I finally got around to using UPP tonight for the first time. Is it supposed to be thicker than Meguiar's NXT ? It took a little more time to apply and it was difficult to apply a thin coat.

Any tips on how to apply a thinner coat by hand ? I did clay
the TL before applying UPP.

It also took me twice the effort to remove UPP compared to NXT. I am guessing it's due to the thick coat and the 60-65 degree temperature.

It got dark by the time I finished and I will see how it looks tomorrow morning.

 

I only use about a size of a penny of UPP per panel. It shouldnt be a thick application... enough where you can tell that something is there. Shouldn't be hard to wipe off either... takes almost no effort, like wiping off some dust

 

Yeah, something is afoul. UPP is extremely easy to apply. Thin is key, just enough to notice it's presence and no more. No more then 1/4 - 1/2oz per vehicle. It's easy on and easy off, wonderful stuff! What are you applying it with?

 

My bottle of UPP was shaken over a dozen times or so and several times again every few minutes since at times the UPP squirted out thick like toothpaste.

I used the purple foam applicator from my half used NXT bottle. 6-7 yellow microfiber towels (Excel Detail's) and 2 cotton towels from Meguiars were used to remove the UPP.

How many microfiber towels does it take to remove UPP from a TL ?

 

Hmm, where did you store your UPP and at what temperature? IME, UPP has been fairly watery and should be easy to apply and remove.

 

Wow, I can remove an entire 7 series of UPP with 1 towel......Do us a favor, squirt a penny size on a plate or something so we can see its consistency......

 

One 16 x 16 towel to do my TL.

 

i probably use 3 microfibre towels but dont need to, i just do....if its hard to take off, your paint may not have been prepped correctly...i would have polished it out after claying it or at a minimum used a paint cleaner to remove any other dirt or oxidization that may not be visable to your eyes....

most of the time people that say they had a hard time removing a sealant it was do to improper prep work....a sealant or any other lsp really needs a nice clean surface to bond correctly so its not bonding to a dirty surface....

 

Like Patrick said, please post a pic with a penny sized dab. UPP should not be thick like toothpaste and it is very easy to remove.

 

Where did you get it from? Is there a "born" date on the bottle?
(I only order 6 at a time to maintain the freshest batches. Most arent more then 3 months old.....)

 

I purchased the bottle about 2 months ago from ExcelDetail
and it has been sitting in my brother's garage since then. The garage is attached with temps probably somewhere around 60-65 degrees over the past couple weeks.

I will take a picture this Tuesday when I see him as I do not have the bottle in my possession.

I used many towels because I thought maybe a fresh towel will help speed removal. I find hard it to believe only 1 towel is enough to remove UPP.


The UPP shine looks very nice and slick! The TL was already coated with tree pollen 12 hours later so the shine must be even nicer without the pollen ! The claying I did removed any NXT still on the paint and exposed the swirls from the previous owner (I bought the TL as a CPO car earlier this year).

I never had to polish with my previous vehicles because I bought or leased them new and mostly did hand washes myself with Meguiars, Zaino, Zymol or One Grand products
used periodically.

Any members here know of a good detailer (but affordable) in the New York City area ? Not looking for a high end 10 hour detail......I think I many need to spend some money to get the swirls removed.

 

I haven't used UPP in a couple of months (thats how long it last!) but I remember it was not thick at all...it pretty much ran out of the bottle without pressure.

 

When I tip my bottle to put some on my pad, I have to be real careful not to let too much out.
Dannyboy, ship it back and I will ship a new one out to you!

 

claying doesnt always equal removal of previous protection...if you using a clay like meguiars or mothers, this stuff is soo light that it wont remove the previous wax or sealant....a cars clearcoat is so easy to swirl/scratch up, this sounds like the first time you have really noticed it...any time i buy a new car, the first thing i will do from now on, is wash,clay,polish with a machine, and seal it....all cars sitting on the dealers lots are already swirled up...period...

 

Vinnier6,

How often do you machine polish your TL ? My TL needs to be machine polished by a pro to correct the swirls from the previous owner.

 

dannyboy10,

It normally takes one good detail session to correct swirls and scratches. If your normal paint maintenance is poor then you can be at square-one in a matter of weeks.

I machine polish twice per year unless something unexpected happens to my car. My wife's car can get away with a machine polish once every 1-2 years since she drives it sparingly.

 

yep, i would say 2 times a year, but its a light one since my initial correction....usually one pass with a white pad and some poliseal or xmt 360 and then some upp and i am good to go for a while...

 

Agreed, both of mine are light polishes.

 

For the UPP.

Apply thin and then immediately wipe away or is there some period of setting up that UPP needs to go through?

I got a sample from Denzil and I have no instructions.

I applied earlier today by hand after polishing.

Should I use my PC on speed 2?

Is that better?

 

Leave it on for at least 20 minutes!! I shoot for 1 hr personally. Start at one corner and work your way around until its all completed, then detail the inside, then remove UPP. Thats my trick, and Im stickin to it!
I use the PC on about 4....usually takes me 15 minutes tops to apply to the whole car.......

 

Thanks Patrick.

Ok...should I do it again?

I wasn't able to finish my polishing...ran out of day light.

I finished polishing everything except for the lower door panels and front bumper.

So I was just going to hit those areas with quik detailer and then continue polishing.

Then apply FS to finish.

 

Ideally, only polish what you can seal. You never know what comes the following day. Its rather important the UPP has time to crosslink (cure/set/react). Wipe on, wipe off does not work with the FSUPP......Optimum Optiseal? Yes.......Optimum Spray Wax? Yes......

 

Everything I polished I sealed with FSUPP.

I think that was correct.

What I couldn't finish polishing & sealing today...will be done tomorrow.

I think I have it right.

 

Agree with all the others:

very thin coat; super easy to remove; 1 towel, maybe two and the 2nd probably isn't necessary; from the bottle UPP is very thin/runny.

 

ExcelDetail,

I went to take another look at the consistency of my Four Star UPP this afternoon. It was not toothpaste like when I squirted a little out after vigorously shaking the bottle.

I think I will keep the bottle. Thanks for the exchange offer !

It must the cool termperature last week. Daytime temps have been hitting high 80's the past 3-4 days. The bottle was sitting in my brother's garage that probably had temps of 50's-60's over the past few weeks.

My next step is to get the TL machine polished to correct the surface defects I inherited from the previous owner. This will be the first time I have someone machine polish my vehicle.

I am also guessing the cool temperature last week delayed the UPP from setting/drying properly on the TL.


Thanks to all that replied !

 

Yeah I just used it today for pretty much the first time.

Spread it very thin and left it for an hour.

Could barely make out the haze but everything buffed out great with my MF!

 

Just to clarify - if I'm applying a penny size amount to the PC pad (I plan on using the LC blue one for this), that clearly doesn't cover the whole pad. Is it OK to have a partly dry pad when I'm applying this? seems like that would scratch, no? When I did my TL several weeks ago, I was applying a lot more than that so that the whole pad had some product on it. Was that bad? Or just a waste?

 

Good question.

I wonder if you can use that same amount but prime your pad a bit...?

 

If you spread the product over your work area (like you're supposed to), you're already providing pretty good coverage throughout your pad whenever you make your passes.

 

just to clarify, i use about a dime size amount, but i drizzle it over the pad in a spiraling circle so as to try to evenly distribute the upp on the pad....

 

Perfect!
I actually apply additional product while the pad is still spinning slowly.
DO NOT PRIME YOUR PAD WHEN USING SEALANTS........

 

Sealants is the LSP right? Why not to prime with sealants? But it's perfectly okay to prime the pad if using polish?

 

Because with the polish your using the prime as a lubricant.. but if you prime the pad with a QD when using a sealant your diluting the sealant with forgien product and changing it chemistry.

 

Bingo, thank you Sir Dale.......

 

Got it! Thanks for the clarification.

 

Good to know.

 

OK - a bunch of stupid noob questions here:

Do I put the product on the pad and then spread it around on the panel and then turn on the PC?

So you put the PC on like 1 and just drizzle a little on the pad?

What do you mean by prime? (I told you I'm a noob)


Whats QD?

 

You can put the product on the pad or on the panel itself, it doesn't matter really. Just be sure that you spread the product pretty thoroughly across the panel so you won't get any splatter once you fire up the PC.

By priming the pad, it just means loading the pad with polish or QD to get things started. Once the pad is primed, you won't have to add so much polish to the pad after several panels.

QD is our acronym for the term "Quick Detail(er)".

 

Great. thanks much!

 

Sorry for piggy-backing on this thread, but I wanted to make sure I understood the comments about FS UPP. I just detailed my Jetta this weekend using the following process:

* Wash w/Meg's Gold Class
* Clay w/Excel Fine Grade Clay
* Re-wash
* Polish w/FS SMR @3-4 on a PC w/a primed white pad
* Sealed w/FS UPP @2 on a PC w/a primed green pad, wiping after every 2 panels
* Let cure for 12 hours
* Wiped down w/Meg's QD
* Sealed again w/FS UPP @2 on a PC w/a primed green pad

(The car was manufactured 07/2008 and this same process was applied 11/2008. The car is garaged and only washed by myself so it was in good shape but had lost some protection.)

After allowing for a day to cure, I get the following result:


(Sorry - the weather was overcast this morning.)

So... I guess I should make the following changes:

* Polish at 6
* Don't prime the pad w/a spray or two of QD
* Don't wipe down after every 2 panels - do the whole car first w/FS UPP

Is that about it? Any other changes? Is it normal for the PC to vibrate substantially more around speed 4? By dropping it down to 3-4, I get a LOT less vibration.

When using Optimum Compound II and Optimum Polish I am assuming I should still wipe off after every panel or two, right?

Thanks!