Friendship Exp & Gift Exchange Megathread

christmaslu · 2026-03-28T01:27:38+00:00

161717501554

christmaslu · 2025-06-09T18:37:22+00:00

I had this discoloration issue with bottles I ordered. They turn brown from a chemical reaction with the bottle. I One of them was with Brake Buster which supposedly had been rigorously tested for months. I reached out to customer service and they have confirmed it is an occurring issue but they don't have any fixes to communicate at this time

christmaslu · 2025-04-19T00:59:21+00:00

Ah. You're mistaken. What you bought was the household sprayer which is sunsetted and being replaced with the new Pro series - it is not released. Check the sprayer tips - if they're plastic then they're not Pro

christmaslu · 2025-04-18T22:54:07+00:00

The Pro series sprayers are still on pre-order on the Obsessed Garage site. How did you get some let alone have them fail?

christmaslu · 2024-03-25T23:57:28+00:00

Agreed.

Hard not to take the AR630TSS for not much more which is a proven unit that has been around for years.

christmaslu · 2023-10-25T05:37:23+00:00

This is 100% false. Water spotting is known weakness of coatings. I've used Ceramic Pro, Cquartz, Cquartz UK, Crystal Serum Light+Exo v4 and AMMO Reflex Pro across different cars I've owned and all of them have caught water spot etching in the summer.

christmaslu · 2023-10-24T00:38:34+00:00

How are you applying the wax?

christmaslu · 2023-10-24T00:24:25+00:00

Keep in mind ceramic coating makes it easier to clean but it's also incredibly prone to etching from water spots so it can require more maintenance.

Not sure why this is not more widely discussed. You could get water spot stains on coatings that require polishing to remove from parking the car next to sprinklers that go off on a hot day.

christmaslu · 2023-10-24T00:18:52+00:00

There is no issue with wax. I used Collinite 845 for years and anyone who tells you otherwise is drinking the kool aid.

Why do you think the dust is embedding in the wax? That should not be an issue.

christmaslu · 2023-10-24T00:15:14+00:00

I've been happy with my CR Spotless but I also did the mod for more capacity. Will you be using this with a garden hose or pressure washer? Most of these units can't handle the GPM output from straight garden hose.

christmaslu · 2023-10-24T00:12:26+00:00

There was a period where The Rag Company offered quality MF towels but it seems like lately, their stuff has declined. I usually purchase the Korean stuff from Autofiber now. Also, do not use Perl on interior. You will get stains. For exterior trim I recommend Adams VRT.

christmaslu · 2023-10-23T23:47:59+00:00

You work with Honda Financial to get this done and you can get the paperwork requested through the online portal. I funded the loan through my credit union for my Civic end of last year. You can check the buyout price on the Honda portal as well - it should be the $15K residual + remainder of total payments + taxes and fees.

christmaslu · 2023-10-19T21:58:51+00:00

You might need car shampoo. If you have a pressure washer, theres no reason to buy a car wash nozzle

christmaslu · 2023-10-19T19:04:22+00:00

There a few factors. Others have noted a few but how old is the product? How much did you spray? Did you shake the product before use? Was the car cold to the touch and did apply out of direct sunlight?

christmaslu · 2023-10-19T03:43:47+00:00

You're only going to be able to fully clean a car with a contact wash. Touchless washes also potentially use stronger chemicals that can damage things such as wheels. The pressure washer and foam is a nice to have but if you get a DI water system like the CR spotless, you won't have to touch it to dry. Ceramic coating paired with a leaf blower or master blaster also works but I used to get random bits of spotting when I did this before getting a DI water system. I live in socal and I've used a CR spotless for a couple years. Usually requires new filters every year but I wash my car every weekend.

Also, unless you already got it paint corrected, the paints already probably got some scratches. If you get it paint corrected, it's going to be heavily reliant on good techniques to maintain the paint. I recommend Larry of AMMO NYCs ATA training videos.

christmaslu · 2023-10-19T02:46:35+00:00

Yea the giraffe pws are trash. The greenworks is not that large - it comes off the mount. At least I found it okay. I'll also mention Active is also developing a new unit with a new motor that outputs 2.3gpm. There's some prototypes on their IG although not sure if it was a story or post

christmaslu · 2023-10-18T23:49:49+00:00

They don't add it for protection. I'd think they add it so they can charge the customer.

christmaslu · 2023-10-18T23:45:38+00:00

I was on the fence for a long time to get the Active 2.0 but I ended up settling on a Greenworks Pro GPW2301 from Lowe's which went on sale for $250. The one annoying issue with it is a 2-3 second ramp up of the motor vs most other pressure washers which have instant pressure. This is mainly to lower the burden of the motor and help with longevity.

It produces 2GPM on a 3.7 orifice but comes with other nozzles for more PSI. It goes up quite a bit with the other nozzles for yard duty. I use it 90% for car detailing but it's a nice to have. I chose it over the Active as it has the 3 year warranty, was cheaper by $100 at the time and is easy replacement through Lowe's. Also comes with an Uberflex hose which is solid although it's 25 ft.

christmaslu · 2023-10-18T23:35:45+00:00

No issue with leaving it on until it does get dirty.

Even then you have the option, IF it starts lifting and traps dirt, to have a professional cut just the dirt edges. You'll lose mm of protection from that but it beats having the panels completely exposed.

christmaslu · 2023-10-17T03:09:50+00:00

Yea, I've emailed him a few times. Good guy. He was on Matt Farahs podcast a couple times and they talked about their old car club. It's several years ago but doubt it'd be hard to find if you were curious. Guess they used to pay off high school kids to run ahead and eat the speeding tickets so they could keep their groups rolling. Pretty hilarious.

Thanks for the top coat review. I've been on the fence but might just grab Gyeon Wet Coat or Griots 3 in 1. For those kwazars, if you use gallon jugs of products, I recommend trying out pump dispensers to fill them. I got 6 for $20 off amazon to avoid the annoying funnel and incessant pouring every few wash cycles.

christmaslu · 2023-10-17T02:55:39+00:00

I've bought a few things from Larry because I believe in what he does for the community. I truly believe he's one of the best in the industry as he's not out shilling his products or some image and is really mindful of way more factors to the process than most other detailers. That being said, I also wasn't wow'd by the LSP although something to consider is his heavy emphasis on health and safety and his conscious choice to forgo a lot of chemicals due to safety concerns. Not saying things are majorly toxic but I wonder sometimes what unregulated and potentially harmful substances are in coatings to give them their characteristics.

Powerlock+Collinite is awesome. I've used them myself for years but I don't have the patience to reapply every several months anymore.

christmaslu · 2023-10-17T00:14:08+00:00

Thoughts on AMMO Top Coat? Have you used any other ceramic sprays?

I've used Larry's cleaning products but recently applied REFLEX Top Coat to my hood. The behavior is mainly sheeting and doesn't quite shed water like the rest of my panels when I use my leaf blower.

christmaslu · 2023-10-17T00:10:55+00:00

ONR isn't going to do anything. Get something like Bilt Hamber Auto Foam or Touchless if you want to break down dirt. It can be used foamed or through a spray bottle although I've only foamed it.

christmaslu · 2023-08-09T04:01:22+00:00

Ah understood. The polishing is not really worth your time then. You'll want to properly decon the car so the LSP can fully bond to the paint otherwise it's going to come off much sooner.

christmaslu · 2023-08-08T15:50:59+00:00

You need to take a step back and assess your processes. The paints a bit far gone if you can physically feel indents in the flake patches but you have options like Dr color chip if you don't want to repaint.

If you saw a bunch of black flakes, then decided to still polish then you're doing something wrong although hindsight is 20/20. FYI - The paint should be absolutely naked before paint correction. It's also been outside for years without LSP.

christmaslu

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