Beware of the Ming Mole...
When I took delivery of the car last year, I went straight to Dave at Reflect Effect to get the car checked for any paint imperfections from pre-delivery and to also put on a paint sealant, which would be a lot better and a lot cheaper than whatever it was the ming mole was trying to sell me. Plus, I could actually be in the presence of seeing a qualified professional actually applying the sealant to my car rather than having any random applying some stuff I didn't really know. It's a lot like deciding to either go to a dedicated specialist VW mechanic to work and service your car or go back to the dealership service centre where there is every possibility of your car being worked on by a novice apprentice.
Dave is great with all things detailing. What started out as a hobby has becoming a growing business, with his clientele expanding every day. And what's great is that he is also very particular with his work and has a very keen eye for detail. Traits which I can relate to and approve of. I went to Dave to get my car sealed and protected in a paint sealant called Opti-Coat from Optimum Car Care. Dave was now an approved dealer to apply Opti-Coat. This is a new age coating which is applied to the paint to protect the clear coat. It cures much harder than regular waxes and sealants (9 on Mohs scale of hardness) and provides added resistance against marring and superior resistance against things like bird poo, tree sap and contaminants. It beads water quite well too.
Opti-Coat treatment on a car 24 hours after application. Notice how the water just glides off and the water droplets bead nicely.
Dave had originally applied this to my car back when I took delivery of it last year in December and so far, it was great. Every time it rained, my Golf R still looked so clean (apart from the rear, where all the dirt and crap seems to get stuck to like white on rice). He applied it to his own car and even after 2 years, it did not need another application. I did get the lifetime warranty from Optimum Car Care via Dave when I got this as this would mean that I could get the Opti-Coat re-applied if it ever wore out. This just required me to drop in at Dave's once a year so that he can check the thickness of the coating to see whether or not another application was needed.
Since Dave had applied the Opti-Coat on my car when my euro number plate holder was still stuck on my front bumper, and since I have now removed it and had the bumper resprayed, that meant that whatever Opti-Coat was on the bumper was now gone so I decided to get it re-applied. Also, I had installed my OSIR carbon fibre mirror covers since the first application and because there was no sealant on them, I asked if he could apply Opti-Coat over them as well. No problems. OCD much?
Dave started off by giving my car a good wash with a snowfoam lance, which was good because my car was filthy!
Letting the dirt and contaminants sit and slide off before washing it off with a high pressure hose.
You might be wondering whether or not the ghetto blue masking tape solution I had for my wiper delete held up to the high pressure hose. Well, the answer to that is no, because I had found a temporary replacement which looks the part. Thanks to Ray, I went down to my local Clark Rubber store where they sell all sorts of foams, rubbers, pool supplies and so on and bought myself a 25mm rubber grommet. This grommet fit over the hole left by my rear wiper perfectly. And when I say perfectly, I mean it was a very snug fit with no need for any sort of silicone or superglue to hold it in place. Price? $2.75. Yes, Two dollars and seventy five cents! Compare that to a bullshit glass grommet which didn't even fit properly for $40.00. It doesn't look too bad either!
A 25mm rubber grommet from Clark Rubber. $2.75. Sometimes, quality doesn't equal expensive.
As always, a fantastic job done was by Dave. He had washed the car and re-applied the Opti-Coat to the front bumper and to the OSIR carbon fibre mirror covers. I'd just have to let it fully cure for 24 hours, which was fine because I wasn't going to be driving my car anywhere else today after I got home.
Car is finally looking clean!
Now that I didn't have a rear wiper, I needed something that would repel water on my rear windshield. I had purchased some Nanolex glass sealant and Nanolex wheel sealant from the recommendation by Pierre at Car Care Products.
Nanolex is a German company that is working with a new sealant technology that is based at a molecular level. The Nanolex glass sealant is a high tech sealant / coating which is designed specifically for glass that can repel water and dirt, improving all round visibility. The nanotechnology is designed to coat the glass surface with a durable layer that will help repel rain and dirt, making it much harder for these contaminants to adhere to the glass and simply ‘slip off’ with the motion of the car.
Nanolex glass cleaner and sealant, courtesy of Car Care Products.
Nanolex is a German company that is working with a new sealant technology that is based at a molecular level. The Nanolex glass sealant is a high tech sealant / coating which is designed specifically for glass that can repel water and dirt, improving all round visibility. The nanotechnology is designed to coat the glass surface with a durable layer that will help repel rain and dirt, making it much harder for these contaminants to adhere to the glass and simply ‘slip off’ with the motion of the car.
A petri dish coated with Nanolex sealant to demonstrate how water repels off the surface. So cool!
Nanolex didn't require a professional to apply it, although I'm sure Dave could have done it for me had I asked. However, I wanted to try and apply this myself as it didn't seem all that hard plus I had a bit of time on my hands. Following the instructions, I cleaned the glass with a lint-free cloth by applying a few drops of the Nanolex glass cleaner, which removes any dirt and leaves a completely fresh windshield for the sealant to adhere to. Then, taking another lint-free cloth, I applied a few drops of the Nanolex glass sealant and worked it into a small section, approximately 30cm by 30cm. Once a few passes has been made on the glass, vritually all the residue is removed. Then, taking a microfibre cloth, I buffed out any remaining residue to leave a crystal clear finish. The important thing to remember is to make sure you buff the sealant quickly as if you leave it on the glass for any more than a few minutes, it will harden on the glass, making it harder to remove. It's easier to apply then buff off on small sections at a time. I did this with the front and rear windshield and the side windows. It took approximately 2 hours to do it properly.
I had also bought the Nanolex wheel sealant but I decided that I will leave that task for another day as it requires me to jack up the car, take the wheels off, give them a good thorough cleaning and going through the same procedure as I had with the Nanolex glass sealant. I may need Ray's assistance on this one later on as he has a trolley jack and jack stands. I also said he could use the remainder of what I had left from the Nanolex glass sealant, which is actually quite a bit. I'm thinking you should be able to do at least 2 full cars with these two tiny bottles!
If you would like to have your car washed and detailed or you would like to purchase some quality detailing equipment for your car, please visit :
Reflect Effect
Car Care Products
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