Cladding

[RickOKC]

I'll pick up some turp subs today and try an inconspicuous area.

Wear gloves.

[Grif]

So maybe the difference between Sue and Grif's experience is heat? If our cladding has the same issues as GM cladding, which is to say contaminants are driven to the surface by heat, you would have to assume that process is occuring much faster in Arizona than in Washington or Alaska.

I live in Alabama, not Alaska. Tho i used to live in AK.

It is FREAKING HOT!!! And terribly humid here now.

[VX KAT]

Wear gloves.

Just found some at an art /craft store, product called "Turpenoid"....Ace and TrueValue didn't have ANY at all...

I have those thin disposable latex gloves in a box...are those strong enough or will it eat through them?

I was thinking of using a microfiber type rag (and then throw it out)...sound OK?

[RickOKC]

Just found some at an art /craft store, product called "Turpenoid"....Ace and TrueValue didn't have ANY at all...

I have those thin disposable latex gloves in a box...are those strong enough or will it eat through them?

I was thinking of using a microfiber type rag (and then throw it out)...sound OK?

Yikes, I'm out of my pay-grade on this one! Maybe a good test would be to pour a tiny bit of solvent in a glove's fingertip, tie it up and let it set for a little while to see if it eats through. You could even rub the glove with a rag to put a little more stress on it, too. I don't know if I'd waste a good microfiber cloth on this, probably any rag would be ok.

Hey did you have to trim your cladding? If so those leftover triangles would make the perfect "test area" if you still have them. Might even let a drop or two of solvent set on them for a while. (I think I'm paranoid about this due to the "don't rub gasoline off the cladding" note!)

[VX KAT]

I'm pretty sure I trimmed my cladding before I applied the R/R , but good idea. And I'd have to dig around to find those triangles...I think I kept them as souvenirs! And I could treat them with R/R, wait a few days, then try the remover I guess...nay, I'm not that patient.

[vt_maverick]

I live in Alabama, not Alaska. Tho i used to live in AK.

It is FREAKING HOT!!! And terribly humid here now.

Lol, good call, sorry. Tough to find any wider extremes in the US than that!

[RickOKC]

Hey Kat, how's your test going? Have you started yet? I didn't mean to imply that you would need to apply the RR to the "triangles" before you tried out the Turp Sub. My concern was just to make sure the solvent wouldn't melt off your texture.

My test is in process:
* Clean Cladding
* Apply the "stripes" of the three chemicals to compare
* Allow to set in for a day or so <--- current status
* Take photos & comment on observations
* Drive through dirty/dusty environment (easy to find in Okla!)
* Take more photos & comment
* Wash
* Take more photos & comment
* Wash again (?)
* Take more photos & comment

I'm impatient, too! I really liked the way the 303 looked on my first test area so I've been applying it to the non-test side of my VX because I suspect it will become my favorite coating so far.

[VX KAT]

I did a partial experiment last night...cleaned area, then applied 303 on front 1/3 of driver's side fender and about 5" wide path of driver side front cladding (that goes right up against front fender).
~R/R is mostly intact on fender
~R/R is chipped on front cladding area
~303 "appeared" to penetrate...after I wiped it on, waited a few minutes, and also put a few finger streaks down it.
~Wiped dry with towel
~3 finger streaks were evident
~I could not get any type of residual on my fingers despite rubbing and twisting finger firmly on cladding. Did it penetrate? Did it harden? Where does the 303 go?
~After rubbing/twisting thumb firmly on an area, I could see a "marring" /"dulling" of the finish...leads me to believe 303 is still sitting on top of the R/R? Yet there was absolutely no residue on my finger, and it could be skin oil that caused the marring. Need to redo this with glove.
~Chipped areas still clearly visible
~Area was a tad darken and "more moist" looking
~Line of demarkation where I stopped was 100% evident.
~Everything still looks the same tonight

I also put 303 on the half moon, deepened color a tad, appears that satin finish may be a tad shinier??? Maybe because R/R gave my cladding such a satin/somewhat shiny finish?

I think I'll go play with the turp subs now....

[VX KAT]

Step 6 says "Liquid R/R" can be removed with tup subs, do you interpret that to mean turp sub would not work after it hardens?

Test results:
Did front driver's "corner" of cladding where there's so much chipping.
Total failure....turp subs didn't even phase the R/R.
I rubbed it on repeatedly and let it sit wet...nothing. Rubbed really hard...nothing...but I did kind of hear some faint crackling sound as I rubbed...perhaps the R/R was slightly cracking or the rag was catching the edges of the chipped areas...but still...no R/R was removed at all. No damage to cladding either, absolutely like I was just wiping it with water....
I have before & after pics..no change.

I think the above statement from the R/R data means it can only be removed if still wet...apparently not after it dries. There's probably some solvent that will remove it, but we don't know what it will do to the cladding.

Rowhard, can you snap a few pics so we can kind of see what it looks like with the One Grand ERV over the R/R?

[Riff Raff]

step 6, turpentine substitute. http://www.carsystem.ca/shared_files...estorer_gb.pdf

In steps 5 & 6; the R/R instructions stipulate to let the R/R penetrate a maximum 5 -- 10 minutes, and then "buff off" the R/R from the ENTIRE surface panel (not just the edges) until completely dry with a lint-free towel. If the R/R is applied and not immediately "buffed off" after sitting on the cladding for a maximum of 10 minutes, then I'd suspect the R/R will turn into a varnish/nail-polish like substance and become very brittle to rock chips and branch abrasions resulting in chipping/flaking. If the R/R is just goobered-on with a thick coat and left to dry that way without any "buffing" after the maximum 10 minute time period, then the varnish/nail-polish syndrome will become evident and extremely sensitive to chipping/flaking.

That's just my observations from reading the R/R instructions. Again; I haven't tried R/R on my cladding, but when I used R/R on my Hood Insert, I immediately "buffed off" the entire Hood Insert with a dry lint-free towel at the 8-minute mark (used a digital egg-timer, and didn't want to risk venturing past the 10-minute maximum mark). The R/R results were excellent on my Hood Insert and removed all discoloration and various sun-fade shadows.

Still; I'm not gonna risk my cladding to R/R and will use the TS-1 product instead, especially since it was mentioned by-name in the GM-TB. I will follow the TS-1 instructions to-the-letter, and wipe it down with a "damp/wet" cloth as per its instructions. We'll see how it goes, but Mr. Larry's VX review and the TS-1 website "links" has given me the confidence I need.

[VX KAT]

I followed the directions to the letter, soft flat brush, lint free rag or soft pad, went preciously 10 mins, wiped with the lint free rag, it captured any "runs"that may have formed.

Rif I don't see where step 5 or 6 mention anything about the

"and then "buff off" the R/R from the ENTIRE surface panel (not just the edges) until completely dry with a lint-free towel

. So I'm not clear on your directions. Actually that sounds more similar to the directions to 303. They're quite clear on the procedure of wiping it dry completely with a lit free rag. Can you clarify that for me?

5. Refinish Restorer should take effect 5 to 10 minutes after application. Any liquid Refinish Restorer can be
brushed over a more porous area.
6. After a maximum of 10 minutes any excess oil should be removed with an absorbent lint free cloth or a soft
pad, otherwise it can only be removed with a suitable stain remover. Liquid Refinish Restorer can be removed
using a turpentine substitute

I also did my hood insert last yr (April), just one coat, came out great and hasn't had any chipping or anything, still looks beautiful, very happy with the way it came out. Glad to hear yours came out so great too!

Just gotta be something different either I did, or the composition of my front cladding, or the environmental aspects (heat/low humidity, etc), or the shear fact that I drive on extremely rough dusty roads where the front is constantly getting pelted with debris, and then the rest is highway driving mostly 65+ limit....but I may go a wee bit over that....sometimes, and it's still a high debris/sandy/dirt environment.

Think my options are to give it another good coat of R/R (hoping the chip defects get absorbed or covered), buy a new front cladding, Line-X the whole dang cladding, find a solvent that works to remove it. Petos had limited success when he heavily recoated his trying to get it to absorb larger globs where he'd forgotten to wipe them/blend them in before it hardened.

Think I'll try to write to mfg for some tech info.

But I'm really looking forward to your details RIff on the new stuff TS-1 and seeing the results. Post some pics when you get it done! As well as RickOKC's testing.

[Riff Raff]

I followed the directions to the letter, soft flat brush, lint free rag or soft pad, went preciously 10 mins, wiped with the lint free rag, it captured any "runs"that may have formed.

Riff, I don't see where step 5 or 6 mention anything about the

"and then "buff off" the R/R from the ENTIRE surface panel (not just the edges) until completely dry with a lint-free towel

. So I'm not clear on your directions.

Petos had limited success when he heavily recoated his trying to get it to absorb larger globs where he'd forgotten to wipe them/blend them in before it hardened.

Ok; if you followed the R/R instructions to-the-letter as you say, then there must be another reason for the chipping/flaking. My reference to R/R instructions 5 & 6 were "paraphrasing" to simplify and possibly clarify their intent and NOT a direct quotation. If you're still confused on the R/R instructions, I don't know what else to tell ya'. Quit trying to pick a fight. I also remember PETOS having R/R problems, as he waited too long before buffing off the R/R. Lesson learned.

Since MR. LARRY's has already applied TS-1 to his VX with great success, perhaps he'll post some pictures and give us some more detailed information. Hint, hint, wink, wink.

[PK]

Quit trying to pick a fight.

Oh come on Riff.

If you really think Sue's response above was trying to pick a fight, then you have some serious phobias.

I have reread that response several times.
It still reads like Sue appreciated your input, politely corrected a couple of errors you made, and then encouraged your further input in regard to the alternative treatment.

What else do you want??

Seriously man.

PK

[Ldub]

Oh come on Riff.

If you really think Sue's response above was trying to pick a fight, then you have some serious phobias.

I have reread that response several times.
It still reads like Sue appreciated your input, politely corrected a couple of errors you made, and then encouraged your further input in regard to the alternative treatment.

What else do you want??

Seriously man.

PK

I think his "radar" must be stuck on......

[vt_maverick]

Why do I get the feeling that after all this we're still going to end up finding that B2B is the best option? Well for those not subjected to heavy dust or rains at least.

Seriously though it does seem like TS-1 may offer the brightest hope so far. Rick and KAT, hurry up and finish your tests - my B2B bottle will run out soon!!! Lol...