Professional Carwashing & Detailing - Feb 2012
Pictured here are dual sided buffing pads with a special quick release attachment concept that one of the largest companies in the world with an automotive products division purchased this company because of their unique invention The pads just snap on to the attachment and release just like a socket on a wrench with the push of a button Detail chemicals Detailing chemicals fall into a few categories X Cleaners X Compounds X Polishes X Waxes and paint sealants and X Specialty chemicals At the time this article was written most of the major detail chemical companies in the U S and a few in Europe were contacted for information on any new and innovative products they might be introducing or have introduced to the market in the past year None responded which would lead one to believe they do not have anything innovative to share or they do not want to share it for this article Cleaners This category includes carwash shampoos engine degreasers wheel cleaners all purpose cleaners tar and grease removers carpet shampoos extractor shampoos and glass cleaners As far as I know there is nothing new in the field Although one company claims to have a non acid wheel cleaner that is environmentally safe safe for human use and works almost as well as hydrofluoric acid cleaners Personally I have used this product and it does do an excellent job Compounds These compounds are used for correcting paint finishing problems such as scratching dulling oxidation single stage paint and removing wet dry sanding marks These are a relatively simple chemical to formulate The only new innovation in this product area was the development of a microfine compound to remove spider scratches in a clear coat without causing more scratches than you are taking out Most of the major companies offer a microfine compound There has been talk of compounds for ceramic clear coats but I personally feel that this is more rhetoric than real www carwash com 59 of a shop rag Today you can purchase a hand towel 15 inches by 24 inches for about 1 to 150 so most detailers are now using microfiber towels because of their effectiveness in cleaning and removing wax sealant and for their low cost Buffing pads While pad manufacturers like to have you believe they have something new that is not exactly true Sheepskin finishing pads and 100 percent woven wool pads are virtually the same as they have been for years The newest innovation was the introduction of the woven wool polyester blend pad which is not as aggressive as the wool but more aggressive than foam Speaking of foam since their introduction to the industry foam pads are basically the same other than size and shape Some have dense foam and others not so dense Some are flat some waffled some contoured some with sharp edges and a myriad of other shapes But basically they are the same Dual sided pads The dual side 100 percent woven wool pad has been around for quite a few years but about 10 years ago a small company on the East Coast came up with a series of dual sided woven wool poly wool and foam pads with a very unique attachment system that eliminates the problems of screw on pads and Velcro pads that could fly off the backer plate To me this is one of the most revolutionary inventions presented to the industry So innovative was this with a coiled line 20 feet and an applicator gun All the detailer has to do is squeeze the trigger of the applicator gun and spray as much chemical as needed Great as an engine degreaser wheel cleaner all purpose cleaner carpet shampoo glass cleaner and tire dressing Operating supplies Typically we are talking about buffing pads brushes towels etc In the past 10 years there hasnt been much innovation in this area Microfiber towels The microfiber towel has been available for about 20 years but not embraced by the detail industry because of cost In the 1990s a buyer would pay about 5 for a microfiber towel the size Concluded on page 61 Pictured here are stainless steel chemical tanks Pictured here are typical microfiber towels Detailers Spotlight
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