[Portfolio] All New KIA Picanto

Standard Package

Kondisi awal:

Banyak noda aspal di sisi kiri dan kanan mobil. Hanya memerlukan light polishing job karena ini mobil sehari-hari.

Owner memilih standard package dari kami untuk menghemat waktu dan budget. Clean, shine & protected by Auto Finesse Tripple. Obat polish all in one yang memakai carnauba sebagai layer of protection.

Before detailing (Paint looks dull)

After detailing (Shiny and wet look)

Hood before

Hood after

Before (Light marring caused by improper washing technique)

After

Before (Swirlmark)

After

Door handle before

After

Before (No reflection)

After (Nice reflection)

Water behavior before & after.

The second photo show that the water beads on the surface. 

Usually it considered as an indicator layer of protection

More close up water beading

Water repellent means your car will stay much cleaner after rain and no need to worry about water spot.

More photos @All New KIA Picanto

-- Zee Auto Detailing & Paint Protection --

WhatsApp / SMS: 0896 6055 2795

BBM: 75823A9B

Maintenance

There is no more to explain for maintenance.. Just repeat the Washing and Protection step every 2-4 per month..

Pay attention when washing your car after you detail it. Becauce, careless wash can cause another imperfection to your car..

Protection

Overview

Carnauba waxes are a great way to protect your vehicle against the elements. Carnauba waxes often offer stronger protection than sealants do, but will not last as long. Waxes typically last 3 to 8 weeks, where a sealant can last up to 6 months. Carnauba waxes often bead water better than sealants, which makes your vehicle easier to maintain. Carnauba waxes are what you want to use when you want the absolute wettest finish possible.

Layering and Cure Times

Applying multiple coats or layers of wax can add more protection, gloss and shine to the surface. When you want to apply more than one coat, you have to let the previous coat fully cure. Assuming you apply the wax nice and thin, the cure times will range from 1 - 24 hours. The exact time will vary depending on the specific wax, how it was applied, temperature, humidity, etc.

Frequency

In general, carnauba waxes will last anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks. There are many factors that go into determining how long a wax will last. Some of the major factors are if your car is stored in a garage or outside, how many miles are driven, the type of weather conditions your vehicle is exposed to, how well your paint was prepped prior to applying the wax, the frequency of washing your vehicle, and type of shampoo. The key is to re-apply your coat of protection before the previous coat runs out. As you maintain your vehicle, keep an eye out for how well the water beads and sheets off your paint. If water begins to pool and look flat on your paint, then chances are there is little to no protection remaining and it's advised to apply another coat of wax. A good rule of thumb is to re-apply a carnauba once a month (12 times a year).

How-To Apply a Paste Wax

Step 1: Using a clean foam applicator pad, gently wipe it across the top of the paste wax (for a harder paste wax you may need to exert more pressure in a circular motion)

Step 2: Make sure you only have a very thin amount on your applicator pad

Step 3: You can apply the wax with light pressure in a circular, back and forth and/or up and down motion, remember to stretch the wax nice and thin

Step 4: Wait 10 - 20 minutes before you buff off the excess wax with a clean microfiber towel

Step 5: Repeat steps 1 through 4 until your entire vehicle has been waxed

Overview

The primary purpose of a sealant is to properly protect your vehicle from the elements. Sealants are designed to bond to your paint and provide roughly 3 to 6 months of protection. This is significantly longer protection than what a carnauba wax offers, which is typically 3 to 8 weeks. The barrier of protection that sealants provide help minimize contamination from embedding in to your paint and makes maintaining your vehicle significantly easier. Another benefit of a sealant is that it will enhance the look of your paint by giving you sharper reflections and more depth and gloss.

Layering and Cure Times

Applying multiple coats will increase the strength of the protection and durability of the protection. The most important thing to note is that when you want to apply more than one coat, you have to let the previous coat cure. Each sealant's cure time will vary and environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, humidity, etc.) can impact cure times. Most sealants will cure within 1 - 24 hours and the vast majority of any sealant will be cured within the first hour. If you have the time waiting 24 hours is ideal to be absolutely certain but if you are in a rush waiting a minimum of one hour should still work very well for most sealants.

Frequency

In general, sealants typically last between 3 to 6 months. There are many factors that go into determining how long a sealant will last. Some of the major factors are if your car is stored in a garage or outside, how many miles are driven, the type of weather conditions your vehicle is exposed to, how well your paint was prepped prior to applying the sealant, the frequency of washing your vehicle, and type of shampoo. The key is to reapply your coat of protection before the previous coat runs out. As you maintain your vehicle, keep an eye out for how well the water beads and sheets off your paint. If water begins to pool on your paint, then chances are there is little to no protection remaining and it's advised to apply another coat of sealant. A good rule of thumb is to reapply a coat of sealant once a season (4 times a year).

How-To Apply a Sealant

The key when applying a sealant is to stretch the product as thin and far as possible. The saying "less is more" definitely applies to any quality sealant. We do not recommend applying a sealant with a rotary buffer, but it is fine to use a random orbital or dual action buffer using a soft foam polishing pad. Hand applications also work very well and help you get in to tight spaces more effectively.

Step 1: Center your blue pad on the backing plate

Step 2: Apply 2 pea sized drops of your sealant on the pad (fresh pads may require a few extra drops)

Step 3: Visualize your working area, since you're spreading the product as far as possible, it can be as large as a panel

Step 4: Trace your working area with the sealant on your pad with the buffer off

Step 5: Turn the buffer on a low speed setting (1 - 3) and spread the sealant evenly through the entire working area

Step 6: Turn the speed dial of the buffer up to approximately 3 and start in a corner of your working area

Step 7: Working from one corner to the next, move the buffer at controlled pace (approximately 3" - 5" per second) using no additional pressure

Step 8: Once you reach the opposite corner, follow the same path back to where you started, but overlap your first pass by approximately 50%

Step 9: Continue this pattern until you have applied the sealant to your entire working area

Step 10: Repeat this process, but this time use the opposite direction (if you were working top to bottom then bottom to top the first time around, change it to left to right and right to left overlapping movements)

Step 11: Once the sealant is spread thinly and evenly over the paint, shut the buffer off

Step 12: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the sealant from the paint

Step 13: Repeat steps 2 through 12 until the entire vehicle has the sealant applied

Polishing

Overview

Polishing is the step in the detailing process that yields the most dramatic difference in your paint's appearance. The objective of polishing is to remove imperfections in the clear coat that cause the paint to look dull. Surface imperfections can include swirls, scratches, water spots, etchings, industrial fallout, oxidation, etc. These surface imperfections cause light to fragment instead of passing directly through the clear coat yielding less gloss and depth. When these imperfections are removed, you will reveal the true potential of your vehicle's paint.

A swirl mark is a very thin and shallow scratch on the surface of your paint, that often comes from washing and drying improperly. Waxes, sealants and most glazes will not permanently remove these surface imperfections at best they will hide them temporarily. To eliminate these imperfections safely and permanently you want to polish the surface starting with a less aggressive polish and using more aggressive polishes as needed. The chemical polishing agents and/or the polishing particles will safely remove the extremely fine imperfections.

Frequency

We recommend only polishing as needed, which is typically around one to two times per year during a full detail. After a thorough multiple step polishing process has been completed you can maintain the finish properly using the correct washing and drying products and techniques. Keeping the paint in good condition will ensure it needs less frequent polishing.

Why Use a Buffer?

While you can polish by hand, it is highly recommended to use a quality buffer for maximum results. When you remove imperfections in your paint, you are working in polishing particles thoroughly and evenly. To do this by hand, you need to use a fair amount of pressure while moving the pad rather quickly. To put it in perspective, the standard in the industry for buffers is the Porter Cable 7424 XP. This buffer can generate 6,800 oscillations per minute at full speed very safely and effectively. Imagine trying to move your arm 6,800 times per minute for hours on end, all while exerting 10 - 15 lbs of pressure on the applicator pad. It's impossible to duplicate by hand and it can be tiresome to do a small fraction of this work by hand.

Another main advantage of a buffer is its ability to work with various pads that help increase the polishing power. For example a blue pad is extremely soft so it's used for extremely fine polishes, but if you use an orange pad it's more dense and can work in a medium cutting polish extremely well. Best of all these pads all use the same hook and loop backing so you simply slap them on and pull them off with ease and no tools are needed. Below we will outline some of the most popular buffers for detailers and what pads and polishes they work great with. There is no one best buffer and there is no one best combination of pad and polishes, however our recommendations come from years of experience and consistently yield excellent results.

How-To Polish

Properly polishing your paint to remove imperfections can take lots of practice to master, but if you follow these steps as closely as possible, you'll get the best results in the shortest amount of time. Before you polish your vehicle, the paint should already be washed and clayed for maximum results.

Proper Lighting

In order to know if you are getting the results you are looking for when polishing, it is extremely important to invest in quality lighting. One of the most cost effective light sources you can purchase is a handheld light gun by Brinkmann. Using the proper lighting will reveal imperfections in your paint and give you a clear understanding if the polishing combination you selected is going to give you the results you'll be looking for.

Caring for Pads

As you polish and your pads become saturated with product, you are going to want to swap them out for fresh pads after every couple of panels. To maximize the life of your pads, it's highly advised to keep a 5 gallon bucket of water with some Snappy Clean solution mixed in. As you are done with a pad, simply put it in the bucket to begin soaking to release and dissolve the polish right away. This will help keep your pads in like new condition without much work. When you are done letting the pads soak in the solution, take them out and blast them with a stream of water from your hose or pressure washer. Allow them to completely dry and store them in a labeled Ziploc bag with the product you used with the pad. It is best practice to only use 1 product per pad.

Taping

To help reduce the risk of damaging any part of your vehicle, it is best to tape off the areas you want to protect. By properly taping, it also allows you to get as close to trim pieces as possible without damaging them. There are many quality options on the market but we recommend the Meguiar's Professional Masking Tape. This will release easily from your paint with little to no residue left behind and is easy to clean up. We recommend taping off any area you do not want to polish or get any product on. Common areas to tape are your trim pieces, around emblems, headlights, tail lights, around clear bras, and more. When in doubt, tape it up, it's better to prevent a problem than to create one.

Step 1: Attach the appropriate backing plate to the buffer

Step 2: Center your pad on the backing plate

Step 3: Apply several pea sized drops of polish on the outer edge of the pad (apply a few extra drops to a fresh pad

Step 4: Visualize your working area, starting with a small 12" x 12" box on a horizontal surface

Step 5: Trace your working area with the polish on your pad with the buffer off

Step 6: Turn the buffer on a low speed setting (1 - 3) and spread the polish evenly through the entire 12" x 12" working area

Step 7: Turn the speed dial of the buffer up to 5 or 6 and start in a corner of your 12" x 12" working area

Step 8: Begin to apply roughly 15 - 20 lbs of pressure on the head of the buffer

Step 9: Working from one corner to the next, move the buffer at a pace of 1" per second while exerting the 15 - 20 lbs of pressure

Step 10: Once you reach the opposite corner, follow the same path back to where you started, but overlap your first pass by approximately 50%

Step 11: Continue this pattern until you have polished your entire 12" x 12" working area

Step 12: Polish the area again, but this time use the opposite direction (if you were working top to bottom then bottom to top the first time around, change it to left to right and right to left overlapping movements)

Step 13: Polish the area the same as you did the first time, but this time use slightly less pressure

Step 14: If the polish is broken down (usually looks like a clear milky haze), shut the buffer off

Step 15: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the broken down polish from the paint

Step 16: Assess your work with your light source to ensure you have achieved the results you were looking for

Step 17: Repeat steps 3 through 16 until the entire vehicle has been polished

Note: After every couple of panels, replace your pad with a fresh one for maximum results. If you are working with a limited number of pads, clean out the pad after every few sections using a medium bristled toothbrush and the buffer on a low speed (do this away from the car as it can potentially dust quite a bit).

Hand Polishing

Step 1: If you are using the Polishing Pal select the desired pad and center it on the Polishing Pal

Step 2: Apply a few pea sized drops of polish to the face of a clean pad (when the pad is new you can apply a few extra drops)

Step 3: Spread the product over a 18" x 18" area or less with extremely light pressure to distribute the product evenly

Step 4: Work the polish in with medium to firm pressure in a circular motion

Step 5: Overlap each pass by 50% working left to right and then up and down

Step 6: Remove the excess product immediately or within a few minutes with a clean microfiber towel

Step 7: Assess your work with your light source to ensure you have achieved the results you were looking for

Step 8: Repeat steps 1 through 7 until the entire vehicle has been polished

Upon completion the paint should have less swirls, oxidation and other surface imperfections. With a more optically clear surface you will now get a deeper gloss and a better shine. Additionally your sealant or wax used afterward will bond to this cleaner and smoother surface better so you can expect increased durability from the protection.

Preparation

Overview 

Using a clay bar will remove embedded surface contamination that still remains after a maintenance wash. Sometimes the contamination removed is not always visible on the paint to the naked eye. After using a clay bar on your paint you will be left with a surface that is as smooth as glass and properly prepped. It is now ready for polish or for you to apply layers of protection. Not only can you clay your vehicles paint, but glass, wheels, lights and more. A common misconception about using a clay bar is that it has an impact on removing swirls and scratches, it does not. 

Frequency 

We recommend using a clay bar roughly twice a year, or before details where you plan on polishing the paint. If your car is subject to industrial fallout or heavily contaminated areas, using a clay bar more often may be required. 

Prior to Use 

Before using a clay bar, your car should be washed and dried to remove a majority of contamination on your vehicle. The more contaminated the paint is the more likely imperfections can be added during the clay bar process. 

P

Choosing a Clay Lubricant 

There are two common types of clay lube, quick detailers and a combination of water and shampoo solution. The clay bar lubricant provides a slick surface for you to glide your clay over. If you use the clay on paint without clay lube, you'll notice that the clay won't slide across your paint and you can easily add marring and leave behind pieces of clay on your paint which can be a pain to remove. 

Many detailers use a quick detailer as their clay lube. We recommend using one that has some cleaning power and little or no protective properties. This helps loosen the embedded contamination from the paint and yields great results. Poorboy's Spray & Wipe is a good clay lube because it's a great cleaner and creates a slick surface to work on. 

Another popular option is to use a mixture of Optimum No Rinse and water. It has cleaning agents that help lift contamination from the surface, provides a slippery surface to glide your clay over and cleans up nicely. Simply add 2 ounces of ONR to a gallon of water and you have yourself a great clay bar lubricant. 

How-To Clay 

Step 1: Wash and dry your vehicle 

Step 2: Break off a small piece of clay that you will be working with and shape it into a flat surface 

Step 3: Working in small 18" x 18" sections, mist the clay bar lubricant over your working area, so that every square inch is covered in clay lube 

Step 4: Gently glide the clay bar over your working area using overlapping passes going left to right or up and down. Note: You do not want to rely on a lot of downward force to clean the paint. You should allow the clay to absorb the contamination. Stubborn contamination can require a good amount of time, clay lube and passes to remove. 

Step 5: Continue working on an area until all contamination is removed. You can tell this has happened because the clay will slide effortlessly across the paint and you will not hear any contamination being picked up by the clay. 

Step 6: Wipe off the excess clay lube with a microfiber towel 

Step 7: Continue steps 3 - 6 until the entire car has been properly clayed 

Note: Reshape your piece of clay after each section so that there is a clean fresh surface exposed. If you cannot reveal a fresh surface, break off a new piece of clay. To increase the life of your clay bar, spray the bar with a clay lube and store it in a clay bar storage container.

Wash

Overview

Washing and drying is the foundation of any detail, whether it's simply maintaining your vehicle with a wash and dry or the start of a long detailing process. It's often overlooked that properly washing and drying your vehicle is the single most important step in any detailing process. This is due to the fact that most imperfections (swirls, scratches, water spots, etc.) are added to your paint during the washing and drying phase. With the proper tools, products and technique, you can easily minimize adding imperfections to your paint. There are various methods you can use to properly wash, which will be explained below in detail. We recommend washing once every week or two.

Foam Wash

Using a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun in conjunction with your two bucket wash method can further minimize adding imperfections to your paint, as well as add some fun to your wash process. The main benefit is that you can pre-soak your vehicle with shampoo without the need to touch your paint. This allows the surfactants in the shampoo to start lifting contamination from the surface of your vehicle, which can also speed up the wash process.

How-To Wash using a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun

Step 1: Follow the Pre-wash Setup Procedure, making sure you use the Gilmour nozzle that comes with the Foamaster II

Step 2: Pour roughly an ounce (or as directed on the bottle) of shampoo into your non-rinse bucket

Step 3: Spray the bucket with shampoo to generate some lather and suds

Step 4: Pour the appropriate amount of shampoo into the foam gun reservoir and add water if desired (we like 4 - 6 ounces of shampoo with 4 - 6 ounces of water)

Step 5: Adjust the dial to the appropriate dilution setting (we like Setting E for maximum suds)

Step 6: Shake the foam gun tank to mix the shampoo and water, which helps generate more suds

Step 7: Attach the foam gun tank to the foam gun nozzle

Step 8: Starting from the top of your vehicle, cover your entire vehicle in suds with the foam gun

Step 9: Take your wash mitt or sponge from the rinse bucket, and dunk it into the bucket full of suds

Step 10: Starting from the top of your vehicle, gently glide your wash mitt / sponge across a section of your vehicle, using little to no added pressure

Step 11: Clean your wash media in your rinse bucket, running your mitt or sponge over the Grit Guard insert to release as much contamination as possible

Step 12: Repeat steps 7 through 9 until your entire vehicle has been washed

Step 13: Remove the foam gun and thoroughly rinse off the suds from your vehicle

Step 14: Turn the shut-off valve to the off position and remove your spray nozzle

Step 15: Turn the shut-off valve back on and use the free flowing water to perform the sheeting method

Step 16: Proceed to drying your vehicle

Note: There is no one right dilution ratio for a foam gun and any shampoo combination. We recommend you experiment with different ratios to see what you like best. If you provide a richer concentration expect more suds and a slicker surface while washing, but if you want a great value try diluting it more.

Sheeting Method

The sheeting method is a simple process that allows you to dry most of your vehicle without ever needing to touch the paint with a drying towel. The main idea behind the sheeting method is to create a cascading effect where the water flowing onto the car combines with the water already on the surface, pulling it down off of the vehicle. Simple physics states that like particles stick together, which is why this method is so successful. When done properly, especially on a vehicle with a sealant or wax on it, you are left with only a few drops of water on each panel, which can easily be absorbed with your drying towel.

How-To Perform the Sheeting Technique

Note: This should be performed after you vehicle has been properly washed following the recommended steps. Also, make sure your hose is dispensing free flowing water prior to starting.

Step 1: Starting from the top of your vehicle moving left to right, flood the roof until water is pouring off the edge

Step 2: Quickly lower the hose a little to "catch" the water falling from the roof, this time moving right to left

Step 3: Lower the hose again and continue in the opposite direction moving left to right

Step 4: Continue this technique until you reach the lowest panels of your vehicle

Step 5: Finish drying your vehicle

Drying Your Vehicle

One of the most common mistakes people make when detailing is improperly drying their vehicle. This is often a major cause of adding imperfections to your paint. Before putting a towel to your paint, if you have access to a blower, we recommend blowing out panel gaps, trim pieces, lug nuts, between mirrors and glass, and lights. This helps prevent the continuous drip from these common areas which can be a pain when you are performing other detailing steps. For a drying towel, we highly recommend using a microfiber waffle weave drying towel for removing any water left behind (after performing the sheeting method of course). Waffle weave towels are textured so that it can help pull remaining contamination away from the surface rather than dragging it across the paint like a chamois (such as The Absorber or Shamwow). It's also much softer than a cotton bath towel, and can hold more than 5x it's weight in water.

How-To Properly Dry Your Vehicle

Step 1: If you haven't already, be sure to perform the sheeting technique to remove a majority of the water

Step 2: If you have access to a blower, blow out panel gaps, trim pieces, lug nuts, between mirrors and glass, and lights to stop any dripping

Step 3: Starting from the top of your vehicle working down, blot dry (avoid dragging as much as possible) any remaining drops of water with your waffle weave drying towel.

Note: If you are performing a maintenance wash and don't plan on doing any steps afterwards, we recommend going over your paint with a quick detailer and a plush microfiber towel to remove any tiny droplets of water and to enhance your paints finish. If you are moving on to claying or polish, a few tiny drops remaining on your vehicle are OK, as the next steps will remove them.

How to

Here are 5 outline of detailing:

1. Wash > 2 step wash with snow foam & two buckets method.

2. Preparation > Remove or eliminate above surface bonded contamination that cannot be vanish only by washing process.

3. Polishing > Remove paint imperfections such as oxidation, swirl mark, scratch etc.

4. Protection > Provide a protective layer to the car to protect against waterspot, UV rays, oxidation etc.

5. Maintenance > Maintain the condition of the car to keep it shiny and protected.

For more step by step details, i’ll discuss in the next post.  :)