have to buy one, the only one I suggest getting is the 5" flexible backing plate you'll find that on the same page, I've tried many different sizes, trust me, 5" is the way to go.

Pads, Get the 6.5" Lake Country CCS Dual Action pads.
I suggest green and white, I could go into an extremely lengthy lecture as to why, but let me spare you...get the green...and the white.

Ideally, I would like to see someone detailing their car for the first time, get four of each, but if you can't afford that, try to at least get three of each, minimum two.
I would use one for the hood and nose, one for the right side, one for the left and one for the rear.

Polish...Menzerna, for me there is no other, you want to get two of Menzerna's polishes, you want to get Menzerna's Final Polish II (PO85U) and Menzerna's Micro Polish (PO87MC)

Warning:Unless you have a vette or a Benz, then you would use different Menzerna polishes made for those car's finishes. That said, some have been daring and have used the polishes made for those cars on car's without the harder finishes of the vette and Benz and still got excellent results. The polishes made for those cars contain stronger abrasives for the hard clear coat of those cars.


We are now getting closer to all we need for a world class finish.


We need a few more things. We need to get some brushes, as you use the pads, and continue to add polish, the polish will of course, begin to build up. To remove it, start the machine hold the brush against the pad at a right angle, and the polish will come off, stop the machine and recheck the pad, if all is well, spray two spritzes of distilled water on the pad and reapply polish and your back in business. There are expensive brushes made for polish removal, but I found these two simple nylon brushes to work excellent, by accident actually, they were the only ones I had at the time, and I had originally got them to remove wax from crevices, but they work great at removing pad buidup too. You can get them here. http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-detail-brush-set.html

Microfiber cloths, to remove polish, sealant and wax. For me, it's the purple deluxe only. The blue, for some odd reason, when you remove the sticker from it holds all the adhesive from the sticker on it and practically renders it useless.

Paint Sealant - Wolfgang.

Glaze - Klasse

Wax - I use Pinnacle Souverän Paste wax, it is very expensive, and if you don't want to go that high end, I can offer good alternatives.

Tomorrow I'll go into how to bring all this stuff together and actually use it.

[jess]

{FzS}BlacKMagicK

I appreciate the time and effort you are taking to give the
info here. I am sure there others who feel the same way. I will use the links you have provided. I'll bet just reading the info is exhausting for some, let alone actually setting aside the time to make this become a reality.
Thanks........

jess

__________________________________________________ ____________

2002 ss - Black - A4 - 323 - SLP loudmouth 11 - SLP lid - SLP # 5846

[LETHALxLS1]

I agree with everything blackmagick said. He seems to really know what going on. I have a PC 7424 and buy all my products from autogeek as well. They have some great videos that show you how to use the PC 7424 too. Good luck and take some before and after pics! I use all pinnacle stuff and have been wanting to try the sovern for a while.

[{FzS}BlacKMagicK]

Ok, let's start from the beginning.

Washing the car.

Water...the water from your garden hose contains a whole lot more, than water.
A good portion of the U.S.A. has hard water, and that's just accounting for Calcium and Magnesium, there are many more things in tap water, that can damage paint over time. But the biggest annoyance when washing a vehicle is hard water spots.

What...oh what...can one do?

Should we get a a Mr. Clean Auto Dry BlacKMagicK?

No, the Autodry sucks, and everyone knows Mr. Clean takes it in the ass, but refuses to come out of the closet.

So what to do? Well, you can filter your water. You can go get a big, fancy expensive Kenmore water softener, or one like it, and have to regenerate it with salt from time to time. But this is expensive and only removes Calcium and Magnesium, it does not remove all dissolved solids.

What removes all dissolved solids BlacKMagicK?

I'll tell you, a deionizing water filter, that's what.

Now, a deionizing water filter contains two filter mediums, one is the exact same medium used in all water softeners for removing Calcium, Magnesium and Iron, the other removes all other dissolved solids that are not Calcium, Magnesium and Iron. Technically, the water that passes through a deionizing water filter should come out laboratory grade. I think it's then good enough to wash my car with.

Can you use a water hardness test kit to test the filter's ability and also tell when it needs new filter media?

NO, you cannot. The water hardness media in a deionizing unit (amber beads) gives up long before the all other dissolved solids filter media (black beads) does, so you need to use a total dissolved solids water tester.

BlacKMagicK where can I get a deionizing water filter that will will fit my garden hose, not cost an arm and a leg, and actually last for a decent amount of time?

I have no idea...your guess is as good as mine.



Just kidding, try here:http://www.watersticks.com/index.htm

Now before you buy one of these, find out if you even need one, click on "Do You Have Hard Water" on the left side of the page and view the map of the U.S.A. and it's water hardness regions. For those of you who live in the yellow areas, I hate you and may a demented plumber fix your sister's sink.

I should add here for the ultimate wash, it would be great to be able to pressure wash it first before ever actually touching the car, this would remove the largest and most dangerous of particles, by dangerous, I mean those most likely to cut a nice deep swirl right into your precious finish. I plan on getting one very soon, and have been researching various models.

Let's move on...

What kind of soap should I use?

It sounds like some kind of mythical urban legend that you should wash your car with some kind of dish detergent. That's cause it is. Don't use dish detergent on your car. That said, I have tried quite a few shampoos out there, including many that Autogeek carries, and still seem to always want to come back to Meguiar's Gold Class.
So that's what I use until I find something I think is better.

What kind of old rag, kitchen sponge or old T-shirt should I use to wash my car with?

None of those to begin with, that's for shit sure, but I have seen all of the above used by different people over the years and can only shake my head.
It would seem we now have a few choices today compared to days gone by, when all one could find in an auto parts store was a big 'ole dog bone shaped sponge. Now we have fancy microfiber mitts and whirly figamajig attachments for our garden hoses. But what I suggest you give a try, is something you haven't seen in any auto parts store.

The Schmitt Mitt, view it here:http://www.autogeek.net/shmitt.html

I have used a few things in my day to wash vehicles, I even used to have a truck washing route all the way up through Albany and beyond and back to L.I. so far this mitt is the best sponge/mitt I have used so far to wash a vehicle and prevent introducing swirls into your finish. They do come in various levels of soft if you will, read through the descriptions. I use yellow on glass, white on upper body, one black mitt (which is marked) for the lower body and rear and another black for the wheels.

Tune in tomorrow when we discuss, bucket choices, the two bucket method and grit guards.