I'm Michael, the web guy here at Proper Auto Care. This past weekend, I gave my wife a full detailing on her 1993 Jeep Cherokee as a Mother's Day gift.
This Jeep still has the original paint and we have tried to take the best care of this vehicle as possible. But, this SUV is used constantly. It takes lots of road trips. The paint, therefore, has suffered slightly. As you can see from the picture below, the paint on the roof was quite oxidized. We had thought that we might have to get the top of the Jeep repainted.
This was what we thought until I decided to attack it with an assortment of our products. The end result, was like giving the Jeep a face lift. I literally took 5-8 years of of age off the paint. Needless to say, my wife is a very happy camper.
Here's how I did it:
Since any good detailing starts with a clean vehicle, I gave it a good wash with Menzerna Auto Shampoo. Menzerna Auto Shampoo gave me tons of suds. I began with washing the tires and wheels first. While you may prefer starting from the top and working down, this is just a personal thing with me. I like to get the brake dust and such off the wheel first. The Jeep has a basket-weave sort of wheel and I used our E-Z Detail brush to work around the spokes. The brush was great in getting the tires clean also.
Now, onto the bodywork. I started from the top down. Using our Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt, and our Grit Guard insert in a 5 gal bucket, I had at it. The Grit Guard worked like a charm. When I was finished washing, there was no grit on the mitt..all of it was beneath the Guard.
After giving the Jeep one last rinse, with the nozzle set on "Shower" to make the rinse nice and gentle, I moved her into the garage to dry, polish, etc.
Using our Big Blue Towel III, I dried a four door Jeep Cherokee in about 5 minutes...and with one towel!
The hood was next. The hood's paint was in better shape than the roof, but had swirl marks. The polish helped reduce those swirls almost immediately. I worked the the sides and rear and moved on to the next step.
Now, I finished with Blackfire Wet Diamond All-Finish Paint Protection. This is a sealant. What I'm doing here is enhancing the gloss and the depth of the gloss on the Jeep. I used three coats of this product. I know....but hey, it's my wife's Jeep! Nothing is too good for her. I used a Lake Country CCS 6.5" Red Finishing Pad. I also used a micro fiber buffing cloth the buff out any residue.
The results were nothing short of stupendous. Check out the picture below. See the reflection on the roof? Check out that cloud in the hood.
I dressed the wheels with Wheel Wax to protect them from brake dust and to make my next cleaning of them much easier. The tires were dressed with Blackfire Long-Lasting Tire Gel. This gave them a nice matte finish. Not "liquid shoe polish" shiny. Just a classy finish.
For those of you thinking that your car's finish is just---finished, think again. We have the technology...you have the ability. It can be done!
Now, through midnight April 27th, 2008, we have brought back $5.95 Flat Rate Shipping. That's right, for less than 6 bucks, you can have your order shipped to you with in the continental USA. Act now....remember....like Cinderella, you have until midnight!
Well, the weather is finally easing up and spring is, at last here. Time to do a Spring cleaning on your vehicle. If you live in an area that uses salt on the roads in winter months, your car will need some special attention now that spring has arrived. Our Spring Clean-Up Kit contains everything you need to remove caked-on salt residues, tiny rust spots and give your ride a bright, spring shine.
Here's the system we recommend to keep those tiny, winter rust spots from developing into a paint nightmare:
1. Pre-clean with P21S Total Auto Wash to remove salt residues. 2. Wash and dry the car. 3. Inspect for rust spots and test for paint contamination. 4. Use a clay bar and lubricant to remove rust spots and contamination. 5. Wipe on a polish to maximize surface gloss and liquidity. 6. Finish with a great wax for shine and protection.
Our Spring Clean-Up Kit allows you to do all of this with a minimum amount of effort and expense. Our kit includes:
We've found this to be an absolutely indispensable product for pre-cleaning to remove caked-on grime and salt residues. Spray Total Auto Wash inside wheel wells and on rocker panels. Lightly brush if you can or just allow to penetrate for 3 to 5 minutes and rinse off with a garden hose. Total Auto Wash can also be used as an interior cleaner on carpet and rubber floor mats and vinyl door panels.
After a harsh winter, we can almost guarantee that your car will have some tiny rust spots or a gritty finish. Blackfire PolyClay and Clay Lubricant allows you to quickly and easily remove paint contamination and winter rust spots before they can penetrate the clear coat.
After claying, your car's paint will be as smooth as glass and ready for polishing and waxing.
This is one of our best values in a car care kit containing a great shampoo, P21S' famous pH-Balanced Wheel Cleaner, an excellent polish and a Pure Carnauba Paste Wax that is a breeze to apply and buff off.
Purchased separately, the items in this kit would cost over $106.00
When we founded this company over 21 years ago, it was out of a personal quest to find the best car care products available. We made an issue of personally testing and evaluating every product we could find. When we found a product that really offered superior results, we decided to share our findings with fellow enthusiasts. This was the birth of Proper Auto Care.
Today, it's in vogue for websites to claim they evaluate the products they offer. Frankly, that's mostly hype. Last month, one of our suppliers introduced a new car wash shampoo. Within days, this shampoo was on many websites with glowing accolades describing the shampoo's outstanding performance. When we received this company's press release introducing this new car wash, we ordered a bottle for evaluation. It was evaluated by one of our staff and he reported his results in a Friday morning product roundtable. I should disclose here that Jan and I can no longer test every product that comes in for evaluation. There's just too many of them. We have a system in place where various staff members test new products and report their findings at a weekly meeting.
This shampoo was evaluated by Jack Kruer, our Vice President. Jack felt the product was a dud. The suds evaporated in the bucket after washing the first wheel and he felt the shampoo's cleaning ability was wimpy at best. When a product gets a bad grade, we always have someone else test the product just to double check the findings. In this case, I agreed to use the shampoo. This product was from a well respected supplier, had fresh packaging and was being offered at an attractive price. I did use the shampoo a few days later and confirmed Jack's initial opinion. I'm sorry but this shampoo was a dog. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, at any price. At our next product meeting, we agreed not to carry this shampoo. In time, three weeks had gone by since we first received the press release announcing this new product. This is one reason we don't immediately jump on the bandwagon and blindly offer every new product that comes to market.
In another example, last summer we received an impressive presentation portfolio for a new car care line out of California. The line looked fantastic and we requested samples for evaluation. When the samples arrived we tested every product. We were honestly disappointed. The formulas reminded us of 1980's car care technology. These products worked but were, in our opinion, sadly behind current technology. We elected not to offer this line but we do see it on more and more websites.
We've all been burned by purchasing products that don't live up their claims. We do our best to honestly represent every product we offer. We really appreciate that you trust our reviews and evaluations and we are not going to change our business plan and become a supermarket for every new product that comes along. We also recognize that we can't please everyone. You may try a product we like and have a different opinion. If that happens, please feel free to return the product, even if it's half empty, and we'll refund the full purchase price.
Great news! The Flex XC 3401 VRG polishers are now back in stock. For all of you who placed an order early and waited for your delivery, THANK YOU! We appreciate the patience you granted us while Flex caught up on the huge demand for the polisher. We are now caught up on all back-orders and have available stock to fulfill your order for this fantastic polisher. For those of you not familiar with this polisher, please visit the Flex XC 3401 VRG page of our web site to educate yourself on the benefits of owning this "must have" polisher.
We have received a sizeable delivery of these polishers, so please act while supplies are good!
If you haven't taken advantage of our Flat Rate Shipping Offer, you now have a second chance!
Our promotion has been so popular that we have extended our Flat Rate Shipping of $5.95 on any order place with us, shipped within the continental USA, until midnight March 31st. Now minimum amount required!
Come Tuesday, April 1st, it's gone....no Foolin'! So, act now!
We have Flat Rate Shipping of $5.95 on any order place with us, shipped within the continental USA until midnight March 26th. Now minimum amount required!
