T-cut or similar..?

[JAS21]

Yes, this 9H,10H thing, referring to glass coatings, is confusing/misleading. A glass cutter or screwdriver blade will certainly scratch glass but a 9H pencil definitely won't. But I'm sure that Kessho will lock the shine in for you, for a while anyway, are you going to top it off with wax?. Out of interest, how long between application of #1 and #2 and do you wipe off between coats,after, or ......

[IMHO]

Yes, this 9H,10H thing, referring to glass coatings, is confusing/misleading. A glass cutter or screwdriver blade will certainly scratch glass but a 9H pencil definitely won't. But I'm sure that Kessho will lock the shine in for you, for a while anyway, are you going to top it off with wax?. Out of interest, how long between application of #1 and #2 and do you wipe off between coats,after, or ......

The directions are:

1. Apply step #1, removing excess within 10 mins max.

2. Wait min. 6 hours then apply step #1 again.

3. Wait min. 6 hours then apply step #2, removing it's excess within 5 mins max.

I have just applied the 2nd coat of #1 to two door panels I'm using as a test. This is clearly different from all other glass coatings I've used - the first layer of #1 this morning had no slickness at all after curing overnight - it literally felt like I was putting the 2nd coat down on a rubber sheet(!). Clarity seems v.good though - no dulling of the shine under lights (the doors had a 3-step polish and 2x Eraser cleans as prep) - I will inspect/compare more closely when the sun comes up though.

Note: in that photo above, I had already coated two doors of the EV with the #1 product - the other thing about this coating is a little product seems to go a very long way.

Edited November 6, 2015 by IMHO

[IMHO]

I will inspect/compare more closely when the sun comes up though.

The two doors, now with 2 coats of the #1 product are visibly darker (in a good way) than the surrounding panels. Not enough that I can show it in a photo though - but a shade or two blacker for sure. They make the surrounding panels look a little 'cloudy' by comparison..

[IMHO]

are you going to top it off with wax?.

I topped one door with Fuzion and left it overnight to set-up... about 24 hours later, parked in shade, not wet, not driven, and there's no visible or tactile difference to the unwaxed door next to it - it's like the wax just evaporated... I could feel the wax slickness right after application though, so I know I didn't just wipe it all off when applying it

OTOH, the Kessho 'diamond' 2-step coating looks just as good as my waxed-only rear 1/4 panel - it's also very slick to the touch for a glass coating, but not quite as slick as the Fuzion (when applied to a non-glass-coated panel that is).

Short Answer: No, I won't be topping it with a wax, hehe.

Edited November 9, 2015 by IMHO

[DavisH]

are you going to top it off with wax?.

I topped one door with Fuzion and left it overnight to set-up... about 24 hours later, parked in shade, not wet, not driven, and there's no visible or tactile difference to the unwaxed door next to it - it's like the wax just evaporated... I could feel the wax slickness right after application though, so I know I didn't just wipe it all off when applying it

OTOH, the Kessho 'diamond' 2-step coating looks just as good as my waxed-only rear 1/4 panel - it's also very slick to the touch for a glass coating, but not quite as slick as the Fuzion (when applied to a non-glass-coated panel that is).

Short Answer: No, I won't be topping it with a wax, hehe.

Did you manage to get rid of the orange peel? I pulled up beside a black ev last week - the orange peel is just over the top. Nothing like the black sirocco from this morning I saw:) Car companies should really look more at that issue. It spoils an overwise very nice vehicle.

[IMHO]

Did you manage to get rid of the orange peel? I pulled up beside a black ev last week - the orange peel is just over the top. Nothing like the black sirocco from this morning I saw:) Car companies should really look more at that issue. It spoils an overwise very nice vehicle.

Most of it... There are some concave areas that are hard to get into even with the smallest 3" pad, and some areas I wasn't confident to push too hard as well (e.g. the fuel door - you can't get a paint thickness reading on plastic parts).

Overall, this is as brave as I can be - my paint thickness gauge has problems getting readings on the edges of panels on the EV, so I'm working by feel as a result.

Edited November 9, 2015 by IMHO

[DavisH]

Did you manage to get rid of the orange peel? I pulled up beside a black ev last week - the orange peel is just over the top. Nothing like the black sirocco from this morning I saw:) Car companies should really look more at that issue. It spoils an overwise very nice vehicle.

Most of it... There are some concave areas that are hard to get into even with the smallest 3" pad, and some areas I wasn't confident to push too hard as well (e.g. the fuel door - you can't get a paint thickness reading on plastic parts).

op4.jpg

Overall, this is as brave as I can be - my paint thickness gauge has problems getting readings on the edges of panels on the EV, so I'm working by feel as a result.

Looks awesome what's your hourly rate? Do you know of garages in Bangkok that can de-peel? When I had some insurance work done on my honda there was very little orange peel in the paint. But my swift copped a lot of it when a nissan dealer repainted it. I guess there are using different propellants?

[IMHO]

Looks awesome what's your hourly rate? Do you know of garages in Bangkok that can de-peel? When I had some insurance work done on my honda there was very little orange peel in the paint. But my swift copped a lot of it when a nissan dealer repainted it. I guess there are using different propellants?

The main cause of orange peel is simply the low-VOC paints everyone uses these days - no matter how good the painter (or robot) is, there will always be some peel in the finish. Beyond that, it's factors like air pressure on the spray gun (higher pressure = less peel), and the thickness of paint sprayed on (thicker = more peel). In a paint shop, the propellant is always the same - air from a compressor

To be honest, this has been so much work that in retrospect I probably should've just found a good paint shop, got them to add 2-3 coats of clear on top of the factory paint, then wet sand it back to smooth... So far I've been fortunate not to go too far with the cutting, but if I did make a mistake, the car would end up in a paint shop anyway..... That would cost a lot more than a couple of denim polishing pads like I've used though

[thailanddogerator]

Master IMHO :-)

Without thinking about importing a special wax in Thailand do you confirm that Meguiars wax is also good and one of the easiest to find here ?

Thanks for all great advices, you should be granted forum moderator with 200k salary like all the other ones :-)

[IMHO]

Master IMHO :-)

Without thinking about importing a special wax in Thailand do you confirm that Meguiars wax is also good and one of the easiest to find here ?

Thanks for all great advices, you should be granted forum moderator with 200k salary like all the other ones :-)

Meguiars waxes are all good, yes - you won't be disappointed with the result.

Other waxes can excel in other areas though:

* Ease of application/removal

* Longevity

* Water beading (hydrophobic) abilities

For example, older Meg's formulations like Yelllow #26 give an incredible result - as good as any pure carnauba at any price - but wow is it hard work to apply and remove - hours vs. minutes, literally. I guess that could apply to any wax that needs to 'haze over' (dry) before you do excess removal though. Their newer consumer formulations like the "ultimate" series are a lot easier to apply/remove, and have very good water beading abilities, but won't achieve the longevity of some of the more expensive waxes available.

Edited November 20, 2015 by IMHO