New and Improved Products for Spring

NEW Ultima Polycharger® fueled products: Ultima Paint Guard Plus Bundle, 12oz & 4oz, and Cycle Armor CycleGuard Plus by Ultima have been enhanced and improved by our formulator to be even more durable and long lasting. These products take very little time to apply and provide a season's worth of protection. It is spring time, protect your vehicles and motorcycles for the entire season!

AUTOGEEK DETAIL FEST is happening this month.

 
On March 15-16, 2014, Autogeek will host the 9th annual Detail Fest & Car Show, offering a unique opportunity for car enthusiasts from around the globe to gather and celebrate their shared passion for cars!  Detail Fest is a FREE, two-day event that is open to the public and will feature car shows, product demonstrations, mini-detailing classes, food vendors and live entertainment. Detail Fest provides a chance for fans and professionals alike to meet industry insiders and celebrities in a fun and casual setting.  Each year, awareness of Detail Fest grows and AutoGeek anticipates a record number of participants and spectators this year. 

 

 

Send us images of your experience and we will post them happily!!!

Autogeek is a Premium Finish Care partner http://premiumfinishcare.com/events 

  

 

Ultima Paint Guard Wash -DILUTION QUESTION

-Surface Care Specialist
 
The PFC website notes that when using Ultima Paint Guard wash, a user should add 3/4 to 1 oz to 3 gallons of water.

Well, What's the recommended dilution ratio?

Is it safe to say 1:500? We state 1 ounce to be used between 3 to 5 gallon of clean water on the directions because Paint Guard Wash is a very concentrated formula.  If car is very dirty then only put 3 gallons of water in bucket and if the car is very dirty up to 5 gallon of water.  This is what we feel was proper amount to use. 

Using more will not harm the vehicle, but it will be wasted.

Best Practices: Ultima Paint Guard Plus 

-Surface Care Specialist

This is a Q&A with Rick Vaal, Formulator and CEO of Premium Finish Care, regarding Ultima Paint Guard Plus, as discussed on Autogeek.

 

Question 1) What are the ideal temperature and humidity ranges for the correct curing of Ultima Paint Guard Plus? (I have had some difficulty achieving proper flattening and curing to a crystal finish under temperatures of 55 degrees f. The UPGP seems to be more temperature sensitive than many other paint sealants I have worked with, and a proper cure it critical to the end result.)
Answer: Yes, Ultima Paint Guard Plus is sensitive to cooler temperatures (50f or below) as well as a high humidity climate. In some cases for both situations, after 30 minutes you may need to wipe the excess off using a clean dry microfiber towel. Ideal temperatures are between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and no wiping is needed if the correct amount is used. 

Question 2) How can you obtain excellent swirl filling with UPGP?
Answer:  Ulima Paint Guard Plus contains only curable blended polymers which will dry and not leave a smeary film or false appearance. It contains no simple silicones which are in most other brands which do hide swirls but will wash off after first wash and reveal the swirls again. We recommend removing the swirls with Paint Prep Plus using the supplied orange applicator by hand or for best results a dual action polisher (Ultimate Detailing Machine by Porter Cable) equipped with a Sonus Orange SON-SFX-3FP foam pad. All orange pads on the market are not the same as Sonus pad. The Sonus pad is a special closed cell foam which is important to create the needed friction to break down the Ultima Paint Prep Plus properly. The Nano size particles will not break down when the foam cells are too large. The Nano particles will simply embed into the larger cells and not reach the surface and cause a haze or not provide the swirl/light scratch removal.

Question 3) Can UPGP bond to natural or synthetic waxes used to level the paint prior to UPGP application?
Answer: It is best to apply Ultima Paint Guard Plus first before any waxes. Waxes will not level the paint but only hide imperfections. (I have not found your Ultima Paint Prep Plus to be an effective filler of paint blemishes such as swirls or fine clearcoat scratches.) By hand, on hard finishes or deep swirls Ultima Paint Prep Plus may not be effective. But, using a machine as described above you can remove light swirls, holograms or very light scratches. Ultima Paint Prep Plus was not designed for old neglected finishes and was really designed to properly clean the finish of grime, light tar and allow the Ultima Paint Guard Plus to bond to the surface. But we have found by machine some leveling can happen. (Your website animation suggest UPGP will help even/level/fill the surface of clearcoat exposed to the elements. After using UPGP on vehicles from 2-16 years of age, I have not achieved any significant amount of coverage of imperfections. On an older vehicle that cannot endure heavy polishing, a scratch/swirl filling product is necessary to hide damage. From my experience, the crystal clarity and strong reflectance of cured UPGP can actually make certain swirl damage more noticeable when compared to an application of traditional wax.) Yes, Ultima Paint Guard will not hide because it dries completely and clear. Ultima Paint Guard may fill in swirled paints and protect but not hide. We choose to create a product to protect and to completely dry so it as longevity and not attract dust. We never designed it for old neglected finishes that have not been restored first by proper compounds and polishes. (I have found that top coating UPGP with a wax does help reduce minor finish imperfections visible after 3+ layers of UPGP. What do you recommend?) Well, most waxes have silicone in the formula and will hide for a very short time. Again, proper paint correction will remove imperfections then Paint Guard Pluswill do what it has been designed to do. To add shine and protection. 

Question 4) Similarly, are there any classes/categories of glazes or waxes which will not reduce the performance of UPGP if layered above/below UPGP? (In other words, am I defeating the integrity of UPGP if I top coat it with a rich wax and then attempt to recoat it a month later with UPGP? I have found that UPGP does apply evenly over certain other waxes and sealants. It appears that some waxes result in such low surface adhesion or high hydrophobicity that UPGP does not achieve the adhesion required for an even application (it is more difficult to spread over a surface coated with another wax/sealant compared to a surface previously coated with UPGP).)
Answer:I have seen some strong petrolieupetroleumxes/sealants remove some of the Ultima Paint Guard Plus. Especially before it had time to cure. Their strength is also very harmful to the finish itself. I do not recommend another wax below UPGP. Also, I have found many so called glazes (which I do not agree with a glaze because they are just a cover up) have a silicone or large amounts of mineral oils which yes hide imperfections but can also not allow UPGP to bond properly. They of course wash off with the first wash or even in some cases rain itself.. 

Question 5) How many ultra-thin coats of UPGP can be applied with enhanced results (layering capability)? (I have found the reflectance and depth of the finish improves with a second and third consecutive coat of UPGP with proper curing between coats. Does the thickness of the UPGP actually continue to increase with additional coats beyond 3?)
Answer:I have found that after three coats it has no benefit. 

Question 6) Can UPGP be enhanced with Polycharger in a separate spray bottle for faster curing and enhanced durability? 
Answer: No, smearing will ocurr. (I could not find reference to this on your site. The biggest drawback I have found to the application of UPGP is the cure time. It is winter, and I can only heat my garage to about 60f.) Yes this is true, I suggest applying two coats and then after 30 minutes wipe with a clean dry microfiber. (Also, can the Ultima Waterless Wash Plus be enhanced in a detail bottle mixture with additional polycharger?) Yes with the H2O version at one dose. Or by purchasing the Waterless wash concentrate you can make the mixture stronger.

Ultima Waterless Wash -other uses?

Ultima Waterless Wash can clean leather and vinyl if not very dirty.  
We would say it could be used as a maintenance product to give interior a quick detail but we have other products designed for vinyl and leather which are much better. Ultima Waterless Wash will clean windows and leave a protection behind to repel bugs and allow for an easy future clean up.  

It must be wiped off with dry microfiber towel or some smear may be visible

Sonus Paint Cleanser vs CarPro Eraser

-Surface Care Specialist

CarPro Eraser is an isopropyl alcohol mix with added fragrance which they claim is necessary to create a clean dry surface to enable their sealant to bond.   We find these components to not be necessary when using our Sonus Paintwork cleansers or polishes. 

Many cleansers and polishes contain heavy amounts of oils to create a fake clean shine and in some cases they cause sealant to not bond properly to surfaces.  All of our Sonus polishes and cleaners contain very little oils and do not interfere with sealants bonding to surfaces.  We also avoid using isopropyl alcohol on painted surfaces due to the drying effect it causes to the finish. Isopropyl alcohol is quick evaporating and as it evaporates it takes moisture with it.  Try any alcohol on skin and you will see how fast it  evaporates and how dry your skin will feel and look.  We do not like to subject painted surfaces or interiors to this component.

Caring for Microfiber Towels with SONUS Microfiber Towel & Foam Pad Wash

SURFACE CARE SPECIALIST --

So you have washed your car(s) using the best products on the market from Premium Finish Care? Now, how do you clean your towels and pads?

 Sonus Microfiber Towel & Foam Pad Wash is made to use in a washing machine. 

It is an engineered blend of micro cleaning agents designed to lift, emulsify and suspend waxes, polish residue, oils, proteins, silicons and soil for complete removal in the rinse water. Sonus Microfiber and Pad Wash is an active cleaner designed to restore microfiber towels, wash mitts, applicators and foam buffing pads to their as-new condition.

    front loaders typically hold 20-25 gallons(75.7-94.6 liters)- use 1 ounce of product for lightly soiled loads, up to 3 ounces for heavily soiled loads.

    top loaders typically hold 40 gallons(151.4 liters)- use 2 ounces of product for lightly soiled loads, up to 6 ounces for heavily soiled loads.